Upon learning that the three women from the third son's family had arrived, the eldest and second aunts allowed their daughters-in-law to come out and greet them.

"Third Aunt, Sister-in-law, you're here! Mother and Second Aunt are taking care of the Old Madam and couldn't get away, so they asked us to come and pick you up." The eldest aunt's daughter-in-law walked over with a smile on her face.

"No need for such trouble. We should prioritize the old lady's needs. Let's go see her first. As for these things, we'll trouble you two nieces-in-law to have someone help us put them away."

Upon hearing this, Madam Fu did not show any anger on her face, and directly led the group to the old lady's courtyard.

"Get out, all of you get out! Unfilial sons, unfilial sons, pretentious!" As soon as they entered the courtyard, they heard the old lady's cursing and hitting voice coming from inside the house, along with the sound of bowls breaking.

"What, what's going on? Let's go take a look." Madam Fu pulled Aunt Fu's hand and went inside. When the maid saw them coming, she also hurriedly ran in to report.

As soon as I reached the door, I saw my aunt and second aunt walking over. Their smiles were somewhat forced, and they looked a little tired, as if they hadn't been sleeping well these past few days.

"Eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, how is Mother? We heard she was ill, so we came as soon as the second son's wife returned." Madam Fu did not rush in directly, but instead pulled her two sisters-in-law aside and said.

"You're here! The old lady has been talking about you. Come in quickly, Mother, look who's here." Sister-in-law Fu forced a smile, as if nothing had just happened, and led the group over.

"Who's here? Even if the Heavenly King himself came, I wouldn't be able to get up!" The old lady had already heard the maid's announcement, but she pretended not to know anything at the moment.

"Mother, we've come to see you. Changjin's father has been worried about your health, so he sent the three of us, mother and daughter-in-law, to come and see you." Madam Fu was no longer afraid of this old woman, and now she pretended to be very familiar with her.

Lu Qiuqin and Xichun also stepped forward to greet the old lady. When she saw that Xichun had also arrived, the old lady finally stopped being sarcastic.

“My granddaughter-in-law actually came all this way to see me. I know how filial you are. My health is like this, I could die at any time. Whether you come or not doesn’t matter. As long as Changfeng and his brother are well, our family will be fine.”

The fact that the old lady was thinking about Fu Changjin and his brother surprised everyone present, especially the eldest and second aunts. They exchanged glances and then secretly looked at Xichun.

They used to make things difficult for this Changjin's daughter-in-law, and even the old lady looked down on her. Now, she seems to be trying to curry favor with her. This is really unlike her. These days, the two sisters-in-law have suffered so much from the old lady's harassment.

"Grandmother, please rest and recover. Judging from your spirit, you will surely live to be a hundred. We will stay here for the time being to fulfill our filial duty." Seeing that the old lady said this, Xichun naturally did not refuse her in public and spoke very politely.

"Good, good, good. It's good to have your filial piety. You've come from so far away, you must be tired. Go and rest. There are people here to serve you, including your eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law. It's only natural to order around guests when you're your own daughters-in-law."

"Yes, Third Sister-in-law, you've come all this way, you must be tired. I'll have someone take you to rest first, and then we'll have a simple welcome dinner for you later." The eldest aunt didn't know what had gotten into the old lady, but she was suddenly being so polite to the third daughter-in-law, whom she used to look down on. She went over and said this as well.

"Mother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, I'll take my two wives over first. To be honest, it's their first time here, so they're not very familiar with the place. I'll come back to serve you later." Since she didn't want to suffer, Old Madam Fu pulled Aunt Xie along as well.

Seeing this, the eldest and second aunts didn't dare to say anything more and had someone lead them back to their guest rooms.

Back in the house, Aunt Xie Wu finally voiced the question she had been holding back for so long: "That old lady is really strange. She didn't make things difficult for us this time. Third Sister-in-law, what do you think she's up to?"

"I don't know either. The old lady's sudden politeness really caught me off guard. Looking at my eldest and second sisters-in-law, they must have suffered a lot these days." Madam Fu had some guesses in her mind, but there was no need to tell her about it.

After seeing Aunt Xie off, the three women—mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and mother-in-law—began to talk.

“Mother, I think that although this old lady is sick, she is not confused. Judging from this, it shouldn’t be so soon,” Lu Qiuqin said.

"Yes, and I think this old lady is more clear-headed than my aunt and the others. She keeps saying that as long as Changjin and Changfeng are well, that's fine. I think either she has figured things out herself, or someone has persuaded her." Madam Fu knew the old lady better than they did.

"Oh, is there anyone who can persuade the old lady? Could it be my uncle and the others?" Xichun asked curiously.

"It shouldn't be. Just look at your aunt's attitude. If your uncle were so clear-headed, she wouldn't have just sent a maid to pick us up at the dock. I think this person should be your aunt. She is the old lady's biological daughter, but because she married far away, our families haven't had much contact over the years. It should be her who has come back."

"Oh, I've heard of this aunt before, but I've never met her. I wonder what kind of person she is?"

"She is someone who knows how to plan for herself. Your uncle is the county magistrate in a county in Danzhou. When Changfeng passed the imperial examination, your aunt sent a congratulatory gift, but she didn't come. This time, she should be back. The old lady dotes on her the most and never let your uncle and the others ask her for help before."

"So that's how it is. If it really was this aunt's doing, I'm afraid she has other motives. Otherwise, why would she suddenly speak well of us when we've never even met her?" Xi Chun nodded. Having dealt with those ladies over the years, she could guess what they were thinking.

"I think so too. Don't do anything yet. Wait and see what she wants to do. If she comes to you directly, just push the blame onto me. That person isn't someone you can get along with."

Back when she served the old lady, Madam Fu had suffered quite a few hidden losses, so she was still wary of this girl.

“Mother, it seems that this time coming to take care of you is not simple. Please be careful and communicate with us promptly if anything happens.”

All three knew that this wasn't just a trip to care for the sick, but to deal with the troublesome matters of the inner quarters, so they had to be on high alert.

Fortunately, none of the children were brought along; otherwise, several more eyes would have been needed to keep an eye on them. As for this aunt, Xichun had already guessed her purpose: she wanted to ask Fu Changfeng for a favor.