“Mother-in-law, you are so considerate of the family. You have sacrificed so much so that no one is distracted. As your daughter-in-law, I really feel guilty. I haven’t taken good care of you. Everyone in the family is busy with their own careers, and I’m the only one taking care of you, but you still have a headache that won’t get better. Mother-in-law, please punish me. It’s all my fault. You are such a good person and have always treated me like your own daughter, but I couldn’t even persuade you to get treatment. I’m so sad.”

As she spoke, Jiang Tian actually started to shed tears.

"Don't say that."

Xiao's mother was startled.

She couldn't even tell which side Jiang Tian was on.

These words left her somewhat confused.

However, seeing Jiang Tian genuinely shed tears for her, Xiao's mother was still somewhat gratified. Her children had grown up and had their own thoughts. She couldn't find anyone to talk to. Although her eldest daughter-in-law seemed dull and not very cunning, at least she could cook and always followed her around like a servant, which was still a form of companionship.

"Mother-in-law, shall we go to the hospital first and get our headache checked?"

Xiao's mother's smile was a little stiff: "Look at what you're saying, I don't have any problems, I'm perfectly healthy, you should go back and eat, you don't need to worry about me."

"You should still go, Mother-in-law. If you're not feeling well, I won't be able to sleep soundly."

Xiao's father glanced at his wife.

They've been married for so many years, who doesn't know who the other is?

His wife has no flaws whatsoever, except that she likes to pick fights with other people.

"Elder sister, go back and have dinner. Don't worry, as long as you're here, your mother-in-law will be healthy and worry-free. Our family doesn't have time to take care of her, so please take good care of her."

“Father-in-law, this is my responsibility. I am willing to stay with my mother-in-law, so please don’t worry.”

"Okay, let's continue eating."

Since Xiao's father had spoken, no one else said anything.

Xiao's mother was distracted and forgot to care about her eldest daughter-in-law sitting down to eat with them without saying a word.

By the time she realized what was happening, everyone had finished eating.

The family members either went to work, or idled away their time shopping and playing with birds. The two daughters-in-law were also busy with other things, while the youngest daughter went to school.

After the family members left, Xiao's mother saw her eldest daughter-in-law, and she suddenly felt a strange mix of emotions.

Even if this eldest daughter-in-law has this or that flaw, at least she genuinely cares about her; when everyone else leaves, she's the only one left.

"Mother-in-law, whatever you need to do today, I'll go with you."

Jiang Tian's words softened Xiao's mother's expression considerably.

She suddenly realized how good her eldest daughter-in-law was.

"I'm free today, you can go ahead and do your thing. Don't worry, I'll contact you if I need anything."

"Grandma, if you have a headache, you must call me."

"rest assured."

Jiang Tian then left. After leaving, she didn't go anywhere else, but quietly went to the study.

There were servants who cleaned the study. When they saw him, they didn't show much respect. Everyone knew that the eldest young mistress was not popular at home. She couldn't earn the status she wanted, so the servants wouldn't give it to her.

"Young Madam, what brings you here?"

The maidservant asked her with a forced smile.

Jiang Tian remained as calm as ever, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

This girl named Xiuxiu also wanted to see what the young mistress was up to.

"May I have your name?"

Xiuxiu suddenly became alert, but she still told the truth: "My name is Xiuxiu."

"Xiuxiu, can you read?"

Upon hearing this, Xiuxiu couldn't help but smile.

Of course she could read; otherwise, she wouldn't have been assigned to the study. Literacy was something she was proud of.

"I do know a few, what's wrong?"

Jiang Tian suddenly pulled out a few silver dollars from her hand and stuffed them into Xiuxiu's pocket before she could react.

Xiuxiu's heart was pounding. She tried to pull out the money, but Jiang Tian had a strong grip and held her down.

"Young Madam, what are you doing!"

Xiuxiu lowered her voice.

Fortunately, none of the other maids were looking in that direction, otherwise she would have been in a truly difficult situation.

"I'll give you these few silver dollars in exchange for teaching me to read for an hour every day, how about it?"

Jiang Tian spoke in a very calm tone, neither hurried nor slow.

Xiuxiu was stunned.

"These few dollars are the tuition fee. Don't worry, you only need to teach me for one month."

Xiuxiu didn't have any bad intentions, otherwise they wouldn't have arranged for her to work in the study. The study is an important place, after all, and they would have to find a trustworthy maid to prevent the books from being damaged, since books were still expensive these days.

"Young mistress, I don't understand what you mean. Why do you want me to teach you to read?"

"Because I can't find anyone else to teach me, I can tell you're not a bad person, so I wanted to ask you. If you don't agree, that's fine too, I'll ask someone else."

Xiuxiu was stunned.

She hadn't expected that Jiang Tian was illiterate.

Of all the young mistresses, she was probably the only one who couldn't read.

Looking into Jiang Tian's clear eyes, Xiu Xiu felt a slight stirring in her heart, though she couldn't quite describe the feeling.

After thinking it over, and touching the few silver dollars in her pocket—which represented several months' salary—Xiuxiu finally made up her mind.

"Alright, young mistress, I'll teach you, but I don't know if I can teach you. Now that you've given me the money, I won't give it back to you."

Jiang Tian immediately smiled: "Don't worry, I will definitely study hard. The master can only guide you in; the rest is up to you. I won't make things difficult for you. How about we arrange a place and a fixed time?"

Xiuxiu nodded.

She is indeed not a bad person, and she has a sense of loyalty.

Now that she had agreed to Jiang Tian's request, Xiu Xiu put away all her vanity and pride, and she now regarded Jiang Tian as her apprentice.

A person always has many complex aspects. In one person's eyes, she may be vain and arrogant, but in another person's eyes, she may be serious and responsible.

Xiuxiu is just like that.

She always makes sure to fulfill her promises.

From that day on, Jiang Tian secretly began to learn to read and write from a little girl.

Neither of them told anyone about it; they were very in sync.

Xiuxiu realized that the eldest young mistress was actually a very kind person. At least there was no psychological burden when she was with her. She would not boss you around just because she was the master and you were the servant.

Xiao's mother has many things to do every day. She doesn't necessarily want her eldest daughter-in-law to serve her all the time. It's just that she always gets the short end of the stick with her other daughters-in-law because they are not willing to serve her every day. So Xiao's mother asks Jiang Tian to spend more time with her.

As the person who has spent the most time with Jiang Tian in the family, Xiao's mother has noticed some changes in her eldest daughter-in-law these days.

"Eldest sister, what have you been busy with lately? I feel like you've changed a bit."

As soon as Xiao's mother thought of something, she asked her directly.