Xie Qianzhong's handsome brows finally furrowed: "Why? It's not anything valuable." Displeasure flashed across his face. He knew she was going through a hard time. This restaurant could increase her income and give her a safe place to stay.

Why not?

“There’s no reason why. I appreciate Lord Xie’s kindness, but I will not accept this land deed.” Song Tangxue stood neither servile nor arrogant, like a plum tree standing tall and proud amidst the snow-covered landscape of winter, its fragrance wafting through the air.

She said it, but Xie Qianzhong still couldn't understand.

Xie Qianzhong's face turned cold. He gripped the land deed, gave her a deep look, and then turned and left. The two parted on bad terms.

Song Tangxue lowered her head and watched the tiny dust particles on the ground dance in the sunlight. After a long while, she smiled bitterly, covered her face, and sighed.

As they exited the mansion, Haitang was still waiting at the gate. Seeing that Song Tangxue's expression seemed strange, she helped her into the carriage and asked with concern, "Miss, weren't you going to see Lord Xie? What's wrong?"

In Haitang's mind, the two of them were lovers who understood each other perfectly, so why were they unhappy when they met?

"Haitang, what do you think is my relationship with Lord Xie?" Song Tangxue asked Haitang.

Haitang was a little embarrassed, her face showing the shyness of a young girl: "It's...it's that kind of relationship." She had seen Song Tangxue's body covered in marks.

"No...we're not in that kind of relationship." Song Tangxue denied Haitang, and also denied herself.

Haitang was somewhat taken aback: "But Lord Xie treats you very well, and you often think of Lord Xie..."

"No, Begonia, a relationship must start with two equal people. Otherwise, if one person is dragging the other along, they will get tired sooner or later."

"The common saying 'marrying someone of equal social standing' refers to matching values ​​and abilities." Song Tangxue directed the carriage toward the Song residence.

"If you want to be in love and enjoy romance, you must first be strong so that you can be free without any worries and not be a burden to others."

Before leaving, he lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the mansion of the Nine Thousand Years Old, which terrified the courtiers. It was tall and spacious, and the carriage seemed so small, let alone himself.

"Haitang doesn't understand. Haitang only sees that Miss is unhappy." Haitang frowned and reached out to smooth Song Tangxue's brow: "Why can't people who love each other be together?"

"Aren't there still beautiful stories about scholars and young ladies in those storybooks?" Haitang said, somewhat resentful and also feeling sorry for Song Tangxue. "Their backgrounds are so different."

Song Tangxue raised her eyebrows slightly: "So that's just a storybook, not reality. You'll understand in the future."

"By the way, how was the shop's income while I was away?" Money is the foundation for survival, and Song Tangxue, eager to become stronger, inevitably had to consider these things.

Haitang knew she was changing the subject, but still went along with it, saying, "The income has increased, it seems that those shopkeepers have taken my advice to heart."

"That's good." Thinking of the money in her hands and those shops, Song Tangxue finally felt a sense of reality.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Song residence, they could see Song's mother waiting there from afar.

Song Tangxue didn't think she was there to pick her up; she wasn't that arrogant. She figured she was probably there to cause trouble for her again.

After getting off the carriage, Song Tangxue strolled over leisurely, showing no sign of panic: "What are you doing here, Mother?"

"Hmph." Mother Song said coldly, "I thought you didn't acknowledge me as your mother."

"How could that be? You had a tough ten months of pregnancy," Song Tangxue replied with a smile.

"So the rest of the Song family has nothing to do with you?" Song's mother looked at her coldly: "I heard that you humiliated Ali at Doctor Xie's apprenticeship ceremony today?"

“Ali hid in her room and cried as soon as she came back. When will you be able to take on the responsibility of being the eldest sister and care for the younger generation in the family? Ali is your sister, not your enemy.”

Despite her earnest words, Song's mother felt sorry for Song Tangli as she thought of her crying mother, and couldn't wait to block Song Tangxue at the door, demanding an explanation.

“Mother, you’re just repeating hearsay. I didn’t say a single harsh word to Song Tangli today. She was rejected because of her own bad character. How could I have humiliated her?” Song Tangxue didn’t care about her mother’s attitude at all and spoke calmly.

In the past life, there might have been resentment and heart-wrenching disputes, but now they are meaningless.

Song's mother is undoubtedly a qualified mother to Song Tangli. Regardless of whether it is Song Tangli's fault or not, as long as she is unhappy, it is other people's problem.

"With so many people watching the apprenticeship ceremony, Mother, if you don't believe me, you can go and ask someone. If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my courtyard now."

Song's mother looked unpleasant, but Song Tangxue ignored her and entered the Song residence. She had long since passed the age of craving family affection.

The two returned to the courtyard, and Song Tangxue let out a deep breath, her mindset much calmer.

"Qingyi, have you heard about the fire at Yongping Granary?"

"I heard that the fire burned for three days and three nights, and all the stored grain was burned to ashes."

"But it's alright. Spring planting has already begun this year, and after the autumn harvest, Yongping Granary will have grain stored up again."

"..."

The two maids in the courtyard did not notice Song Tangxue's return. They huddled together, whispering to each other. Haitang, as Song Tangxue's head maid, was responsible for disciplining the other maids.

Upon seeing this, he immediately coughed.

The two maids turned around. They looked to be only thirteen or fourteen years old. When they saw Song Tangxue and Haitang, their legs went weak and they knelt down in fear and trepidation.

"You two aren't working properly, instead you're talking nonsense here. Do you want to get punished?" Haitang scolded coldly.

Song Tangxue stopped her: "Forget it, they're still just kids, there's no need to be so strict. You were quite mischievous when you were little too."

He turned to look gently at the two maids and said, "You may leave now."

The two maids thanked them profusely and withdrew.

Once the two had walked away, Haitang pouted and said, "Miss, you're teasing me again."

“Those two little maids are only twelve or thirteen years old, much younger than you and me. Why do you have to scare them like that?” Song Tangxue smiled and tapped her head.

Haitang thought back to her childhood: "Miss is the kindest person. I had to beat out many others to be able to serve her." She said with a touch of pride.

"But how could Yongping Granary catch fire for no reason? If the autumn harvest is poor, the people will be in trouble in winter."

Yongping Granary is a major granary in Jiangnan and one of the four major granaries in the world today.

Song Tangxue recalled her past life, in which she knew that this winter would bring heavy snow, leaving people without food and causing them to flock to the capital, becoming homeless and displaced.

In previous years, she would go to the outskirts of the city to distribute porridge every winter. Every year, there were always people who were poorly clothed and starving, but this year...

In her previous life, she married into the Crown Prince's mansion this year. She herself was struggling to make ends meet and her life was uncertain. How could she possibly care about these people?

Thinking about the measures I had taken, I just hope that the refugees will have an easier time this year, and I will do my best to help them.

What else can be done besides providing porridge and clothing?