Chapter 576: Not a Person Who Enjoys Happiness

When we arrived at the Tang Mansion, Nanny Chen, who was beside Mrs. Tang, was already waiting outside the door.

"The county lord is back."

Song Yuntang greeted Nanny Chen with a smile, asked someone to take the gifts from the carriage down, and then followed Nanny Chen into the mansion.

In the warm hall, Mrs. Tang sat in the main seat, talking to an old woman sitting on a stool beside her.

This old woman used to be a maidservant of Madam Tang's mother. Her surname was Zheng. She had watched Madam Tang grow up. Madam Tang originally wanted to keep her on a farm in the suburbs of Beijing to live out her retirement as she saw that she was old. However, the old woman wanted to live with her own children. After leaving the Tang Mansion, she moved back to her hometown with her son.

Sixty years old is considered a long life.

Although I can't remember many things, I have a very deep impression of Mrs. Tang and I always behave well in front of her.

Nanny Chen lifted the warm curtain.

"Madam, the county lord is here."

Mrs. Tang looked delighted.

"Tang'er is here."

When Zheng saw someone coming, she quickly stood up from the stool.

Song Yuntang entered the room and bowed to her as a junior.

"mother."

Hao Ting also knelt down beside her and kowtowed to her.

"Grandmother."

The child looked chubby and Mrs. Tang was very curious about him. She quickly got up to help him.

"Hey, get up quickly."

Hao Ting quickly got up from the ground, helped Mrs. Tang back to her seat, and said while holding her arm.

"Grandma, Hao Ting misses you so much."

The child's soft and sweet words made Mrs. Tang smile happily.

"Really?" Mrs. Tang picked him up and sat him on her lap. "Hao Ting hasn't been here for a while. Grandma misses Hao Ting too."

Hao Ting looked at her.

"Grandma, we are going to spend the winter at the hot spring resort in a few days. Would you and grandpa come with us?"

Mrs. Tang looked at Song Yuntang, as if to confirm the truth of Hao Ting's words.

"Are you going to Wangxu Villa?"

Song Yuntang nodded.

"Qingye is injured and needs some time to recuperate. I think it's warm in the manor and suitable for recuperation."

"That's fine." Madam Tang said, "You're pregnant, so it would be more comfortable for you to go there. I'll ask your father later to see what he means. He's been busy investigating Prince Heng's affairs these days."

Then he turned and looked in the direction of Zheng.

"This is the Madam Zheng I mentioned to you."

Zheng bowed politely to Song Yuntang.

"I have met the county lady."

Song Yuntang helped her up.

"You're welcome, Madam Zheng."

Mrs. Tang looked at her.

"Mammy, let Tang'er take a look at it for you."

"Thank you, County Lord."

Zheng said this and rolled up her sleeves.

Her arms were very thin, somewhat like dead branches, and her palms were covered with thick calluses.

Song Yuntang looked at it, feeling quite surprised.

Logically speaking, Zheng had been working in a wealthy family for decades, and although her job was to serve others, few of the maids and nannies around the master could do heavy work.

They are all easy jobs.

How could her hands be rougher than those of a farmer’s wife?

Although her parents-in-law also came from farming families and had done farm work for half their lives, her mother-in-law's hands were not as rough as hers.

However, since it was their first meeting, she didn't know much about Zheng, so she temporarily suppressed her doubts and placed her hand on her pulse.

Immediately, she frowned again.

Zheng had worked for a wealthy family for so many years, and especially since there were descendants in the family, she should have saved a lot of money.

Even if she can't achieve wealth and glory, she won't run away if she can have a worry-free old age with food and clothing.

How could the body be so depleted?

"How many years has it been since Nanny Zheng left the Tang Mansion?" Song Yuntang asked afterwards.

Zheng thought about it.

"After I followed my wife and master to Anyang County, my son took me back home because it was close to my hometown. Seeing that I was getting old, I can't remember how many years it has been..."

As she spoke, she looked at Nanny Chen for help, with a hint of panic in her eyes.

Nanny Chen said hurriedly.

"In reply to the county lady, Nanny Zheng has been away from Madam for eleven years."

Song Yuntang nodded, carefully checked her pulse in both hands, and then let go of her hands.

Madam Tang gave Haoting a piece of cake and watched him eat it. She looked in the direction of Song Yuntang from time to time. Seeing that she looked serious, she looked in the direction of Madam Zheng and ordered, "Madam Chen, take Madam Zheng to the backyard to rest first."

Nanny Chen is blessed.

"Yes, ma'am."

After the two of them left, she looked at Song Yuntang again.

"Tang'er, is there anything you want to say that is inconvenient to say in front of Madam Zheng?"

It’s good to be with smart people. You don’t need to say much, she will understand with just one look.

Song Yuntang smiled, sat down next to Madam Tang familiarly, took the tea handed to her by the maid and took a sip.

"Both my parents are easy-going people. When Madam Zheng followed my mother, she must have not suffered any hardship, right?"

Madam Tang hugged Hao Ting and said slowly, "Madame Zheng used to be the head maidservant beside your grandmother. After I got married, your grandmother arranged her to stay with me."

"Tang'er also knows that maids in wealthy families, especially the head maids or personal maids, almost never do heavy work. As long as they don't make mistakes, they usually live a good life."

Song Yuntang nodded.

"But I don't think Madam Zheng looks like someone who enjoys life."

Mrs. Tang naturally saw it too. "When she left eleven years ago, she was full of energy and a decent person. I don't know what she has been through in these years. If she didn't look a bit similar to before, I wouldn't have dared to recognize her if I suddenly met her on the street."

Song Yuntang drank tea quietly.

"Since Madam Zheng has lived with her son for these years, I'm afraid we can only start from her son to understand what she has been through."

Mrs. Tang nodded and turned to look at her.

"Is her health serious?"

"I've lost too much money over the years, and I'm old, but if I take good care of myself, I might be able to live a few more years."

Hearing this, Mrs. Tang felt a little uncomfortable.

But Zheng has a son.

Eleven years ago, she decided to live with her son and daughter-in-law. Although she was Zheng's master, Zheng had already redeemed herself at that time, so it was not easy for her to influence Zheng's decision.

"Will that still remind her of the past?"

"From what I can see now, although Nanny Zheng is old and in poor health, she may have forgotten some unimportant things, but she has not shown any obvious amnesia, especially for such an important thing..."

Song Yuntang looked at her.

"Mother, why don't you keep Madam Zheng here for now? We can take her to the farm to recuperate for a while. Maybe we can get some useful information from her."

Mrs. Tang frowned.

"Tang'er means that Madam Zheng is deliberately hiding something?"