It turned out that Madam Jia Er had brought Baozhu as a guest.
Baozhu practically ran in from outside the courtyard gate, calling out, "Sister Jiayin, Sister Jiayin!"
Jiayin quickly jumped to the ground and caught Baozhu in her arms.
The two chubby girls happily held hands, jumping and shouting, which made everyone laugh.
At this moment, Granny He led Madam Jia Er in.
Madam Jia smiled and bowed to Old Madam Li, then took Madam Wen's hand and said to Old Madam Li, "I really envy Jinrou. Her pregnancy is so lively and blissful."
"With the old lady doting on her so much, it's like she's at her parents' home every day. She's so comfortable."
Grandma Li laughed heartily and said, "Isn't it said that you can herd one sheep or graze two sheep? My Wenjuan is also pregnant, so it's perfect that they can keep each other company."
"Oh dear, it turns out Auntie mistook me for a sheep!" Madam Wen said in a rare, childlike voice, "I'm so heartbroken. I had even sewed a coat for Auntie, which I was planning to keep for myself."
Grandma Li was quite amusing, and quickly joined in the act, feigning panic and changing her story, "No, no, it's not about herding sheep, our Jinrou is a tiger, a tigress!"
Everyone laughed heartily, and the room became extremely lively.
Madam Jia the Second didn't stand on ceremony. She washed her hands, took off her shoes, got onto the kang (heated brick bed), and joined in making bean buns.
She was a woman from Jiangnan, and had never eaten, much less made, this traditional northern dish.
But she was skillful and quickly learned to do it well.
Jiayin and Baozhu joined in the fun for a while, greeted the elders, and then ran to the greenhouse to eat fruit.
Grandma Li, concerned about her eldest granddaughter-in-law, asked, "How is Wan'er's mother doing lately? It's been over a month; I wonder how much she's recovered?"
“Auntie, speaking of this, I must thank you on behalf of my brother’s family!” Madam Jia was even happier when she mentioned her sister-in-law, and said, “My sister-in-law is getting better every day. She has a bigger appetite and can walk around more.”
"Yesterday she accompanied my brother to admire the plum blossoms. My brother was so happy that he got drunk that night and sent someone to tell me to say hello to my aunt."
"On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he was going to come to our house to wish his aunt a Happy New Year and express his gratitude."
Grandma Li quickly waved her hand, "If anyone should be thanked, it should be Doctor Zhang. I didn't do anything. Besides, your sister-in-law and Wan'er are staying at Jinrou's place, so our family really couldn't help much."
“No, Auntie,” Madam Jia insisted, “Both Dr. Zhang and Jinrou naturally deserve our gratitude, but without your intervention, how could Dr. Zhang possibly find time amidst his busy schedule to treat my sister-in-law…”
"Madam, you are a living Bodhisattva reborn! My mother passed away early, so I will treat you as my mother from now on!"
"Please don't mind my straightforward temper; I always come to bother you!"
Before Old Mrs. Li could speak, Madam Wen interrupted her.
"Oh dear, so that's why you came here today. Turns out you're trying to steal my mother! I've long treated you like my own mother. Even if you wanted to, you'd have to wait your turn!"
"No way! You always competed with me for everything when we were in school, so I can't let you have it now!"
Madam Jia made a fierce face and started arguing with Madam Wen, which made everyone laugh even more.
Grandma Li quickly pulled the two "big kids" apart and said with a smile, "Life is all about having fun. It's good that you're willing to treat this place like your own home and come to visit more often. There's no need to fight over it."
"We may lack many other things, but we certainly don't lack good food. As long as you come, we'll make sure you're well-fed!"
"Haha, Madam, I've been waiting for you to say that." Madam Jia Er looked smug and exclaimed, "The basket of oranges you gave me last time was so delicious. This time, Madam, you must reward me with an extra basket."
"I'm not taking advantage of anyone either. This time I brought two deer legs, a basket of fresh lotus roots, and a bucket of live fish to add a couple of good dishes to the family's dinner table."
Grandma Li didn't stand on ceremony and said, "Alright, even if you didn't say anything, I would still bring you fruit."
"Baozhu and Funiu'er have already gone to the greenhouse. Your daughter is definitely a master at robbing people; she'll never go hungry!"
Madam Jia laughed heartily and clapped her hands, replying, "The old lady is truly amazing; she guessed right away why I brought Baozhu!"
Her joke had everyone laughing nonstop, and they grew to like her straightforward personality even more.
After chatting for a while, Madam Jia said, "Madam, there is actually another matter I came here for today."
"The father of the third wife of the Chen family was Mr. Lin, the father-in-law of Lord Chen Chuan, who had some connection with my late father."
"Perhaps Madam Chen felt sorry for her husband, and since the house was in such a mess, she went back to her parents' home to ask for help."
"The Lin family somehow heard that I was close to our family, so yesterday they sent someone to visit me and asked me to put in a good word for us and ask them to let Chen Chuan go back."
Everyone frowned as they listened, and before they could speak, Madam Jia added a few more words.
"I've done my best by coming here out of courtesy, and that's enough to repay the Lin family's favor."
"As for how we want to use Chen Chuan, we can use him however we want. We don't need to consider what I just said. Just let it go in one ear and out the other."
Only then did the Li family realize that Madam Jia had come to make a show of it and did not intend to force the Li family to release the person.
Madam Wen glared at Madam Jia and said with a smile, "Why can't you just say things clearly at once? I was worried sick, thinking you'd been bribed!"
Madam Jia raised her chin and said, "I'd love to be bribed, but unfortunately, no one's oranges are as sweet as ours!"
"I was wondering who Baozhu's gluttony came from, and it turns out she just looks like her mother!" Madam Wen joked, and the room became lively again.
Madam Jia slowly revealed the Lin family's background to everyone, also intending to warn the Li family to be more cautious...
The Li family members nodded and listened attentively.
The Li family fled from the north during famine. When they had no foundation, they still had the Wen and Liu families to rely on and help each other.
A large family like the Chen family must have many more relatives and friends by marriage, with countless connections and relationships involved.
A little more caution and a little more understanding is never a bad thing!
In the greenhouse in the back garden of the Marquis's mansion, Baozhu mumbled to Jiayin while biting into a banana, "Sister Jiayin, you don't know, someone said bad things about you the other day, and I scolded her until she cried!"
"Really? Who's talking bad about me? You've been visiting someone again?" Jiayin peeled the orange pith, occasionally slipping a segment to Baozhu, not paying much attention.
Baozhu panicked when she saw her like this, "Sister Jiayin, why aren't you angry? They insulted you, they're all ill-mannered bad girls!"
As she spoke, she suddenly hugged Jiayin's neck and burst into tears.
"They're wrong. Sister Jiayin isn't a bad person, she's not a cannibalistic demon!"
Jiayin was both amused and exasperated. She quickly patted Jiayin's back and comforted her, saying, "You're my friend. It's enough that you know I'm a good person."
"As for the others, I don't know them, and I don't want to pay attention to what they say."
"Waaah," Baozhu cried for a long time, very sad. Finally, she wiped away her tears and said solemnly, "Sister Jiayin, they say you will never get married!"
"Don't be afraid! When you come of age, I'll have my brother marry you!"
"My brothers are all wonderful. You can choose any one you like and marry whoever you fancy! If they dare to disagree, I'll ignore them!"
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