Aunt Wen was speechless, and Aunt Qin saw this and had to step forward and said with a smile: "Let's see if the young lady needs any help!"

Shiyi Niang understood clearly that it was Madam Wen who wanted to see her daughter... But there was a difference between the superior and the inferior. She encouraged Zhen Jie'er and Madam Wen to get along like mother and daughter. If others saw her, they would only laugh at Zhen Jie'er for being unruly. She could do nothing about this matter. But mother and daughter are natural. If Madam Wen just missed Zhen Jie'er and wanted to see her, she would still welcome her.

"Since the two concubines are here, can you help me see if there is anything missing in this room?" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, but her eyes turned to Zhen Jie'er. She looked at Concubine Wen with a confused look.

After being separated for so many years and suddenly meeting each other, I guess Sister Zhen doesn’t know how to get along with Madam Wen!

Eleventh Lady smiled and led the two of them to visit the house. Zhen Jie'er did not dare to be negligent and followed behind Eleventh Lady.

Madam Wen seemed a little absent-minded, while Madam Qin praised her from time to time. Sister Zhen lowered her head and glanced at Madam Wen from time to time.

After walking around, everyone sat down again. Eleventh Lady had someone bring brocade stools for the two concubines to sit on: "...time is too tight, so you can live like this for the time being." She told Concubine Wen about the plans to rebuild a second courtyard next spring and about the plans to move the Fifth Madam out of the back garden and choose a separate courtyard for Zhen Jie'er in the back garden, so that Concubine Wen could rest assured.

"Madam is so thoughtful." Madam Wen looked at Eleventh Lady, a strange expression flashing in her eyes.

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "This is my responsibility, I can't say I am not considerate enough. But the eldest lady will live with us in the future, so we should go out together more often. A family living in harmony and affection is what makes a family feel like home."

Madam Wen and Madam Qin nodded continuously after hearing this.

Seeing that it was getting late, Eleventh Lady invited the two concubines to have dinner: "Concubine Qiao is not feeling well, so we won't invite her. There are no outsiders here today, so let's sit down and eat together!"

She didn't want to set rules for Madam Wen in front of Zhen Jie'er - after all, she was Zhen Jie'er's biological mother, and she had to give Zhen Jie'er some respect.

Zhen Jie'er looked at Shiyi Niang with tears in her eyes.

Madam Wen was also a little surprised.

Ever since Eleventh Lady got married, she had been very cold to the concubines. Except for the morning and evening visits, she never saw them at other times. Even if there was something, she would ask the maids to pass on the message, let alone stay for dinner.

This is the first time.

For a moment, she was overwhelmed with emotions.

I didn't expect that Eleventh Lady would give her such respect, and I didn't expect that I wouldn't have to appear in front of my daughter in a humble manner...

Madam Wen bowed to Eleventh Lady and said, "Thank you, Madam."

Eleventh Lady asked someone to set up three tables.

I sat at the same table with Zhen Jie'er and Zhun Ge.

Mother Du, Mother Tao and others were at the same table.

Two aunts sat at one table.

Although it can't be said to be lively and bustling, it is still joyful.

After dinner, Mama Du and Mama Tao took Zhun Ge to rest in Zhen Jie'er's room, while Zhen Jie'er followed Shiyi Niang to her room to take a nap. The two concubines returned to their respective rooms.

Eleventh Lady and Zhen Jie'er sat together beside the mirror. Amber helped Eleventh Lady take off her rings and hairpins, while Xiaoli helped Zhen Jie'er take off her pearl hairpins. Zhen Jie'er was a little embarrassed and got on Eleventh Lady's bed. Eleventh Lady smiled at her and said, "Go to bed soon. Let's get up later and discuss what to eat in the evening!"

Zhen Jie'er nodded and closed her eyes with a smile. When Shiyi Niang's breathing became even, she opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling of the tent quietly, thinking about Madam Wen.

She had an exquisite figure, fair skin, smiling eyes, and wore long red gold earrings inlaid with cat's eyes, which swung on her ears like swings. She was very beautiful.

But why do people seem to be so disdainful when they mention her? They all say that she will do anything for money...

She felt a little annoyed, and thinking of her stepmother lying next to her, she turned over carefully.

Before this, she had met Madam Wen once in private.

It was when her stepmother died... The house was a little messy, so she pretended to be lost and ran to the small courtyard in the east. But Madam Wen was not in the courtyard, so she didn't dare to wait for long and left the courtyard with her head down. When she was at the door, she heard someone calling "Madam Wen", and she looked up and saw only a moon-white figure.

I don’t know if Madam Wen secretly visited me… or maybe, she had money to earn, so it didn’t matter whether she saw me or not. Once, she fell asleep and heard her wet nurse, Mother Hu, talking to Wei Zi. They said, “My sister is so pitiful. Madam Qin of Yu’er was afraid of getting her son into trouble, so she didn’t dare to make a wrong move. Madam Wen, on the other hand, could sell her daughter as long as she had money… What kind of people is the Wang family? Not to mention that the Yongping Marquis’s Mansion has a queen now, even if they didn’t have this empty title, they would never marry their eldest daughter to a merchant. I don’t know how much good she received from the Wang family!”

At that time, she closed her eyes tightly, afraid that Mother Hu would know that she was awake. But for some reason, even though her eyes were closed so tightly, tears still flowed out.

Thinking of this, my eyes began to sting again.

A pair of gentle hands suddenly rested on her shoulders: "Sister Zhen, I was also born to my aunt." The voice that spoke to her was gentle, calm, and unhurried, "We can never choose our birth, but what we can choose is our future."

Zhen Jie'er turned around, and through her tearful eyes, she saw a pair of eyes as warm as the warm sunshine in March.

"Don't cry!" Eleventh Lady took a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Girls' tears are like pearls. If they shed too much, they will turn into fish eyes."

Zhen Jie'er burst into laughter.

Eleventh Lady touched her hair and said, "Sister Zhen, you are only eleven years old this year. You have a lot of good times ahead of you. The past is only a very small part of your life. You will meet better people and better things in the future. You will have a better future."

Sister Zhen nodded.

She thought about the worry and fear she had when she heard that her father was going to marry her stepmother's concubine's sister as his successor... In the end, things did not develop as she had imagined. Could this mean that she would meet someone better in the future?

Sister Zhen wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Eleventh Lady said softly, "Don't you know how to get along with Madam Wen?"

Sister Zhen said nothing.

"She is the concubine of the mansion, and you are the lady of the mansion. When you meet, just be polite to each other." Eleventh Lady said, "If she has any problems, as long as it is not harmful, help her if you can. This will complete the fate of mother and daughter."

She couldn't tell Zhen Jie'er to get close to Madam Wen.

The lady made it very clear that Zhen Jie'er was the eldest daughter of the Yongping Marquis's Mansion. In the future, she would marry into a family that was of equal status to the Yongping Marquis's Mansion, and her behavior must conform to the norms of this society. Otherwise, she would feel very painful and would be excluded by this society.

Sister Zhen laughed.

"Take a nap." Eleventh Lady laughed, "It will be terrible if Mother Du sees us. If she thinks I hit you secretly and tells my grandmother, I will be in big trouble!" She joked.

Zhen Jieer smiled and asked Shiyi Niang softly, "Mother, are you also in a difficult situation?"

Eleventh Lady was slightly stunned.

Zhen Jieer whispered, "There's Brother Yu, me, Brother Zhun, and the concubines. Are you in a difficult situation too?"

Someone knows she is in trouble...

Eleventh Lady's eyelashes suddenly filled with tears.

She smiled and shook her head, "No, Zhen Jie'er is a good helper to me, Zhun Ge is also very well behaved, and although I have little contact with Yu Ge, he is well-educated and smart, and I like him too. The aunts all entered the family before me, served your father, and gave birth to you. Even if they have no merits, they have worked hard. I think it's good."

Zhen Jie'er looked at her with the crystal clear light in the corners of her eyes, nodded slightly, leaned her head on Shiyi Niang's shoulder, and said nothing.

The room was silent except for the ticking sound of the clock, making the surroundings even quieter.

* * * * * *

"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Kung Pao Wild Rabbit, Fried Pigeon with Coriander, Wild Treasures of Dragon Buds, Ferns, Osmanthus Fish Strips, Fresh Ground Chinese Cabbage Heart..." Zhen Jie looked up at Shiyi Niang, her face full of confusion, "This... so much..."

"Today is your housewarming celebration!" Eleventh Lady said with a smile, "When you are done with mourning next summer, we will officially find a good place in the back garden to be your yard, and we will hold a grand celebration. We can also invite Hui Jie'er from the Lin family to come."

Zhen Jie'er was a little embarrassed: "It's just too expensive!"

"It's okay to do it occasionally." Eleventh Lady smiled and handed the list to Amber, "Just report to the kitchen according to this."

Amber smiled and backed away.

Eleventh Lady called Binju again: "Go to the greenhouse in the back garden and bring a few pots of flowers that are in full bloom to decorate the garden."

Binju smiled and went to the greenhouse in the back garden.

Shiyi Niang asked Luyun to call Nanyong's wife and said, "Comb our hair beautifully."

Luyun responded with a smile.

Zhun Ge ran to her and said, "Mother, mother, and me! What should I do?"

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "The flowers for the greenhouse will arrive later, you can help arrange them."

After hearing this, Zhun Ge nodded repeatedly.

Mother Tao said nervously, "You can't do this! You can't do this!"

Eleventh Lady smiled and said, "There are so many of you standing by and watching. Just look at the little one and ask him to help with the easy tasks. We don't really want him to do hard labor. What are you worried about?"

After hearing this, Zhen Jieer said, "Can I help him move it?"

Eleventh Lady stopped her and said, "We need to dress beautifully. Brother Zhun, I'll leave the flowers to you."

Zhun Ge'er refused and pulled Zhen Jie'er's sleeve: "I don't want to move the flowers. I want to dress beautifully like my sister."

"Okay then." Eleventh Lady smiled, "We'll comb our hair, and you can watch from the side."

Zhun Ge kept saying "OK", and Mother Tao breathed a sigh of relief.

When Nanyong's wife came, Shiyi Niang and Zhen Jie'er went to the inner room holding hands, and Zhun Ge followed behind them like a little tail.

Today's protagonist was Zhen Jie'er, so Shiyi Niang certainly couldn't steal the show. She made Zhen Jie'er sit next to the mirror, and asked Nanyong's wife to comb her hair into a bun and put on pearl flowers. Xiaoli helped her change into a moon-white silk jacket embroidered with green bamboo, and she stood as graceful as a white lotus.

"Sister is so beautiful!" Zhun Ge said with a smile.

Eleventh Lady was also satisfied with what she saw and took her hand to the east wing.

There were big red lanterns hung under the eaves, fresh flowers of the three friends of winter were placed on the coffee table inside the house, and a bunch of bright red hibiscus was placed on the long table in the middle hall, decorating the house with a festive look.

"It's like Chinese New Year." Mother Du looked at the flowers with a smile.

"Thank you, mother!" Zhen Jie'er's eyes sparkled.

Eleventh Lady smiled slightly.

But in my heart, I was worried about Xu Lingyi who was far away in Xishan.

It has been three days since he left, and not only is there no news about him, there has been no news about the fifth prince's illness either... The fact that the news was blocked so thoroughly is itself unusual.

Where will the Xu family go, and what will be waiting for them... Eleventh Lady feels a little scared. So she especially wants to use Zhen Jie'er's move to bring the children closer together.

At critical moments, only family unity can help resist the cold.