Xiao Li opened her eyes wide and exclaimed in surprise.
"What? My dowry is gone? How could this happen? Go report it to the authorities immediately! Who dared to steal my dowry? I will find out and throw them in jail."
Wu Wangshi and her son exchanged a glance, unsure whether the other party had done it. After all, it was lost in their own home, and Sun Xiaoli had only recently married into the family and didn't bring many people with her. It was possible that the culprit was a member of their own family.
"My wife, don't worry, let's discuss it and then make a plan."
"Yes, yes, let's discuss it first."
Both of them laughed it off, trying to stall for time.
"No, if we wait any longer, we'll be even less likely to find the things. We can't delay. Chunhua, go and report this to the authorities!"
"Yes, Miss."
Wu Wangshi and Wu Yanbin are now certain that Sun Xiaoli didn't do it herself, but who stole the items? That's incredibly skilled.
Wu Wangshi shook her head at Wu Yanbin, indicating that she hadn't done it. Wu Yanbin also widened his eyes and shook his head, indicating that he hadn't done it either.
The two were shocked and furious. They hadn't even had a chance to do it yet, and someone else had beaten them to it. It was an outrageous crime.
Soon, the soldiers arrived. After questioning everyone, they discovered that there had always been people in the courtyard, but the dowry had vanished without a trace. So many chests and trunks, which would have been time-consuming and laborious to move, had simply disappeared into thin air. It was truly a strange case.
After three days of investigation, nothing was found, and the matter was dropped.
Xiao Li was sullen all day long, and whenever Wu Yanbin spoke to her, she would say something.
"Has my dowry been found?"
This prevented Wu Yanbin from asking her to hand over the remaining dowry to her mother for safekeeping, and Xiao Li was able to keep the property in the house.
Madam Wu threw a tantrum in the Chrysanthemum Courtyard, "This is outrageous! The new daughter-in-law doesn't even come to serve her mother-in-law, and she even kicked her husband out of the bridal chamber, making him live in the study. What kind of behavior is this?"
The maidservant beside her dared not make a sound; this old woman was too difficult to serve.
This three-courtyard house was also part of the original owner's dowry. The Wu family originally lived in a dilapidated thatched hut, but after the engagement with the Sun family, the Wu family moved here.
These servants and maids were all newly purchased, and their indentures were held by Madam Wu, so they all served the Wu household.
The original owner only brought two personal maids with her, and they were later kicked out, leaving her isolated and helpless.
Chun Tao, who was standing nearby, advised, "Madam, why don't you have Chen Mama go and wake the young mistress up in the morning? That way, the young mistress can get up earlier too."
Granny Chen glanced at Chun Tao; this little girl has quite a few ideas.
"Madam, I think this is a good idea. Why don't we let Chun Tao go? Her ideas will definitely be better implemented than mine."
Madam Wu glanced at Granny Chen. This old hag was quite clever, but since she still needed her to help manage the servants, it was good that she was smart.
"Chuntao, go ahead. I want to see the young mistress serving me tomorrow morning."
Chun Tao had no choice but to agree. However, the thought of being able to show off in front of the young mistress was quite exhilarating, and she began to look forward to it again.
☆
Xiao Li was awakened from her dream by her maid. She looked out the window and saw that it was still pitch black; it was not yet dawn.
After asking 123, I learned that it was now the third quarter of the Yin hour, which is around 3:00 AM to 4:00 AM.
"Everyone get out, I want to sleep."
"But what about the old lady..."
Xiao Li looked up at the maid who had spoken. This was Chun Tao, who thought herself clever but didn't know that everyone else knew about her little scheme.
Xiao Li thought for a moment and decided to get up.
"Chunhua, come here."
Chunhua hurried to her young mistress's side. Xiaoli gave her a few instructions, and only after she left did Qiushi come over to help her with her toilette.
Xiao Li closed her eyes, everything was going smoothly. This lazy life was truly decadent, but she liked it.
"Miss, alright, we can set off now."
Xiao Li stood up, followed by a group of people: two personal maids and four old women carrying exquisite boxes. These old women were bought by Chunhua from outside in the past two days, the fiercer the better.
Chun Tao watched the large group of people heading towards Juyuan, feeling particularly smug. Looking at the exquisite box, she knew it must contain a gift for the old lady, and she could imagine the generous reward the old lady would give her when she was happy.
Haha~
She chuckled inwardly a few times, then quickly grabbed the lantern and led the way.
Soon, they arrived at the Chrysanthemum Garden. It was winter, the season when chrysanthemums bloom, and the whole garden was filled with their fragrance.
"Young Madam has arrived. Please wait a moment. The Old Madam has been waiting for you for quite some time. She may have been tired and took a nap. I will go and wake her up."
Xiao Li looked at Chen Mama, who was full of rules and regulations. This was the old lady's right-hand woman. She came from a wealthy family and knew the rules that were designed to torment people. She had caused the original owner a lot of trouble.
"No need to trouble you, Granny. I will take care of Mother myself."
After saying that, Xiao Li rushed into the room, where Wu Wangshi was sleeping soundly.
"Mother, your daughter-in-law has come to pay her respects!"
Wu Wangshi was old and had poor sleep quality. She was woken up by the noise. She saw Xiaoli and was about to lash out, but remembering that she was the one who asked her to serve her, she swallowed her anger.
With a wave of her hand, Xiao Li summoned the nanny behind her to help Wu Wangshi with her hair and makeup.
“Mrs. Sun, as your daughter-in-law, how can you not serve me personally? Is this the family education of your Sun family?”
Xiao Li chuckled inwardly. The Wu family had only enjoyed a few good days thanks to the Sun family, and they were already getting arrogant. Before, they didn't care about rules, they even had trouble getting enough to eat. Who cared about rules then? They were just being nosy and looking for trouble.
“Mother, your daughter-in-law’s intentions are enough. These servants were bought to serve us, weren’t they? If I have to do everything myself, what’s the point of buying them? You agree, right?”
Wu Wangshi was dragged out of bed in a huff, dressed, washed, and made up.
By the time she sat down at the table, she didn't want to talk anymore; it was too early, and she couldn't eat.
After finally finishing her meal, she looked at the several old women carrying boxes, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Madam Sun, what are these old women doing...?"
Xiao Li glanced at the people following behind her, reached out, and the nanny behind her opened the box and took out a plate of exquisite pastries.
Xiao Li took a piece and put it in her mouth. After she finished eating, she wiped her mouth and then spoke.
"Mother said this? Chunhua is considerate of me. She was afraid I would get up too early and be hungry, so she brought my daughter-in-law's breakfast with her so I could eat it anytime."
She then beckoned to another nanny, opened the box, and inside was a small bowl of bird's nest and lotus seed soup. Xiaoli picked it up, placed it on the table, sat down, and ate a few bites.
Wu Wangshi was dumbfounded and could hardly believe it. She actually dared to disrespect her elders and eat better than her mother-in-law.
"How dare you! You show no respect for your mother-in-law! Do you even respect me as your mother-in-law?"
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