At night, after Meng Qianqian coaxed the Old Madam to sleep, she set off back to her own courtyard.
Just as she stepped out, she ran into Lu Lingxiao.
Lu Lingxiao had come looking for Meng Qianqian.
He had falsely accused her earlier in the day and was already feeling quite remorseful about it.
Later, he had asked Steward Liu and found out that for years she had been taking meticulous care of the senile and feeble great-grandmother.
Filled with guilt, he bought a hairpin on his way back, intending to offer it as an apology.
But before he could speak, she opened her mouth first: "Great-grandmother is asleep. You can visit her tomorrow, but come later in the day since she goes to bed early."
Lu Lingxiao replied, "I came to see you."
"To see me?" Meng Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "The osmanthus cake is finished."
Lu Lingxiao froze for a moment, caught between laughter and tears.
What kind of girl was this, with food occupying her mind all the time?
Was he really the kind of person who would snatch pastries from her?
Wait, this morning… he had taken her osmanthus cake and given it to someone else.
Feeling somewhat awkward, he clenched his fists and cleared his throat lightly: "If you like osmanthus cake, I'll buy you some next time from Zhou's shop."
Meng Qianqian said, "You came to find me just to talk about this?"
"I…"
Lu Lingxiao squeezed the embroidered box in his hand and was about to present it to her when Lu Luo rushed over hurriedly.
"General!"
She respectfully bowed to Lu Lingxiao and then turned to Meng Qianqian to give her a bow as well, her voice carefully more subdued, "Young Madam."
Meng Qianqian ignored her.
Lu Lingxiao asked Lu Luo, "What is it?"
Lu Luo glanced at Meng Qianqian's expression and asked softly, "Miss Lin wants to know if you'll be dining at Feng Courtyard tonight."
"She hasn't eaten yet?"
"She's been waiting for the General."
"Ridiculous!" Lu Lingxiao frowned and strode towards Feng Courtyard.
Lu Luo followed behind him with quick little steps.
Ban Xia stomped her feet in frustration. "Shameless wretch! She even dares to drag her scheming into the Old Madam's courtyard! The General has come looking for Miss three times, and twice he's been called away by Feng Courtyard! Is the General hers? Does she think she's the only one entitled to monopolize him? Just thinking of that little tramp acting so timidly in front of Miss earlier gets on my nerves. It's like we're the ones who can't tolerate her Miss Lin!"
Meng Qianqian walked back calmly.
Nanny Li glared at Ban Xia: "Can't you see that Miss is already troubled enough? Hold your tongue!"
Ban Xia snorted, "Am I wrong? Married as a wife, taken as a concubine—my Miss hasn't even touched her concubine's tea. It's all because she's carrying a child! Why is she acting so arrogant? Miss, you should bear the General's child too! If it's yours, then it'll be the legitimate heir! Let's see then if she can still surpass you!"
Nanny Li didn't like Ban Xia's unrestrained words, but the final suggestion did strike a chord with her.
In the husband's family, a son was a wife's lifelong pillar of support.
"Miss, the General is simply blinded by that vixen outside at the moment. Once the novelty wears off, he'll naturally return to Miss's side. When that happens, Miss, you should share a room with the General and bear a son or two. Then the latter half of your life will be secure."
At dawn, Meng Qianqian got up.
Nanny Li brought hot water into the room and pulled aside the bed curtains.
Seeing Meng Qianqian's forehead covered with sweat and her nightclothes soaked, she hurriedly asked, "Miss, were you having nightmares again last night?"
Half a year ago, her Miss had been pushed into the water by Second House's Miss Lu, falling gravely ill. Since then, she had been plagued by headaches and nightmares.
"Should we call for a doctor?"
Nanny Li advised.
Meng Qianqian calmly replied, "There's no need."
When the Old Madam was in residence, Meng Qianqian would accompany Lu's mother every day to perform morning and evening greetings.
If Meng Qianqian didn't join, the Old Madam wouldn't reprimand her directly but would scold Lu's mother for poor upbringing.
When Meng Qianqian arrived at Fu Shou Residence, Lu's mother was already helping her mother-in-law comb her hair.
Perhaps because Lu Lingxiao was "back from the dead," the Old Madam was in high spirits, dressed in bright-colored clothing and directing Lu's mother to style her hair in a more spirited bun.
"Ah—this hurts!"
The Old Madam frowned.
Lu's mother quickly said, "I'll be gentler."
After finishing the hair combing, Lu's mother personally assisted her mother-in-law with washing up.
Once everything was done, only applying the snow cream was left when the Second Madam entered cheerfully.
"Elder sister-in-law! I'll take over!"
She bustled into the room, ignoring whether Lu's mother agreed or not, grabbed the snow cream from her hand, and squeezed her to the side.
As she applied the cream to the Old Madam, she remarked to the copper mirror, "Oh my, is this really my mother?"
The Old Madam raised her brows: "What do you mean?"
The Second Madam exaggeratedly said, "You look ten years younger—I almost didn't recognize you! Truly, Brother Xiao is your pride and joy. Now that he's back, your white hair has lessened, and even your wrinkles have disappeared!"
The Old Madam was amused: "You and that mouth of yours!"
Lu's mother, used to such antics, remained silent and went to prepare the dishes.
Meng Qianqian joined her.
In the Lu Family, it was always the First Madam who worked tirelessly, while the Second Madam frequently reaped the benefits.
And although Lu's Second Master was of a lesser branch, the First Madam was the actual daughter-in-law of the Old Madam.
"Where's Linglong?"
The Old Madam asked.
The Second Madam continued applying snow cream and said, "She went to find Brother Xiao. You know she respects her older brother the most! Brother Xiao truly has done us proud—achieving great merit at the border, I hear he's now a Third-rank official, even surpassing his father! Brother Xiao was raised by you. Had I known, I should have sent my second and third sons over for you to raise too! Such regret, such immense regret!"
Lu's mother's hand stiffened as she placed the chopsticks down.
The Old Madam said, "Enough, enough! Stop feeding me flattery—what do you want this time?"
The Second Madam clung to the Old Madam's arm and said coquettishly, "Mother, I've set my sights on a Baolin jewelry set, but my silver isn't quite enough."
The Old Madam, not much bothered, said, "Such a trivial matter. Just tell your elder sister-in-law to handle it; whatever's short, let the storeroom cover it."
Lu's mother said, "Baolin pieces are expensive."
The Old Madam stiffened her face: "What? So the Lu Family can't afford a jewelry set now?"
"Mother, the household usually uses…"
"Qianqian, come here."
The Old Madam interrupted her daughter-in-law and beckoned to Meng Qianqian.
Meng Qianqian put down the dishes and walked over.
The Second Madam tactfully gave up her seat to Meng Qianqian.
The Old Madam held her hand with a kindly expression and said, "Now that Brother Xiao is back, the happiest person must be Qianqian. Rightfully so—going forward, you'll be the General's wife. Wherever you go, people will respectfully call you Madam Lu."
She sighed and added, "I didn't live to see your grandfather's success, so that fortune wasn't mine. But truth be told, being the General's wife isn't an easy role. I heard yesterday you troubled Miss Lin at Feng Courtyard over a plate of osmanthus cake."
"Qianqian, that wasn't proper. You're a small merchant's daughter from You State—marrying into our Lu Family is a blessing of eight lifetimes. Your status is already beneath us. In your conduct, don't act disgracefully anymore, and stop bringing shame to your husband. Understand?"