Although Matriarch He said this, she knew that San Lang's wife wasn't stupid and could see everything clearly. Perhaps she really was a lazy person and didn't like to manage things, but her little courtyard was managed very well. She was someone who didn't like to move, so why did she guard against this little sloth taking over the first branch's power?

She must have gotten muddle-headed with age.

"Alright, you only know how to act spoiled. When San Lang comes back, do it to him. Grandmother can't stand you.

Oh right, how's the restaurant that grandmother gave you? "

Chu Lian giggled and sat up straight again. "Grandmother, don't worry. I've already made the arrangements. It'll reopen in a few days.

At that time, grandmother must give granddaughter-in-law face and support granddaughter-in-law. "

Thinking of the restaurant, Matriarch He began to worry about another matter.

The title of Duke Jing 'an would definitely be passed on to San Lang in the future. San Lang had left home in such a hurry and went to the northern border. Who knew what he could do? Although San Lang's wife was a good person, the Duke of Ying's assets were still there. San Lang's wife didn't have much money on hand. How was she going to start a family in the future?

She could only hope that this little girl could really support Guilin Restaurant this time. She didn't expect her to earn a lot of money. It was fine as long as she could add some income to the third branch.

That way, when San Lang came back in a few years, he would be able to save up some assets. She would subsidize a bit more and it wouldn't be too bad.

However, there was still Erlang, that good-for-nothing, who didn't want to start a family. Matriarch had to prepare this for him. This way, no matter how much money Matriarch He had, it would be difficult to make ends meet.

After a while, her daughter-in-law's medical fees would also have to be paid for by the public. This was a huge expense. Thinking of this, Matriarch He began to worry.

Aristocratic families might look impressive to outsiders, but if there wasn't anyone who knew how to run a business, money was the first thing to worry about.

When Matriarch He was young, she had managed the family and accumulated quite a bit of private money. She could be considered a shrewd mistress, but she wasn't cut out for business. The land and shops in her hands were only managed in an orderly manner.

Later on, the family was handed over to her daughter-in-law. Countess Jing 'an didn't manage the family for long. During those few years, she gave birth to three sons. In the end, her health deteriorated, and the family was handed back to Matriarch He.

Later on, when Zou shi married into the family, the shop was handed over to Zou shi. However, Zou shi was even worse than Old Matriarch He. The shop could only continue operating as usual.

If it wasn't for the few loyal old stewards that Matriarch He had nurtured when she was young, most of them probably wouldn't be much different from Guilin Restaurant.

Hence, Duke Jing 'an's estate didn't have a lot of income. It was even more impossible for Madam Zou to count on her mother-in-law, Madam Liu, to subsidize her. She had already used all of her dowry to take medicine. Although Matriarch He would subsidize her from time to time, she still had to consider her grandchildren, so she didn't give much.

Zou shi hadn't been able to give birth to a male heir for Dalang for many years. She felt guilty, so she was even more diligent in managing the household. Sometimes, when the public expenditure exceeded the quota, she would even use her own private property to make up for it.

However, this wasn't a long-term solution. Madam Zou's own private property wasn't inexhaustible.

Erlang was in the Dragon Guards and didn't return home many times a month. He didn't manage the family affairs at all. Dalang was idle. Although he did his best to support Duke Jing 'an's estate, he had the personality of a general like his father, Duke Jing' an. He actually looked down on the small ways of doing business, so he rarely managed the family's income.

The men in the He family were all hotheaded. Although they didn't spend much money, they didn't understand the concept of being rich. This caused the group of madams in the family to have a headache.

If it was another large family with a large population, it would be fine. If the main wife and son didn't like this kind of business, they could still support the side branches. However, Duke Jing 'an was an only son. All the families above him had their own family. In the past, the old Duke Jing' an's estate had a brother. Unfortunately, he only left behind a daughter who died on the battlefield. That daughter got married, but she died in childbirth the next year. She didn't even manage to keep her child.

For the first time, Duke Jing 'an's estate had three brothers during He Changdi's generation. This was also the main reason why Matriarch He loved her so much even though her mother-in-law, Madam Liu, was injured when she gave birth to He Changdi. She wanted to have children for the He family.

However, she didn't know that all three of her grandchildren were troublesome. Her eldest daughter-in-law hadn't given birth to a male heir for almost ten years. Erlang wasn't willing to get married. At that time, Matriarch He was also forced into a corner. That was why she begged the empress dowager to let He Changdi marry the daughter of the Duke of Ying.

Now that she thought about it, this was the best decision she'd made in all these years.

Although Matriarch had thought so much, it didn't take long. Chu Lian saw that Matriarch was deep in thought and didn't disturb her.

Matriarch He suddenly glanced at the brocade box at the side. It was a set of sapphire head ornaments that the empress dowager had bestowed upon Tuan Jiao for winning the championship.

Her expression changed slightly and she looked towards Chu Lian. She saw that Chu Lian's sleepy eyes were closing and that she was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, she relaxed. This child was careless and didn't take things to heart.

She didn't care at all about the things that other people cared about. She didn't know how the Duke of Ying raised her to have such a personality.

"San Lang's wife!

Stop dozing off! "

She called out, but Chu Lian didn't respond. She looked like she was about to hit her head against the carriage wall. Matriarch He found it funny and could only reach out to push Chu Lian.

Chu Lian was startled and suddenly woke up. Today was a bit tiring. Her nerves had been on edge for the whole day. Now that she could finally relax, her eyelids were about to fight.

"Ah?

Grandmother, what's wrong?

Have we reached home? "

Matriarch He purposely put on a stern face. "What home? There's still a long way to go!"

Chu Lian's shoulders immediately slumped. "Going to the palace is too tiring. Grandmother, please don't bring granddaughter-in-law there next time. Gredaughter-in-law still likes to sleep at home and cook good food."

Matriarch He caressed Chu Lian's slender back and said helplessly, "You really are a little lazy spirit. Alright, drink some tea to clear your mind. There's no blanket in the carriage, so you can't sleep. It's not good if you catch a cold. We'll reach home soon, so hold on a little longer."

Chu Lian patted her face and woke up a little. She turned around and saw that Matriarch He was still looking at her with a smile in her eyes. She tilted her head and asked, "Grandmother has something to say to me?"

Looking into San Lang's wife's clear eyes, Matriarch He felt inexplicably comfortable. She nodded slightly and pointed to the brocade box at the side. "Who does Lian 'er think this head ornament should be given to?"

Chu Lian glanced at the brocade box and remembered that it was the sapphire head ornament that the Empress Dowager had bestowed. She didn't have much of an interest in jewelry. It was fine to wear it on a daily basis and she wasn't picky. Moreover, when the Empress Dowager had bestowed it, she had glanced at it. It was indeed an exquisite head ornament, but perhaps because it had been a long time, the design was a bit old-fashioned and not suitable for a young girl like her.

Matriarch He kept staring at Chu Lian. Her clear eyes were calm as she looked at the brocade box, not at all tempted. This made the old matriarch feel even more satisfied.

"Great-daughter-in-law feels that this head ornament should be given to dasao. Dasao also suffered quite a fright today," Chu Lian said with a smile.

Although she no longer had a good impression of Madam Zou, since Matriarch He wanted her to say this, she would continue speaking according to her wishes. In any case, the jewelry would be handled by Matriarch He. She knew that no matter who she decided to give it to, Matriarch He would ultimately give it to Madam Zou. Since that was the case, why should she be disliked?

Actually, Chu Lian was a bit of a bachelor. Since it wasn't for her, it didn't matter who it was given to. Since it was something bestowed by the Empress Dowager, it couldn't be exchanged for silver, so it didn't matter who it was given to.

As expected, Matriarch He's smile became even gentler. "Child, you're thinking the same thing as your grandmother."

Chu Lian's skin was incredibly thick. She didn't blush at all when she received Matriarch He's praise. She even laughed heartily until her white teeth were exposed.

When they returned to Count Jing 'an's estate, Matriarch He told her to quickly go back and rest. Her small body was still growing!

Chu Lian didn't pretentiously send Matriarch He off. She allowed Xiyan to support her back to Songtao Court.

She left in the morning and only returned when the sky was completely dark. She was really exhausted this time. When she was bathing, it was Wenqing who helped her.

She climbed into bed and burrowed into the blankets. Not long after, she began to breathe for a long time.

Gui Momo watched from the side and felt both gratified and heartache. She helped Chu Lian cover the mosquito net and instructed Jing Yan to keep watch for the night before returning to rest.

(Thank you to IQ for not coming online today, Temptation of the Little Fox, Never Leave Me 477664378, Zero 126832050, WX 1465644094836, Kuku 420231025 for the red packets!

Ah Lan saw them all!)