When resting at night, Yao Niang lay on Jing Hao's belly and listened to the sounds. Jing Hao thought his sister was playing with him and puffed up his belly, but Yao Niang was actually listening to whether there was any noise in his heartbeat, especially whether there was any shortness of breath in his chest due to frequent coughing.

"Hehe, sister, it's so itchy." Jinghao said with a smile.

Yao Niang raised her head and covered her brother with a thin quilt. She couldn't help but look at the furniture in the room. This was just where she lived temporarily, but all the utensils were extraordinary, which was enough to show that the Luo family was not an ordinary official family.

His great-grandfather was a Jiji of the Imperial Academy, and his students were all over the world. His grandfather was the top scorer in the imperial examination, and his great-uncle was also a high-ranking official. His own father, Luo Zhizheng, was an imperial examination winner at a young age and a Hanlin scholar. Not only did he enjoy a good reputation, he also had strong connections in the court. He was even a Langzhong in the Ministry of Rites at the age of 38.

After this mourning period is almost over, the official appointment will definitely be to a higher level.

Jinghao had fallen asleep just now because he had stopped coughing. Sometimes he had a stuffy nose at night, and Yao Niang would pinch his nose bridge so that his nose would be unblocked and he could sleep until dawn.

When Yu came over, the brother and sister were playing on the bed, clapping their hands. She asked Yinrong, "How did they sleep last night?"

Yinrong smiled and said, "He slept well. Fifth Lady knows a lot. She knew that Hao'er had a stuffy nose, so she kept pinching his nose bridge."

"Really?" Yu looked at her two children lovingly and suddenly felt that she had no regrets.

"Fifth girl, Hao'er, let me help you get dressed. Let's get up and have breakfast together."

Yao Niang obediently let Yu put on her clothes. In fact, when she was the fattest in her previous life, Yu treated her very well. Even when she was uneducated and only loved reading storybooks, Yu occasionally said a few words to her, and she would quarrel with her mother. But even so, Yu still treated her very well.

Although most of her parents were snobbish, Yu always treated her well.

She couldn't help but hug Yu, who thought Yao Niang wanted to get close to her, so she held her dark-skinned daughter in her arms and refused to let go. Even Hao Ge'er became jealous.

When the three of them were having breakfast together, Yao Niang asked suspiciously, "Why is my sister-in-law not here?" Usually, Fan would come at this time.

Yu smiled and said, "Your eldest sister-in-law went to pay respects to your great aunt on my behalf, so I asked her to stay there and spend more time with your two aunts."

Although the second uncle had passed away, the great-aunt, Old Lady Dou, was still alive. Yao Niang's biological grandmother, Shan, was the granddaughter of the prime minister during the Chongqing period. She was wealthy and had a rich dowry. She had a high prestige in the Luo family. Old Lady Dou also had a distinguished family background. She was from the Dou family of Fufeng County, and her nephew was Dou Weishi, a famous minister in water conservancy.

Ever since Shan passed away three years ago, the oldest person in the family has been old lady Dou. Usually, Yu would bring her daughter-in-law Fan to pay respects to her, but now that the eldest son had something to do, she let Fan go alone.

Speaking of the relationship between Yu and Fan, from what Yao Niang had seen recently, both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were considerate and gentle people, and they got along very well.

So, Fan and her mother-in-law got along well, and she and her husband respected each other. She had never heard of any disease and no one knew why she died suddenly.

Suppressing her doubts, Yao Niang pretended to be curious and asked, "Can Yao Niang go and pay her respects in the future?"

"Of course. In your great aunt's family, besides your eldest cousin in the palace, you have two other cousins. You can keep each other company in the future." After Yu finished speaking, she told her what a cousin and a great aunt were. Although Yao Niang had already understood it, she listened very carefully this time.

Erzhen saw that they had finished their meal and handed them tea to rinse their mouths. She then said, "The master sent someone to come and see the fifth young lady today."

After hearing this, Yu looked at Yao Niang worriedly. After all, Yao Niang was not a real child, and she also knew why Yu looked at her like that.

Her father, Luo Zhizheng, was famous in the countryside when he was young. He was a well-known child prodigy. He was extremely talented, but also very mean. He liked smart people and disliked stupid people.

In her previous life, she disliked her father the most because he was always dissatisfied with everything about her.

Moreover, he was not very kind to his mother. He always looked down on her and acted superior to her, as if both her and her were useless. Once, she was eating a bowl of sushan in her mother's room. He saw her because she ate one extra portion. He was very angry and said that he was the reincarnation of a wild boar.

"Mom, I'm scared." Yao Niang looked at Yu and said.

Yu hugged Yao Niang and said, "Don't be afraid, your father likes you very much." When the fake daughter was still in her house, the old man treated the child very well.

But that was because Jingrou was not at home. Now that Jingrou has returned from her maternal grandparents' home, the old man often praises Jingrou for being smart and generous. Then look at Yao Niang, who has just returned from the countryside in Mindi, and I'm afraid she will not be able to catch the old man's eye.

But after all, she was his biological daughter, and she had suffered such a great crime. Yu felt that Luo Zhizheng would not abandon his daughter.

Luo Zhi was about to come to see Yao Niang, and a commotion also broke out in the backyard.

Luo Zhizheng's first wife, Wang, had been married for a year but had no children, so his mother, Old Lady Shan, took in two concubines, Qin and Huang, for him. Concubine Huang died of illness, leaving only concubine Qin, who gave birth to a son and a daughter.

Aunt Qin was over 30 years old. She was splitting silk thread. A young man was sitting in the room, writing quickly, apparently studying seriously. There was another little girl sitting below her, playing the game of nine-link rings.

Suddenly, a maid came in and whispered something. Aunt Qin snorted coldly: "The previous one was very good at trying to please the master. This one now comes from the countryside of Fujian. Although I have never seen him, since the madam has not let him out for a long time, I guess he is not worthy of being in the elegant hall."

The maid said quickly, "What the aunt said is true. Among the three young ladies in our main house, the third lady (Jingrou) is older than the fifth lady and our lady. So, our lady is definitely better."

Aunt Qin looked at her son and daughter with pride. Her son Jingyuan was ten years old and had received many compliments from his teacher. Compared with his elder brother who didn't like to study and his younger brother who was sickly, he was a standout. And her daughter Liuniang Shiyu had inherited her father's and her good looks. In addition to her looks, she was also calm.

Except for their status, they are no worse than him in any other way. So what if they meet? If they are not as good as him, they will be the only ones who are sad.

When Luo Zhizheng came over, Yu had combed her daughter's hair into a bun and even pinned a pink silk flower on her head. It was probably because the mourning period had come and everyone no longer had to dress as plainly as before.

These days, Yao Niang eats and sleeps with Jing Hao, and the relationship between the two siblings improves rapidly. Jing Hao is completely Yao Niang's little tail.

He is now begging his sister to weave a butterfly for him: "Sister, please weave a butterfly for me, please."

Yao Niang couldn't stand being asked for help by flattering others, so she agreed and talked to Yu while weaving butterflies.

Yu was amazed at her daughter's deft hands. She picked up the grasshoppers and dragonflies that Yao Niang had made earlier and thought they were better than those made by some craftsmen.

When Luo Zhizheng came over, he saw the mother and her two children laughing together, especially Yu, who had never smiled so happily before. Next to her sat a dark-skinned little girl who had a pink flower tied to her hair. Her youngest son was holding a grasshopper in his hand and patting his belly.

“Ahem…”

Yao Niang looked towards the door and saw a man standing there with an imposing manner. He had an extremely handsome appearance, a high nose, thin lips, and sharp eyes. Who else could it be but her biological father, Luo Zhizheng.

Yu quickly stood up and bowed, then said to Yao Niang, "This is your father."

Yao Niang had no choice but to pretend to be a shy little girl and called out "Daddy".

"Well, I heard from your mother that you can speak and understand Mandarin now. I was very busy these days, so I came to see you today. How is your recovery?" Luo Zhizheng was looking at Yao Niang, but actually glanced at Yu.

He got angry when he saw Yu's worried look. Am I the kind of person who can't wait to get close to my daughter and despises her? This woman has never known her feelings and is always dull and stupid.

He walked forward and picked up Yao Niang, who was very surprised.

But she still answered clearly: "The doctor said that my spleen and stomach are weak, and asked me to drink porridge to regulate my body. My mother and sister-in-law take good care of me every day, and my daughter is doing well."

"Well, it was your father who brought you back home. Now, after ten days, I can see that your face is much rounder and the scars on your face are less. It seems that you have been well taken care of."

Yao Niang smelled the pine scent on her father and felt a little dazed. It turned out that when she was young in her previous life, her father was actually very nice to her and not just to her older sister and younger sister.

Moreover, when her father looked at the dragonflies and butterflies she had made, he thought they were not worthy of being woven in a refined manner, but he did not say much.

Even after she passed away, someone gave her a jade Buddha and told her to wear it around her neck to ensure safety.

Since ancient times, men have worn Guanyin and women have worn Buddha. Luo Zhizheng gave her a Maitreya jade Buddha, which seemed to be of ice quality. Yu was also very happy. She said, "Jade is the best for nourishing people. Your father gave it to you, so you should accept it."

Yu seemed very happy these days, and she had taken off her mourning clothes again. Today she wore a rose purple and gold-engraved knee-length narrow-sleeved jacket, which fully highlighted her good figure. Looking at her mother's figure, Yao Niang couldn't help but think that it was only after she lost weight that she realized that she had a thin waist, long breasts and thighs. It turned out that these were all inherited from Yu.

The Luo family has had a lot of good things happen recently. Not only has the daughter who was swapped been found, but the eldest daughter of the Luo family, Luo Shilan, has been betrothed by His Majesty to the second son of Prince Fenyang, Duke of Cheng, Gao Dengfeng.

Luo Shilan's father is the second son of the second wife, and he is also a Jinshi. He is now the chief historian of the Hengyang Prince's Palace. His mother Jiang is the sister of Zuo Du Yushi and the daughter of the late Minister of Rites. She herself was selected as the school attendant of the Princess of Fenyang three years ago. Now she is blessed by the emperor to marry, and she will be the wife of the Duke in the future.

Both Yu and Fan got busy, after all, this was a big event for the whole family.

Seeing that Yao Niang was confused, Yin Rong couldn't help but say, "Fifth Lady, you are still young. Our eldest daughter is the oldest among the Luo sisters. She has set a good example, which shows that the royal family recognizes the education of our Luo family. It will be easier for other Luo girls to marry in the future."

"Yinrong, what are you talking about? Fifth Lady is still young, how can she understand these things?" Erzhen said as she brought in bird's nest porridge.

Yao Niang knew all this, but she couldn't show that she understood it. She just smiled, as if she didn't understand anything. Yin Rong had been assigned to serve Yao Niang. She claimed to be an ambitious maid, so she hoped that Yao Niang could make further progress.

Therefore, when Yu came over at night, Yinrong pretended to be amused and said, "During the day, it was said that our eldest lady married into the prince's mansion and became the wife of a duke. The fifth lady seemed very jealous. Later, she said that she was not as good as the third lady and was very disappointed. You think she knows a lot?"

If this was said in the past, Yu would have definitely been able to make the judgment. Yao Niang was so young, how could she possibly say such a thing?

But Yu's maternal love was overflowing, and she felt guilty towards her daughter. Although she asked Yinrong not to talk nonsense, after she left, Yu hugged Yao Niang and seemed to be thinking about something.

She seemed to be tidying up Yao Niang's hair: "Don't worry, Yao Niang, as long as it is what you want, I will definitely make it happen for you."

Yao Niang never expected that her mother, who was known as a "melon" outside, would say this. She was shocked in her heart, but looked confused.

Yu smiled again, her voice barely audible: "Your father may seem smart, but I am actually applauding him."

This smile was full of confidence. Yao Niang recalled the day when Luo Zhizheng came over. Although he was talking to her, his eyes were always glancing at Yu. Now, as an adult, she thought that although Luo Zhizheng was often mean to Yu in private, Yu was the housekeeper in the mansion, and he had not taken a concubine since Yu entered the house.

This was a new discovery she made after her rebirth. Perhaps it was because her brother recovered and she became sensible that her mother had the opportunity to cultivate her relationship with her father. In her previous life, her brother was sick and she was not well either. She made her mother run around and became sick. Later, her brother died and her mother was sick for a year...

Let's put this matter aside for the time being. After his eldest cousin Shi Lan was chosen as the daughter-in-law of the Prince of Fenyang, his father Luo Zhizheng was reinstated and he was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel as a Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel's Wenxuan Qingli Division. Although he was only a fifth-rank official, he was the most powerful fifth-rank official in the world.

At this time, the Luo family was in a prosperous situation.

What troubled Yao Niang was that she had originally planned to wait until her hair grew a little thicker and became whiter before going out to meet everyone, but she didn't expect to meet everyone so suddenly.