After entering the house, Zhen Wanwan wandered around for a bit before following Old Lady Li and the others to the third floor.
Because the third floor was mostly occupied by women, Zhen Wanwan had two staircases built.
Upon seeing the new guests, the housekeeper greeted them with a warm smile and welcomed them in.
On the third floor, besides the five or six people who had already arrived, most of them were with their children.
Zhen Wanwan added a slide to the play area, and the children who played on it, especially those whose families could afford it, would pester their mothers to come and play with it every day.
One copper coin at a time isn't expensive, but little by little, it adds up to ten taels of silver a month.
The children's play area has a free relaxation area where children can play with toys for free, as long as they don't break them or affect their reuse.
The third floor also thoughtfully provides staff to look after the children, making it convenient for the ladies to shop.
After entering the third floor, Aunt Zhou went straight to the baby shelf, because her second sister-in-law was six months pregnant and Aunt Zhou wanted to buy everything for the newborn as soon as possible.
Old Mrs. Li had experience in taking care of her grandchildren, so she walked beside Aunt Zhou and recommended them to her one by one.
Dongzi's wife went upstairs to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for Xiaoshitou.
Now she works in the Zhen family's small workshop, and Dongzi runs errands for the Zhen family. The couple has saved a lot of money.
Seeing that all of Zhen's children had gone to school, and even the two children from Zhou's family had gone too.
After much deliberation, Dongzi's wife gritted her teeth and made up her mind to send Xiaoshitou to school.
Little Stone will be going to the academy tomorrow, so she needs to buy all the things she needs for school before the start of the semester.
When Zhen Wanwan remembered that Xiao Yizhi had torn off one of the straps of his newly bought backpack, she went upstairs to give him a new one.
Since it was still during class time, there weren't many people on the second floor, and she walked familiarly toward the area with her schoolbags.
To my surprise, I saw Han Erniang here as well.
Han Erniang was also taken aback when she saw Zhen Wanwan, then nodded to her as a greeting.
Zhen Wanwan noticed the worry in her eyes and her doubts, but she was also very perceptive and did not disturb others.
The female lead and the supporting female character are incompatible, so presumably their mothers are also incompatible.
Zhen Wanwan picked out a backpack with a pattern that a boy liked and prepared to leave.
At this moment, Han Erniang suddenly spoke up, "Zhen Niangzi! Please wait a moment!"
Zhen Wanwan paused, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"What brings you here, Madam Fang?"
This was the second time Zhen Wanwan had called her Madam Fang.
Logically speaking, if one doesn't recognize the other branches of the Fang family, one should address her as Madam Fang.
However, now is not the time to argue about these things. Han Erniang smiled and came closer, then looked behind Zhen Wanwan.
"Didn't Madam Zhen bring her child out today?"
Zhen Wanwan looked warily at Han Erniang opposite her. Although Tianbao was not switched in this life, the two were adoptive mother and daughter in the original story.
Before the real daughter appeared, Han Erniang also doted on Tianbao.
She also remembered that in the original book, the female protagonist's biological mother was very fond of her adopted daughter in the early stages of their encounter, simply because she found her very pleasing to the eye.
Even without blood ties, the attraction at first sight can still make you like someone from the bottom of your heart.
The gleam in Han Erniang's eyes when she saw Tianbao several times before was unmistakable to her.
"The child is too young to be exposed to the wind. Is Madam Fang here to buy a schoolbag for Young Master Fang?"
When she mentioned her son, Han Erniang's face showed a hint of smile and pride.
She nodded and explained with a slight smile, "Yes! Yuan'er is also studying at the county school now."
"Master Xu thinks highly of Yuan'er, saying that given time, when the imperial examinations are held again in China, he will surely pass with flying colors..."
Zhen Wanwan believed this. Although the female lead's brother was a bit of a jerk, he had a female lead sister.
As the female lead's strong support, how could she not be capable herself?
In the original book, Fang Qiyuan became the top scholar in the imperial examination and immediately stayed in the capital to work at the Hanlin Academy.
Three years later, he became a close advisor to the emperor and was highly trusted by the emperor. At the same time, he married the female lead's best friend and was the youngest important minister in the entire capital besides the male lead.
Zhen Wanwan lowered her head and thought silently. She didn't have a good impression of Fang Qiyuan because of Rou'er's matter when they were on the ship.
Therefore, he did not speak up to echo Han Erniang.
When Han Erniang saw that Zhen Wanwan did not fawn over her as expected, she felt a little embarrassed.
She changed the subject, revealing her purpose with a light laugh.
"Miss Xu's coming-of-age ceremony is in a few days. Would you like to go and watch, Madam Zhen?"
Miss Xu the Third? Zhen Wanwan didn't know who she was, but even without thinking, she knew from the surname that she was from the Xu family.
When she got married, the Xu family also sent people. If the Xu family had invited her to attend the ceremony, she would have gone.
However, since Han Erniang had asked the question before being invited, she didn't know how to answer.
Wouldn't she be embarrassed if they didn't call her in the end?
"Is that so? Madam Xu didn't mention this to me either. I'll ask her about it when I see her again. I'd certainly be willing to attend Miss Xu's coming-of-age ceremony..."
Han Erniang looked somewhat embarrassed, having originally intended to use this excuse to get closer to Zhen Wanwan.
Now she's pleasing neither side and has offended both.
"No need for that trouble. I'll have my cousin-in-law pass on the message to you when I meet her... It's getting late, I'll head back now."
Han Erniang fled the scene as if she were escaping, while Zhen Wanwan watched her silently.
I understand perfectly well what she's after.
It seems that when they first met, Zhen Wanwan always felt that her attitude towards her was a little strange.
There was even a hint of respect, and this respect became even more pronounced after she married Zhuyuan.
She suspected it might be related to Zhuyuan.
Speaking of this, Zhen Wanwan was also puzzled. She didn't know why other people seemed to be afraid of Zhu Yuan when they approached him.
Although he was indeed quite aloof when we first met Zhuyuan, there was no need to be so dismissive of him, was there?
Especially after marrying Zhu Yuan, Zhen Wanwan felt that he was gentle and considerate, and listened to her very well.
She couldn't figure out the reason behind it no matter how hard she tried.
The next day, while Zhen was having lunch, the Xu family's invitation arrived.
Granny Zhang gave the messenger a few copper coins and politely saw him off.
Zhen Wanwan had a fairly good understanding of the Xu family's influence in Anqing Prefecture from the few words she had shared with others.
In addition to befriending Madam Xu, she also intended to cultivate closer ties with the Xu family.
So it was only natural for me to accept the Xu family's invitation.
On the day of Miss Xu's coming-of-age ceremony, Zhen dressed up in the evening before boarding the carriage to attend the banquet.
Because Granny Zhang had to stay in the mansion to take care of the two little ones, Zhen Wanwan only brought Xiaomei out.
Xiaomei, holding a gift, was sitting next to Zhenwanwan.
They arrived at the Xu residence shortly afterward.
Zhen Wanwan was immediately stunned by the mansion before her...
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