The banquet began at twilight hour, and the Sheng family's first and third wives gradually arrived. The male family members sat at a table on the east side of Shou'an Courtyard, separated from the female family members by a screen. The female family was larger, with the two wives and their children at one table, while the remaining concubines and maids occupied two tables. Mr. Sheng's only remaining concubine was an elderly one, who had long since stopped leaving the courtyard. The first wife now had five concubines and maids, while the third wife had even more.

After the banquet began, the men began toasting. After the elders drank the wine offered by Sheng Wei, they called on the servants to present gifts. Sheng Wei, still young, offered tea instead of wine to the elders, who in turn offered words of encouragement. Even Sheng Huaizhong was no longer as aloof as he had been recently. His face was filled with a look of honor, and he kindly gave Sheng Wei constant instructions.

The Sheng family originally had no existing clan members, but after settling in Youyang, they established ties with the local Sheng branch. Today, members of the Sheng clan also sent gifts, as did several wealthy businessmen and frequent visitors. Li Yuxin returned the gifts according to etiquette.

The female members of the family were also very happy when they first sat down to the table. Li Yuxin and the third wife chatted from time to time, and the children were all well-behaved. The younger ones were served by their wet nurses while the older ones like Hong'er and Yun'er would whisper to each other.

The atmosphere was interrupted by the sharp cry of Rong Jie'er, the concubine of the third room. Li Yuxin looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Rong Jie'er's soup bowl on the table had been knocked over, soaking her dress. Li Yuxin winked and Mama Liu was about to step forward. At this time, Aunt Ru, who was sitting at another table, ran over in a hurry, pulled Rong Jie'er up from the stool, and was about to drag her away. Mama Liu stopped in her tracks. The eldest lady of the third room wiped the corner of her mouth, put down her chopsticks, and scolded Aunt Ru: "Aunt Ru, let Rong Jie'er go."

Ru Niang shrank back and let go of the hand that was pulling her. The Third Lady waved to Rong Jie'er Sheng Rong, and Rong Jie'er walked towards the Third Lady. When Rong Jie'er came in front of the Third Lady, the Third Lady held her shoulder and asked, "Rong Jie'er, are you burned?"

Rong Jie'er timidly shook her head. The Third Lady looked at her maid, Shi Liu, who stepped forward, took Rong Jie'er's hand, and led her away from the banquet. Seeing Rong Jie'er leave, Aunt Ru absentmindedly returned to her seat.

After a short pause, the banquet continued as usual. The third wife smiled and said to Li Yuxin, "It's all my fault for not teaching well enough that I disturbed the banquet arranged by my eldest sister-in-law."

Li Yuxin burst out laughing. "Why do you have to put the blame on yourself? Even if your concubine's daughter was raised by your side since she was young, does it mean that every mistake she makes is your fault? The wife is responsible for raising the child, but not everything is your responsibility. Besides, the child is still young, and it's inevitable that she might bump into things while eating. How can you say that you're wrong?"

The Third Lady picked up the teapot and filled it for Li Yuxin before replying, "Thank you, sister-in-law, for your comfort. Alas, if I don't raise the child by my side, I'm afraid my concubine will spoil his character. If I keep him by my side, if the child makes a mistake, everyone will blame the stepmother for not disciplining him enough. It's so difficult!"

Li Yuxin thought about it and agreed, but she didn't have such worries. As for that sickly concubine's daughter, Sister, she only needed to take care of her medicine and supplements. She didn't have time to worry about anything else. Her two daughters were already too busy to take care of her.

The female members of the family left with their children after dinner, while the male members of the family played drinking games until 11:00 PM before they gradually dispersed.

After returning to her room, Li Yuxin remembered the incense-burning arrangements she had made with the Third House's eldest wife, and she explained everything one by one. The next morning, she would take Hong'er and Yun'er to burn incense. While sitting in the inner room, brushing her hair, Nanfeng whispered, "Ms. Yang has already sailed north with her cousin."

Li Yuxin looked at Nanfeng in the mirror. She'd been well-fed for days, and in recent days, she'd added a lot of nourishing soup. Her frail face had gained some flesh, and her hair wasn't as dry and yellow as it had been when she first arrived. Knowing Li Yuxin liked Nanfeng, Madam Liu and Cuizhi were very polite to her, diligently teaching her everything she needed to learn. They'd endured such hardships together in their previous lives, so this time, they shouldn't suffer again. They should enjoy their leisure time.