After being reborn, her aloof ex-husband and her crazy deceased husband got into a fight.

Hearing Xiao Hong's words, Gan Cai'er nodded and said, "That is in line with Madam Mei's style."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Xiaoxiao asked.

“Xiao Xiao, you’ve only been in Kyoto for a short time, so naturally you don’t know the ins and outs here.” Gan Cai’er took Zhu Xiao Xiao’s arm and explained to her as they walked.

“Kyoto is the capital of the imperial city. It has many officials and nobles. If a sign falls down on the street and injures ten people, five of them will be officials from the capital, and the other three will be nobles.”

"With so many officials, the hierarchy becomes extremely important. A higher rank can be incredibly powerful. Don't be fooled by the fact that there are only two ranks between the third and fourth ranks; those are insurmountable barriers."

"Unless they are related by marriage, people from families with a difference of more than two ranks will be gossiped about if they walk together. They will be accused of flattering superiors or bullying inferiors."

"Then why did you ask me to persuade Madam Wei to send an invitation to the Mei family? Prime Minister Mei is a second-rank official in the current court!" Zhu Xiaoxiao became anxious upon hearing this and shoved Gan Cai'er away.

“Oh dear, your Wei family is different!” Gan Cai’er quickly pulled Zhu Xiaoxiao back and explained, “Although Lord Wei’s official rank is not high, his reputation is high.”

"Even if Lord Wei isn't the undisputed master of calligraphy and painting, he's certainly a leading figure. He can move freely before the Emperor with just a paintbrush! Otherwise, how could Madam Wei have sent an invitation so readily after you mentioned it?"

“Even if you don’t understand the intricacies, how could Madam Wei not understand? Besides, look, although Madam Mei didn’t agree on the surface, she still came, just in a different way.”

"Is that really true? You're not lying to me?" Zhu Xiaoxiao asked with a doubtful look.

"I would never lie to you, let alone anyone else! Besides, what good would it do me to lie to you?" Gan Cai'er rolled her eyes at her, annoyed.

"The social interactions in Kyoto are so complicated. Just the whole bunch of ladies and young women who came today are giving me a headache. It's so much better in Qingshui Town; everyone gets along so easily there," Zhu Xiaoxiao sighed.

"Don't worry too much. Just attend more gatherings and you'll learn everything soon. You know, even I can learn it, so you're much smarter than me, so it'll be a piece of cake for you!" Gan Cai'er reassured her.

"Now that Madam Mei is here, let's go find Mei Wanqing."

As she spoke, Gan Cai'er pulled Zhu Xiaoxiao toward the back courtyard.

"Hey, aren't you going to check on your Lantingzhou first?" Zhu Xiaoxiao stopped and grabbed Gan Cai'er.

This Laba porridge feast was hosted by Madam Wei on a family-by-family basis, so it wasn't just the female relatives who attended.

Therefore, Lan Tingzhou and Lan Tingzhi also came today. Not only did they both come, but even Du Ke came along.

"What's so interesting about him? Why would I want to see him?" Gan Cai'er asked curiously.

Isn't it enough for you to see him at home every day? Why do you still go to the temple to see him?

Zhu Xiaoxiao's expression suddenly became awkward, and Gan Cai'er suddenly had a flash of inspiration, realizing what was going on. So, she laughed and teased, "If you want to see a bookworm, just say so. Why do you have to drag me along like a raft?"

Zhu Xiaoxiao blushed and glared at her, embarrassed and annoyed.

“Madam Lan, my young lady isn’t married yet, so it’s really inappropriate for her to go to the man’s side.” Huan’er quickly stepped in to help Zhu Xiaoxiao out of the predicament.

Upon hearing Huan'er's words, Gan Cai'er understood. It seemed that Wei Shi'an was still adhering to etiquette; although the two lived close by, they didn't have many opportunities to meet.

Having figured this out, she took Zhu Xiaoxiao's arm and said, "Alright, I'll reluctantly go and meet my husband."

Zhu Xiaoxiao's face flushed even more, and she spat at Gan Cai'er: "Who wants to see him? You're talking nonsense!"

"Okay, okay, okay, I was just talking nonsense, it was all nonsense."

"Let's go, my young lady~~~"

Gan Cai'er smiled and pulled Zhu Xiaoxiao toward the Tongda Courtyard next door.

For this Laba porridge gathering, Madam Wei booked a total of four Zen temples: Mingxin Temple, Jingxin Temple, Tongda Temple, and Huida Temple.

Mingxin Courtyard and Jingxin Courtyard were used as gathering places for women, while Tongda Courtyard and Huida Courtyard were used by men.

The courtyards are separated by only a wall; you can easily reach them by going out and going around a doorway.

Since this was a family outing, although there were distinctions between men and women in the four courtyards, the restrictions were not obvious, and people moved around freely among themselves.

Lan Tingzhou and Wei Shi'an were both at Tongda Temple. When Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao entered, the two of them were sitting with several other people discussing Buddhism.

Seeing that they were having a lively discussion, Gan Cai'er and Zhu Xiaoxiao sat down at a stone table nearby.

"Hey, this bookworm can talk quite fluently when he gets into a discussion. He doesn't stutter anymore?" Gan Cai'er exclaimed in surprise.

Zhu Xiaoxiao paused for a moment, then said, "He doesn't stutter; he only stutters a little when he's too nervous."

"Oh, so he gets nervous whenever he sees you?" Gan Cai'er smiled mischievously.

Zhu Xiaoxiao silently reached out and pinched Gan Cai'er's waist hard. Unfortunately, Gan Cai'er was dressed too thickly and didn't manage to pinch anything.

Gan Cai'er covered her mouth, laughing so hard she was shaking uncontrollably, completely losing her composure.

Zhu Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at her and ignored her.

"Ah Cai, did you bring the Eighth Young Master with you today?" Only then did Zhu Xiaoxiao notice the child standing next to Lan Tingzhou.

“Yes, Lan Tingzhou asked me to bring it.” Gan Cai’er nodded.

"He asked me to bring it? When did he start meddlesome?" Zhu Xiaoxiao was quite puzzled.

Gan Cai'er recalled that when she gave the Wei family's invitation to Lan Tingzhou, he looked at it for a while and then said he wanted to bring Du Ke along as well. At the time, she, like Zhu Xiaoxiao, was surprised.

What did Lan Tingzhou say? Oh, he said that the Du family would definitely not celebrate the Laba Festival with Du Ke, so it would be better to take this opportunity to bring him to Foguang Temple, have him drink a bowl of Laba porridge, and ask for Buddha's blessing so that he could suffer less in the future.

Gan Cai'er thought it made sense.

“The Eighth Young Master is his only student, so it’s only right that he thinks of him more,” Gan Cai’er said.

"I really didn't realize he was such a thoughtful and considerate person. Tsk, he'll definitely be a good father in the future," Zhu Xiaoxiao remarked.

Gan Cai'er suddenly thought of Fu'er; Lan Tingzhou was indeed a good father. It was just a pity that Meng Yu had said he had never had a child of his own.

But why doesn't he have his own children?

Gan Cai'er couldn't understand it.