For such a joyous occasion at home, Li Laosan naturally brought his son back with gifts, and Mr. Peng also came to join the celebration.
Perhaps unable to resist his new wife's persistent nagging, Mr. Peng brought his family along this time.
Wenjuan wasn't very familiar with her stepmother, since she rarely went back after they got married.
Even if I go back, it's just to see my father, leave a few things behind, and then return to the Li family courtyard.
From the trivial things she heard from the teachers and wives at the academy, she could tell that her stepmother was not a peaceful person.
But there were many guests at home today, and she couldn't neglect the proper etiquette.
So she picked up Xingxing and sat down next to Mrs. Peng to chat for a bit.
Whether Mrs. Peng forgot or was simply stingy, she didn't prepare a gift for her grandson Xingxing, as it was their first time meeting.
But she was good with words. She reached out and pinched Xingxing's chubby cheeks, laughing, "Oh my, this child is so well-fed and chubby, it's really wonderful."
“Unlike our Xiu-ge’er, who is already seven or eight years old, all he does is cry every day, he’s not lovable at all.”
Wenjuan raised an eyebrow, knowing that her stepmother was referring to the concubine's half-brother.
Although she didn't like it either, in this kind of situation, if her stepmother said that, others would only laugh at the Peng family.
So she said, "Children should learn rules early on. I'm stupid and don't understand these things. Fortunately, Xingxing has her great-grandmother and grandmother to help teach her."
Is this saying that no one in the Peng family is properly educating the children, or that she, as the stepmother, is incompetent or negligent?
Mrs. Peng choked for a moment, feeling somewhat displeased.
She couldn't help but increase the pressure, pinching Xingxing's cheeks until they hurt a little.
Xingxing is the eldest grandson of the fourth generation of the Li family. When has he ever suffered such injustice?
He slapped Mrs. Peng's hand away, jumped out of his mother's arms and ran straight to his aunt, "Auntie, Auntie, Xingxing hurts!"
Jiayin bent down to take the chubby nephew, and seeing that his face was a little red, she felt sorry for him.
She then glanced at Madam Peng indifferently and said, "Is Madam Peng's family blacksmiths? You certainly have a strong grip!"
Madam Peng felt guilty, realizing she hadn't noticed. She wanted to make a few excuses, but seeing Jiayin's expression, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
Although Jiayin is only ten years old and is recovering from a serious illness, she has been pampered by her family since childhood and is a princess with a fiefdom, so she has been raised to be pampered and precious.
Today, for Yuan Yuan's full moon celebration, she specially changed into a peach-red brocade pipa-style shirt. Her hair was simple yet elegant, with only a gold crown inlaid with seven-colored gemstones, making her exceptionally noble.
Two small braids, deliberately left out, hung down her chest, occasionally brushing against the gold-inlaid mutton-fat jade necklace, making her face appear even more rounded and exuding an air of nobility.
Especially when he looked at Madam Peng so calmly, his clear eyes seemed to see through all her little thoughts.
Madam Peng chuckled dryly, then mustered her courage and replied, "Your Highness is too kind. My family is a family of farmers and scholars."
"Oh, I misunderstood." Jiayin sneered. "I thought Madam Peng was naturally strong, but it turns out she hasn't raised children before and doesn't know how to use her strength."
Never raised a child before?!
Mrs. Peng felt as if she had been pierced by a thousand arrows, filled with shame, anger, and resentment.
She's been married into the Peng family for almost four years and has never been happy; otherwise, the concubines wouldn't dare to try and cause trouble for her...
Seeing her stepmother back down, head bowed, only twisting her handkerchief, Wenjuan felt a sense of relief.
She was too impatient to observe any formalities and stood up, saying, "Grandma, I'm going to check on the kitchen. My mother and fourth aunt must be very busy."
"Go ahead," Old Mrs. Li waved her hand with a smile, "Today is a special day for your sister-in-law and Yuanyuan, so please bear with the extra trouble."
Wan'er had a very comfortable postpartum period. Not only did she not look haggard, but she actually gained a good seven or eight pounds.
At this moment, she sat down next to the old lady with Yuanyuan in her arms and said with a smile, "Yes, Wenjuan, in a few days, when I have some free time, I will sew a nice dress to thank you."
“Okay,” Wenjuan agreed without hesitation, smiling as she stepped forward and touched her round, chubby face, pleading, “Sister-in-law, could you embroider a few white magnolias on my skirt? Your embroidered magnolias are the most beautiful!”
“Then let’s add another outer garment, with small white magnolias embroidered on the sleeves and collar, and large ones on the skirt. It will look even better. My sister just gave me a box of pearls the other day, so let’s use pearls for the flower centers.” Wan’er truly wanted to thank her sister-in-law.
Wenjuan is not talkative, but she is a really good person. She is hardworking, honest, and never competes for anything.
Over the past month, she has helped take care of Yuanyuan the most and has also shared her parenting experience with her. She is truly a rare and wonderful sister-in-law.
The women around watched with envy. Regardless of wealth or poverty, the most important thing is a comfortable life and family harmony.
The sisters-in-law in the Li family get along almost like biological sisters.
Some people couldn't contain themselves and surrounded Old Lady Li, asking about the other sons in the Li family...
Leaving aside the lively atmosphere inside, let's just say that Wenjuan led her maid Xiaoyue to the kitchen in the front.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru were leading people to prepare for the banquet.
Zhao Yuru urged Tao Hongying, "Hongying, you've almost finished here. Quickly wash your hands, tidy up, and go to the backyard to greet our guests. Jia Huan and I are here!"
Tao Hongying refused, saying, "Third sister-in-law, you are the sister-in-law. If anyone should go, it should be you who entertains the guests. How can I, a sister-in-law, go to show off while you stay behind to do the work?"
Zhao Yuru was both amused and exasperated. She pulled her to wash her hands, saying, "The fourth brother is a general, and Fu Niu'er is a princess. You should be the one to entertain them."
“Your third brother, Jia Huan, and I were all originally in the food business, so of course we were in charge of the kitchen.”
Just as the two sisters-in-law were arguing, they heard someone shout from the courtyard.
"Who are you? Stop!"
The two were stunned for a moment, then immediately shouted loudly that the old women helping in the kitchen, as well as the cooks brought in by the cyclamen, should not go out.
The two tried to look at the door, but Jia Huan pushed them inside.
Jia Huan grabbed a kitchen knife in each hand and charged straight out.
Because he recognized the voice that had just been called out as Wenjuan's!
Wenjuan and Xiaoyue were standing behind the door at this moment. Xiaoyue was holding the door latch, protecting her mistress tightly.
Meanwhile, Dongmei, Shuiling, and Shuiyun were already fighting with a middle-aged woman.
Jia Huan rushed to Wen Juan's side and, seeing that she was not injured, asked, "What happened?"
Wenjuan looked alarmed and quickly replied, "As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Granny Fang and her little granddaughter fetching water."
"And this unfamiliar old woman stood behind them, opened the lid of the soup pot, and was about to pour something into it!"
There were quite a few guests today, and we didn't have enough pots in the kitchen, so we temporarily set up two earthen stoves in the corner of the yard.
One was braised pork, and the other was a stewed mutton and wolfberry soup.
Sure enough, some people set their sights on these two earthen stoves.
Just then, Wenjuan and her servant came over and saw it at a glance.
Actually, even if they hadn't discovered it, nothing would have happened today.
Because Dongmei and Shuiling had been working in the yard the whole time, keeping an eye on everything.
They noticed this unfamiliar old woman when she came in asking for water...
The unfamiliar old woman was incredibly skilled. Even though Dongmei and Shuiling ganged up on her, they didn't lose ground for a while.
She seized the opportunity, grabbed Granny Fang's little granddaughter, and threw her in front of Dongmei and Shuiling...
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