The maidservant followed Ren Yaoying later and was bribed by Aunt Fang with money. She was quite loyal to her and left immediately after receiving instructions and rewards.
Ren Yaoying sneered, "I won't go out with you guys just to be a decoration!"
As expected, the Zhou family sent a carriage to pick her up. They claimed they were acting on Madam Zhou's orders to take Ren Yaoying to the Zhou residence to meet Miss Zhou. They also said that Madam Zhou and Concubine Fang's sister-in-law were close friends, and that the Zhou family had already sent someone to Bailong Temple to speak with Madam Li. Therefore, the stewards left by Madam Li couldn't stop the Zhou family. Ren Yaoying dressed herself up and boarded the Zhou family's carriage.
Li and her friends had agreed with Madam Xu to meet outside the city gate. As expected, when the Ren family's carriage left the gate of Yunyang City, they saw several carriages. They were not late, but two ladies had already arrived.
Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Chen arrived first. They were about the same age as Mrs. Li and were considered relatively young among the ladies at Yunyang Academy. Mrs. Liu brought her second daughter, Liu Menghan, as her eldest daughter had married the previous year. Mrs. Chen brought her eldest daughter, Chen Zhiyi, and a three-year-old son.
Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Chen saw that Li was very friendly and came over to greet her. They must have been gentle and easygoing people. Liu Menghan and Chen Zhiyi were both around the same age as Ren Yaoqi, and both had gentle and graceful temperaments.
Because their respective husbands all taught at Yunyang Academy, Mrs. Li, Mrs. Liu, and Mrs. Chen quickly struck up a conversation. All three were well-educated ladies of prominent families, speaking softly and acting gracefully, so they all had a good first impression of each other.
At this time, Ren Yaoqi had to thank Mrs. Xu for her thoughtfulness. With Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Chen, who had similar personalities to Li, it would be easier for Li to enter this circle in the future. Often, interpersonal communication requires someone to extend an olive branch first. Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Chen, whom Mrs. Xu arranged for Li, were two such people who extended olive branches.
Several other ladies arrived shortly afterward, all of whom were well-mannered. Mrs. Xu was the last to arrive, and although she wasn't late, she still apologized to everyone waiting for her.
When she saw Ren Yaoqi, Madam Xu acted very friendly. She waved Ren Yaoqi over, took her hand, and said kindly, "Why do you look thinner than last time? Have you been practicing your piano and painting at home lately? Come ride with me today. I want to test you to see if you've been slacking off."
Madam Xu joked with Li, "I'll just borrow your daughter to chat in my carriage. Do you mind?"
Mrs. Li sensed Madam Xu's kindness and smiled, shaking her head: "That's because you think highly of her."
The ladies nearby also laughed and joked a few times. Mrs. Liu said with a smile, "I heard that you, Madam, had a new apprentice. Menghan kept clamoring to meet her when she was at home. I didn't expect to have the chance to meet her today. She looks like a smart and blessed child."
Madam Xu smiled and said, "They're all good kids." She then turned to Liu Menghan and Chen Zhiyi, "I've always thought your personalities would be compatible, and just now in the carriage I saw you guys chatting happily. It's true! You should visit each other more often in the future. You live close by anyway, so it's convenient for you to visit."
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