"Oh, what brings you here at this hour? Erlang said he was going to take you and Wulang to see the fireworks."

Madam Xu, who was sitting on the heated couch, put down what she was holding and stretched out her hands when she saw her enter. Li Shiyue took two steps forward, grasped Madam Xu's outstretched hands, and sat down beside her.

Madam Xu looked closely, then her smile faded: "Why are your eyes so red?"

Li Shiyue subconsciously raised her hand to touch the corner of her eye, smiled and turned her body to the side, trying to avoid Madam Xu's gaze: "I came to ask my grandmother for advice."

"Oh?" Old Madam Xu looked at her with some doubt, but did not ask any further questions.

Li Shiyue glanced at Qiu Fan, who understood and stepped forward, handing the wooden box to Old Madam Xu. Seeing Old Madam Xu's puzzled and questioning gaze, Li Shiyue opened the box, revealing the small items inside, such as sachets.

"These were all sent by my third cousin in the past few days."

After closing the wooden box, Li Shiyue turned to face Madam Xu, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "My third cousin gave me a jade hairpin before. I didn't dare to accept it because of the difference between men and women. But my third cousin said that all the sisters in the family had them. After I accepted it, my third cousin sent people to deliver these little trinkets to me every day."

“I initially refused, but my third cousin sent someone who said it was a token of his affection for his sisters, so I couldn’t refuse and had someone carefully put it away. Today, my sixth cousin and my cousin saw it, and a word from my sixth cousin reminded me.”

Seeing Li Shiyue lower her eyes, Old Madam Xu asked anxiously, "What did Sixth Sister say?"

"Sixth cousin said that third cousin and fourth cousin have the same thoughts." Li Shiyue lowered her eyes, not looking up, staring at the hem of her skirt, her eyelashes trembling slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

This absent-minded look took on a different meaning in the eyes of Old Madam Xu. Looking at the wooden box, she asked, "Did Sanlang send those things over?"

Li Shiyue nodded, without looking at those things.

Madam Xu took a deep breath: "I see that these are all things that my young lady likes. Sanlang thinks about them every day. Don't you like them?"

Li Shiyue shook her head, her voice choked with emotion: "I don't like it. My grandmother would give me whatever I wanted. But I'm a little scared of what my third cousin is doing. It was the same way Meng Langjun was at the Earl's Mansion in the beginning."

"After what I experienced at the Earl's Mansion and that day in Shangjing County, I dared not think too highly of people, but I also did not want to think too badly of my third cousin. My sixth cousin was afraid that I would be frightened by my third cousin, so she pulled my eldest cousin to go find him. I was afraid that if things got out of hand, it would harm the harmony among my brothers and sisters at home, so I hurriedly came over."

Li Shiyue raised her face, her almond-shaped eyes filled with helplessness, and looked straight at Old Madam Xu.

Old Madam Xu felt as if her heart was being gripped by something. Staring at Li Shiyue's reddened eyes and her helpless face, she saw that Li Shiyue was clearly frightened but still had to think about the bigger picture. How could she not feel sorry for her?

But there was one thing she still needed to confirm. Old Madam Xu held Li Shiyue's hand and stared into her eyes: "Sanlang is now of marriageable age. On the day you entered the manor, your second aunt revealed that she wanted to arrange a marriage for Sanlang with you. Do you have this idea?"

Before she could finish speaking, Li Shiyue's eyes widened in shock, and she knelt down at Old Madam Xu's feet: "Grandmother, I don't want to get married."

If she were to marry him, wouldn't that be following the same path as in her past life? She was unwilling to do so.

When Li Shiyue looked up, a tear rolled down her cheek, and she looked just like a startled fawn. She quickly shook her head and said, "Grandmother, I have no such thought, and I am even less willing to do so."

“I know that you and Grandmother arranged a marriage between me and the Xu family, but not with any cousin. Moreover, this marriage was arranged because you two love me and are afraid that I will be wronged if Father marries me off too hastily. But now I have no intention of getting married, so let me stay by your side.”

Madam Xu's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and she took her hand, saying, "Nonsense, you think you can stay unmarried your whole life?"

Li Shiyue pressed her face against Old Madam Xu's palm, like a child pleading, and spoke with a soft, nasal voice: "Then I won't get married. I'll be an old maid for the rest of my life, as long as I can stay by my grandmother's side."

"Besides, with what you gave me and what my mother left me, I can support you even if I don't get married. At worst, when the weather gets warmer, I can take you around to travel and relax."

Hearing this from Madam Xu, Li Shiyue seemed to be acting out of spite, smiling as she pulled her into her arms. Madam Xu knew perfectly well that Li Shiyue had no feelings for Xu Yunyang.

Not to mention Li Shiyue, the second branch of the family wasn't even on the shortlist for choosing a husband for Li Shiyue. Given how Liu and her daughter had acted before, her beloved grandson would probably suffer a lot if he married into that family.

If she were to marry, she would have to choose one of her grandsons who was of good character, down-to-earth, and willing to treat Li Shiyue well.

Old Madam Xu raised her hand, and Granny Chang came over. Old Madam Xu then instructed, "Go and fetch Erlang, and also have someone invite the eldest son's wife and the second son's wife to come over together."

Li Shiyue raised her head and watched as Granny Chang walked out of Shousong Hall, her eyes filled with tears, looking pitiful.

Old Madam Xu gently wiped her cheek with the handkerchief in her hand and comforted her softly, "Go play with Sixth Sister and the others. Your grandmother will take care of these things. We've been waiting for the fireworks and snowman for many days. If you go too late, Sixth Sister and the others will have finished playing."

Li Shiyue was tempted to play, but she was also reluctant to leave the gentle embrace of Old Madam Xu, so she lingered for quite a while before finally leaving Shousong Hall.

As soon as she left, the gentleness on Madam Xu's face vanished instantly. The maidservant serving her was about the same age as Lian Dong and was named Lian Chun. She was personally taken care of by Granny Chang.

Now she couldn't figure out what Old Madam Xu was thinking—whether she wanted to make decisions for her cousin or for her grandson.

Lianchun didn't dare to look directly at her, and could only secretly glance at Madam Xu out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't until Madam Yang and Madam Liu came in together that Madam Xu's expression calmed down considerably, and she looked no different from usual.

Liu Shi had only been able to go out these days, and was even more puzzled when she was suddenly summoned by her stepmother, since she rarely came to Shousong Hall except for holidays.

After all, she was the wife of the second wife, and the lord was not on the same page as the first wife. She wanted to live her own life well, and she couldn't please the first wife who was on the other side of the family.

"Mother doesn't look too well today. Did you not get enough rest yesterday?" As soon as Madam Liu finished speaking, she met Old Madam Xu's deep gaze, and her heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously felt that something was wrong.

Madam Xu's gaze was deep and unsettling, and she seemed different from usual.

Yang, who was standing closest to Madam Xu, glanced at Liu, who looked puzzled, and then looked away: "Have the children been making a lot of noise these past few days, disturbing Mother's rest?"