Rebirth: Contract Husband Falls in Love with Me-Chapter 422 - 216: Storms (Part 2)

Mrs. Li hadn’t finished speaking when Sister Xu, as if grasping a lifeline, hurriedly said: "Miss Lan Xiang only told this old servant to quickly make the crispy meringue, she did not say that it was requested by the lady of the house! At that time, I still had other matters to tend to, so I said, I said ’let’s make it tomorrow,’ but who knew—"

Sister Xu is also quite shrewd, quickly shifting her words, what was originally "wait a few more days" suddenly became "make it tomorrow." Lan Xiang, standing aside, was furiously glaring at Sister Xu, but could not refute. Because after she gave the instructions, she ran off, and reported to Mrs. Wang and Gu Fangzi that she had "already passed on the message." Mrs. Wang naturally assumed that having passed on the message meant it would be done, not knowing Sister Xu had added that later part, which amounted to Lan Xiang deliberately concealing the full truth. If she had explained clearly to Mrs. Wang that it would be "done tomorrow," Mrs. Wang would not have been so angry.

"Sister Xu, say no more," Gu Fangzi gently interrupted Sister Xu and nodded slightly as if to apologize: "This is all my fault, I didn’t consider this aspect! I didn’t realize that now I am just a guest, my words naturally hold no sway, had I known earlier, I would have instructed Lan Xiang to clarify the message, stating it was the aunt who requested it, this misunderstanding wouldn’t have occurred!"

This essentially implied that Sister Xu was disrespectful to her.

Sister Xu’s face changed slightly, and before she could speak, Mrs. Li nonchalantly intervened: "Miss here did say something correct, if Lan Xiang had clearly relayed the information back, this misunderstanding wouldn’t have occurred! Was the kitchen not indeed busy yesterday, Miss? Did you forget? Yesterday, they had to prepare the grand sacrificial dishes for the Shi family ancestral hall, and also for Miss’s father, everyone in the kitchen was busy like spinning tops! Sister Xu saying to make the crispy meringue tomorrow, this old servant sees no fault in that!"

Mrs. Wang, initially furious upon hearing Gu Fangzi’s words, was about to erupt yet remained silent after hearing Mrs. Li’s statement. Whenever Shi Fengju travels abroad, the household must prepare sacrificial dishes on the first and fifteenth of each month or on any major festival for the gods and ancestors, to ensure his safety and smooth travels. This has been a practice directly instructed by Mrs. Wang many years ago and has continued ever since.

The safety of her son certainly takes precedence over a piece of crispy meringue, and how could significant matters concerning the ancestors and deities be neglected?

Lan Xiang had no choice but to kneel and bow her head, saying, "This slave, this slave was in a hurry to report back to the lady of the house and the young miss, and did not hear the rest of Sister Xu’s words..."

"Then this is merely a misunderstanding, Miss, what do you think? Let Sister Xu make it tomorrow, please don’t upset yourself over such trivial matters!" Mrs. Li said with a smile.

Sister Xu quickly kowtowed to show her resolve.

Mrs. Wang waved her hand and sighed, "Forget it, forget it! No need to make it tomorrow, I’ve lost my appetite anyway! Rise, both of you! From now on, everyone should handle matters more cautiously! Don’t be so negligent and cause unnecessary trouble!"

Everyone quickly agreed, and Mrs. Li stepped forward to help Sang Wan up.

Gu Fangzi also stepped forward, helping Sang Wan alongside Mrs. Li, and said apologetically with a smile, "It’s all my fault, Lan Xiang is sloppy in her duties, causing my sister to be wronged! I will certainly teach her a lesson later! Sister, managing so many affairs in the house, it’s no wonder there are occasional oversights, it’s truly hard on you, sister! Here I am causing you more trouble, I truly feel bad about it, please be magnanimous and forgive me this time, I am here to apologize to my sister!"

Having said that, she stepped back two paces and bowed deeply to her.

Sang Wan couldn’t help but feel silently angered, and replied with a faint smile, "Sister, you place too much importance on it, it’s just a misunderstanding. What grievances do I have? It’s rather that I have troubled mother and spoiled her mood, this is my dereliction!" Sang Wan looked toward Mrs. Wang and said with a smile, "Mother, you are truly magnanimous, forgiving your daughter-in-law this time!"

Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but laugh, then sighed, "Let’s not talk about this matter any longer! Given the numerous responsibilities you manage, it’s normal to have a few oversights occasionally, mother was only speaking in anger at that moment, don’t take it to heart. In the future, the servants also need to be more disciplined, to prevent them from becoming complacent and careless! Moreover, Fangzi is also a master of the house, her words also carry weight, if anyone dares to disregard this in the future, I will not tolerate it!"

Mrs. Wang initially wanted to suggest that Gu Fangzi help Sang Wan manage the household, but suddenly remembered the words her son said before leaving home, clearly not wanting Gu Fangzi to get involved in the household affairs, and she held back her words.

Sang Wan and Mrs. Li silently breathed a sigh of relief, Sang Wan respectfully agreed and bid farewell with Mrs. Li, taking Sister Xu along as they left.

Had Mrs. Wang delegated some authority to Gu Fangzi under these circumstances, it’s hard to say how many people would have harbored different thoughts in the household. Even though she didn’t delegate, her last words still served to protect Gu Fangzi.

Gu Fangzi busied herself with sweet talk to keep Mrs. Wang’s spirits high, finally coaxing a smile out of her. However, inside, Gu Fangzi felt stifled; she had thought that following her suggestion, her aunt would surely let her help manage the household, particularly now that her elder cousin was not around—no one understood the foundations of the household better than she did. With just a minor manipulation, she could have caused Sang Wan a great loss in her aunt’s favor, and even if her elder cousin returned, everything would have been set. But unexpectedly, her aunt was about to speak but then didn’t. All her careful scheming turned out to be in vain!

Fortunately, through this incident, everyone saw her aunt’s protection and regard for her, suspecting that for the time being no one would dare to underestimate her, which was somewhat comforting.

After staying at Mrs. Wang’s for four days, Gu Fangzi moved back to the peony garden, claiming Mrs. Li had worked hard, and to express her gratitude, she specifically instructed Lan Xiang to give money and clothes to Mrs. Li as a reward. Mrs. Li was amazed, almost thinking the sun had risen from the west!