Wu Mama glanced at the little maid behind Lin Mama holding things, and said meaningfully, "What are you holding? Is it for our young lady?"
Lin Mama stiffly nodded, "Yes, well, didn't the eldest young lady come to see our madam last time? So..."
This was a thank-you gift.
If it weren't for the items from the Ning family to compare with, Bai Shi's thank-you gift wouldn't have been considered light. That bolt of Flowing Glow Cloud Brocade, while not the finest material, was quite expensive.
Yes, quite expensive, for Bai Shi.
"Oh!" Wu Mama deliberately raised her voice, "It was the time she came to see the second madam for the abnormal uterine bleeding, wasn't it!"
Lin Mama had the urge to kill her. The madam had always kept it a secret, fearing the second master's disdain. Why did she have such a talkative mouth? Couldn't she just stay silent?
"Heh heh," Lin Mama gave an awkward laugh, "So, please do go and announce my arrival."
She was clearly anxious.
Wu Mama said, "Alright, with our relationship, what's there to fuss about? You wait, I'll go now." With that, she briskly entered the room.
Lin Mama was almost furious.
Wu Mama entered the room and announced Lin Mama's intention to see her.
"Hmph, they still have the nerve to come? Ungrateful wretches, get out as soon as possible." Lüyi was the troublemaker in Qingping Xuan, sharp-tongued, but she was also speaking the truth.
Lin Mama vaguely heard the words "ungrateful wretches" and her old face flushed. She almost fled in disgrace, but thinking of Bai Shi's health, she could only endure, deciding it was better to sacrifice her own dignity than Bai Shi's. wap.kanshuwu.net
Inside the room, Li Man'er smiled and said, "You, your mouth is too loose."
Wu Mama only said, "Young lady, this old servant heard that the second madam hasn't been well these past few days, seemingly ill. Lin Mama's visit is likely to ask you to see her again."
"How dare she!" A few days ago, when they released snakes into their courtyard, they probably didn't expect this day would come. This was karma.
"Mama, you don't need to be angry. Let's call them in!"
Wu Mama took the order and, dawdling, called Lin Mama into the room.
The heat billowed, and the room was warm as spring.
As soon as Lin Mama entered, she saw Li Man'er reclining on the couch. She had styled her hair into a pair of ingot buns, adorned with only two simple pearl hairpins. As she was still in mourning, her clothes were also extremely plain, but even so, when Li Man'er raised her eyes to look at her, Lin Mama couldn't help but be startled.
A beauty like a painting, capable of toppling a kingdom, could be no more than this. To speak of it before, the eldest young lady had a similar appearance, but for some reason, she only seemed ordinarily pretty, the kind of beauty you'd forget after a glance. But in the past year, Li Man'er's changes had been too great, to the point of disbelief. Even her appearance and demeanor seemed to have transformed.
Her face was clearly the same face, her person was clearly the same person, yet she was different.
"Mama, is there something?"
Lin Mama snapped back to reality and quickly curtsied, "Greetings, eldest young lady. It was the madam who sent this old servant to bring some things to you."
"To send things?" Li Man'er tilted her head and thought for a moment, "What things?"
"Just some trinkets." Lin Mama didn't know how to respond. She quickly asked the little maid to step forward and present the items.
The little maid offered the tray, but Li Man'er didn't even glance at it. "Thank you for your aunt's kindness. My room is not lacking in these things. Rather than giving them to me, it would be better to keep them for Sister Tian'er."
This was a veiled way of saying she was wealthy, that she had the Ning family.
How could Lin Mama not understand this?
"Eldest young lady, our madam..."
"Besides, didn't the second aunt send a gift a few days ago? Why send another today?"
Sent a gift a few days ago?
Lin Mama was confused. When had she sent one? She had no idea.
"Snakes," Li Man'er said the two words lightly, instantly making the atmosphere in the room tense.
"This..." Lin Mama felt so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into. "Eldest young lady, it was all a misunderstanding."
"But you know, that snake soup was quite delicious."
Snake soup?
Lin Mama's eyes widened. Having grown up in the north, she naturally couldn't comprehend the taste of snake made into soup. Just thinking about it was terrifying, let alone being able to eat it.
"Snake gall is also a good thing, and it's a medicinal ingredient! Your second branch people are quite capable, to find snakes at this time of year. Why don't you send some more another day? I like eating it very much."
Lin Mama fled in disarray.
When Bai Shi heard about this, she was so angry she couldn't stop coughing. "She, she's revealing my secrets, hitting, *cough cough*, hitting my face."
A little maid beside her quickly offered a cup of water.
Bai Shi took a sip of water and finally stopped coughing, though she was still breathing heavily.
Li Tian'er, however, was thinking about something else.
The courtyard of Qingping Xuan was bustling with excitement right now! So many good things, even picking up a few would be enough to be her dowry.
The common folk said, Ning Liancheng, worth a fortune, richer than the emperor.
If this were said about someone else, it would be a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the clan. But Ning Liancheng had given up more than half of his fortune to support the royal family back then.
The Ning family's charitable donation also spurred many other merchant families to action. They contributed money and effort, united as a nation.
It was precisely because of the Ning family's support that the imperial court was able to raise military supplies to defeat the rebels, and at the same time, pacify the displaced disaster victims in the south who were suffering from war and famine.
The money Old Master Ning had donated back then had already been earned back a hundredfold, and the Emperor had even bestowed a royal calligraphy, declaring him the foremost merchant in the land.
Therefore, as long as the Ning family didn't rebel, they and their descendants for generations would likely be protected and never want for food or clothing.
The Ning family had only one granddaughter, Li Man'er. She was doted on like nothing else since childhood, with good things flowing in like water, making her envious for a long time.
If she went over and tried to get close to Li Man'er, would she get some good things? With Li Man'er's personality, she might even proactively let her pick a few items.
The more Li Tian'er thought about it, the more tempted she became. "Mother, I'll go to Qingping Xuan. I'll definitely invite Eldest Sister over."
"You going... *cough cough*, what good will it do? " Bai Shi covered her mouth with a handkerchief, coughing incessantly. "You don't know her, *cough cough*, her temperament is very different from before."
Li Tian'er, however, didn't listen to the advice. She even used the pretense of acting for Bai Shi's benefit. "In any case, we have to try. Otherwise, I won't be reconciled." With that, she actually got up and left, taking her maid directly to Qingping Xuan.
Bai Shi stomped her feet anxiously, but it was no use. She herself was about to cough out her lungs.
Li Man'er was drinking milk when she suddenly heard that Li Tian'er had arrived. She sneered, "What day is it today? Let her in."
Li Tian'er entered the room, her eyes filled with envy.
"Eldest Sister."
After the sisters exchanged greetings, Li Man'er should have risen, but she was too lazy to move.
"May I ask why Third Sister is looking for me?"