What could Chen Zhaoci say? Z could only accept the person.

The old lady smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll have them bring their own dry rations, plus more silver and food. After you're sent to Miaozhou, you can find an inn to stay in. Whenever you want to return to the capital, I'll escort you back."

Chen Zhaoci quickly refused, saying, "Grandmother, good grandmother, what are you doing? Since they're following me, how can I not take care of their basic needs? Others may not know my financial situation, but don't you know? I still have this much money."

The old lady nodded and said, "Since you say so, then you should take care of these people's food and lodging yourself. Miaozhou is currently suffering from a disaster. I also experienced a flood when I was a child, and I know the tragic state of people after a flood. Our Xiao Jiu has suffered in Miaozhou. It's getting late today, so I'll have someone send you some things tomorrow, and you can take them to me for me."

When Chen Zhaoci heard the old lady ask him to deliver something, he couldn't help but think of the purses that his sisters-in-law, Ning Shi, had sent over that afternoon, and he burst into laughter.

The old lady asked curiously, "'I told you to bring something, why are you laughing?'"

Chen Zhaoci then told the old lady about Ning and the others delivering the purses that afternoon. The old lady was very pleased and, holding Chen Zhaoci's hand, said, "I really made the right decision to give you and your sisters-in-law a few shops and estates to run yourselves. It's also thanks to our husband's kind heart and tireless efforts in helping these aunts and sisters-in-law manage them. Otherwise, would those shops and estates have been so profitable?"

Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "That's all thanks to your wisdom, Grandmother."

The old lady sighed softly and said, "Now that the children are married, if we continue to live together like this, it's inevitable that we'll look at each other and criticize each other. The men are a bit better off; they're out there all day, so their horizons are always broader. But what about the women? They're always confined to the inner quarters, with nothing to do that makes them happy. Their eyes are always on others; they only see the good in others and not their difficulties. Over time, conflicts are bound to arise. Grandmother, in the end, won't all those shops and estates I own be handed over to you children anyway? It's all the same whether I hand them over sooner or later, so I might as well let you run them yourselves. I never imagined that our eldest son would be such a capable man, turning those shops and estates into golden goose hen."

After the old lady finished speaking, she laughed heartily.

After a few more words, Xu Rao and Chen Zhaoci took their leave. Chen Zhaoci was still worried about the health of the old lady after she left. Although the old lady was old and rarely came out to meet guests now that the mansion had guests, she was the pillar of this large family. Chen Zhaoci had been taking good care of her health. It was also because the old lady had a good foundation and had practiced martial arts since childhood that, even though she was old and frail, her blood and energy were much better than those of her peers.

When Chen Zhaoci got back, he started thinking about what medicine to make for the family. The lights in the room didn't go out until the third watch of the night.

After Xu Rao and Chen Zhaoci left, the old lady sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), thought for a moment, and then asked a maid to invite Granny Shen over.

Granny Shen was quite old. Originally, her children and grandchildren wanted to take her home to care for her, but she couldn't stay at home for more than two days and insisted on coming back. The old lady was also reluctant to let her go. Although they were mistress and servant, the two were like sisters. They felt that something was missing when they were separated. Even if Granny Shen didn't do anything after returning, she would rest in the side room in the old lady's backyard. Both the old lady and Granny Shen felt at ease.

After Granny Shen arrived, the Old Madam said, "I remember I had 30,000 taels of silver notes here. Where did they go?"

Granny Shen took out a black lacquered mother-of-pearl box from a drawer under the dressing table. The box was locked with a small brass lock. Granny Shen found a thin key inside the box, unlocked it, and took out a stack of silver notes.

Looking at the silver notes, the old lady said to Granny Shen, "If I leave you, I won't be able to find anything."

Granny Shen asked, "What does the Old Madam intend to do with these silver notes?"

The old lady said, "In a few days, Zhaoci will be going to Miaozhou. Miaozhou has just been hit by floods. I heard that the road to Miaozhou has just been repaired. I don't know if our Xiao Jiu will have any food to eat in Miaozhou. I'll ask Zhaoci to take some silver notes with me and find someone to help buy some food and send it to Miaozhou."

After thinking for a moment, Granny Shen said, "I think I heard a few days ago that our fourth aunt went to Miaozhou with her husband a long time ago, carrying grain and medicine. I heard that our eldest son asked the Ma family of Caobang to send them there."

Upon hearing this, the old lady was slightly taken aback and said, "Really? Our fourth aunt has really impressed me since she got married."

Granny Shen smiled and said, "That's all thanks to you, Madam, for securing such a good marriage. The Lin family remembers your kindness back then."

The old lady waved her hand and said, "That's all ancient history, let's not talk about it anymore. I don't think even our fourth son-in-law's own father knows about this. But the two of them are good people. No matter which of their sisters is in trouble, they always do their best to help them."

Granny Shen smiled and said, "All the children in our family are good."

After hearing what Granny Shen said, the old lady remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Just as Granny Shen was about to leave, the old lady said quietly, "But after all these years in our family, how come she hasn't learned any of our children's strengths?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Shen was startled and immediately realized that they were talking about Xu Shao.

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