After the meal, Han Shi dismissed the others and took Xiao Cao to meet the Old Madam of the Wenren family.

At this time, Wenren Taibo had also finished dining with his mother. They were conversing when previously, the Old Madam had stopped Wenren Taibo from talking about Xiao Cao. Wenren Taibo didn’t say much then and just accompanied her in discussing other matters. Now that it was brought up again, the Old Madam’s expression remained calm. “Have you confirmed it? Don’t make a joke out of this.”

The Old Madam of the Wenren family was in her sixties, but her health was not ideal. However, being from a wealthy family and having lived a pampered life, she looked younger than her actual age. She appeared to be a rather stern Old Madam.

Upon hearing his mother’s skepticism, Wenren Taibo remained calm inside and smiled, exuding a sense of tranquility that comes with age. As a middle-aged man, he was indeed a handsome uncle. “Mother can rest assured about this. Xuan’er resembles my late wife by ninety percent. Her eyes are like mine, and the jade pendant she carries has been seen by my son. There’s no mistake. The birthmark on her body is also something my late wife was most familiar with. I’m sure she has seen it too.”

“Son also understands Mother’s concerns. Although it is true that there are people in this world who are not blood-related but look alike, it is impossible for so many similarities to come together. Regarding Xuan’er, there is nothing that would make it worth anyone’s effort to scheme like this. Xuan’er is a good child, and wife and I liked her as soon as we met her, not just because of blood ties or out of guilt, but because she herself is worthy. I believe Mother will like her too when you meet her.”

“Whether I like her or not, what does it matter? As long as you are happy.”

“Mother, that is not the right way to say it. For us younger ones, who does not wish to gain your affection? We all hope that you can live a happy and carefree life, enjoy good health, and have a long life.” Wenren Taibao laughed.

Old Madam Wenren showed a slight smile, “Enough, mother knows your thoughts, and you don’t need to beat around the bush.” At this age, mother doesn’t ask for anything else, just hoping that you all are doing well.” After saying this, it seemed like she had thought of something, and she let out a helpless sigh, even reaching out to massage her temples.

“Mother, is your head aching again?” Wenren Taibo asked with concern.

“It’s nothing serious,” Old Madam Wenren said casually.

Wenren Taibo frowned slightly. His dear mother’s health was not good, and she seemed to have ailments everywhere. Many doctors had examined her, and she had taken various medicines. However, because she had taken too many medicines, she now felt like vomiting at the mere smell of them, and even pills were difficult for her to swallow, making him worry uncontrollably.

He thought that Xiao Cao’s medical skills were quite good, but he was unsure of his mother’s view on her daughter being a “female doctor,” so he didn’t feel comfortable bringing it up rashly.

When this person is feeling unwell, she appears to be in a bad mood, irritable, which implies that her temper might not be very good either. However, Old Madam Wenren family has been like this for years, and she’s used to it, so her temper is still somewhat tolerable.

When Han brought Xiao Cao over, she didn’t stop them at the door. Old Madam Wenren looked at little Cao for a few glances and felt quite surprised, as she didn’t seem like someone raised in the streets. But then she thought that since she had the Wenren family’s blood, her roots were good, so she couldn’t go wrong no matter where she was.

Xiao Cao kowtowed and asked about the Old Madam’s well-being, as was customary.

For different people, in different situations, etiquette is always different. At this moment, however, Xiao Cao did not make any mistakes at all. Old Madam Wenren thought that Han Shi had taught her before, and she learned quite quickly.

But Wenren Taibo had a very different opinion from Old Madam Wenren. They both unexpectedly thought again about Xiao Cao’s late husband, who was indeed not an ordinary person.

“No matter how you were before, since you’ve come back, as a young lady of the Wenren family, you should have the proper demeanor of a young lady. Don’t ruin the family’s reputation or bring shame to the Wenren family,” Old Madam Wenren said indifferently.

Han Shi did not show it on her face, but she was a little unhappy in her heart. In her eyes, her daughter-in-law was perfect, yet her mother-in-law criticized her as soon as they met. What was that supposed to mean? She glanced discreetly at Xiao Cao, worried that she might feel hurt.

“Granddaughter will keep that in mind,” Xiao Cao replied respectfully, showing no sign of displeasure.

Madam Wenren seemed satisfied. “Give that gilded box to the fourth young lady,” she said.

The maid brought out the item and handed it to Xiao Cao respectfully.

It turned out that Old Madam Wenren had prepared two different gifts for the meeting, naturally of varying quality. Now she had given the better one, so the maid understood Old Madam Wenren’s intentions. People are often “serving dishes according to their guests” – those around Old Madam Wenren rose and fell based solely on her favor.

Although it might not be too obvious, the subtle details still reflected their positions as servants serving their master, doing everything according to their master’s likes and dislikes.

Wenren Taibo naturally understood his own mother quite well. Now he felt quite pleased in his heart. His mother had been living in seclusion for many years, rarely interacting with outsiders. Her favor or disfavor toward her daughter wouldn’t make much difference, but being favored was certainly better than being disliked, especially for this family. Who didn’t want to live in harmony? When Wenren Taibo looked at Xiao Cao again, he felt even more at ease.

The maid held the box as Han Shi originally planned to leave with Xiao Cao, seeing that Old Madam Wenren seemed to be politely dismissing them. However, Xiao Cao looked at Old Madam Wenren and said, “Grandmother, it seems your face looks rather fatigued. Did you not sleep well last night? Your granddaughter knows some massage techniques that can aid sleep. Would you like to try, Grandmother?”

In the face of Old Madam Wenren’s unexpected and even slightly eerie gaze, Xiao Cao still smiled calmly and frankly said, “Your granddaughter has nothing to offer, but I just want to do this to express my diligence and respect to you, dear grandmother. Please allow me to do so.”

Xiao Cao was not really offering her diligence, to be honest. It was just an occupational habit kicking in. Just from the aspect of “observing,” she could tell that this Old Madam had numerous health issues. Xiao Cao had always been exceptionally patient with patients, even to the point of treating each one like a child to be indulged. Of course, she would also remain aware of the situation and choose her words carefully.

However, even her mentor in her previous life, who was generally very satisfied with this disciple, would occasionally sigh about her.

Most of the time, Xiao Cao was quite zen and had a good temper, treating patients gently. But there was a big prerequisite: the patients and their families had to cooperate. If they spoke harshly to her, ignored her advice, or even verbally or physically attacked her, then sorry, she would definitely quit and walk away.

When she was not in a bad mood, she was truly a kind person, but when her temper flared up, it was truly more than an ordinary person can bear. It was not just the way she treated patients, but also how she treated ordinary people.

That’s why her mentor once said that while her professional skills were impeccable, she couldn’t be considered a truly outstanding doctor. Fortunately, Xiao Cao had a high affinity and a single-minded dedication to learning, so such incidents rarely happened.

However, before her previous life’s incident, she was still in her internship period—although this internship period started very early, and she often shuttled between the school and the hospital, so the “internship period” lasted an exceptionally long time—because of her formidable abilities and exceptional learning capabilities.

During her time in school, although she only majored in one subject, she practically studied all subjects and was an undisputed academic genius. Mentors vied fiercely to recruit her, and all the students revered her.