Xia Mian excitedly took Ning Shaoyun's arm and went home, only to find that Mao Huilan had already returned.

Although she is only fifteen years old, her life skills are already topped up. Her personality is a bit like Xia Wenyue, and she is not afraid to come and go alone.

Xia Mian was surprised to see that she actually brought back a dish of sheep offal.

"Can you do this?" Xia Mian asked. She only knew how to clean this thing. "It seems quite difficult, right?"

"It's okay, I can do it!" Mao Huilan carried the things to the kitchen, "I'll do it. I'll cook it when my mom and the others come back. I'll wash it first."

After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and started to work. Mao Huizhu immediately put down the water gun and followed behind to help.

Chenchen and Xiaofeng had never seen these strange things before. Chenchen poked the furry, bulging bulge curiously and asked, "What is this?"

"Sheep stomach," Mao Huilan replied. "Everything the sheep eats is in here."

"Why are you here?"

"Is this lamb liver? Why is it red? Wow, it changed color!"

"Why does it change color when it comes into contact with boiling water?"

…

After that, it was unstoppable. Xia Mian fully experienced the fear of being dominated by children's questions.

I guess Mao Huilan couldn't stand it anymore, so she simply assigned tasks to the three little guys, and then the world was finally quiet.

When Aunt Wei and Xia Wenyue came back, they saw three children, each with a basin, squatting by the water pipe in the yard to wash their clothes.

"I can hear the children making noise from far away." Aunt Wei was delighted by the happy smile on Ning Shaoyun's face. "It's been a while since our house has been so lively. The Xia family's children are well-educated."

"I see Chenchen has become much more lively now. He never dared to make such a fuss before," Aunt Wei, who was originally happy, frowned slightly when she said this. "Xiaoyun, you guys go back tomorrow. Your mother-in-law..."

"No," Ning Shaoyun said. "Even for Chenchen, I won't stay in the Huo family anymore. Look how happy he's been recently. This is how a child should be."

"If I stay there any longer and raise another Huo Xuewen, I will definitely regret it to death."

Aunt Wei smiled helplessly, "My uncle is a very nice person."

Ning Shaoyun remained silent. During this year when Mr. Huo was not at home, the Huo family's servants were gradually bullied by the old lady's relatives and friends from her hometown.

Chenchen is in an important stage of growth and cannot be affected.

"Besides," Ning Shaoyun couldn't help laughing as she watched Xia Mian entertaining the child, "We still have Xia Mian. Aunt Wei, you haven't seen how powerful she is."

Aunt Wei laughed and said, "Of course I haven't seen him before, but he really has a bad temper."

"It's strange," Aunt Wei said, "When she talks about people, she's so powerful that even the son-in-law has to listen."

"Well, so, it will be the same for the old lady tomorrow." Ning Shaoyun said softly, with obvious anticipation in her tone.

Aunt Wei couldn't help but smile and shook her head. Ning Shaoyun herself didn't notice it, and she was afraid that she was also affected by summer sleep.

The next morning, Xia Mian got up, washed, and dressed, and specially put on the skirt that the old lady had given her.

Zhou Qianqian has a sharp eye. The size is just right. Apart from its nature, the quality and style of this skirt are actually quite good.

But it doesn't look right with her bald head and stubble. I guess this is part of Zhou Qianqian's malicious intent, right?

Xia Mian put on a white baseball cap and looked at the weird outfit in the mirror, which was an eyesore.

Ning Shaoyun also looked like she couldn't bear to watch, "Why don't you change clothes and do whatever makes you feel comfortable?"

"That's absolutely impossible. I'll make them look so ugly." Xia Mian chuckled, "I can't see it myself anyway."

Having said this, he confirmed, "It's just the few of us today, right? No one else will come?"

Ning Shaoyun curled her lips sarcastically and said, "Maybe Huo Xuewen will show up at the end?"

Xia Mian waved her hand. In her eyes, Huo Xuewen was not a human being, just like the old lady Zhou Qianqian. She just needed to be the big devil in front of them and didn't need the image of a little fairy.

"Alas, it's hard for you, Sister Ning," Xia Mian said with a distressed look on her face, "Don't look at me today."

Ning Shaoyun was amused by her and laughed. With this girl, everything became so interesting.

Xiaofeng and Chenchen are wearing the same style of overalls and light green short-sleeved shirts today, looking like a pair of little brothers.

This was also bought specially by Ning Shaoyun. Xia Mian laughed. Sister Ning was also a mischievous girl.

The old lady must have had a very interesting expression when she saw the "Prince of the Huo Family" and a "commoner" like Xiao Feng wearing the same clothes.

Xiao Feng happily accepted everything Xia Mian said, but Chen Chen already had his own aesthetic taste. He looked at Xia Mian and narrowed his eyes and said, "Aunt Xia Mian, if you keep doing this, grandma won't be able to eat."

"Wow, really?" Xia Mian clapped her hands happily, "Chenchen, you can say this more often."

"What do you think she'll do next?" Xia Mian prayed devoutly to Chenchen's bad luck. "Will she cry?"

Chenchen nodded and said, "I will cry."

Ning Shaoyun laughed, "When Huo Xuewen appears, the old lady cries easily."

Xia Mian, blessed by Chenchen's crow's mouth, said confidently, "Don't worry, I'm definitely not pretending to cry today. I have to make her cry for real!"

Ning Shaoyun shook her head in amusement.

As expected, Huo Xuewen didn't show up. He had improved a little compared to before and called in advance. His tone was very cautious, "Xiao Yun, there's an emergency with the Chengbei project. I have to go over there right away..."

"Sorry, I asked Xiao Liu to pick you up. I'll be there later..."

Ning Shaoyun interrupted him and said softly, "It's okay, we can go there by ourselves. You go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about me."

Xia Mian shook his head and sighed. Classmate Huo Xuewen was really hopeless.

Ning Shaoyun smiled and said, "Look, I guessed right, didn't I?"

Xia Mian said, "Well, Sister Ning, you should open a gallery as soon as possible, paint with the rich and handsome men every day, and never pay attention to him again."

Ning Shaoyun laughed, "That's a good idea. I'll think about it when I get back."

The Huo family lives in Xinghu Villa near the Fourth Ring Road. It was one of the first villas built in Yan City after the economy was revitalized. The people who live here are indeed rich or noble.

At that time, villas were mainly functional and practical, without much frills. They were just regular three-story red brick buildings with a yard of about 60 square meters, and each house was not far from each other.

The car stopped in front of a big gate near the inside. Xia Mian took Xiao Feng's hand and got out of the car. She saw that the people in the yard immediately started moving quickly.

Two young men opened the door. Uncle Fu was still dressed in a tuxedo, and it was so hot that people wanted to sweat.

The other party seemed to feel that he had made a fool of himself in front of Xia Mian yesterday. He stood even straighter and stared at her closely. It was unclear whether he wanted to find fault with her or what.

However, when he saw Xia Mian's appearance, Uncle Fu almost couldn't hold back his expression, and his eyes twitched. He was obviously hurt by her weird outfit.

Pian Xiamian held his head and chest high, holding Xiao Feng in one hand and placing the other hand at his side, walking in with graceful steps, with a graceful demeanor and imposing aura.

In her previous life, Xia Mian specially learned etiquette in order to have the temperament of a fairy. She is not bragging, but her manners can definitely crush everyone present in the Huo family.

So when Xia Mian stood in front of Uncle Fu, nodded and smiled, Uncle Fu unconsciously straightened his chest and raised his head, pushed open the door and said, "Madam, Young Master, Miss Xia, please."

The decoration of the villa is quite elegant. It seems that Mrs. Huo’s decades of study have not been in vain.

However, in reality, it is cold and lifeless. Although people are coming and going, it seems like entering a photo studio, making people feel that they are just passers-by staying here temporarily.

As expected, Zhou Qianqian was there too. She was only wearing a simple home dress. Seeing Xia Mian and Ning Shaoyun's solemn appearance, she smiled contemptuously at them and told the maid next to her, "Go and ask the old lady to come down. Tell her that the young master and his family are back."

She looked as if she was the mistress of this house.

However, Ning Shaoyun didn't even glance at her. She took Xia Mian to sit on the sofa first and ordered, "Serve the tea first."

The maid next to her glanced at Zhou Qianqian and stood there without moving.

Xia Mian sneered, "Oh my, is this the etiquette of aristocratic families? I was amazed at first seeing everyone busy doing their job, but I didn't expect it to be just for show."

"Luckily, I heard Sister Ning say that Madam Huo governs well and that her family has strict rules and etiquette, but the guests didn't even get a sip of tea when they came in. In the countryside, we serve guests bowls of sugar water."

Every word touched the nerves of the owner of the house. Uncle Fu looked upstairs, then glared coldly at the maid. The maid did not dare to hesitate any longer and ran into the kitchen to serve tea.

Xia Mian blinked at Zhou Qianqian and gave a provocative smile.

Why are you so complacent? You put yourself in an awkward position and you're still gloating over it.

I must teach her a good lesson today.

Xia Mian and Ning Shaoyun took a few sips of tea, and the old lady was finally helped down the stairs. She was also wearing a casual home Tang suit, but she had makeup on her face.

If you ignore the weird things she does, at first glance she does look like an old lady.

Zhou Qianqian went forward attentively to support the person, and Ning Shaoyun and Chenchen stood up.

Ning Shaoyun: "Mother."

Chenchen also greeted her politely, "Grandma."

The old lady sneered, "You still remember to come back? You have quite a temper. Just for a painting, you actually ran away with our Huo family's eldest grandson."

At this point, his face was full of anger, "Fortunately, the child is fine, otherwise I don't know how you can be worthy of our Huo family!"

Xia Mian didn't expect that God would be so rude right from the start, and she treated Chenchen as a son, but had no intention of loving her grandson at all.

He only glanced at Chenchen and asked as a matter of routine, "Chenchen, did you meet some bad guys when you went out with your mom this time? Were you scared? Don't run around anymore in the future."

"How's your stay at your great-grandmother's? I heard from your grandfather Fu that you've become too wild and have forgotten all the rules, right?"

Chenchen seemed to have gotten used to it. He just listened with his ears and did not refute at all. He just looked at Ning Shaoyun with his big round eyes.

Ning Shaoyun patted his head soothingly and said, "My grandma's hometown doesn't have as many rules as our family, nor do they have as many servants as we do. Chenchen does everything himself, and he's much more sensible than before."

Mrs. Huo didn't expect Ning Shaoyun to talk back. After a moment's pause, she said coldly, "You're also hanging out in a place without rules? Where have you thrown away the etiquette of our Huo family?"

"Wow!" Xia Mian exclaimed in amazement. "So this is the etiquette of wealthy families. Scolding the daughter-in-law in front of outsiders? I heard in books that wealthy families teach their sons in front of their faces and teach their daughters-in-law behind their backs. So that's not the case?"

"Old lady, where did you learn this etiquette from? Tell me so I can learn it. Otherwise, you will be embarrassed in the future. It's not good."

The old lady hated and feared people calling her uneducated the most, but she never expected to be criticized by a country girl. She immediately looked unhappy.

"Miss Xia..." The old lady's gloomy face paused when she saw Xia Mian's appearance, and her voice became softer, "Really?"

Xia Mian continued with a grin, "Yes, I am Xia Mian, the one who saved your grandson. I am so grateful to you for sending your housekeeper to invite me that day."

Xia Mian pulled up her skirt to show it to the old lady, and exclaimed, "Old lady, you are so polite. You invited me to your home and gave me clothes. I thought about your kindness, so of course I had to wear it to show you. It is so beautiful."

Ning Shaoyun replied calmly, "The old lady has always had good taste."

The old lady felt that this was an insult to her, but the skirt was indeed given by her, so she had nothing to say.

Zhou Qianqian said, "I heard that after Miss Xia saved the young master, she sold her house in her hometown and came to Yan City with the young mistress. Oh, not only did she come alone, but she also brought her second aunt and her family with her? Are you planning to develop in Yan City?"

Old Mrs. Huo's expression immediately paled, as if she had confirmed that Xia Mian was going to take advantage of the life-saving grace and bring her entire family to suck the Huo family's blood.

"I didn't have that plan originally," Xia Mian said with a smile, "Who says the Huo family is so kind? I heard that even Miss Zhou, whose father only helped Mr. Huo, has been receiving financial support from the Huo family all the way and even studied abroad. Now she has become a member of the Huo family."

"As someone who saved the eldest grandson of the Huo family, how can I be worse than you?"

The old lady and Zhou Qianqian's faces, which had just relaxed, became gloomy again, and it seemed that Zhou Qianqian wanted to say something.

Xia Mian burst out laughing, "Old Madam, you didn't take it seriously, did you? Haha, of course I was joking."

"There's a rule in our Xia family's training: 'Do good without expecting a reward, but never forget a favor received.' This was a rule taught by gentlemen from aristocratic families in the past."

Xia Mian smiled and said, "We won't be like Miss Zhou, who would ask the Huo family to repay a favor for more than ten or twenty years. Wouldn't that be like asking for repayment? That's what people from small families with narrow vision would do."

"We just happened to be coming to Yan City, so Sister Ning gave us a ride."

Zhou Qianqian said angrily, "What do you mean?"

Xia Mian tilted her head in confusion, "You said it yourself, you have been supported by the Huo family since you were a child." She looked at the old lady, "Where did I say anything wrong?"

The old lady had limited education and was completely speechless.

Ning Shaoyun chuckled. Xia Mian always had this aura of "I scolded you, tell me if I was right or not."

Zhou Qianqian was furious. "Why are you pretending to be so noble? Who said that day that they wanted all the courtyards in the Huo family?"

Xia Mian smiled and said, "Yes, I also said that I want the one you live in first. After all, it's closest to Sister Ning's house, and it's also cleaned up, so it's just right for living there."

She looked at the old lady, "But I'm talking about buying it. Don't worry, if you don't want to sell it, I won't force you to buy it. After all, our Xia family is different from the Zhou family. We can't be so shameless as to live in someone else's yard for free just because we have received a small favor."

Zhou Qianqian was furious, "What do you mean?!"

Xia Mian showed a worried expression, "Miss Zhou, why do you keep asking this question?" She still looked at the old lady, "Don't I understand? Did she live in the Huo family's courtyard for nothing?"

"So Miss Zhou's IQ must have been paid for, right?" Xia Mian sighed to the old lady, "Your Huo family is truly grateful."

Zhou Qianqian screamed in anger, "I can't even get revenge on you!"

"Don't worry, we don't seek revenge." Xia Mian said sympathetically, "The Huo family is pitiful enough to be taken advantage of by you, so we won't get involved."

The old lady said in a deep voice, "Miss Xia is really sharp-tongued."

"Haha, old lady, you're too kind." Xia Mian said, "It's mainly because of my logic. Secondly, I read a lot, so my logic is clear and organized."

Zhou Qianqian: ...

So she's just unreasonable, undereducated, and disorganized?!

The old lady saw that when it came to talking, they were probably no match for the wild country girl.

So they planned to use the grand display of their Huo family to intimidate this country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

"Well, I invited Miss Xia here today to thank you for saving our Chenchen's life." The old lady began to speak politely, "I specially collected some delicious food, please don't hesitate to eat, Miss Xia."

As she spoke, the old lady walked straight to the main seat at the dining table and was helped to sit down by Zhou Qianqian, who then sat down next to the old lady.

Seeing no movement for a long time, the old lady looked up at Xia Mian and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xia Mian said in shock, "Old lady, a servant of yours can sit at the table and take the main seat?!"

Zhou Qianqian said angrily, "Who said I'm a servant?"

"Oh, sorry." Xia Mian said, "Now I don't call you servant, I call you butler."

"I saw that you were Mr. Huo's assistant yesterday, managing his work, life, and daily life; today you are serving the old lady, and the servants in the house all obey your orders. Aren't you a housekeeper like Uncle Fu?"

"But Uncle Fu is in charge of external affairs, and Miss Zhou, you are in charge of internal affairs? Am I mistaken again?" Xia Mian pointed at Ning Shaoyun and said, "The Huo family can't let an outsider be more impressive than the owner, right?"

"Could it be that Miss Zhou accepted the Huo family's financial aid and returned not to repay the Huo family, but to replace the Huo family's master?"

Xia Mian clicked her tongue and shook her head, "Madam, I suggest that Miss Zhou also wear a uniform. Although when she stands with Sister Ning, people can tell at a glance that Sister Ning is the daughter-in-law of the Huo family, there are so many nouveau riche people nowadays. Your house is always bustling with people, and there are bound to be some ignorant people."

"If Sister Ning happens to be away and we mistake her for the Huo family's daughter-in-law, it would be a huge joke."

"Then people will either laugh at you, Old Madam, for not ruling strictly, or at Miss Zhou for being unruly. It's all because of greed and greed. It will be a disgrace to the Huo family. How bad is that?"

Mrs. Huo's face gradually turned pale, and she said angrily, "Qianqian is not our housekeeper, she is my noble lady, I treat her as my daughter."

"Oh, that was my misunderstanding." Xia Mian said, "So I shouldn't call her Miss Zhou, but Miss Zhou?"

Zhou Qianqian raised her chin proudly. As long as the old lady recognized her, Xia Mian would only be able to argue with her.

"Tsk tsk." Xia Mian said, "Then this can't be considered the old lady's fault. You are such a thoughtful person. You knew that I didn't have good clothes when I came to your house, but you still specially sent me clothes. If Miss Zhou were your daughter, she should have more good things."

She looked at Zhou Qianqian with disdain, "Why are you dressed so poorly?"

"Miss Zhou, this is too misleading. People who don't know would think that the old lady is treating you harshly. How can you harm others after receiving such a favor?"

Xia Mian said to the old lady earnestly, "Old Madam, if you treat her like a daughter, you should really teach her some manners. It's not good for an old lady like you who values ​​etiquette, but Miss Zhou is embarrassing you everywhere."

Ning Shaoyun said, "Go change your clothes. It's very rude to entertain such a distinguished guest."

Zhou Qianqian wanted to say something, but Xia Mian was invited by the old lady. Even if her behavior was disrespectful, she was still a distinguished guest in name. If she refuted, she would be slapping the old lady in the face.

She could only snort in disdain and look at the old lady, obviously wanting her to make the decision for her.

Xia Mian said in surprise, "Are you blaming the old lady? I'm not saying anything bad about you, but even in our village, when we know there are guests coming, we still have to clean up the place to show respect."

"You don't know etiquette and yet you dare to blame the old lady?!" Xia Mian was incredulous.

Zhou Qianqian was also very surprised. This Xia Mian was simply confusing right and wrong!

She hurriedly explained to the old lady, "Auntie, that's not what I meant?!"

"If that's not what you meant, why don't you change your clothes?" Xia Mian stared at her, then looked at the old lady, "Since you treat her as your daughter, you can't let her behave so unruly. It's really embarrassing."

The old lady couldn't say a word. After all, it was she who put on the show first, and the clothes Xia Mian was wearing were given by her. Apart from asking Zhou Qianqian to change her clothes, everything she said would be self-contradictory.

"Go change your clothes." The old lady said to Zhou Qianqian with trembling lips.

Zhou Qianqian bit her lip, stood up, and went upstairs angrily.

Xia Mian looked at the old lady and smiled. This was just the beginning.

The author has something to say: Summer Sleep: I prepared half of the rules of Dream of the Red Chamber, and just asked the old lady if she was afraid, haha.