Luo Zhenkai and Luo Zhenyu were still alert and lively. Eleventh Lady smiled and greeted them, and then Fifth Lady came. After they bowed, the maid brought a small stool for them to sit on. Third Lady was about to get up and say goodbye: "Thanks to my uncle and sister-in-law for helping me these days." As she said this, her eyes turned red, "I came here just to thank my sister-in-law!"

"We are one family, so we should not have different opinions." The first wife stood up and took the third wife's hand. "I want to keep you here to relax, but I also know that at this moment, even a mirage can't keep you here. I won't say any polite words. You should go back and have a good rest. There is nothing in this world that cannot be overcome. Wait a few days, when you feel better, come to my place again. I will also invite my second brother's wife, and the three of us sisters-in-law can have a good reunion."

The third wife nodded repeatedly: "Sister-in-law, I will take the child back first."

The Fifth Master and the Sixth Master paid their farewell greetings to the First Madam.

The first wife patted the two men's heads and smiled as she sent the third wife out: "The children are tired, let them rest for a while. I am also a mother, and I know how much you want your children to succeed. But you can't eat hot dumplings in a hurry, some things have to be done slowly."

"That's right, sister-in-law." The third wife looked a little tired. "Thank you for the reminder, sister-in-law."

Eleventh Lady, who was following behind him, thought of the scene when she first met the Third Wife.

She had her hair in a peony bun, with a large emerald flower in her hair, and wore a rose purple and gold silk jacket. When she looked at people, her eyes were slightly slanted, with a condescending sense of superiority.

Now, it is no longer as glorious as before...

Without her prominent family, she no longer had the confidence she once had. After all, the Third Wife had less experience...

She stood behind the first wife, watched the third wife leave with a smile, and then accompanied the first wife back to the main house.

On the way, the eldest wife asked Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang: "What have you been doing these days?"

Wu Niang smiled and said, "I'm practicing calligraphy. When I saw the plaques in my elder sister's garden, I finally understood what it meant to say 'there are mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people'. If I don't calm down and write, I'm afraid I'll embarrass my elder sister."

"The plaque of the Yongping Marquis' Mansion was not bestowed by the emperor, but written by the presidents of the Hanlin Academy of successive generations. It is normal that you are not as good as it." The eldest wife smiled and said, "Don't take it to heart." She looked at Eleventh Lady again.

Shiyi Niang said hurriedly, "My daughter is doing needlework at home - preparing to make an apricot-yellow spring dress for Brother Xiu and a lake-colored spring dress for Brother Zhun."

The eldest wife nodded.

Luo Qiao hurried to lift the curtain before the Madam, but a little maid ran in and reported: "Madam, the mother of the Yongping Marquis's Mansion is here to deliver the invitation."

The first wife turned around and said, "Please come in!"

The maidservant responded and left, and soon returned with two mothers in their forties.

The two mothers quickly stepped forward and bowed to the eldest wife, who politely invited the two mothers to sit inside.

Everyone went back to their room and sat down again. The maids served tea. One of the ladies, who had a red mole on the corner of her mouth, handed over a red lacquer box with peony flowers in bloom: "Our madam said that the March 3rd Girls' Day is coming in a few days, and she invited the wife, grandmother, daughter and brother to come to her house to have fun together - she has invited the Deyin troupe to perform at home."

Luo Qiao, who was standing by, hurriedly took the box and took out the bright red invitation with gold sprinkled on it to show the eldest wife.

Because she already knew the content, the eldest wife just took a symbolic look at it, then smiled and said, "Please go back and tell the old lady that I am grateful for her concern and that I will definitely bring my wife, daughter and grandson to join in the fun that day."

"Then I would like to thank you on behalf of the lady." The mother with a red mole on the corner of her mouth stood up and bowed to the eldest lady, then exchanged a few words of greeting and stood up to say goodbye.

The eldest wife looked at the tender buds that had just sprouted on the branches outside the house and told Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang: "It's time to change into spring clothes."

The two of them answered "yes" in unison, sat with the eldest wife for a while, then got up and went back to their own rooms.

*

On the third day of the third lunar month, Eleventh Lady tied her jet-black hair into a bun at the back of her head, wore a coral and turquoise beaded flower, a sky-blue jacket, and a moon-white embroidered skirt. Relying on her youth and beauty, she only rubbed some jasmine honey on her face, and went to the first wife with her bare face.

Wu Niang arrived before her.

She wore a silver-red jacket, had her hair in a ponytail bun, and inserted three red gold combs inlaid with colorful gems. She had red gold lantern pendants hanging from her ears, and she had drawn her eyebrows and eyes, and applied a light layer of powder, which made her look three times brighter than usual.

The eldest wife saw that both of them had satisfied expressions on their faces, and said a few words to them, "When you see someone, shout openly," and "There are actors in the inner courtyard, don't run around, be careful not to meet people you shouldn't meet." Then, after the eldest lady brought Xiu Ge, who was wearing a bright red silk dress, the family got up and got in the car and went to the Xu Mansion.

In front of the hanging flower gate of Xu's mansion, they met an old woman in gorgeous clothes with a head full of silver hair.

The old woman greeted them warmly: "Are you Mrs. Xu's relatives?"

Although she didn't know her, seeing that the woman was surrounded by more than 20 maids and wives wearing gold and silver, the eldest wife didn't dare to be careless. She smiled and stepped forward to greet her, saying, "I am Luo Xu."

The old woman smiled and nodded. Someone beside her introduced her to the eldest wife: "This is the old lady of the Duke Dingguo's mansion."

It turned out that they were the Zheng family who shared the princess' courtyard with the Xu family and lived in front of the Xu family.

The eldest wife hurriedly smiled and said, "It turns out to be the old lady. Please forgive my rudeness." She then introduced Grandma Luo, Fifth Lady, Eleventh Lady and Brother Xiu to the old lady Zheng.

Several people stepped forward and saluted Old Lady Zheng.

Just as the bells and bracelets were jingling, another carriage came rumbling over.

Everyone couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound.

It was a black painted flat-front carriage like the Luo family's.

The carriage stopped, and a woman jumped down, took a footstool and placed it in front of the shaft. She then stretched out her arm and said respectfully to the person in the carriage, "Miss, we're here!"

A slender, white hand stretched out from the dark blue curtain and gently rested on the arm of the woman who was wearing an official green jacket. Then the curtain was lifted, and a graceful crimson figure slowly walked down from the carriage.

Everyone present gasped.

"Whose girl is this? She is so beautiful!" Old Madam Zheng could not hide her amazement.

At this moment, the eldest wife's face turned as pale as paper.

The scarlet figure slowly walked towards the eldest wife, knelt down gently five steps away from her, and bowed respectfully: "Mother, your daughter Shi Niang greets you."

For a moment, all eyes fell on the first wife.

The eldest wife's lips curled up slightly, and the faded redness returned to her face little by little: "Shi Niang..."

"It's my daughter." Shi Niang tilted her head to look at the eldest wife, her eyes sparkling like gemstones, "The carriage that mother arranged for my daughter was slow, so my daughter arrived just now."

"It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here!" Old Madam Zheng glanced at Shi Niang with a smile and said to the eldest wife, "The young ladies in your family are all more beautiful than each other."

The eldest wife blushed: "Yes! The young ladies in our family are more beautiful than each other."

Shi Niang has stepped forward to pay her respects to Old Madam Zheng.

Old Lady Zheng personally stepped forward and took Shi Niang's hand: "Get up quickly, get up quickly. A young girl like this, don't let yourself get hurt. Get up quickly!"

Shi Niang took advantage of the situation and stood up, holding Zheng Taijun's hand: "Madam, let me help you go in!"

"I'm afraid your mother will be jealous." Zheng Taijun said jokingly.

The eldest wife smiled slightly: "I am so happy that our girl has won the old lady's attention, how can I be jealous!"

Shi Niang was smiling with her hands covering her mouth, her dark eyes twinkling, looking indescribably playful and cute.

"Shi Niang!" Wu Niang rushed forward from behind the eldest wife with a gloomy face, trying to stop Shi Niang, but was pulled back by Grandma Luo, "It's enough to have Shi Niang by the old lady's side!" The fingers that were pinching Wu Niang turned slightly white.

Eleventh Lady took two steps back and stood behind Grandma Luo.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little weird.

Old Madam Zheng turned her eyes and said with a smile: "It's getting late, let's go in early! Otherwise the master will wait anxiously!" After saying that, she went straight up the steps of the hanging flower gate without paying any attention to Shi Niang.

Shi Niang glanced at the eldest wife charmingly, smiled, lifted her skirt slightly, and followed Old Madam Zheng up the steps in front of the hanging flower gate.

The eldest wife looked at Wu Niang deeply.

Wu Niang's face was ashen: "Mother, it's not my fourth brother..."

The eldest wife's smile was somewhat forced, and she instructed Grandma Luo: "There are too many people here today, and Brother Xiu is young and can't stand such a noise. You should take Brother Xiu back first!"

Grandma Luo looked solemn and said "yes". She ignored Brother Xiu's shout "I want to play with Brother Zhun" and turned around with her son and got on the carriage: "Let's go back to Gongxian Hutong."

Watching the carriage turn southwards and go up the bluestone corridor out of the Xu residence, the eldest lady's smile returned to her amiable state. She told Fifth Lady and Eleventh Lady, "Let's go in too. We won't have to keep people waiting."

They both answered "yes" somewhat nervously and followed the eldest wife into the hanging flower gate.

Behind the door, there was still a small carriage with a green curtain waiting for them, but Old Lady Zheng and Shi Niang were missing.

Someone stepped forward and said with a smile, "Old Madam Zheng and the tenth young lady of your mansion each took a gasoline car and went to the flower hall first."

The eldest wife smiled and took Wu Niang and Shiyi Niang to the small oil cart with green curtains and went to the flower hall.

*

Shi Niang did not follow Madam Zheng into the flower hall, but stood in the pavilion in front of the flower hall and talked with a woman wearing a bright red brocade jacket with ten patterns. When she saw the eldest wife, she smiled and said to the woman, "Mother is here!"

The woman turned her face sideways.

The woman with willow-shaped eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes is the third wife of the Xu family.

"I was just about to go meet you. I ran into your tenth lady. She said she didn't see you when she got off the car, and was looking for you in a hurry..." The third lady smiled and came forward, "Hey, why don't you see the eldest lady?"

"It's hot today, so I asked her to take Brother Xiu back first." The first wife smiled happily, "Thank you, Third Madam, for your concern."

"What a pity!" The Third Lady laughed, "Today, the head of the Deyin Troupe, Zhou Dehui, will sing in person." She looked at Shi Niang again, "Does the First Lady want to keep a beautiful girl in her house? She won't even let me see such a beautiful daughter. Is she afraid that we will snatch her away?"

Shi Niang looked at the eldest wife and laughed.

The eldest wife also smiled with her lips pursed.

No one spoke and the scene was a bit weird.

A hint of confusion flashed across the third lady's eyes.

At this moment, a burst of laughter came from the flower hall.

The Third Lady didn't think too much and took the First Lady's arm: "Come in quickly! You are the only one missing!"