Du Shi sighed and continued, “Although the Wenren family has declined since the last dispute over succession, your uncle is capable, and the current emperor is a wise and magnanimous ruler. He has been appointed as a Grand Councilor of the Ministry of Rites, and this time he is one of the deputy examiners. In a few years, he may well advance further. With him around, the future of your two cousins is naturally secure. Although your maternal grandfather’s family is not bad, their momentum is not even close to that of the Wenren family. In the future, even if they wanted to interfere in your affairs, they would not be able to do so without obstacles.”

“So, Xi’er, even if you do hate them, you should suppress your hatred for them and not act carelessly. If you can let go, then let go. After all, those things are your father’s doing. Don’t you say that your uncle’s wife is a bad person? So you should be even more careful. Naturally, what I mean by “careful” is to handle the relationship appropriately; otherwise, you risk making a mess of things. All the goodwill you have acquired will be gone if you behave irresponsibly, and you risk endangering both yourself and your children. In order to benefit both yourself and your children, you must know when to push forward and when to back off and sustain the relationship over an extended period of time. Xi’er, do you understand?”

“Mother, I understand. I will obey you.”

“You’re a good girl, Xi’er. Your mother isn’t concerned about your sister because she is currently doing well. As for your younger sister, it will take a few more years for her to get married since she is still quite young. I’m not sure if I could endure that long.”

“No, no, mother, you’ll live to be a hundred. You should not worry about your daughter getting married, or even whether you will get to see your grandchildren. You’ll definitely be around to see them all. Don’t overthink things, and take good care of yourself. Father… ” Xi’er bit her lip. “You pretend to be sick to avoid him, but I don’t believe he can do anything worse than an animal…”

“Xi’er, keep your mouth shut. He’s your dad, and his actions are not something you can judge. Don’t get involved in my affairs with your father. These are not things you, as a girl, should be involved in.”

 “Mother…” Wenren Xi felt sorry for her mother.

“At least Mother will not have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of her life.” A forced smile was all Du Shi could muster. It was likely that this was her sole means of solace.

There were five daughters-in-law in the family, and the eldest daughter-in-law was the luckiest, or rather, she was better off than 99% of women. Before marriage, she was spoiled and pampered, and after marriage, her husband loved her, her mother-in-law was easy to get along with, and she had the power to run the household. She was also fertile; according to rumors, she got pregnant within a month of getting married and gave birth to a son, and two years later, she had a daughter. They thought the third pregnancy was a case of ‘dragon surviving, phoenix perishing’—which wasn’t too bad.

However, the ‘phoenix daughter’ they thought had been lost for more than ten years, who everyone assumed was surely dead, miraculously returned. It was truly a case of ‘the dragon and phoenix presenting auspiciousness.’

All that had not gone well had now been rectified; her daughter had married well, and her son was thriving.

How many blessings did one accumulate over the course of their lifetimes to earn such favor from the heavens?

Du Shi swallowed all the bitterness down. “Xi’er, Mother knows you are a sensible person, don’t learn from Wenren Xiang; after all, she is just an illegitimate daughter, and she was not brought up by her father and mother, so she doesn’t know how to behave. She thinks she is superior to others, and she is arrogant, but in fact, who really takes her seriously? This time, I’m afraid she has offended your aunt.”

Xiren snorted in disdain, “No matter who I learn from, I can never learn from that idiot. Even if Wenren Ying said the wrong thing, it was still an unintentional mistake. Wenren Xiang is cunning and malicious; her words are poisonous, and her heart is cruel. She deliberately tries to drive a wedge between sisters.”

“I’m glad you know.”

Her stepmother harshly reprimanded Wenren Xiang in the other courtyard and forced her to kneel outside. This was to help her realize what a fool she was, come to her senses, and teach her to not speak out of turn again.

As for the fourth courtyard, the Fourth Lady Ge, because her husband was out drinking and carousing, was left feeling cheated and forced to make do with the bare necessities. She was so angry that she smashed everything in the house, making a huge racket. No one dared to approach.

It was only because she was so angry at the time that she felt good, but afterward she felt bitter and regretful because the common household items in each room were only issued once a month at the beginning of the month, and the ones that were not often replaced were reported to the authorities every month in a fixed quantity, either two or three items or five.

The family either paid for the repairs from their own pocket or waited a month at a time to slowly replenish the funds from the household funds. In the former case, they lost silver, and in the latter, they lost face.

The private rooms in the fourth courtyard, apart from the pitiful salary of Wenren Jili, probably only had Ge Shi’s dowry. which was mostly furniture, jewelry, paintings, and other such things that were basically immovable. If she took these things out and exchanged them for silver, she would have ruined the Wenren family’s reputation, and she would have been torn to shreds.

The shop was not a good shop to begin with, and it had already closed down due to poor management. The village was both remote and impoverished, and its area was not very large either. The annual output was not high, and when the weather was bad, they had to make up the difference.

So, in fact, Ge Shi was tight on money, and spending all her money to purchase everything would be painful for her.

When her husband returned, she didn’t know how he would react, but she was angry, resentful, and a little afraid.

The courtyard of the fifth household was quiet and peaceful—so quiet that it was almost desolate. Shining a light there might give the impression that nobody was there.

The Fifth Lady An was a recluse, and the only thing that distinguished her from Du Shi was that she occasionally went to the main household to walk around and talk to Han Shi.

The fifth room also housed the other brother of the eldest and second oldest sons. He was also very intelligent when he was young, but now he was in the Hanlin Academy, and he was just an idler waiting to die, a typical “brother-dependent” person. The reason for this was a sad story.

Compared to them, the main courtyard was happy and carefree.

As Xiao Cao bathed, the maid was attending to her hair, gently washing it in warm water. Usually, Xiao Cao would take care of such tasks herself, once she was able. Having never had a maid before, even after spending several years with Tingyu, Xiao Cao found it unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable.

However, Han Shi was watching closely from the side, and even personally got involved by rolling up her sleeves and applying it herself. Xiao Cao couldn’t resist Han Shi, so she had to close her eyes and pretend to be a dead fish.

It was very strange to have people touching all over her body, but she endured it.

Afterwards, the maid retrieved a white porcelain jar containing a pale substance. The aroma was incredibly potent, and she delicately took a small amount, gently massaging it into her hand, and was about to apply it to her skin. Xiao Cao unconsciously avoided it.

It was evident that the product she used resembled body lotion, and her hair carried the same scent – a stark contrast to her previous lives. Xiao Cao couldn’t recall a time when she paid such meticulous attention to her personal care. In her last life as a medical student, the scent of disinfectant was more familiar. This time, her surroundings were enveloped in fragrant herbs.

In all honesty, she had spent her time elsewhere, and she was really quite rough around the edges when it came to her own appearance.