Chapter 558 Grandmother Falls Ill

The next day.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Meng Jinyao returned from Old Madam Gu's place carrying Wanwan. She asked the wet nurse to take Wanwan downstairs while she prepared to go to her study to read.

At this moment, Ningdong came in and reported, "Madam, Madam Meng and the Third Miss have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was momentarily stunned, not quite understanding, and asked, "What third or fourth young lady? Whose daughters are they?"

Ning Dong looked at her strangely, and seeing her blank expression, she said, "Madam, did you not sleep well last night and are you confused now? Madam Meng is your stepmother, so the Third Miss is naturally your stepsister. She has now been taken to the Meng family and is now the Third Miss of the Meng family, but she has not changed her surname."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao suddenly realized that she had never met this stepsister before, and was a little taken aback by the sudden mention. She was quite curious about this stepsister she had never met before, and hurriedly ordered, "Quickly invite her here." Turning to Chunliu, she instructed, "Chunliu, go prepare tea and bring out the fruits and snacks that I asked you to prepare earlier."

The two maids acknowledged and withdrew.

Not long after, Meng Jinyao saw Zhao Shi and the little girl beside her. Although the little girl was not yet of marriageable age, she was already stunningly beautiful, with a fair face, peach-like cheeks, willow-leaf eyebrows, and lips like rosy clouds. She followed Zhao Shi with a reserved demeanor and gave a shy smile when she saw her.

She's a stunning beauty, and she'll be even more beautiful in two years.

However, he doesn't look much like Zhao Shi; he probably looks like his biological father.

This shows that Ms. Zhao's deceased ex-husband was also a handsome man.

Meng Jinyao withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and said gently, "Mother, this must be my third sister, right?"

Zhao had thought she would address Yunying as Miss Qiao in a distant and aloof manner, but when she was addressed as "sister" directly, Zhao understood her attitude towards the mother and daughter, and her smile became more enthusiastic.

Zhao nodded gently: "That's right." Then she said to her daughter, "Yunying, quickly greet your eldest sister."

Qiao Yunying quickly stepped forward and gave a greeting as an equal: "Yunying greets elder sister."

As the eldest sister, when meeting her stepsister for the first time, according to etiquette, she should also give her younger sister a gift to show her friendliness.

Meng Jinyao casually took off the white jade bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Qiao Yunying, putting it on her wrist. She said softly, "I didn't know that Third Sister would be coming today, and I didn't prepare a gift. I hope Third Sister won't find it offensive."

Qiao Yunying glanced down and saw that the bracelet was quite valuable. She hesitated to accept it and looked at her mother with some uncertainty. Only after her mother nodded did she accept it, smiling shyly and reservedly: "I like it very much, thank you, big sister."

Meng Jinyao invited the mother and daughter to sit down and instructed the maid to serve tea, as well as fruits and snacks. The tea and snacks were the kind that ordinary young girls liked to eat, as well as light-flavored snacks that the elders would like.

Seeing this, Zhao understood. This stepdaughter was taking her mother's needs seriously, because these things must have been prepared in advance. If they had been prepared casually on the spot, they certainly wouldn't have been so thoughtful.

After exchanging pleasantries, Meng Jinyao got down to business, asking, "Mother, is there something you want to tell me about your visit?"

“I thought you sisters haven’t met yet, and the child is still young. You probably won’t have time to go back to your parents’ home if you’re taking care of the child, so I brought her here to meet people. That way, she won’t not recognize you if we meet in the future.” As she spoke, Zhao Shi turned to look at Qiao Yunying and continued, “Yunying, didn’t you say you wanted to see your little nephew and play with him when you came over? Go and play with him. Your older sister and I still have something to talk about.”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yunying was stunned. When did she ever clamor to play with her stepsister's child? But seeing her mother's gaze, she did not refute it.

Seeing her reaction, Meng Jinyao knew that Zhao Shi might have something to say to her that Qiao Yunying couldn't hear, so she sent Qiao Yunying away and said with a smile, "Chunliu, take the Third Miss to the wet nurse."

Chunliu responded and led Qiao Yunying over to the wet nurse's side, staying by Qiao Yunying's side closely.

After they left, Meng Jinyao dismissed the other maids, leaving only her trusted maid Ningdong to serve her. She asked, "Mother, what is it?"

Zhao whispered, "Ayao, your grandmother has fallen ill."

Meng Jinyao's eyes widened suddenly, her face filled with surprise: "Grandmother is ill? How come I haven't heard about it?"

In the past, she would definitely have known about this, and as a junior who had not married far away, she would have had to go back to visit, otherwise she would be unfilial. But now she couldn't hear a word about it, which was strange.

Zhao explained to her, "Your father kept the news a secret. Yunying and I came here without his knowledge. We just lied and said that my mother missed Yunying and wanted to take Yunying back to see her maternal grandmother."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao revealed an expression of "I knew it," and then asked, "Is my grandmother's illness related to my father?"

Zhao did not hide anything from her and told her the truth: "That day, your father heard that his beloved ex-wife was engaged to someone else and was preparing to remarry. Your father was heartbroken and came home drunk. He had a big fight with me when he got home. When your grandmother found out that he had argued with me because of his ex-wife, she scolded your father severely."

"Unexpectedly, your father was in a fit of anger and had been drinking. Alcohol emboldened him, and he spoke recklessly, cursing her as an old hag who had brought misfortune to her descendants and ruined his good marriage. Your grandmother was already dissatisfied with Dong Shi, and her son had turned against her because of Dong Shi. In a fit of anger, she fainted and has been unconscious for three days. The family doctor said that even if she wakes up, she will not be able to return to her previous state."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was astonished. She was happy for Aunt Dong for finding a good husband, but she was quite surprised that her father and grandmother had quarreled like this. No wonder her father would try to keep the news under wraps. If the news of her mother's illness got out, her father would be a despised unfilial son, impeached by the censors, and if it reached the emperor's ears, he would definitely be punished.

Zhao looked up at Meng Jinyao and continued, "Ayao, I haven't been married into the Meng family for very long. I'm not sure about the family's affairs or the rules. I'm really at a loss this time. On one side is my husband, and on the other side is my mother-in-law. After thinking it over, I decided to come and ask for your opinion. After all, you grew up in the Meng family, and you know better than me how to handle the Meng family's affairs."

Meng Jinyao glanced at Zhao Shi in surprise. Logically speaking, with her parents still alive and there were men in the family, a married woman had no right to interfere in her family's affairs. But Zhao Shi had come to ask for her opinion, which proved that Zhao Shi was on her side. No matter what she wanted, Zhao Shi would do as she wished.

Come to think of it, it makes sense. Originally, Grandmother wasn't sick, but because Father couldn't forget Aunt Dong and disliked Zhao Shi, and Zhao Shi was able to please Grandmother, Grandmother was able to support Zhao Shi.

Now that her grandmother has fallen ill and has been in a coma for three days, it's hard to say whether she will wake up or not. Her father will definitely make trouble for Zhao Shi afterward, and since she doesn't get along with her father, Zhao Shi came to her for support.

He is indeed a smart person.