The second concubine had to be mindful of the first wife, Lin Meijuan's, opinion. She dared not sit down without her daughter's permission. Her daughter was a little anxious today, but since she had already spoken, if she didn't intervene, she would lose even more face.
"Miss, it's been so long since you've seen Madam again, you must still be a little unaccustomed to it. But according to the rules, you should call her 'Mother.' Our fourth daughter came from my belly, she doesn't have that kind of luck, so she's called 'Madam.'"
Xu Keke felt that this second concubine, Liu Shi, was a ruthless character who was willing to do anything to cause trouble for her, even disregarding the dignity of her own daughter.
Speaking of Aunt Liu, she was Old Madam Du's person; she was a distant relative of Old Madam Du's maternal family. When Du Bingtian married Lin Meijuan, Old Madam Du, wanting to spite Lin Meijuan, arranged for Du Bingtian to take her as a concubine.
Judging from her and the fourth young lady Du Rui's appearance, they must have already been subdued by Lin Meijuan.
Even if Xu Keke wasn't the original owner, she always called Lin Meijuan "Madam" in her past life.
The furniture in the Du residence was all Western-made, and the sofa was upholstered in floral fabric. It was quite comfortable to sit on. Xu Keke sat down, smoothed out the front of her dress, and carefully straightened the folds in her skirt.
Seeing that no one spoke, she raised her head and looked at Aunt Liu. "When we were paying respects to our ancestors last time, Grandmother said that Xiao Si should be registered under Madam's name. The family genealogy in the ancestral hall has already been changed. Xiao Si can call herself whatever she wants; who can stop her?"
However, according to the Du family's rules, even if Xiao Si was born to the second concubine, the second concubine should still address her as "Fourth Miss." Calling her "Xiao Si" repeatedly is somewhat against the rules.
Since Aunt Liu liked rules and regulations, it just so happened that the original owner of this body grew up in front of her very rule-abiding grandmother.
Xu Keke's old-fashioned words stunned everyone. These days, it seems like the whole world is shouting for innovation, everyone is showing off their trendiness, and everyone is advocating the Western etiquette. It's really rare to see someone so confidently talking about ancestral rules.
"If you didn't know she came from the countryside, you'd think she had all these old-fashioned ideas," said the third young lady, Du Shan, covering her wide-open mouth and laughing uncontrollably. Even the third concubine was giving Xu Keke a strange look.
Xu Keke acted as if she hadn't seen anything and continued speaking.
"And Xiao Si, did your aunt teach you to behave like this? Madam is your mother, and I am your elder sister. We haven't even spoken yet, and you dare to interrupt. If Grandmother sees this, she will definitely punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall. Grandmother said that a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. If you don't abide by the family rules, you will ruin the reputation of the Du family and be kicked out of the Du family."
"What kind of talk is this? So, if she's around, they can't speak anymore? What's with this 'elder sister' attitude?" Du Shan was about to retort when Lin Meijuan quickly stopped her with her hand.
Aunt Liu smiled awkwardly, "What Miss says is true, we were wrong, but you called Madam 'Madam,' which is also against the rules."
Xu Keke chuckled, "I didn't want to either. Before I came, my grandmother specifically told me to just call her 'Madam'."
Xu Keke looked at Lin Meijuan and said seriously, "If Madam doesn't believe me, she can write a letter to Grandmother. As for the reason, I didn't dare to ask too much about the elders' affairs. If you want to know, you can ask them at the same time."
Of course, Old Mrs. Du wouldn't give such instructions. Based on the original owner's memories, Xu Keke was certain that Lin Meijuan wouldn't ask.
Lin Meijuan smiled kindly and said reproachfully, "Don't listen to Second Madam. This is the city. There are no rules to follow here."
Then, turning to the second concubine, he said, "What are you standing there for? Like someone's punishing you. Sit down with the fourth concubine."
Xu Keke could easily understand the meaning behind her words. She was simply telling herself that the rules of the countryside were not recognized in the city, and even Old Madam Du did not have the final say in the Du Mansion.
Xu Keke only smiled and remained silent. Old Mrs. Du's word didn't count. But as long as Lin Meijuan remained in the Du family, she wouldn't dare openly contradict Old Mrs. Du.
With the wife's words, the second concubine quickly pulled the fourth young lady, Du Rui, to sit down next to the third concubine.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Lin Meijuan took advantage of the time while the maid served tea to instruct them to prepare the meal, and didn't forget to say to Xu Keke, "We usually eat at five o'clock at home, but we waited until now just for you."
Xu Keke smiled and agreed, but in her heart, she became increasingly certain that this woman was no ordinary person. Such a capacity for eating and swallowing was not something an ordinary person could do. In her past life, the reason the original owner could see her true colors was probably because she was no longer of any use to her.
The food had been prepared in advance. Before they had even finished their tea, they all went to the dining room.
Xu Keke was also a little hungry. After the earlier contest, apart from Du Shan occasionally glancing at her curiously, no one bothered her anymore. Xu Keke ate quite comfortably.
After they had used up most of their supplies, Lin Meijuan said to Xu Keke, "Your father and the others will be back in a while. Your luggage has been brought to your room. Go back to your room to wash up and rest. I'll have someone call you when they get back."
Xu Keke was naturally satisfied with this arrangement and quickly agreed and got up. As she passed by Du Rui, she saw that the veins in Du Rui's hand holding the chopsticks were bulging, and Aunt Liu, who was sitting next to her, was nervously pressing her arm.
As Xu Keke walked upstairs, she remembered what Butler Liu had said: the room she was to stay in used to belong to Du Shan. Could the trouble she was being given upon meeting be because of that?
Lin Meijuan's laughter came from downstairs. Looking down the stairs, I saw Du Shan whispering something in Lin Meijuan's ear, making Lin Meijuan so amused that she kept poking Du Shan's forehead.
Xu Keke couldn't help but laugh as she watched. Lin Meijuan's move was brilliant. She'd already created an enemy before even stepping inside. Truly clever.
I just don't know if she's the murderer who killed the original owner's mother. If she is, then I'll save myself a lot of trouble.
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