Song Xia knew that Zhou Yongli was still at Qinyaxuan, so she deliberately sent someone to say it, thinking that Zhou Yongli, for the sake of his reputation, would not let Liu Fangniang refuse.
She tidied herself up a bit and took the porridge she had cooked herself to Han Hui Courtyard, where Zhou Yuqing happened to be awake.
"Mother, you've come."
"Didn't I tell you not to read?" Song Xia quickly pulled the book away. "You're not fully recovered yet, why are you bothering with this?"
Zhou Yuqing smiled gently: "I was just bored lying down, Mother, I'm not tired."
"That won't do either. You just promised your mother this morning that you wouldn't touch a book until you're better."
Zhou Yuqing changed the subject: "What did Mother make this time? It smells so good."
"You're just trying to fool your mother. She'll send someone to keep an eye on you." As she spoke, she opened the porcelain bowl. "I cooked some chicken porridge and added your favorite greens. Don't leave any of this bird's nest soup."
"Mother, it's not good for a man like me to eat bird's nest all the time."
"It's just nourishing food, what's wrong with it? If it weren't for Doctor Zhang saying that you're too weak to take tonics, I would have stewed the two old ginseng roots that your grandfather sent for you."
Zhou Yuqing obediently ate it spoonful by spoonful, and the maids in the courtyard covered their mouths and laughed.
"Mom, I think your stew tastes better than the ones cooked in the kitchen."
"You have such a sweet tongue, you don't need to tell your mother, you can save it for your wife later."
The maids laughed again, making Zhou Yuqing blush. After all, he was just a twelve-year-old boy. Although in wealthy families, he should have been arranged to have a concubine at this age, he was physically weak, so Song Xia never had that idea.
Besides, if a concubine is arranged too early and feelings develop between them, it won't be good for the future daughter-in-law. So let's just leave it at that.
"I heard Mother is going out to distribute porridge tomorrow?"
"Hmm, it's rare to see you in such good spirits after your illness. It's a sign of God's mercy. I'll go and distribute porridge to you to pray for your well-being."
"Mother, don't overwork yourself."
"No, wait a couple of days until you feel better, then we'll go back to the Prince's residence."
"Okay, my son misses his grandfather too."
"If you can recover to the same level as your grandfather, then your mother can finally rest easy."
Zhou Yuqing waved her hands repeatedly: "How can my son compare to my grandfather? He is a great hero who can go to the battlefield and kill the enemy."
"I don't expect you to go to the battlefield to kill the enemy. I just want you to learn a few health-preserving techniques from your grandfather."
"Then I'll go, I'll have to ask Grandpa for advice."
Your grandfather will definitely be happy.
Song Xia chatted with her son for a while, watched him fall asleep, and then returned to the main courtyard. She knew she would be busy tomorrow, so she should go to bed early to recharge.
Zhou Ying, on the other hand, didn't take it seriously, thinking that tomorrow's event was just a formality. She even had a gathering with her girlfriends in the afternoon. However, she didn't expect to be forcibly woken up by the people sent by Song Xia early in the morning.
"So early?" she asked, her face cold.
Furong gave a forced smile: "Madam has already gotten up. Please hurry, Miss. Madam said it will take some time to get outside the city. If we don't hurry, the sun will be high in the sky by the time the pot is set up."
Zhou Ying complained, "Can't we wait until everyone is ready before we go?"
"Madam said that since we are praying for the two young masters, we must be sincere. Miss, please rise."
Zhou Ying was unwilling, but since it was her father's order yesterday, she couldn't disobey. However, her resentment towards Song Xia intensified.
However, upon reaching the main gate, he still had to respectfully greet Song Xia.
Song Xia said calmly, "It's a bit late today, but we can't do this again tomorrow."
Zhou Ying instinctively retorted, "Are we going again tomorrow?"
"Hmm?" Song Xia glanced at her indifferently.
Zhou Ying quickly lowered her head: "Yes, daughter understands."
Song Xia deliberately arranged only one carriage, so Zhou Ying felt extremely uncomfortable. She had wanted to relax in her own carriage, but unexpectedly, she had to sit upright with her stepmother.
Song Xia also "kindly" explained, "We are going to distribute porridge, so naturally we can't move around or dress too extravagantly."
As she spoke, she asked Furong to remove Zhou Ying's hairpins and jewelry: "You don't need to wear these anymore."
Zhou Ying clenched her handkerchief tightly, suppressing her temper again and again.
Song Xia closed her eyes to rest, as she had a special way of relieving the fatigue of riding in a carriage. Zhou Ying, however, could not, and by the time they reached the outskirts of the city, her back and waist were already aching.
After getting off the carriage, Song Xia personally helped the servants set up the pot, add firewood, and wash the rice. Since she, as the legal wife, did all this, Zhou Ying, as a concubine's daughter, naturally couldn't just stand by and watch, so she also had to do these chores.
In the Zhou family, she was the only young lady. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was extremely favored. Her daily outings were more elaborate than those of the legitimate daughters of other noble families. There were at least twenty maids serving her in her boudoir. She had never suffered such hardship before.
So when she picked up the first piece of firewood, her delicate hand was pricked, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
But Song Xia did even more than her, and Song Xia didn't say anything, so how could she dare to complain?
So in no time, her carefully chosen beautiful dress was stained with all sorts of stains, which she could hardly accept.
But Song Xia simply said, "We're out distributing porridge, not attending a banquet. We shouldn't be dressed so extravagantly. There's nowhere to change here, so let's just leave it at that. Look at these people, aren't they all dirty and ragged?"
As they were talking, two dirty children walked out from the crowd queuing for porridge. They looked at Zhou Ying with envy and longing. One of the younger children even reached out to touch the hem of Zhou Ying's skirt.
Zhou Ying screamed, and the older child immediately pulled the younger one away in a panic, seemingly afraid of her pursuing the matter.
"What's all the fuss about? You're a young lady of the Zhou family. When you come out to distribute porridge, you represent the Zhou family's reputation. Everyone's watching!"
Song Xia and her family weren't the only ones distributing porridge today, so Zhou Ying's actions attracted a lot of attention.
Zhou Ying finally couldn't hold back her tears. This wasn't distributing porridge; it was torture!
"I'm not doing it anymore, I'm not doing it anymore, okay?" she cried as she boarded the carriage. "Go back, I want to go back."
Song Xia shook her head slightly, her disappointed and sighing expression falling into the eyes of the other powerful and wealthy families. Then she had no choice but to have the coachman send Zhou Ying back.
He was secretly pleased, however, as he hadn't expected Zhou Ying to not even last an hour.
Although Zhou Ying is only ten years old, there are quite a few people in the capital who are already considering marriage at that age. Zhou Ying's departure may have been a relief, but her reputation has been ruined. Even if she hadn't come, it would have been better than the current situation.
Zhou Ying cried and ran home, which terrified Liu Fang's mother. Wasn't she supposed to be distributing porridge? Why was she back?
"What happened?"
“She’s clearly bullying me. Those lowly people dirtied my skirt, and she didn’t care. Mother, I’m not going to distribute porridge anymore. I don’t want to go. I feel disgusted. It’s dirty and smelly there.”
"Oh dear, come to Grandma and have a good talk with her." Before Liu Fangniang could say anything, Old Madam Liu was heartbroken, so Zhou Ying cried even louder and more aggrievedly.
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