Wang sighed and said, "Our old sister-in-law has only known how to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures all these years, and she doesn't know how to take care of these things."

For some unknown reason, Zheng Shan simply sighed and said nothing more.

For a moment, no one spoke in the room except for the sizzling sound of the thick hemp rope threading through the soles of the shoes as Wang sewed them.

But then they heard someone outside shouting and running inside. Wang was old and her hearing wasn't very good, so when she heard someone shouting, she asked Zheng Shan, "Who is it? What are they shouting about?"

Zheng Shan had heard clearly. While getting off the kang and putting on his shoes, he said to Wang Shi, "Yuan Ge's daughter-in-law has come to our house. You should quickly arrange for Jie'er's mother to boil water and make tea."

Upon hearing this, Wang put down her needlework, got off the kang (heated brick bed), and put on her shoes, saying, "Didn't you say you wouldn't arrive until today? Why are you here so soon?"

Zheng Shan said, "How would I know? You should go and make the arrangements quickly, so as not to be impolite."

When Zheng Shan arrived at the gate, Xu Zhi had already gotten off the carriage, with Zheng Yuanyuan standing beside her, her face not looking too good. Bai Shu and the others followed behind, carrying several gift boxes.

Upon seeing Zheng Shan, Xu Zhi pulled Zheng Yuanyuan to give Zheng Shan a curtsy. Xu Zhi said, "Greetings, Third Uncle. Xu Shi has returned to the ancestral land to pay respects to our ancestors on behalf of my great-aunt and uncle."

Upon seeing this, Zheng Shan quickly stepped forward and said, "We're all family, no need for formalities. Please come in, Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law and Yuan-jie."

Xu Zhi helped Zheng Yuanyuan, who was suffering from severe motion sickness. Her face was pale and she could barely stand. With Xu Zhi's support, they staggered towards Zheng Shan's house.

Wang Shi came out to greet them, and Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan bowed to Wang Shi. Wang Shi quickly came over to help support Yuan'er and said, "Is this Yuan'er? I saw Yuan'er when I went to the Marquis's mansion when I was a child. At that time, Yuan'er was just a month old. Now she has grown into a young lady."

Zheng Yuanyuan smiled at Wang Shi, who asked, "What's wrong, Yuan'er?"

Xu Zhi said, "I want to let Third Aunt know that Yuan'er is carsick. The road was rough and the carriage was very bumpy. Yuan'er vomited twice on the way."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang said, "You all should do the same. Since Yuan'er is not feeling well, she should rest properly at home and come over when she is feeling better."

With tears in her eyes, Zheng Yuanyuan pouted and said to Wang Shi, "Third Aunt, my sister-in-law and I haven't even entered the house yet."

Upon hearing Zheng Yuanyuan's words, not only was Wang Shi stunned, but Zheng Shan was also taken aback. Zheng Shan asked, "Yuan'er, why didn't you come inside?"

Zheng Yuanyuan looked at Xu Zhi and said, "My sister-in-law and I came from Anping County early this morning. We called for a long time at the gate of the ancestral home, but no one came to open the door. A servant in the mansion said that their master had taken his wife and young master and young lady out, and refused to open the door for us. My sister-in-law and I had no choice but to come to Uncle San's place first."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Shan's face turned red with anger. He said, "Absurd! A servant actually blocked his master from entering the house. It's utterly absurd!"

Wang said, "You too, that's your home. If you don't want to open the door, just break it open and go in. You're letting a servant bully you for no reason."

Zheng Yuanyuan glanced at Xu Zhi, who smiled gently and said, "Third Uncle, Third Aunt, I've just married into the family and there are many things I don't understand yet. How could I possibly break down the door and come in? Wouldn't people laugh at me, the new bride, if they found out?"

Wang looked at Zheng Shan, who took a breath and said, "It's getting late. You can have your meal here now, and I'll go get justice for you right away."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Third Uncle, we're all family, let's not hurt our harmony."

Zheng Shan said, "I am family with you, but what kind of family am I with those lackeys?"

After saying that, he hurriedly walked out.

Outside the door, Uncle Qing greeted Zheng Shan and took out a letter from his pocket, saying, "Third Master, this was given to me by the Old Madam before I came, instructing me to give it to you in person."

Upon seeing this, Zheng Shan opened the letter in front of Qing Bo. After reading it, he said to Qing Bo, "Come with me to Lao Wu's house. This time, I'll stand up for Lao Wu. Otherwise, that bastard Qing Chun will definitely cause trouble again."

Uncle Qing smiled and said, "Then we'll have to rely on the Third Master and the Fifth Master."

Zheng Shan took Qingbo to the home of his fifth uncle, Zheng Ling. Wang Shi settled Xu Zhi and Zheng Yuanyuan in her room. Zheng Yuanyuan took off her shoes and lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed). Wang Shi's eldest daughter-in-law brought over two bowls of ginger and jujube tea and said, "Yuan-ge's daughter-in-law, Yuan-jie'er, have a bowl of hot tea first to warm your body."

After Xu Zhi thanked her, she took the teacup. It was a rough porcelain teacup with an amber-colored tea soup. It had a rich ginger flavor and a sweet jujube flavor. After taking a sip, she felt a surge of heat from her mouth all the way to her stomach.