Lady He had finished speaking and without waiting for Lady Zhang to respond, she twisted her bottom and scurried back to her room in the east wing.

Lady Zhang’s original plan was to finish washing the dishes with Lady He and let the children rest, but who would have thought that Lady He would have no sense of responsibility as an elder and take the opportunity to run off first.

Lady Zhang shook her head helplessly.

"Mother, I’ll call Second Aunt back," Lian Manman said.

"Forget it," Lady Zhang stopped Lian Manman, "She’s just like that. With the time spent arguing with her, Mother could have washed all the dishes by now."

Since Lady Zhang didn’t want to fuss about it, Lian Manman didn’t say more. Turning her head, she saw Lady Zhou bustling about on her tiny feet outside the Upper Room, and her eyes lit up with a plan.

"Granny, where did Second Aunt go?" Lian Manman, with her wet hands, walked into the Upper Room and deliberately asked Lady Zhou.

"Isn’t she washing dishes with your mother?" Lady Zhou said with some impatience.

"No, Second Aunt said Granny, you were looking for her for something. She washed just two dishes, then disappeared." Lian Manman replied.

Lady Zhou, who was busy folding greens, hadn’t paid attention to the affairs in the yard. Hearing what Lian Manman said, she walked to the door to look outside. Indeed, only Lady Zhang was seen with Lian Zhizhi and Lian Yeye washing dishes in the yard, Lady He nowhere in sight.

"That lazy woman," Lady Zhou instantly became annoyed and asked loudly, "Where did that second daughter-in-law go?"

Xiao Qi, who was at the side, stretched out a hand and pointed towards the east wing room.

Lady Zhou, like a whirlwind, swept up to the door of the east wing room and pushed the door open to enter. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"... how could you not die of laziness? I’m slaving away and you’re lounging around with all that fat. Raising a pig would be more useful than you..." Lady Zhou was scolding as she walked out of the room, with Lady He yawning and following behind her.

"Go, scrub that pile of bowls clean for me," Lady Zhou pointed at the two stacks of freshly-cleared dishes.

Lady He didn’t dare say a word; she picked up a stack of dishes and was about to take them over to where Lady Zhang was washing.

"You’re going to wash them right here," Lady Zhou stopped Lady He and pointed towards the door, "Lazy donkey turning the millstone, if I don’t watch you, you’ll end up cleaning these dishes on the bed again."

Everyone heard Lady Zhou’s vivid cursing and could barely hold back their laughter.

In the evening, only the Lian Family dined alone. Lady Zhou didn’t allow for any separate cooking and simply reheated the leftovers from the feast for everyone to eat. Country folks were not so particular. Even though there was no meat left in the dishes, the meals prepared by the cook were rich with oil, thickening, and seasoning, making them much tastier than the plain water soups they usually made.

Lian Manman and the others had done a lot of work, and they had not sat down for the feast at noon. Later, Lady Zhou also didn’t arrange for them to have a meal. They were hungry for half the day, so the food naturally tasted better than usual. Lady He, even more so, couldn’t stop grabbing food with her chopsticks, continuously piling it into her own mouth.

"Are you a hungry ghost reincarnated?" Lady Zhou glared at Lady He, "Eat slower, or you’ll choke to death."

After scolding Lady He, Lady Zhou’s eyes swept over the faces of Lady Zhang, Lady Zhao, and the several children in turn.

"Eat less, I’ll make something else for you when we get back," Lady Zhang whispered a reminder in Lian Manman’s ear.

Lian Manman knew that Lady Zhang was afraid Lady Zhou would feel distressed and angry. But after a whole day’s work, not allowing them to have their fill of food – what kind of logic was that?

Lian Manman lifted her head and glanced at Lian Yeye. Lian Yeye was watching Lady Zhao, who, as usual, huddled in a corner of the dining table, only keeping her head down and shoveling rice, not daring to reach for any dishes. Lian Manman and Lian Yeye exchanged looks, Lian Yeye extended her chopsticks to take some dishes and placed them in Lady Zhao’s bowl.

"Mother, have some vegetables," Lian Yeye said softly.

Lian Yeye had put vegetables in Lady Zhao’s bowl! Lady Zhou had a mouthful of rice, which she suddenly couldn’t swallow, her eyes glaring at Lian Yeye, almost shooting fire.

Lian Manman lowered her head to shovel rice, then stretched out her chopsticks to pick up a bite of vegetables for herself. Immediately after, she picked up another chopstick full of vegetables, initially wanting to give it to Lady Zhang, but on second thought, she put it into Xiao Qi’s bowl instead.

Lian Yeye put another chopstick of vegetables into Lady Zhao’s bowl.

"Yeye, I don’t want it, don’t pick anymore for me," Lady Zhao lifted her eyes and saw Lady Zhou’s gaze, she startled and hurriedly stopped Lian Yeye.

Lian Yeye looked at Lady Zhao, trembling with trepidation, and felt a pang in her heart, her tears nearly falling.

"Mother, the vegetables aren’t poisonous, no need to be scared as if it’ll kill you," Lian Yeye’s stubborn temperament flared, and she placed several more chopsticks of vegetables in Lady Zhao’s bowl in quick succession.

"... Have you not grown your hands, or is someone not letting you eat, picking back and forth like that, who is it for?" scolded Lady Zhou, "Can’t even eat properly, you’ll turn out to be an embarrassment later on."

Lady Zhao knew Lady Zhou was scolding her and Lian Yeye, and her hand holding the bowl trembled.

"Mother," Lian Yeye reached out and steadied Lady Zhao’s hand, "Mother, hold the bowl steady... I’ve already put the vegetables in it, can’t really put them back. Just eat, otherwise it’d be a waste to throw them away."

As Lady Zhao held the bowl, she felt the warmth from Lian Yeye’s hand on hers. Her own girl had grown up and knew to feel compassion for her mother and to stand up for her.

Lady Zhao sniffled, struggling to keep the tears from falling, bowed her head, and began to eat vigorously.

The food today tasted exceptionally delicious.

Lady Zhou, on the other hand, was taken aback and looked at Lian Yeye, narrowing her eyes. She couldn’t understand how Lian Yeye suddenly became so bold, as if she had matured several years all at once.

After dinner, everyone sat in the Upper Room, discussing Lian Huahua’s wedding the next day.

"... We’ve agreed with the matchmaker, we will follow the customs of the Song Family..." Lian Shouren began to list those who would attend the wedding. The first room’s whole family was to go, then came the second room’s Lian Shouyi, Erlang and Sanlang would follow to help, plus two sisters-in-law from Lady Gu’s family.

Lady Zhang adjusted her collar, sat up straighter on the edge of the kang, and her eyes moved from Lady Zhou to Lady Gu.

"Elder sister, who is this Quanfuren?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)