Chapter 139 The Business Genius Cousin
Following the route she remembered, Meng Lingge arrived at the Zheng residence without much trouble.
Chen Luo ran to the door to inform the servant, who was initially too lazy to bother with him. These days, there were far too many people trying to curry favor with the Du family. The Du family matriarch was kind-hearted, and she would never let anyone leave empty-handed, as long as they could establish even the slightest connection.
Seeing that the carriage was ordinary and Chen Luo looked dusty and disheveled from days of travel, the servant assumed that some poor relative had come with his family to ask for money.
But upon hearing that it was the eldest daughter of the Meng family from the capital, he immediately beamed with joy and nudged his companion beside him: "Quick, quick, go to the backyard and report that Miss Meng has arrived!"
Turning to Chen Luo, she said warmly, "The old lady has been talking about it these past few days, and now we've finally got Miss Meng here."
As he spoke, he stepped forward to take the carriage. After entering the gate, Meng Lingge and her two maids got off. The servant led them for a while, and then a head maid from the inner courtyard came out to greet them.
"It's been years since I last saw you, and I almost didn't recognize you. Miss Meng, you've come at just the right time. The master and the eldest young master are both home. Come, come this way."
Meng Lingge looked at the girl and found her familiar, but couldn't quite place her. She wondered if she was someone from the First Madam's or Second Madam's household. She simply smiled slightly, lowered her head, and followed her into the backyard.
The Du Mansion covers a large area, with the courtyards spaced far apart. Walking along the long corridors gives one the feeling of strolling through a garden. Moreover, many courtyards have been renovated and are now more elegant and magnificent than they were a few years ago.
The maid led Meng Lingge inside, and when they arrived at the old lady's courtyard, they heard people talking softly inside. Judging from the tone of their voices, they could imagine the scene of laughter and joy inside.
The maidservant stepped into the room first.
"Madam, First Madam, Second Madam, guess who's here?"
A soft, gentle voice chuckled from inside.
"Please don't be offended, Madam. I've spoiled Qiaoling rotten. She's a guest, and she's not even inviting her in. How dare she make Madam guess? I think she's asking for a beating."
Qiaoling turned around and helped Meng Lingge, who was standing at the door, inside, her face still beaming with joy.
"This servant isn't asking for a beating. I brought Miss Meng in, and the old lady is already rewarding me. Why would she punish me?"
Meng Lingge walked over respectfully and greeted Madam Du, the First Madam, and the Second Madam in turn.
"Good child..." Old Madam Du stood up, leaning on her cane. Qiaoling had already pulled Meng Lingge in front of the old lady. The old lady's trembling hand held Meng Lingge's hand and stroked it. "You must have had a hard journey. Four years have passed, and you look more and more like your mother. When I look at you, I think it is Shiyin standing in front of me. Sit down quickly and let your grandmother take a good look at you."
With tears in her eyes, Madam Du pulled Meng Lingge to sit down and turned to Qiaoling, saying, "You're right, girl. You brought Lingge here, so you should be rewarded instead of punished. Go to the shopkeeper and get an extra month's salary."
"Thank you for your generosity, Madam." Qiaoling was overjoyed, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "I knew Madam doted on Miss Meng the most. I'll go serve tea to our distinguished guest right away."
The First Madam looked somewhat uncomfortable, but forced a smile and said, "I thought Lingge would arrive in a few more days, and Juyunxuan hasn't been cleaned yet. I'll arrange for someone to clean it now, so I won't bother you and Lingge any longer."
After saying that, he glared at Qiaoling and said, "You're coming with me."
Qiaoling, not knowing what she had done wrong, stuck out her tongue and followed the First Madam away, looking aggrieved.
The second wife watched the two figures disappear, her expression somewhat troubled: "It's almost noon, and my sister-in-law has to tidy up the courtyard and arrange for people to prepare lunch. I'll go help her. Mother, I'll take my leave now."
The old lady frowned and said impatiently, "Go, go, it'll be quiet once you're all gone."
The second wife nodded and left with a sigh of relief.
The joyous and harmonious scene that had just been set off was abruptly ended by Meng Lingge's arrival.
Meng Lingge had visited Jiangnan several times. She remembered that each time she came, her two aunts were very warm and friendly, and they never made an excuse to leave as soon as they met.
Is this unusual behavior because he/she learned about her divorce?
Before she arrived, her father had sent a letter to the Du family, so it was normal for the Du family to know about her divorce.
In most people's eyes, divorce is indeed a dishonorable thing, but this matter does not harm the interests of the Du family. As long as they don't spread it around, the people of Jiangnan will not know about it.
Why did her two aunts treat her like a raging flood or a ferocious beast, avoiding her at all costs?
She had come to Jiangnan intending to stay for a while. Now that her two aunts' attitudes towards her had changed drastically, she couldn't avoid addressing the problem. Living under their roof and having to be at their mercy was not a long-term solution.
Seeing Meng Lingge's unease, Old Madam Du patted her hand and comforted her, "Lingge, don't think too much. Your maternal grandmother is still here. As long as your maternal grandmother is alive, no one in the Du family will dare to bully you. It's even better if they ignore you, so you'll have more time to spend with your maternal grandmother. Your maternal grandmother just wants you to be with her every day."
Madam Du looked much older than she had four years ago, but her expression towards Meng Lingge was still as full of pity as it had been four years ago.
Meng Lingge couldn't help but want to get closer to her maternal grandmother whenever she saw her. She moved her embroidered chair closer to Madam Zheng and rested her head on her maternal grandmother's body.
“Lingge knows that my maternal grandmother loves me the most, so she came all the way to see you. But I have come all this way to wish my grandmother a happy birthday, and I really don’t know where I have offended my two aunts. If my maternal grandmother knows the reason, she must tell me, so that I can at least know where I went wrong and then I can improve my relationship with my aunts.”
"This... sigh." Madam Du didn't want Meng Lingge to worry about these things, but then she thought that when Du Yuanhua came to find Meng Lingge, the matter couldn't be kept secret.
It would be better to prepare Lingge mentally sooner rather than later.
Do you still remember your cousin, Du Yuanhua?
“My older cousin? Of course I remember him. He even took me kite flying before, and he gave me two kites when I went back last time.”
Every time she came to Jiangnan, she would stay for at least half a month. She remembered her two aunts' children who were over four years old, but she remembered her eldest cousin, Du Yuanhua, the most.
After all, he was the oldest among the children, and he always took the lead. Moreover, he often caused trouble, and when he did, he would ask Meng Lingge to take the blame for him because he knew that no one in the Du family would punish Meng Lingge. After things were settled, he would buy some small things to make Meng Lingge happy.
In the last two years, Meng Lingge had heard Meng Xingyuan say that her older cousin was a business genius who had expanded the Du family's business to the point that it was almost in Beijing.
Now her older cousin probably doesn't need her to take the blame anymore.
Madam Du nodded and said, "It's him. You may not know, but this child has liked you since he was little. At first, we all thought it was just sibling affection. But ever since you returned from Jiangnan last time, he has been unable to eat or drink and kept insisting on going to the capital. After your aunt asked him indirectly, she found out that this boy wanted to marry you. This really scared your aunt."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
