"Ah Ping, quickly help your old lady up!" Lan Qin said hastily when she saw an old woman with half-white hair bowing to her.
Judging from her appearance, Madam Li looked kind and gentle, not at all mean-spirited. However, from A-Ping's reports along the way, Lanqin was furious. She never expected that after Cui Niang married Li Wei, she would be so disliked by her mother-in-law at home.
"Consort, please come this way!" The old lady pushed aside and made way for Ran Lanqin to walk.
Lanqin didn't stand on ceremony. Given her status, she stepped in ahead of the old lady.
After settling in according to their status, A-Ping poured tea for the two of them before stepping aside in silence. She didn't leave voluntarily; since no one was there to pour tea or water, she could stay and watch how the concubine sought justice for the mistress.
"Madam, Cui Niang is about to give birth. Have you prepared a name for the child?" Lanqin asked casually.
"We don't know the gender yet, so we haven't prepared a name for the child," the old lady said.
"Since the old lady didn't prepare a name, have you prepared anything for Cui Niang's postpartum care? Such as eggs, hens, red dates, and other nourishing foods," Lanqin continued.
Aping was a little confused when she saw that Lanqin didn't immediately lash out, but instead asked about these trivial matters. She could have directly questioned her based on her status.
The old lady became a little uncomfortable. After a slight pause, she said to Ah Ping, "Have you listened to your mistress and made the preparations?"
A-Ping naturally knew that after giving birth, women needed to eat more nutritious food, but since Cui Niang hadn't given any instructions, she hadn't gone to buy it yet. Seeing the old lady asking her, she hurriedly feigned ignorance and said, "This servant doesn't know, the old lady didn't instruct this servant to buy these things before."
The old lady's face stiffened. Of course, she had not given any instructions, because she had never worried about anything concerning Cui Niang. On the contrary, she had set rules for Cui Niang every day, such as morning and evening greetings.
"What? The old lady doesn't know any of this? Cui Niang has served me for many years and is like an elder sister to me. She is about to give birth and there is no one to prepare anything for her. It pains me to see this!" Lanqin said deliberately while sighing.
The old lady felt as if she had been slapped in the face. Lanqin had said to her face that Cui Niang had no one to take care of her, wasn't this a slap in her own face? Seeing that the old lady's face was slightly flushed, Lanqin thought to herself: Cui Niang is such a good daughter-in-law, and you're still not satisfied? Now I'll show you what kind of blame you should receive without her protection.
"This was my oversight, please don't worry, Consort. I'll have Ah Ping go and buy some right away," said Madam Li. Since Cui Niang became pregnant, she had never worried about her, and instead, she couldn't even skip her daily morning and evening greetings.
“But I heard that A-Ping has to do housework every day and take care of Cui Niang, so where would she find the time to go shopping? I wonder when the old lady plans to arrange for A-Ping to go?” Lanqin continued to ask.
"Ahem, Ping, you should go first thing tomorrow morning," Old Madam Li said hurriedly.
“But Madam is heavily pregnant now and could give birth at any time. Besides, I have to make breakfast for Madam tomorrow morning, otherwise what will Master and Second Master eat? Even the Old Madam won’t have anything to eat!” A-Ping said deliberately, trying to sound difficult.
Si Hua saw that the maid was clever and couldn't help but smile slightly. It seemed that with such a maid by Cui Niang's side, things weren't so difficult.
"You silly girl, I can do it myself. Why are you worrying about this!" Old Madam Li finally couldn't help but say angrily. Lanqin's series of questions had already made her old face a little embarrassed.
“Alright, then I’ll go to the market first thing tomorrow morning. If you’re making breakfast yourself, Madam, don’t forget to ask the Fujin for the kitchen key,” A-Ping said deliberately.
"Madam, I saw that Cui Niang was still making some clothes for the child. I wonder how skilled you are, Madam? Why can't I see any embroidery you've done for your grandson here?" Lanqin deliberately looked around, but naturally couldn't see a single thread. Because, on the way here with Lanqin, A Ping had told her everything she had done, including what Cui Niang had told her not to say.
Now, Old Madam Li's face was thoroughly slapped. She had been busy praying to Buddha and gods for her second son, and had even made two sets of clothes for him, but she hadn't prepared anything for the unborn child.
“Not only clothes, but we can’t even find a cloth tiger! Madam, you’re about to become a grandmother, how could you forget to prepare one for your grandson, or at least some shoes and socks!” Si Hua chimed in.
"The old lady's eyesight isn't good, so our madam specifically instructed her not to handle these things," A-Ping said, deliberately trying to smooth things over for her.
"Ahem, yes, my eyesight isn't good anymore, so I can't thread the needle or do embroidery," said Madam Li. She was indeed old, and could no longer thread the needle in the dark, but making clothes was no problem for her. For women in ancient times, needlework was a deeply ingrained skill. They started learning to make clothes around the age of ten and could do it almost anywhere without light.
“No wonder, I saw that Cui Niang was still making little shoes for the baby even though she was heavily pregnant. Luckily, I’ve already had several children, and the clothes and shoes they left behind are all ready-made, which I brought to Cui Niang today. Otherwise, with such a big belly and no one to help her make them, it would be quite worrying,” Lanqin said.
“Consort, I see that Cui Niang is having a really hard time here. Why don’t we take her back? If you feel sorry for her, at least we sisters can help take care of her. Otherwise, when she gives birth and is bedridden, there will be no one to care for her. A-Ping is busy taking care of the whole family, and my sister doesn’t even have anyone to serve her,” Si Hua said.
These words made Old Madam Li understand that the concubine had come to see her, but in reality, she had come to say these things. She dared not disobey Lanqin's reprimand, so she quickly stood up and curtsied to Lanqin, saying, "I have caused you, Concubine, to worry. It is truly my fault. Yingzi is my wife, and I will naturally take care of her. Please do not worry, Concubine."
Seeing that the old lady finally understood the meaning of her words, Lanqin, considering that she was Li Wei's mother, did not dare to reprimand her further. She said, "What are you doing, Madam? Get up quickly. What I just said was because I was worried that Cui Niang would not have a good postpartum period. Then, who knows when she will be able to return to my side."
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