Lian Manman pursed her lips and thought that it must have been Liulang who finally couldn’t help it and used his hand to grab some meat to eat, and then got scolded by Lian Xiuxiu.

"What are you talking about? Dad has eaten already. You think I don’t know? It’s just you who wants to eat, so why can’t Liulang have a piece?" It was the loud voice of Lady He.

Lian Xiuxiu and Lady He started arguing.

Lady Zhang hurriedly pulled Lady Zhang along and quickly returned to the West Wing Room, closing the door behind them.

"Mom, we’ve done all we could, those matters are beyond our control and not right for us to manage," Lian Manman said.

Lady Zhang sighed, nodded, but the joy that was formerly on her face had vanished.

"It’s all because of poverty," Lady Zhang said.

Seeing Lady Zhang appear somewhat uneasy, Lian Manman knew she was suffering from her affliction of being "Virtuous and Graceful." It wasn’t entirely Lady Zhang’s fault; it was the moral standard of the times, demanding that people, especially women, always put others before themselves. In situations like this, you had to starve yourself and your own children, offering the best to others; only then were you considered good, right, and a paragon of virtue.

Lady Zhang had always strictly adhered to these standards for herself, and to expect her to change completely wasn’t something that could happen overnight. Now that Lady Zhang could act this way, Lian Manman was already very relieved.

"Mom, you can’t talk like that. Look at us, aren’t we poor too? But have me, Sister Manman, Brother, and Xiao Qi ever fought over food?" Lian Manman said. Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin were a bit too soft, but thinking about it, every coin has two sides. It was precisely because of their gentle natures that she and her siblings also had good temperaments and got along so harmoniously.

Lady Zhang pondered Lian Manman’s words, and indeed, it was true. Their own children were always vying to do the work but always yielded to each other when it came to eating. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Thinking of the many virtues of her own children, Lady Zhang’s mood brightened again.

As for how the bowl of meat and vegetables was eventually divided, in the end, it was Lian Yeye who told Lian Manman. The quarrel between Lady He and Lian Xiuxiu was quelled by Lady Zhou, and Lady He got a severe scolding from Lady Zhou. Old Master Lian decided that each of the Lian Family kids would get a piece of meat and a spoonful of vegetables. After discussing with Lian Yeye for a while, Lian Manman felt that they should thank Lady He. If Lady He hadn’t made a fuss and argued with Lian Xiuxiu, those children probably wouldn’t have gotten as much meat and vegetables.

"Sister Manman, I have something to tell you, but please don’t get angry," Lian Yeye finally said, watching Lian Manman’s expression.

"I can guess what it’s about, there’s nothing to be angry about, go ahead," Lian Manman said.

"Despite the fierce argument between our grandmother, aunt, and second aunt during dinner, they reconciled afterwards. They were saying bad things about Fourth Aunt, accusing you of being mean-spirited, and saying that we didn’t bring enough good food to the Upper Room. If we had given more, enough for everyone, they wouldn’t have started fighting," Lian Yeye confided to Lian Manman.

Lian Manman was infuriated yet amused. The meat and vegetables they scrimped and saved to respectfully offer were not only unappreciated but also met with unwarranted criticism. What kind of situation was this?

"Sister Manman, don’t take their words to heart. Dad and Mom both say that Fourth Aunt has a good heart and that no one else would be willing to part with such nice dishes," Lian Yeye said.

Lian Manman turned around and relayed Lian Yeye’s words to Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin.

Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi were all angrily upset.

"Next time we have something to eat, let’s not send them any," Lian Manman said, "... When we ate in the Upper Room, we also did work, and Granny was still worried about us eating there."

"Exactly," Lian Zhizhi, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi all agreed with Lian Manman’s view.

Lian Shouxin kept silent; the children were right, but Lady Zhou was his biological mother, and he had nothing to say.

Lady Zhang glanced at Lian Shouxin and could only comfort the children.

"Whatever they say, as long as what we do doesn’t upset our own conscience, let them talk," Lady Zhang said.

"No matter what anyone says, we have Dad’s support," Lian Shouxin muttered.

Indeed, Lian Manman thought, fortunately, Old Master Lian was still reasonable.

...

Because they had discussed it with Old Master Lian, starting the next day, Lian Manman and her siblings began going to the Upper Room to study with Old Master Lian. What they called studying was really just an old copy of the Three Character Classic, which the four children read together. Old Master Lian could recite it from memory without the book, teaching them a few characters each day, first recognition, then how to write.