The Year of Lihua: She Was Reborn

"Madam, the young lady is back!"

Jianwu was seen trotting into the backyard with her skirt lifted up. Her face was filled with unconcealable joy, like a blooming flower.

At this time, Mrs. Hua was sitting leisurely in the center of the courtyard, gently stroking the exquisite bird card in her hand.

Sitting on the other three sides of the card table were the wife of the Left Commandant, the wife of Deputy General Zhou, and the wife of Minister Pei of the Ministry of War.

When they heard the news of Hua Ye's return, their faces, which were originally full of hatred and bitterness, instantly showed a faint smile as if they were touched by a spring breeze.

Mrs. Pei raised her head slightly and spoke lazily.

"Sister Hua, we've been playing with you all night. Look, this girl Hua Ye is back too. Why don't we just go our separate ways for now? We can meet again sometime in the future!"

As she spoke, she unconsciously raised her hand to straighten her hair that was about to fall down.

Before Mrs. Hua could make any response, the three of them seemed to have telepathy. They reached out their hands almost at the same time and pushed down the cards on the table in front of them without hesitation.

The bird cards scattered in an instant, like petals blown by the wind, and then quickly intertwined and mixed together, making people dizzy.

"Oh my! I've almost lost all the money I brought with me. I really can't continue playing!"

Mrs. Zhou spread her hands helplessly and gave a forced smile.

Then, she slowly stood up and gracefully began to adjust her khaki skirt, as if trying to hide her inner embarrassment and loss.

"That's right, my money is almost gone!" Seeing this, Mrs. Zuo quickly echoed.

She gently shook the purse embroidered with an exquisite lotus pattern in her hand, but only a few tiny silver-gray crumbs poured out, very little.

"Thank you so much, sisters, for spending time with me last night. How could I let you go home empty-handed after losing your money? Jianwu, quickly go get the night pearls from my room and give one to each of the ladies."

Seeing their sad faces, Mrs. Hua, who had won the whole night, was in a good mood.

Especially when she learned that her daughter had returned safely, she couldn't stop smiling. Even she, who had always been as stingy as a miser, became unusually generous today.

When they heard that it was a night-shining pearl, the three ladies present looked at each other with surprise and disbelief in their eyes.

They looked at each other, not knowing what to do for a moment, and even felt a little flattered.

"Oh, this gift is too valuable. We absolutely cannot accept it. We can't, we can't..."

The three ladies looked at each other, all with embarrassed expressions, and refused in unison.

"Oh my, Madam Hua, you are too polite. How can I be so embarrassed?"

However, despite their repeated refusals, they were ultimately unable to resist Mrs. Hua's fiery enthusiasm.

Mrs. Hua was smiling widely. As she spoke, she reached out and took the ordinary wooden box containing the night pearl from Jianwu's hand, and then handed it to the three ladies without hesitation.

Her voice was bright and friendly. "Take them! These are all betrothal gifts from my son-in-law, and they are so numerous! We have known each other for many years and have a deep bond. A mere night-shining pearl is nothing. The value of a gift is not important; the key lies in the friendship! Sisters, please stop being so formal with me and accept them quickly!"

Mrs. Zuo carefully took the wooden box in her hand, gently stroked the slightly rough wood grain on it, and sighed slightly.

She thought to herself: "Alas, what a pity for my Zuo Nian... But judging by his recent behavior, I think he must have completely let it go." Thinking of this, a hint of sadness appeared on Mrs. Zuo's face.

On the other side, Mrs. Zhou took the wooden box with a smile on her face and expressed her gratitude hurriedly.

"Thank you so much, Madame General! Your generosity is truly touching."

Although she spoke very politely, the corners of her mouth that were raised high in the air, which she couldn't suppress, had already revealed the joy in her heart after obtaining the treasure.

Finally, Mrs. Pei took the wooden box reluctantly, quickly hid it in her wide sleeves, and then said with a smile.

"In that case, we sisters will take our leave now. We will visit you again another day to express our sincere gratitude to Madam Hua for her kindness today!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she bowed to Mrs. Hua.

After saying goodbye, the three ladies looked at each other, then walked side by side, talking and laughing, gradually moving away from this quiet courtyard.

The sunlight shines on them, illuminating their graceful figures in various postures, like a beautiful painting.