Princess Huiyun had only briefly seen her son's residence before.
This time, she was somewhat confusedly called over by her granddaughter.
With the earthquake, it wasn't safe to move around.
It seemed like she would need to stay overnight.
In truth, Huiyun felt a bit uncomfortable.
She rarely stayed at her own princess mansion.
Most of her time was spent at the Tai'a Temple.
Coming to her son's home so suddenly, and with it being so small and cramped, she wondered awkwardly where she would stay.
Most importantly, even though they had acknowledged their parent-child relationship, they hadn't spent much time together.
She felt she hadn't been much help.
She hadn't provided any power or status advantages.
Everything remained as it was.
Her eldest grandson and grandson-in-law had immediately gone off to battle.
There were no special privileges at all.
Princess Huiyun had actually been feeling quite defeated lately.
She felt like a failure.
Her whole life seemed to have passed in a daze.
She had been very foolish.
However, upon returning to the Jiang residence, she was surprised to find that a bedroom had been prepared for her.
Princess Huiyun looked at the spacious room, and its layout was remarkably similar to her quarters at the Tai'a Temple.
There was a large bed, not the kind with steps, but one that was slightly elevated and warm to the touch.
Mianmian explained: "This is different from your water-heated bed, Grandmother. This is a kang bed-stove. You can light a fire inside it, roast sweet potatoes - though we don't have enough manpower and materials for water heating, but with this kang, when we cook and boil water, the heat comes here naturally. You won't get overheated."
The kang was first covered with a thick layer of woven grass mat, then topped with a mattress covered in natural hemp-colored fabric.
The kang was so large that several people could roll around on it comfortably.
When not sleeping, you could place a small table on it and sit there to eat.
A vase of flowers would look lovely on it too.
The room had a bookshelf filled with many books.
Whips and swords hung on the walls.
Besides the kang, there was all-wood furniture.
It was decorated like the most expensive suites in Jingzhou.
The suite included a bedroom, living room, and washing area.
Everything was complete.
There were slippers at the entrance, bathrobes, soap, and various amenities.
It contained all the comforts that Mianmian had created over the years for a comfortable life.
The focus was on convenience and comfort.
It wasn't particularly luxurious.
Limited by their perspective and social class.
But they did have the advantage of modern innovations.
Princess Huiyun found everything perfectly suitable and thoughtful, even down to the new clothes, robes, and shoes prepared for her.
She had felt some distance before, but now her eyes welled up with tears.
Blood relations truly were different.
Even though she had never done anything for him, he still thought of her, giving her perhaps not the most expensive things, but the most comfortable ones.
Everything was perfectly arranged and considerate.
Knowing she liked to go barefoot, the floor was covered with carpets.
Though not much time had passed, and neither her son nor daughter-in-law had said much, everything had been prepared.
There was even a special teacup for her, toothbrush, and face towels embroidered with cloud patterns.
These were clearly prepared specifically for her.
The washing area was particularly nice, even better than her usual residence.
Clear mirrors, white toilet facilities, and an enormous bathtub.
There was even a package of dried flowers to scatter in the bath.
The room had a pot of chrysanthemums, golden in color, blooming vigorously and full of life.
Princess Huiyun looked around and found nothing to be dissatisfied with.
She was very happy.
Mianmian chattered away beside her: "This was prepared by Mother, this was arranged by Father..."
Her words moved Princess Huiyun deeply.
Cong Brother looked at the room and wanted to say his quarters were similar, but seeing how happy his aunt was, he decided to keep quiet - a show of high emotional intelligence.
But Aunt Qin was truly very thoughtful and considerate.
His clothes' sizes and fabrics were all excellent, exactly what he liked.
In daily life, good food, comfortable clothes, spacious and peaceful living quarters, and convenient transportation were really all one needed.
These were the basics of life.
But achieving them perfectly wasn't easy.
Qin Luoxia brought her husband home, who was still sleeping when they arrived.
Qin Luoxia thought no one was home.
Not wanting to wake her husband.
She simply carried him down from the carriage.
Then she saw the grand gathering - the princess, her attendants, their daughter, and Cong Brother.
She paused awkwardly.
Jiang Changtian also woke up.
Getting down from his dear Xia's embrace.
The princess's face turned bright red.
Hearing her son and daughter-in-law had returned, she had excitedly run out.
Then she witnessed this scene.
She never imagined her serious and stern son would interact with his wife like this in private.
Actually letting himself be carried from the carriage in his wife's arms.
If it were reversed, a normal mother-in-law would probably scold the daughter-in-law for being a seductive vixen - being carried down from a carriage in public, how improper!
But the one being carried was her own son...
This, well!
She felt quite embarrassed being shown such a display.
At the same time, she was grateful for her daughter-in-law's strong physique, while thinking her son was perhaps too delicate.
"Mother, you're here. Xia was worried about me and came to pick me up after my shift. I was tired and fell asleep," Jiang Changtian explained somewhat weakly.
Princess Huiyun immediately felt heartache.
Forgetting everything else.
She just felt her son was too frail.
Thankfully her daughter-in-law was strong.
Grateful for her daughter-in-law's good constitution.
Her son actually fell asleep from exhaustion just returning from the government office.
She remembered how her father the Emperor and her royal brother used to review memorials all day, sleeping only a few hours, never seeming tired.
It must be that his constitution was ruined by that poisonous woman.
Her heartache increased by 100.
At this moment, Princess Huiyun felt she should go to the palace and complain to her brother again.
Her son was too frail, and even if her brother valued Changtian, he should be more considerate, give more rewards and assign less work.
Qin Luoxia was also a bit embarrassed.
But having developed her skills chatting with village elders, she knew never to show weakness - maintain composure no matter what, never lose face even if you lose the battle, always keep your head high.
She maintained her composure.
Bowing to the princess, she said: "Mother, there was an earthquake, and I was worried about my husband, so I went to pick him up. I felt at ease leaving Mianmian and Cong Brother in your care."
Princess Huiyun was deeply touched by her daughter-in-law's trust.
She would definitely take good care of the children.
Now looking at her tall and strong daughter-in-law, she felt satisfied in every way.
She couldn't help but mock her younger self.
When she was young, she used to think those elders who chose tall, strong, and fertile daughters-in-law were old-fashioned, thinking that if she were in their position, she would choose someone beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
But now that she actually became a mother-in-law, she was completely proven wrong.
Seeing her daughter-in-law's strong and tall figure made her feel extremely reassured... Not that her daughter-in-law wasn't beautiful, but Princess Huiyun had seen many beauties, and her daughter-in-law wasn't the conventional type of beauty.
Because standing next to her son, her daughter-in-law's features weren't as delicate as his.
But she thought, thankfully her daughter-in-law wasn't a sickly beauty, while her son seemed like one - if both of them were sickly beauties facing each other, they would cry together for half their lives... though not a whole lifetime, as crying beauties tend to have short lives.
Princess Huiyun looked at her daughter-in-law, then at her granddaughter, feeling extremely satisfied.
Though her granddaughter's face resembled her son's, her personality was like her daughter-in-law's - generous and bold, which was good.
At dinner time.
Princess Huiyun was surprised again.
Even though they now lived in the Capital City, and her son was already a fourth-rank official even before acknowledging her, her daughter-in-law still chose to cook personally.
Just because her son liked noodles.
Seeing the steaming hot noodle soup being served.
Princess Huiyun felt both moved and sad before even tasting it.
Sad that they had gone through such hardships and still had to cook for themselves.
Moved by how they supported each other, their feelings unchanged.
She envied this sincerity and felt happy that her son had found such a wife.
How fortunate indeed.
The dinner was very simple.
Perhaps too simple.
But Princess Huiyun didn't feel neglected at all.
She ate by herself every day, with many dishes filling the table, but never with this warmth.
So this was what family meals were like.
She had never experienced this from childhood to old age.
After all, she was a princess from birth, with many rules to follow.
But here was a family gathered around a round table, eating and chatting, having hot noodle soup, some pickled vegetables, some green vegetables, and preserved meat.
And Cong Brother ate naturally, without any restraint.
To tell if someone is living well, you just need to see if they're at ease. If they're comfortable, it means they've made themselves at home, which shows they're doing well.
Strangely enough, perhaps because I spent time at Mianmian's house as a child, the memories are very vivid.
Looking back on all the food I've eaten, surprisingly, the best was at Mianmian's house.
So now that I live here, every meal feels wonderful, and I think I've even gained a tiny bit of weight.
He used to be so thin he could almost float away, but lately, he seems to have put on a little flesh.
His health seems better too, mainly because Mianmian is so energetic, always dragging him around running and jumping whenever there's free time.
The noodles have their natural fragrance, and the vegetables have their own aroma.
Princess Huiyun noticed that Changtian hadn't taken any meat.
Princess Huiyun couldn't help but pick up a piece of braised meat for her son.
But Jiang Changtian didn't eat it.
Mianmian took it instead.
Princess Huiyun felt uncomfortable and awkward, wondering if her son still harbored resentment towards her, not even eating the food she picked for him.
After the meal.
During dessert time, Jiang Changtian finally spoke to Princess Huiyun: "When I was young, I was always sick. Every time I fell ill, Old Madam Jiang wouldn't let me eat. Sometimes I would go hungry for days, and when I was starving, they would finally let me eat, but always gave me greasy meat. I would vomit every time, so later, eating meat would make me nauseous. Even now, I can't eat meat. Please understand, Mother. I'm very happy that you picked food for me."
These simple words brought tears streaming down Huiyun's face.
"Xia-mei worries that I'm not healthy because I don't eat meat, so after our conditions improved, she would make meat broths and cook vegetables for me. My health is much better now. Before, I used to cough constantly every winter, and when Xia-mei heard that snake gallbladder could help with coughing and nourish the lungs, she went alone into the deep mountains to catch snakes for their gallbladders. I hardly cough anymore these past few years. Mother, although I was unfortunate not to find you before, I was also very fortunate to meet Xia-mei."
Princess Huiyun kept nodding.
"Yes, fortunate. I am fortunate too."
She looked at her daughter-in-law with growing fondness, her eyes full of love.
Qin Luoxia had always felt a bit inferior, after all, her husband was as beautiful as an immortal in exile, and now he had suddenly transformed into a princess's son.
She was also nervous about the princess mother-in-law, worried about not being able to serve her well.
But after her husband's speech, seeing how the princess mother-in-law looked at her with such dependence, like an otherworldly fairy, she couldn't help but shiver.
She felt that Princess Mother-in-law might be a bit simple-minded, having been completely won over.
...
