Chapter 14: The Old Lady's Thoughts

In the courtyard of the pine tree, the maids and servants walked silently, creating an atmosphere of profound tranquility.

The old lady leaned against the green brocade pillow, listening quietly as Mrs. Zheng recounted the events that had taken place in the Lanxi courtyard.

After Mrs. Zheng finished speaking, the old lady fell into deep thought. After a long while, she looked puzzled and said, "Is Third Miss guarding against the Mo family? Did someone speak ill of the Mo family in front of Yueyao?" This child has always been single-minded, focusing only on copying scriptures and paying no attention to anything else. It's surprising that she suddenly became so astute.

Mrs. Zheng shook her head and said, "Since Third Miss returned to the capital, the few people who have been serving her are not the type to gossip." The type to gossip, even Second Madam couldn't find anyone.

Suddenly, the old lady's expression changed, and she gripped the Buddhist beads tightly in her hand. Mrs. Zheng was startled and asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"

The old lady looked at Mrs. Zheng and said, "Third Miss claimed that Second Sister-in-law appeared in her dream and asked her to take good care of Eldest Master. Do you think there's any truth to it?"

Mrs. Zheng looked surprised and said, "It's absolutely true. Third Miss hasn't mentioned Eldest Master since she returned. I heard that when they were in Jiangnan, Second Master didn't even let them see him. Madam, you know that Second Master doesn't like Eldest Master. Madam, do you suspect that Third Miss is lying?" This shouldn't be the case. Third Miss is pure-hearted and wouldn't lie.

The old lady shook her head and said, "This child has always been straightforward. Since her return, she has been copying the Book of Filial Piety in the courtyard every day and hardly goes out. How could she suddenly think of Eldest Master and tell me this lie?" Regarding Yueyao's claim that her mother appeared in her dream and asked her to take care of Eldest Master, the old lady had no doubt. Although it was a bit unbelievable, it was natural for a mother-in-law to care about her son's future. The old lady was willing to believe it.

Mrs. Zheng couldn't understand Yueyao's behavior either. The old lady's health was not good and she was putting on a strong front. She had always thought that Second Madam was cruel and had been holding onto the affairs of the inner courtyard. In the past two years, she had been unable to cope with many things and had to let go. However, on the surface, the old lady still hadn't let go.

Mrs. Zheng really felt that the old lady was overthinking. Second Madam was compassionate and managed the affairs of the household inside and out very well, and she was very filial to the old lady. She had been paying respects to her every day for more than ten years, but unfortunately, she still couldn't win the old lady's favor and had to be on guard against her.

The old lady shook her head and said, "I thought that with Third Miss's personality, no matter how much I said, she wouldn't listen. I don't have much time left, and I don't want to cause any more trouble. Let Mo do as she pleases. Anyway, Second Sister-in-law has already arranged a good marriage for her, and after Third Miss comes of age, she will marry into the Shen family. Shen Qian is now a fourth-rank official. The Shen family is influential, Shen Qian has a wide network in the court, and his future prospects are very promising. This is beneficial for Eldest Master's future. Mo won't mistreat her openly for the sake of Eldest Master and the children. But I didn't expect this girl to start guarding against Mo. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing." It's a good thing that this girl won't live her life in ignorance. The bad thing is that her future won't be leisurely. She has been observing Mo for so many years and knows her true nature very well.

Mrs. Zheng didn't understand why the old lady sighed and said, "Madam, is there something wrong?" The old lady always had a far-reaching vision.

The old lady smiled bitterly and said, "If it's really Second Sister-in-law's doing, do you think she would only appear in a dream to tell Yueyao to take care of Eldest Master? What kind of person is Mo? How could Second Sister-in-law not be aware of Mo's viciousness?"

Mrs. Zheng was speechless. This was too unbelievable.

The old lady fell silent for a moment and said, "I don't care about Eldest Master. Not only is he of humble birth, but he is also not clever and won't achieve much. Giving him to Mo is because Mo won't neglect him for the sake of her reputation. When Eldest Master grows up, Mo will arrange a marriage for him for the sake of her own reputation. This way, the child will have a stable life. But I didn't expect Third Miss to notice this. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse." She would rather Yueyao remain in the dark and not know anything, continuing to live like this. The methods of the inner courtyard are endless, and now she is the only one who can suppress Mo. Once she's gone, Mo will have free rein in the inner courtyard. Although that girl is clever, how could she compete with Mo?

Mrs. Zheng hesitated and said, "Madam, Third Miss is still young. It's not good to have a conflict with the main madam." Once she offends the main madam, life will definitely be difficult. It's best to endure if possible. Besides, the main madam has indeed performed well in recent years.

The old lady's eyes flashed with cold light and she said, "Mo is a ruthless person. If it weren't for a twist of fate that allowed me to see her true face, I would have been deceived by her superficial appearance. I'm ashamed to even mention the things she has done. If it weren't for my suppression, I don't know what the family would have become over the years."

Mrs. Zheng lowered her head. She could listen, but she couldn't speak ill of the mistress.

The old lady looked weary, "The second son has been an official for many years and has saved a substantial amount of family wealth. His wife also brought a generous dowry. In the past, the third daughter-in-law was quiet, and I had to resort to certain measures. But with Mo's cunning nature, I can never rest assured. You are right, it's just that without the third daughter-in-law's parents, she will have to rely on the main branch in the future. If there's a rift with Mo, she will be the one at a disadvantage." Previously, the third daughter-in-law didn't know anything and wasn't capable. It wasn't a good situation, but it wasn't too bad either. But now, it's starting to worry her.

Mrs. Zheng pondered for a moment and said, "Madam, no matter what, the third daughter is not from the main branch, and she's already engaged, so she doesn't even need to prepare a dowry. The main madam won't treat the third daughter badly. How bad can it get, Madam, do you think this is the case?" With the dowry from the second son's wife, it's enough for the third daughter to marry in style.

The old lady shook her head. She feared that Mo might be greedy and try to take advantage of the second son's wife's dowry. That's a large sum of money. The third daughter-in-law didn't care about these things before, so it was fine. But now that she's paying attention, she's not easily fooled. They say a daughter resembles her mother, and Mo is not easily manipulated. The third daughter is young and naive, inexperienced in the ways of the world. But she's clever, and with the support of the Ma family, if she really clashes with Mo, regardless of who wins or loses, the family's reputation will be affected. Many noble families have been ruined by such backyard affairs.

Mrs. Zheng hesitated, "Madam, the main madam, she wouldn't..." Mainly because she hasn't seen anything inappropriate from the main madam all these years.

The old lady looked scornful, "Even you have been deceived, showing her cunning. People can change their ways, but their nature is hard to change. I've been watching coldly all these years. If it weren't for my restraint, hmph. I didn't agree to this marriage in the first place. But the old master insisted. It's made me work so hard at this age." Who would want to work so hard when they could have been a carefree grandparent? She doesn't trust Mo. That's why she had to work hard. Even with the two grandsons, she had tried to have the old master educate the eldest grandson. The second grandson she taught herself, fearing Mo would influence him. She still worries that Mo's actions will bring trouble to the family (you have a reputation for foresight, Madam).

Mrs. Zheng didn't know what to say. She had always known that the old lady didn't like the main madam, believing it was an inevitable struggle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. But she didn't expect the old lady to be so wary of the main madam. She wondered if it was just needless worry.

Seeing Mrs. Zheng's expression, the old lady said, "Don't think I'm just being alarmist. Mo has always only cared about immediate benefits and never looked ahead. If she's resented by someone in power, the family will be in big trouble. You know, those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of anything. The family is a scholarly one. If something ugly happens, the family's reputation will be ruined, and the descendants will have no place in the family. Even in the afterlife, I won't be able to face the ancestors of the family."

Just then, footsteps were heard outside. The medicine had arrived. Mrs. Zheng went to receive it and brought it in, "Madam, take the medicine first."

After drinking the medicine, the old lady said, "I hope I'm just being overly cautious. But we still need to be prepared." She still had to plan more for these two children. The eldest son is focused on his career and doesn't care about the inner courtyard. Mo, well, she regrets not rejecting this marriage. There's no such thing as a regret medicine. Now she just hopes to put in more effort, not for the children to be wealthy, but for them to grow up safely. To marry smoothly in the future, each with their own family, so that she can rest in peace.

Yueyao didn't know that the old lady was already considering her future. At this moment, all her thoughts were on her brother.

Her brother had lice all over his head. Yueyao was worried that she would be disgusted, but she ended up helping to pick the lice!

After a lot of fuss, the maids finally managed to get rid of most of the lice. At this time, someone from the family sent over some clothes. There were two sets of clothes, one in dark blue and the other in navy blue.

Yueyao frowned tightly at the navy blue outfit. They were still in mourning, how could they wear such bright colors? She didn't know what Mo was thinking. Despite her inner disdain, she couldn't show any difference on the surface, lest she be accused of being ungrateful.

Several maids' clothes had not been finished yet, so Yuyao had no choice but to let Zheng Ge wear the dark blue clothes to manage the situation.

Even though the Mo family claimed these were old clothes, they were still seventy percent new. When Zheng Ge put them on, they looked a bit loose on him due to his slim figure. Nevertheless, he seemed like a different person altogether.

Yuyao was stunned to see the transformed Zheng Ge. With fair skin and a pair of big, watery peach blossom eyes, he would definitely grow up to be a handsome young man.

As she ran her hand through Zheng Ge's hair, Yuyao thought to herself, why should she worry when the child looks so good? But then again, it's not a good thing for him to be so good-looking! Hmm, she would have to worry about another layer now. But Zheng Ge quickly dismissed these thoughts.

Zheng Ge tugged at Yuyao's sleeve and called out to her, "Sister." Since seeing Yuyao until now, he felt like he was dreaming. He was afraid that all of this would disappear in the blink of an eye. He would still have to stay in the small courtyard and endure being scolded by the maids and aunties.

Sensing Zheng Ge's fear, Yuyao spoke softly, "Sister promises Zheng Ge, I will never abandon you again. Don't be afraid, Zheng Ge. I will handle everything from now on. If you have any problems, you tell sister, okay?"

Zheng Ge obediently nodded.

Muqiu and Hualei brought over some red bean cakes. Yuyao casually took one and handed it to Zheng Ge. He waved her hand away and gently pushed her hand, saying, "Sister, you eat."

Yuyao smiled and took another piece, saying, "Let's eat together." However, there were tears in her eyes. Zheng Ge might not be clever, but he was simple-minded. In the previous life, she had ignored him, which ultimately led to his untimely death. It was all her fault.

Zheng Ge didn't understand why Yuyao was crying again and tried to wipe away her tears, saying, "Sister, don't cry. Sister, don't cry." He didn't know how to comfort Yuyao.

Hualei and Muqiu were unaware of what Yuyao was crying about again and assumed it was because of her past neglect of Zheng Ge, feeling regretful, "Miss, the past is in the past. Let's focus on the future."

It took Yuyao a long time to calm down.