Ning forced a smile, bid farewell to the old lady, and returned to her courtyard with her entourage. The old lady finally relaxed after Ning left, put Xu Bai down and let him play by himself, pulled Zhang Zhaoci to sit down next to her, and whispered, "They're all such troublesome people. After thinking about it, I think your family is the most worry-free."
Zhang Zhaoci didn't want to find out what was going on, but the old lady didn't treat Zhang Zhaoci like an outsider. She said, "You'll be going back to Hexi soon, so I'll tell you something you can just take as a joke. Your sister-in-law is eyeing my things. She said that when our eldest daughter gets married, she doesn't have a valuable dowry, so she wants to ask me for one or two things that the late Empress Dowager gave me. Doesn't she even consider that those things all came from the palace and are all recorded? It's not like I can just give them to whoever I want?"
The old lady said, "Seeing that I didn't agree, she said there was a coral tree in the storeroom that was taller than a person, with a beautiful color, which could be used as part of the eldest daughter's dowry. She wanted to ask me for it to make a face for the eldest daughter. There are nine daughters in the mansion, including the eldest daughter. If I give this one, should I give it to the next one? Although the second daughter's wedding date has not been set, the two families have been visiting each other. I heard that the old master of the Feng family's hometown is not in very good health. I guess they will come to set the wedding date when the eldest daughter leaves. As the grandmother, I have to treat everyone equally."
Zhang Zhaoci listened without saying a word. The old lady sighed and said, "Zhaoci, your sister-in-law is good in every way, but she is a bit too eager for quick success. She was the one who begged me to arrange the marriage for our eldest daughter. As the eldest daughter's grandmother, I naturally hope that my children and grandchildren can live well. Fortunately, the Qingping Marquis's family has a good family tradition, and Cheng Kai is also a good boy. But they value our eldest daughter as a person. They think that our eldest daughter is well-mannered and can help Cheng Kai support the Qingping Marquis's family. She is worthy of being the matriarch of the Feng family. They are not a family that values the dowry of their daughter-in-law."
Zhang Zhaoci nodded and said, "Our eldest daughter is indeed a good one."
The old lady said, "I didn't give her anything. She's been sitting here for over half an hour now. I usually go for a walk in the yard to digest my food around this time. She's getting more and more shameless." The old lady was actually feeling very frustrated and wanted to vent to someone. It was just that Zhang Zhaoci happened to be there and encountered this situation. If she had known that Ning Shi was with the old lady, Zhang Zhaoci wouldn't have brought the child with her.
Zhang Zhaoci's relationship with Ning Shi was just so-so. Although they were sisters-in-law, because of Xu Rao's status as a concubine's son, the other sisters-in-law in the mansion did not have very close relationships with Zhang Zhaoci. Zhang Zhaoci was happy to have some peace and quiet, and she lived a pretty good life with her child in the backyard.
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "Grandmother, look at what you're saying. You're the richest person in our household. In the eyes of us granddaughters-in-law, you're the biggest tycoon. Even a little bit of money slipping through your fingers is a fortune to us. We're just embarrassed about it usually, but if something really happens, I'd like to come over to you and get some benefits to take back with me."
The old lady was amused by Zhang Zhaoci and laughed heartily, saying, "You, you, only you would dare to say such things to me."
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