Hearing Xiao Yunying's words, the Minister's wife's face turned even paler.

“Child, how could you say that? Aren’t you just hurting your mother’s feelings?”

Xiao Yunying sighed inwardly.

Her words might have seemed like hurtful remarks to the other person, but she genuinely meant no harm. Everything she said was her truest thought and the truth.

“Madam, perhaps my words were a bit harsh, but I didn’t mean anything by it. I just want you to stop dwelling on the sadness of the past. You have a long life ahead of you. You should live for yourself, not for others, even if that person is your child.”

The Minister's wife was not a delicate person to begin with; she was simply overwhelmed with emotion when she suddenly realized that the child she had thought wouldn't survive was still alive and well.

She took the handkerchief handed to her by the nanny beside her and wiped away her tears: "Child...do you really not hate your mother?"

“I don’t hate you. Believe it or not, this is my truest thought. If you insist on me stating my opinion on you and the Zuo family, it’s simply that I’m indifferent, and I have no other thoughts.”

Actually, because of Zuo Lanzhi, I still disliked her and the Zuo family a little, but seeing that the Minister's wife was really sad, I was too embarrassed to say it.

The Minister's wife said with a wry smile, "Your temperament is just like mine when I was young."

Xiao Yunying didn't respond. She didn't even know if it sounded like her, so how could she possibly respond?

The Minister's wife gave a wink to the side, and the nanny next to her immediately brought out a thick booklet.

She took the booklet and placed it in Xiao Yunying's hands: "I know things happened suddenly, and after what happened, you can't accept me as your mother right away. I won't force you to come back to the capital with me. I just hope you won't reject my kindness to you, okay?"

Xiao Yunying opened the booklet in her hand with a puzzled look: "What is this?"

"These are the things I had prepared for you these past few days. It was a rush, so there aren't many items, and they're not very nice. I'll prepare some better things for you when I get back to Beijing and have them delivered to you."

The Minister's wife choked up a little as she said this: "You're already married, but your mother hasn't prepared a dowry for you yet."

The first page of the booklet was filled with descriptions of various jade ornaments and exquisite porcelain, with names so intricate that they were almost impossible to read without careful reading.

Xiao Yunying quickly closed the booklet: "This is unnecessary, Madam. Please take it back. As you can see, this is just an ordinary farmhouse. We don't need these fancy things. It would be such a waste if they got damaged."

"It's okay, Mom will buy you another one if you break it."

Xiao Yunying put the booklet back into the other person's hands: "I don't need these things, and there's no one at home who appreciates them. I also have to keep an eye on them all the time. They're only good for taking up space."

The Minister's wife gripped the booklet tightly: "If you don't like these, I'll get you something else?"

Xiao Yunying refused directly: "No need, Madam. We live in different environments, so please don't try to arrange things for me based on your lifestyle. I don't like these things, and I don't need them. You should go back early; I'm a little tired."

She was indeed looking tired because she had just recovered from a serious illness, and that was not an act.

The Minister's wife seized the opportunity and said, "I also brought a lot of tonics for you to use to improve your health. You can keep these, right?"

"No need, I never eat those things."

The Minister's wife suddenly felt a little wronged, and her eyes reddened again: "Yunyun, didn't you see what tonics I brought you? Do you hate your mother that much that you don't even want my things?"

Xiao Yunying scratched her forehead, feeling a headache coming on; it turned out she hadn't heard a word of what she had just said.

She explained helplessly, "Most of the so-called tonics are things like bird's nest, donkey-hide gelatin, and snow frog. I don't eat these things much. I've given away the ones that others gave me before. It has nothing to do with whether you gave them to me or not."

"What do you want to eat? Mom will go buy it for you. I heard you like to cook and like all kinds of precious ingredients, right? Bear paws, shark fins..."

Xiao Yunying had to interrupt her: "Madam, I don't eat any of these either. I'm a picky eater. Please don't waste your time. I'm tired. Please go back."

The Minister's wife looked like she had done something wrong, and her eyes reddened again.

The old nanny beside her leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Madam, Miss doesn't look well. She must be tired. Let's go back and let her rest."

Xiao Yunying thought to herself, "I'm not tired, I'm annoyed."

"Then you should rest well, Mother will go back first."

Out of politeness, Xiao Yunying escorted them to the door.

Looking at the several large boxes that had been moved into the yard at some point, she frowned slightly: "I said I didn't want them, so have someone take them back."

The Minister's wife didn't want to upset her, so she said gently, "Since you've already brought them, you can keep them. You can do whatever you want with these things. If you don't like them, you can give them away or throw them away."

Not knowing whether she hadn't expressed herself clearly enough or the other person simply didn't understand, Xiao Yunying said firmly, "I said I don't want it, you can take it back."

The Minister's wife did not respond, but said softly, "Child, can you call me 'Mother'?"

Seeing her so cautious, Xiao Yunying suddenly felt a pang of sadness. At this moment, the Minister's wife was no longer the high-ranking official's wife, but simply a mother longing to be acknowledged by her child.

"Daughter!"

The familiar voice brought Xiao Yunying back to her senses. She looked towards the door and saw her father and mother carrying two baskets as they came in.

Mu Lianrong looked at the Minister's wife with a wary expression, then glanced at the several large boxes in the courtyard. Her expression was somewhat strange, but she quickly concealed them.

"Father, Mother, what brings you here?"

Mu Lianrong walked over to her with a basket in her hand: "These are the hawthorns your two sisters-in-law picked from the mountain. I remember that the children in the family like to eat hawthorn cakes, so I brought some over for you."

Xiao Yunying could tell from her parents' unnatural expressions that they hadn't come to deliver red fruit in a simple way.

He must have known that the Minister's wife had arrived, and was worried, so he used the excuse of delivering red fruit to come and check on her.

"This is too much, Yunwan, please accept it. We'll make some snacks for the children tomorrow."

Seeing that Xiao Yunying treated the old couple completely differently than she treated herself, the Minister's wife felt somewhat distressed.

She wanted to take the initiative to show goodwill to Mu Lianrong, but just as she was about to speak, Mu Lianrong gave a soft hum and went into the kitchen with Zheng Yunwan.

Xiao Yunying was both amused and exasperated by her mother's childish behavior. Fortunately, Xiao Shanhai nodded to the Minister's wife as a greeting.

Just as Xiao Yunying was marveling at how generous her father was, Xiao Shanhai, who had just nodded, followed her into the kitchen, so quickly that he didn't even give the Minister's wife a chance to exchange pleasantries or return the favor.

Xiao Yunying pursed her lips. Well, as expected of the couple, even her own father wasn't that magnanimous.