Chapter 197: Chapter 179, A Decade in the East, A Decade in the West_1

By the end of April, with swallows chirping and pigeons cooing, and bees and butterflies carrying scents, it was indeed a good time for all things.

As soon as Zhou Jingwan had finished the busy work at Daohua Manor and the shop, she couldn’t wait to come over and drag her out for a countryside outing to enjoy the scenery.

The two young girls, one fond of immersing herself in nature alone, the other impatient with socializing, thus when they went out, they didn’t call anyone. They played outside joyfully for an entire day before returning home.

“You actually remembered to come back?”

Daohua stepped into her home with the tail of the sunset, and as soon as she entered the main courtyard, Madam Li glared at her daughter disapprovingly, “Don’t you have any sense of time? Next time you go out and come back this late, be careful I won’t allow you to go anymore.”

Daohua immediately begged for mercy, “Mother, I had too much fun today and lost track of time. That’s why I came back late. I’ll definitely pay attention next time.”

Seeing her daughter’s rosy cheeks and bright eyes, and thinking of her busyness these past two months, Madam Li didn’t pursue the matter further.

“Eh, there are still many days until the Dragon Boat Festival, why start sending gifts now?”

Seeing the gift boxes on the table, Daohua walked up and flipped through them, “Mother, who sent these? They seem quite valuable.”

Madam Li’s expression was somewhat indifferent, “The education instructor from Linyi County used his connections and was transferred to Xingzhou. The things are from their family.”

Upon hearing this, Daohua’s expression also immediately grew faint, and she put back the gift box she was holding in her hand.

Madam Li glanced at her daughter, knowing that the girl still remembered the incident where the instructor’s daughter got slapped by the master of the house, “In the next few days, Madam Zhu may bring Miss Zhu to visit. You’ll need to meet them then.”

Daohua was completely uninterested, “I’d rather not. Miss Zhu gets along well with Yishuang and the others. Let them meet her then.”

Madam Li glared at Daohua, “What nonsense are you speaking? As the eldest daughter of the Yan Family, it’s your duty to receive guests and manage social interactions. How can you have your younger sisters take over for that?”

“Mother knows you don’t like the Zhu Family, and neither do I. However, the education instructor is ultimately going to work under your father. We need to maintain a decent face.”

Seeing that her daughter had her lips pursed high with an unhappy face, Madam Li chuckled, “I’m not asking you to get close to her, just to meet her. Besides, you’re too quick to show your feelings. It’d do you good to practice with them.”

Madam Li stood up, walked over to Daohua, and patted her on the head, “In the future when you’re married, you’ll meet even more people, and it’s not possible that you’ll like all of them. You can’t avoid meeting everyone, can you?”

Hearing Madam Li bring up the matter of marriage, Daohua grew a bit annoyed and immediately said, “Mother, will it suffice if I meet her?”

Madam Li smiled, “Just don’t forget your manners.”

She, too, had no fondness for the Zhu family, so naturally, she wouldn’t demand too much from her daughter.

The day after the gifts were sent, Madam Zhu brought Zhu Xiuyun to the Yan Residence.

Different from her demeanor in Linyi County, this time as she entered the Yan Residence, Madam Zhu had shed her former arrogance and there was a hint of restraint in her eyebrows.

Who could have anticipated that the Seventh-rank County Magistrate of the Yan family would rise three ranks silently and become the Fifth-rank Prefectural Governor of Xingzhou?

She could afford to scorn the wife of a Seventh-rank County Magistrate who came from a merchant background, but she could not disrespect the wife of a Prefectural Governor.

The governor of a prefecture, overseeing several counties, meant that the Yan family was no longer the humble household she could once look down upon.

Especially considering the news about the Yan family she had heard throughout the year.

The eldest son of the Yan family, as well as the third and fourth sons, were now studying at the Wangyue Academy, frequently seen coming and going with the Little Prince.

The Little Prince was a royal relative, which was an immense honor.

Her husband had said that the head of the Yan family was an honest and capable official. Were it not for someone obstructing his promotion, he would have advanced much sooner. Now with the connection to the Little Prince, his further promotion was only a matter of time.

While the Yan family was flourishing more and more, the Zhu family was gradually declining.

This time, her husband had paid a hefty price to be transferred to Xingzhou, hoping that the high regard they had held for each other over the years would allow the head of the Yan family to give him a helping hand.

Thinking of how the master had repeatedly instructed her last night to make amends with Madame Li, Madame Zhu felt somewhat uneasy, as her own treatment towards Madame Li back in Linyi County was anything but kind.

Madame Zhu looked at her daughter who was also bowing her head, and sighed in her heart again.

Now she questioned whether befriending the Lin Family had been a misstep; no matter how favored a concubine might be, she was ultimately still a concubine. It was the lady of the house who had to engage in social interactions.

Linyi County was small, and there weren’t many large households, so the rules and etiquettes weren’t so strict. But here in Xingzhou City, if she continued to befriend a concubine, she feared that the other ladies would distance themselves from her.

For a legitimate wife to befriend a concubine was demeaning!

Guided by a maid, Madame Zhu, full of worries, walked with her daughter toward the main courtyard.

All the way there, Zhu Xiuyun was very well-behaved, and at this moment, she too felt somewhat anxious.

After all, she had been the instigator behind the slap that Yan Family’s eldest daughter received from Master Yan.

Main courtyard.

Ping Xiao greeted Madame Zhu and her daughter with a smile and ushered them into the hall, “Madame Zhu, I’m truly sorry, our lady has been unexpectedly held up by some matters. Please wait here for a little while.”

The smile on Madame Zhu’s face stiffened for a moment before she said with a smile, “It’s us who have come at an inconvenient time. You let your lady attend to her matters first; I am not in a rush, waiting a while is no trouble.”

Ping Xiao smiled and excused herself. As soon as she stepped outside, she was pulled aside by Ping Tong.

Ping Tong glared at Ping Xiao, “Didn’t we agree to find a better excuse? Although our lady did want to give her a bit of a cold shoulder, she didn’t want to go too far.”

Ping Xiao curled her lips, “Given Madame Zhu’s previous attitude towards our lady, it’s good enough that I can smile at her. To come up with excuses… I can’t be bothered to waste my brain on that.”

Ping Tong was left somewhat speechless but didn’t argue further.

Back in Linyi County, Madame Zhu looked down on ladies from merchant backgrounds. Seeing that Aunt Lin had a scholar father and brother and was also favored by the master, Madame Zhu would always speak with Aunt Lin during visits, ignoring the rightful lady of the house. It was truly vexing.

Ping Xiao sneered, “Remember when Miss Zhu was injured at our house? Master Yan gave his eldest daughter a slap for it, causing our lady to cry many times over.”

“Subsequently, during the issue of Mr. Qin’s employment, Madame Zhu and Aunt Lin were also involved.”

“Madame Zhu prides herself on being from a Scholar Family, yet none of her actions are proper. If it were me, I wouldn’t even deign to meet with her.”

Ping Xiao was about to continue venting when she spotted someone arriving in the courtyard and immediately went up with a smile, “Oh, Aunt Lin, why have you only just arrived? We’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”

Aunt Lin was a bit puzzled at the sight of the Senior Maid being so cordial, but she didn’t let it show and responded with a smile, “I was called on suddenly, so it took some time to change clothes; does the lady need something?”

Ping Xiao glanced at the hall and said with a smile, “Something good. You see, you have a guest, isn’t that why we asked you to come meet them?”

Aunt Lin froze.

A guest? What friend could she possibly have? And would the lady ever be so kind as to let a concubine out to meet guests?

Caught up in the summoning, Yan Yishuang asked, “Who is it?”

Ping Xiao smiled, “Third Miss, it’s your dear sister, Miss Zhu. She and Madame Zhu are here. Didn’t our lady think of how well you two get along and specially requested you to come see her?”

Seeing that Aunt Lin and her daughter were a bit stunned, Ping Xiao urged them, “Aunt Lin and Third Miss, please follow me now. We shouldn’t keep the guests waiting.”

Inside the hall, Madame Zhu and her daughter, who had been left hanging, wore clearly displeased expressions.

Just then, hearing voices in the courtyard led them to believe Madame Li had arrived, and they promptly got up to receive her.

However, upon seeing Aunt Lin and her daughter enter instead, Madame Zhu’s smile nearly faltered completely.

By having a concubine greet them, what was Madame Li implying about her status?