In the afternoon, He Changdi sent someone to deliver a message. He said that he would be back later that night and told Chu Lian not to wait for him for dinner. When it was almost time, Chu Lian went to pay her respects to her elders as usual. Seeing that it was still early, Chu Lian brought Wenqing and Xiyan to her mother-in-law's courtyard. Over the past few days, Countess Jing 'an had been drinking the medicine concocted by Miracle Doctor Miao using the Snow Mountain Mist Flower and acupuncture. Her body was much better now, and she could get out of bed and walk around often. Miaozhen had just saved her pregnancy and hadn't moved. She was still staying in Countess Jing 'an's courtyard. When Chu Lian entered, she saw Countess Jing 'an sitting cross-legged on the heated kang bed. She was playing with Sister An and Sister Lin. Sister An was seven years old after the New Year. She was at an age where she was sensible. Perhaps her parents' divorce had affected her personality, but she was much quieter than before. She sat next to Countess Jing 'an and quietly fiddled with a chain of nine rings. Sister Lin was five years old, the age where children were naughty. She was much more lively than her older sister and was clamoring for the head maid to play with her. Countess Jing 'an was looking at her two granddaughters lovingly. When she heard the maid's report, Countess Jing' an waved at Chu Lian. The quick-witted maid immediately brought an embroidered stool and placed it next to Countess Jing 'an. "Lian 'er, come, sit here." Chu Lian smiled and curtsied at Countess Jing 'an. Then, she sat down on the stool. Countess Jing 'an saw her gaze land on the two children and sighed softly. "Madam Zou is foolish, but the children are innocent. Speaking of which, Sister An and Sister Lin are the most pitiful after the divorce. I'm worried about the servants in the main branch's courtyard, so I temporarily brought Sister An and Sister Lin over to take care of them. I don't have much to do anyway, so I have nothing better to do. " Countess Jing 'an was explaining to Chu Lian why Sister An and Sister Lin were at her place at this time. To be honest, her mother-in-law had always been bedridden, so they didn't spend much time together. Thus, Chu Lian didn't really understand Countess Jing 'an's personality. However, Chu Lian felt a little emotional after the incident of the tire slippage. How should I put it? Countess Jing 'an had a good personality, but she was too weak. In fact, she was too easily swayed. She wasn't the shrewd and decisive type of matriarch. Perhaps it was because she was bedridden all year round, or perhaps it was because her father-in-law had protected her too well when she was young, but she was still so naive even at such an old age. Although she, like the Old Lady, desperately wanted her eldest brother, He Changqi, to inherit the bloodline, she had never mistreated the other children of the first branch. This could be seen from the moment He Changqi separated from Madam Zou and she immediately took the two young misses to her side to personally raise them. From Sister An and Sister Lin's behavior, it was clear that the two children really liked Countess Jing 'an, their kind and gentle grandmother. She was afraid that when she asked her to make the sugared mountain dregs, it was only because she had intentionally nagged at her, causing her to do it unintentionally. As for Miaozhen … Chu Lian thought that as long as she truly liked He Changqi, truly wanted to bear his child, and truly wanted to establish herself in the Earl's residence, she would never joke about the child in her belly. That day, when they were in the reception pavilion, they heard Miaozhen's mournful cries, which proved this point. "Fortunately, Sister Lin and Sister An still have Mother to take care of them." Chu Lian's words were sincere. The two children couldn't grow up by their mother's side, and as a father, He Changqi couldn't place all of his focus on his two daughters. Thus, if they had their grandmother to take care of them, it would make up for the lack of maternal love. Countess Jing 'an patted Sister An's head as she quietly dismantled the nine interlocking rings. When Chu Lian saw that her mother-in-law's eyes were slightly red, she hurriedly changed the topic. "Mother, how have you been feeling these past two days?" After being interrupted by Chu Lian, the emotions that Countess Jing 'an had been brewing also dissipated. "Miracle Doctor Miao comes every afternoon to give me acupuncture and concoct medicine. I can clearly feel that my body is getting better and better with each passing day. Look, I can even get out of bed and stretch my muscles and bones. This morning, I even took Sister An and Sister Lin for a walk in the garden. " Chu Lian nodded. As long as Countess Jing 'an's body could get better, then this trip to the northern border was very worth it. He Changdi's near-death experience at Mount Ah Ming to pick the Snow Mountain Mist Flower had also been rewarded. "Mother, although your body is getting better, you still have to be careful not to overwork yourself." "Lian 'er, don't worry about this. I know the pain of being tortured by illness. Now that my body is getting better, I naturally take more care of my body." Chu Lian smiled and nodded. Although her mother-in-law's personality was weak, she wasn't muddle-headed. This was good. Because Countess Jing 'an was still recuperating, she didn't need to go to Qingwen Hall to pay her respects every day. Seeing that it was about time, Chu Lian still had to go to Qingwen Hall, so she couldn't stay at her mother-in-law's place for long. After greeting Countess Jing' an, she got up to leave. However, Countess Jing 'an pulled her back. After hesitating for two seconds, she said, "Lian' er, I'm sure Sanlang has told you about your aunt. I've observed coldly that the Matriarch seems to be more and more dissatisfied with the third branch these days. She's getting on in years, and with a scoundrel like your aunt by her side, it's inevitable that she'll be muddle-headed. You're a junior, so please bear with her. " Chu Lian was slightly stunned. She clearly didn't expect her mother-in-law to say something like this to her. It seemed that even someone as "pure" as her mother-in-law could tell that the Matriarch's attitude wasn't right these days. Countess Jing 'an's words left some leeway. She said that the Matriarch wasn't satisfied with the third branch, but she wasn't dissatisfied with the third branch. He Sanlang was her most promising grandson, and she loved him dearly. How could she not be satisfied? The Matriarch was only dissatisfied with her. It was said that it was difficult to be a daughter-in-law. Chu Lian didn't feel this way when she was at Count Jing 'an's estate, but now she had a deep understanding of it. Chu Lian grinned. She was very grateful that her mother-in-law had given her such a reminder. "Mother, don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Countess Jing 'an gave her a few more reminders before letting Chu Lian leave. A few minutes later, Chu Lian arrived at Qingwen Hall. When she walked down the corridor, she coincidentally bumped into Senior Servant Liu, who had just come out of the warm room. When Senior Servant Liu saw Chu Lian, she hurriedly walked over to greet her. "Third Young Madam." She heard Senior Servant Liu greet her before she even reached her. Although Senior Servant Liu had a smile on her face, it clearly didn't reach her eyes. Chu Lian suddenly had a flash of inspiration and had a plan. "Senior Servant, where are you going?" Senior Servant Liu took advantage of the time she was talking to Chu Lian to suddenly raise her finger and make a gesture when no one else was paying attention. Chu Lian's expression froze, then she smiled. "Since Senior Servant Liu has something to do, you should hurry up. I'll go in and pay my respects to Grandmother." Senior Servant Liu knew that Chu Lian understood her intentions from the look in her eyes. She nodded and curtsied before quickly walking out of Qingwen Hall's courtyard. Chu Lian's footsteps paused. She recalled the gesture Senior Servant Liu had given her. The gesture of "wine" was clearly referring to a restaurant, and her only restaurant was Guilin Restaurant. Just as Senior Servant Zhong said, Old Matriarch of Guilin Restaurant was determined to go back. Senior Servant Liu's actions just now indicated that Old Matriarch was probably going to talk to her about this matter today. This was out of Chu Lian's expectations. She hadn't expected them to be so impatient and have such ugly table manners. Before Chu Lian entered the warm room, a young servant girl had already gone in to report. At this time, Eldest Grandaunt He Ying coughed in the warm room. She glanced at Old Matriarch and smiled. "Mother, if it's not convenient for you to speak later, Daughter will take the lead." Old Matriarch thought about it and nodded. Chu Lian was led into the warm room by a young servant girl. She bowed to Old Matriarch and Eldest Grandaunt He Ying as a junior. Old Matriarch sat at the seat of honor. Mu Xiang stood behind her and was seriously massaging Old Matriarch's shoulders. "Third Husband's wife, there's no one else here. Sit." Chu Lian's lips curled up. She thanked Old Matriarch and found an empty seat to the right of Old Matriarch to sit down. "Is Third Husband back?" "Husband said he's having dinner outside and will return later." … Old Matriarch asked a few perfunctory questions and then fell silent. Eldest Grandaunt He Ying glanced at Old Matriarch's expression. Her eyes turned and she interrupted, "Mother, if I remember correctly, your birthday is coming. Are you preparing to have a big celebration?" Chu Lian glanced at Eldest Grandaunt. The corners of her eyes and the tips of her brows were slightly raised. She was clearly smiling, but He Ying had a strange feeling. She felt that Chu Lian had already seen through her intentions before she even said anything. Old Matriarch laughed bitterly, "Eldest Lang's separation is not a good reputation. Let's forget about this year's birthday. It's not a full birthday. When the time comes, we can just have a reunion dinner as a family. Moreover, our fu is tight on money. It's better to be thrifty." He Ying suddenly showed a shocked expression. "Mother, how can we do that? Even if money is tight, we would rather be thrifty. We can't just fool your birthday! Third Husband's wife, don't you think so? " Chu Lian had a faint smile on her face. She did not respond to Eldest Grandaunt He Ying. Chu Lian's stubbornness made He Ying extremely vexed. She suddenly had an idea. "Mother, how about this. Tell me how much our fu has lost. If it's within daughter's capabilities, daughter will compensate for it. How about that? No matter what, mother has to have a lively birthday. " As He Ying spoke, she gave Mu Xiang a look. Mu Xiang looked awkwardly at Old Matriarch. Old Matriarch glared at He Ying helplessly. "Sister Ying, do you really think that your mother is useless to this extent? I still need you to compensate for it? To tell you the truth, our fu is indeed short on money. Part of the reason is because of Zou shi, but it's not to the extent that you're saying. Moreover, we still have Third Husband's wife's Guilin Restaurant to support us. Once Guilin Restaurant opens for business, we'll be able to recover immediately. " Chu Lian smiled internally. After going around in circles, she had finally hit the nail on the head. It was really hard on this pair of mother and daughter. End of Chapter Content