The reason why Granny Shen gave her such a purse was purely to find someone for Xu Gao to pass on some messages to the Lady of Qingping. Although Xu Gao had been carefully taught by the family since childhood, she was too honest and kind. Otherwise, the Marquis would not have allowed his eldest daughter to marry down.
The old woman quickly stuffed the purse into her sleeve and continued walking forward with Granny Shen. As they walked, she whispered, "Our young mistress is a good person, but sometimes she can't bring herself to do it, so she gets bullied."
Upon hearing this, Granny Shen understood that her eldest daughter was still too naive. The Lady of Qingping was an unreasonable person who would use any means necessary for money, which was going too far. It seemed that she really had to take the eldest daughter home and teach her a lesson.
Xu Gao's current courtyard is near the back wall, the very last courtyard of the Qingping Marquis's mansion. The courtyard had been abandoned for many years. After a simple tidying up in the spring, he moved here. It is far from the main courtyard and even further from the main kitchen. The food is often cold when it arrives here. Fortunately, Xu Gao is in poor health, so he has a small red clay stove in the courtyard to boil medicine. After the food is brought over, it can be heated on the stove and is still palatable.
Before Granny Shen arrived, the old woman from the Qingping Earl's courtyard had already explained everything clearly. She simply wanted Xu Gao to admit that he had seen the invitation. As for why he didn't go back, Xu Gao could explain however he wanted, since it had nothing to do with the lady of the mansion.
Xu Gao got up early in the morning and went to the main courtyard where Lady Qingping lived to serve his mother-in-law breakfast. After returning home, he ate a few bites of food hastily. At noon, he had to go to his mother-in-law's courtyard to serve her lunch. After lunch, his mother-in-law would take a nap, and Xu Gao would fan her. When his mother-in-law finally got up and started to handle the housework, Xu Gao would have to rush back with his maids and servants. Lady Qingping didn't want Xu Gao to get involved in the housework at all, not even to listen to it.
Xu Gao had only been back for a short while when he saw his mother-in-law's capable maid rushing over. He thought something unexpected had happened again. Hearing the maid's words, Xu Gao was so angry that he wanted to go to his mother-in-law's yard right now and give her a good scolding to vent his anger.
When Granny Shen arrived, she saw a somewhat dilapidated courtyard. Although it had been tidied up, the paint on the pillars of the covered walkways had peeled off. They had moved in in the spring, and summer was almost over, yet it hadn't been painted again. There was a tall sycamore tree in the courtyard, which shaded the entire courtyard. It was quite cool, but how warm could the house be in winter?
Upon seeing Granny Shen, Xu Gao's eyes filled with tears. After calling out "Granny Shen," he was speechless.
The old woman sent by the Lady of Qingping was standing guard on the side. Granny Chen took out a purse from her sleeve and said with a smile, "We'll have to trouble you to wait in the courtyard for a while, sister. We'll be counting on you to take us out later."
The old woman took the purse and smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared. She went straight to the garden gate to wait.
Granny Shen took Xu Gao's hand and led him into the house. The main house had five rooms, and it was spacious and airy. However, the walls had only been whitewashed, and the dust had probably just been swept; they hadn't been painted again. To the east of the room, an eight-panel carved sandalwood screen separated a bedroom. The screen was part of Xu Gao's dowry. To the west was an open-plan study. Several bookshelves with many books were placed on the north and west sides. Near the south window was a large ebony desk, which was also part of Xu Gao's dowry. These were all things that Xu Gao had used when she was at her parents' home, and Ning Shi had specially delivered them to her for the wedding.
Granny Shen sat down on a low couch at the banquet table. Xu Gao personally served her tea, and Granny Shen quickly pulled her down to sit, saying, "Young lady, what's wrong with you? How could you let someone treat you like this?"
Xu Gao's eyes then reddened, and he said, "Granny, she's in charge of the household. She can't let me go out if she wants to. I originally thought that since that's the case, I'd just stay home and live my own little life. Who knew she would keep pressuring me for my dowry? Granny, I really regret it. If I had argued with her from the beginning, things wouldn't be like this now." Xu Gao burst into tears at the end.
Granny Shen took a handkerchief and helped Xu Gao wipe his tears, saying as she did so, "At noon, the old lady asked the young master's wife about your current situation. She was worried and asked me to come over. If we can take you away, we will do so. If we can't take you away today, we will have some of the young masters in the mansion come to pick you up tomorrow. In any case, we will take you home to stay for a few days."
Xu Gao nodded repeatedly and said, "I have kept my dowry safe. I have asked the managers and owners of those shops and estates to hand over their account books to my mother in our mansion for safekeeping."
Granny Shen said, "Then pack your things quickly. If you're going to leave, just take your things and go. If you can't leave, don't worry. The old lady said that if you don't stay at her house for a while, she will come over herself."
With red eyes, Xu Gao said, "It's all because I, as a great-granddaughter, am unfilial, causing my great-grandmother to worry and suffer."
Granny Shen said, "The old lady always hopes that you younger generation can live a good life. If you encounter difficulties, the elders in our mansion will help you find a solution."
When Granny Shen came out of Xu Gao's room, Xu Gao said, "Granny, I'll go with you. If my mother-in-law makes things difficult for me again about my return home, I'll ask her where she threw away the invitation from the mansion."
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