Lian Manman kept her head down, packing the dough into buns. Besides occasional scolding from Lady Zhou directed at one person or another, silence filled the room. When Lian Manman looked up, she caught the sympathetic and concerned glances from Lady Zhao and her daughter Lian Yeye. They cared for her but dared not show it. Lian Manman gave a slight smile to signal that they needn’t worry about her.

Manman loved these buns, and since they had put in the work, they deserved their share. With the fuss that Lady Zhou had just made, she was certain to be petty and make difficulties over dividing the buns. Confronting Lady Zhou head-on wasn’t a good strategy, but they were determined to get what they deserved, no matter who tried to stop them.

Excusing herself to relieve her bladder, Manman stepped out of the Upper Room.

The snow had already stopped outside, but the north wind blew even fiercer. The moment she stepped out the door, the wind slashed her face like a knife.

"Manman, where are you going? Do you need your brother to keep you company?" Wu Lang, who had been tending the fire in the outer room, followed her out.

"Brother, come with me." Manman said, taking Wu Lang’s hand and heading to the West Wing Room.

They lit the oil lamp and exchanged glances.

"So infuriating," Manman pouted.

"Indeed," Wu Lang sighed. "Father is also uncomfortable inside."

Lady Zhou’s commotion was bound to trouble even her own sons.

"Granny has us pegged," Manman said. "She knows Father and Mother won’t bear to be cruel because of their filial piety. If we had truly let go just now, and stopped caring..."

"Father and Granny would have ended up fighting, and the bun making would’ve fallen apart," Wu Lang added.

More than that, it was feared that no one would be able to enjoy the New Year at this rate.

"Father told me earlier just to endure, so things can conclude properly," Wu Lang said.

It turned out that Wu Lang was relaying Lian Shouxin’s message to comfort her.

"I guessed Father would say that, and Mother likely thinks the same," Manman sighed softly.

Offering to help Old Master Lian pack the buns was out of goodwill; abandoning the task would turn a good deed into a bad one. Both Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang were the type to suffer in silence for the greater good. It was this realization that had made Manman hold back from confronting Lady Zhou directly.

"We can think of it as making merit," Manman said with a smile.

Merit wasn’t just about intentions; it was achieved only when the task was completed successfully.

Doing good deeds didn’t mean those who considered the big picture had to suffer losses.

"Brother, in a moment, like this..." Manman pointed at the basin of fruit tree leaves soaked on the ground, a gift from Lady Li, which bore a faint fragrance and differed from the ordinary poplar leaves used by the Lian Family. "I’ll coordinate with Mother and Zhizhi later, and we’ll pack our buns with these leaves underneath. Brother, tell father that all the buns packed with these leaves, once steamed, should be brought to our room."

They respected Lady Zhou’s authority, but since she was giving them trouble, they might as well bypass her and take what was rightfully theirs.

"That’s a good plan," Wu Lang’s eyes lit up upon hearing Manman’s words. "I was worried about the buns packed by Second Aunt; now I’m relieved to eat the ones you and Mother have made."

Manman couldn’t help but laugh softly. Lady He was sloppy, and they all disliked her and didn’t want to eat anything she touched.

"Right, also steam a few pots on our stove, our kang bed is still not warm enough," Manman added.

"Hmm. I’ll tell Father," Wu Lang promised.

The pair blew out the lamp, and with Wu Lang carrying the basin of leaves, they returned to the Upper Room.

"What are you doing, and what’s in that basin?" Lady Zhou, ever attentive, asked upon seeing them enter with the basin.

"We ran out of leaves; I just brought some more," Manman replied.

Wu Lang set the basin down next to Lady Zhang and left.

Returning to her seat on the kang, with Lady Zhang and Lian Zhizhi noticing the leaves being from their own supply, they guessed Manman’s intention. Without being told, the three of them used the new leaves for the next batches of buns, placing them on the same steaming tray. Xiao Qi, understanding Manman’s signal, conveyed messages back and forth. As soon as a steaming tray of buns was ready, either Wu Lang or Lian Shouxin would come in to take them away for steaming. Once steamed, they were sent directly to the garden under the West Wing Room.

Originally a shed for storing grape wine had been cleared, and clean clay jars had been prepared. After the buns were frozen solid, they would be stored in these jars.