The room was filled with the lingering scent of sandalwood, a fragrance that Old Madam had always favored. She hadn't forgotten to bring some along on this thousand-mile journey, fearing she might not find any to her liking elsewhere. Upon arriving in Yunbei and seeing the situation here, she was grateful she had brought plenty, as it was unlikely she could buy any in this place.
"At home..."
"If it's a matter of the household, it's no different from when we were in the capital. You can make the decisions," Old Madam interrupted Lady Zhang after just two words. "Is the child still feverish?"
"The fever subsided but then returned, though it's not severe."
"That's good then."
Lady Zhang smiled, "It's normal for premature babies to be a bit weaker. It's already a blessing from the ancestors that there are no other major issues."
"That's certainly true."
"Madam Xu gave birth on the road and couldn't properly complete her confinement period. If this leads to lingering health problems, it would be too much of a disadvantage for her in the future. I've already asked someone to inquire about finding a person skilled in this area to help her recuperate."
Lady Zhang spoke softly and carefully chose her words, afraid that her mother-in-law, who doted on Zhu Changle, might think she wasn't taking the hardships Changle had endured seriously.
Old Madam shook her head, slowly fingering her prayer beads as she spoke, "Whatever should be given to her is not too much. However, in our Zhu Family, there's no reason for the sensible ones to be bullied. You want to be a good mother-in-law, but they might not appreciate your kindness. The necessary rules should still be in place. If they can't accept kindness, then letting them feel a bit of authority isn't a bad thing either."
"Yes, I understand this point now. You are kind-hearted, and since I entered this family, I've never experienced any hardship. I wanted to be a good mother-in-law like you, but I didn't expect people's hearts to change so easily. I still remember how cautious and respectful she was when she first joined the family. Who could have imagined that in just two short years, she would try to compete with Changle?"
Lady Zhang sighed, "If Changle were a troublemaking sister-in-law, it would be understandable. As the elder sister-in-law, if she felt wronged, it would be acceptable to complain to her husband. But when has Changle ever said anything bad about her? On the contrary, she has spoken well of her many times. Why does she insist on competing with Changle? How has Changle wronged her? All along this journey, through wind and rain, getting injured and bleeding while protecting this family, Changle has suffered the most."
The more Lady Zhang spoke, the more she felt that Changle was good in a thousand ways. If she felt this way, Old Madam was even more inclined to hold her precious granddaughter close and comfort her.
"Grandmother, your beloved little Changle is back!"
Old Madam immediately smiled, looking at the person rushing in, she said, "Some people really do appear when you think of them."
"If you say that, I might just leave!" Zhu Changle clung to the door, playfully threatening the two inside, looking as if she might run away if they didn't say something nice.
"Grandmother has been longing for you, missing you as soon as you left," Old Madam coaxed, putting down her prayer beads and opening her arms. "Come here quickly and let Grandmother see if our little Changle has become even more lovable in just half a day."
"Of course I have!" Zhu Changle threw herself into her grandmother's embrace. Seeing her mother's smiling face, she immediately complained, "I wasn't planning to go out, but Mother chased me away!"
Lady Zhang was both amused and exasperated. She glared at her daughter and said, "Why don't you tell us what you did that made me chase you out?"
"I came to help!"
"You came to cause trouble. You made Lady Li and the others work even harder for quite a while."
"Well, I didn't mean to..."
Zhu Changle felt a bit guilty. She didn't know why her attempts to help with the cleaning had resulted in things falling over here and breaking there. Usually, she could walk on roof tiles without breaking them.
Old Madam rubbed her head and sniffed her, asking, "Did you go to the seaside?"
"Yes, I went to the dock and even bought a basket of crabs to bring back." Sitting comfortably next to her grandmother, Zhu Changle suggested excitedly, "Grandmother, Mother, you've never seen the sea, right? Once I'm familiar with this place, I'll find the best spot and take you to see it."
Both of them were visiting a coastal area for the first time and naturally wanted to go out and see it. Old Madam smiled, "Then Grandmother will look forward to it."
While laughter and joy filled one room, in another, Madam Xu was wiping away tears.
"Can't we invite another doctor to take a look? Even if Tang Ming can't come, we could ask for another doctor. Perhaps there's a doctor here with better medical skills..."
"Xu Zheng inquired and found out that Tang Ming is the best in Yunbei before inviting him. He already said that as long as no new symptoms appear, recurring fevers are to be expected." Zhu Changning patiently comforted his wife, "Stop crying. You're still in your confinement period, be careful of your eyes."
"I'm worried about little An." Madam Xu swallowed the words that had almost left her mouth. She felt that it was the aunt's negative energy that had affected little An. Otherwise, why would he fall ill right after she held him when he had been fine before?
But she dared not say it. These past few days had been enough for her to see clearly what position Zhu Changle held in this family. Including her husband, they all believed that whatever Zhu Changle did was reasonable and right. She was already disliked by her in-laws over this matter, and saying more would only make things worse.
Zhu Changning felt the room was a bit stifling. He stood up and said, "Let Lady Qin take care of little An. You should rest well. Oh, and Mother said she's going to invite a woman skilled in postpartum recovery to help you make up for what you missed during your confinement period. She also asked the kitchen to prepare some nourishing soup especially for you. When it's sent over, make sure to drink more of it."
"Yes."
After he left and his footsteps faded away, Madam Xu looked at Lady Qin with a worried expression, "I always feel that since we arrived in Yunbei, my husband has been intentionally avoiding me."
"You shouldn't overthink it. The young master doesn't even have a concubine, and you've just given birth to his son. How could he avoid you?" Lady Qin was Madam Xu's personal maid who had come with her dowry. In private, she referred to Zhu Changning as 'young master'. She held Madam Xu's hand and advised in a low voice, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but you shouldn't say anything negative about the Fourth Miss anymore. The young master can't bear to hear it."
"But little An clearly fell ill after she held him! Do you also think I'm wrongly accusing her?"
Madam Xu angrily tried to shake off Lady Qin's hand, but Lady Qin held on tighter. "Of course I'm on your side, that's why I'm advising you like this. Look at what's happened recently - she's done all the impressive deeds and said all the right things. Everyone in the family, from top to bottom, is on her side. If you say anything bad about her now, not just the masters, even the servants will think you're being unreasonable."
"Then what do you think I should do?"
"You should eat well, drink well, and take good care of your health. As for the others, no matter how long she stays, she'll eventually have to marry and leave. The Zhu Family surely won't keep an old maid at home to be laughed at." Lady Qin handed her the medicinal tea. "Have you forgotten what the Madam told you before you left?"
Madam Xu lowered her head to look at her reflection in the cup. Her mother had said that since the eldest brother-in-law was determined not to marry, as long as she held onto her husband's heart, the Zhu Family would belong to her children in the future. She hadn't forgotten and had always acted accordingly. If only... if only Zhu Changle hadn't returned so suddenly, causing her to lose her composure, she wouldn't have...
"I understand now," Madam Xu raised her head. "In the future, if you notice anything I'm not paying attention to, please remind me. As for Zhu Changle, choose a gift to send to her and say some nice words."
"I'm glad you've finally understood. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything perfectly for you."
