My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

Ma was not about to suffer this injustice, so she went straight to the study in the front yard and had a fight with Song Chang.

The noise made Song Chang's ears ring, so he quickly slipped out. Madam Ma couldn't stop him; she was still angry and went back to the backyard to summon Aunt Sun, who then spent half the day nagging him.

It wasn't until Song Xi sent someone to deliver a message to Song Chang that Song Chang rushed back to save Aunt Sun.

Unsurprisingly, the two had another argument in Rongxi Courtyard, which only ended when Song Chang paid out five hundred taels of silver.

Of course, Song Chang was furious, so the next day he bought a set of jewelry for Aunt Sun and brought gifts for Song Xi and Song Ming'an.

Aunt Sun deliberately spread the word, and within half a day it reached Madam Ma's ears, which made her so angry that she smashed several teacups.

Tuanfu looked up at the sky and had to admit that the sound of porcelain shattering was crisp and quite pleasant.

She was born into a family and had no ability to earn a living outside, so she could only serve in the mansion. However, the mansion was declining day by day. If she were assigned to the first wife, it would be fine, but if she followed the second wife, she was afraid she would not have a good life.

However, it's difficult to redeem oneself from this predicament. Masters don't easily let people go unless they are kicked out. But once kicked out, it's even harder to find work, as no family would want a servant who has made a mistake.

Tuanfu couldn't help but think of Meng Ruohua. If he followed Meng's wife, his life would definitely be much better.

As she was lost in thought, she saw the gatekeeper from the second gate approaching.

Tuanfu walked quickly to the gate, where the old woman said with a smile, "Madam Song and Granny Li are back. They just got out of their carriage at the gate. I heard they brought several cartloads of things."

He waved for the old woman to go to the second gate to help move things, and then went inside to report.

Upon hearing that there were several cartloads of goods, Madam Ma's expression finally softened; the two men hadn't completely failed her expectations.

Shen Yunlan and Song Tian, ​​who had also heard the news, rushed over to see what the two had brought back from Yanzhou.

Seeing how eager the two women were, Madam Ma led them directly towards the second gate. If there were too many things, they would need to find another place to store them.

When they arrived at the second gate, they saw servants and old women carrying boxes and baskets.

There were quite a few chests and boxes, about twenty in total, and several pieces of new furniture were also moved in.

Madam Song smiled broadly and congratulated Madam Ma, saying, "Second sister-in-law, I have successfully completed the marriage arrangement."

Mrs. Ma smiled and thanked her, "You must be tired from your journey!"

Madam Song smiled and pointed to the chests and trunks scattered on the ground, "This is the dowry the Shen family gave to our daughter." She then instructed the maid who had accompanied her to fetch the gift list.

When Mr. Ma opened it, he found a lot of dense writing, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be all worthless.

Granny Li stepped forward and bowed, saying, "My late aunt's dowry is almost gone. She brought back a box of jewelry, and Mr. Shen gave another five hundred taels to Miss Shen. They also bought some furniture, and the rest will be purchased in the capital."

As they spoke, the old woman, who only knew how to carry things, hurriedly straightened her clothes and bowed to Madam Ma, saying, "Greetings, Second Madam. My husband's surname is Han, and I was sent by Master and Madam to serve Miss."

After speaking, he bowed to Shen Yunlan and said a few words about their reunion.

Although she was supposed to be serving him, the indenture was still in the hands of Shen Yunlan's stepmother.

Madam Ma didn't recognize her, but Shen Yunlan did; she was just an old woman in the family who wasn't valued.

Shen Yunlan nodded indifferently, her eyes constantly glancing at the dowry list in Madam Ma's hand.

After a rough calculation, Madam Ma realized that this dowry was not even a fraction of what her great-aunt had received back then, and immediately lost interest, giving it to Shen Yunlan without a second thought.

If it weren't for Chen Ge'er's current situation, she definitely wouldn't have let Shen Yunlan marry into the family. She has no family background and no dowry.

Shen Yunlan glanced at it briefly and then put away the dowry list. Although there weren't many items, it was still her dowry, and she wouldn't let Madam Ma take it.

These things were all moved to Changling Pavilion, and we'll discuss how to arrange them later.

Madam Ma led Madam Song to Rongxi Courtyard, instructed Jixiang to serve tea and snacks, and let Madam Song have some first before speaking.

Madam Song recounted how they traveled and talked, and finally said, "I think the Shen family has really fallen into ruin. The new madam is also petty and small-minded, not as good as our late aunt."

At the time, Old Master Song valued Shen's father's learning and, disregarding the Shen family's low social standing, married his daughter to him. Had Old Master Song lived a few more years, with the Song family's support, Shen's father might have been able to achieve great things.

Now that Song Yin has been stationed away for over ten years, he hasn't had a chance to return. Song Chang in the capital has no future, and his great-aunt passed away early. Who cares about the Shen family anymore?

A hint of disdain flashed in Madam Ma's eyes, but she then smiled and said, "Although the Shen family is no longer at home, Mr. Shen is still a prefect. I imagine he is doing better in Yanzhou than in the capital."

Madam Song nodded, "It's considered quite good in Yanzhou, but Yanzhou is bitterly cold, so it can't compare to the capital."

As they were talking, Shen Yunlan and Song Tian arrived together and began to talk with Madam Song.

Madam Song was very good at interpersonal relationships. She brought some local specialties from Yanzhou for everyone in the Song family and made a special mention that she had asked Han Mama to buy them.

Shen Yunlan had lived in Yanzhou for over a year, but she had traveled quite often and still missed the things there. Seeing these familiar things made her feel incredibly warm and fuzzy inside.

"Thank you for your concern, Fifth Aunt. I really like these."

Holding the wooden rabbit, Song Tian said with a grin, "Fifth Aunt is so kind, she still remembers that I was born in the Year of the Rabbit."

"Of course I remember." Madam Song praised Song Tian again, "She will be getting married in a few months and won't be at home for long. If you have nothing to do, ask your sister to come and chat with you often, and let her learn some mannerisms from you."

Song Tian was delighted by the praise. "If my sister has nothing else to do, Fifth Aunt can send someone to bring her over to play. I'm not going out anyway."

“Alright, it’s settled then.” Madam Song said with emotion, “It’s more comfortable to stay in the boudoir than to play and have fun with my sisters.”

Song Tian was not yet married. Although she was not shy, Madam Song was very tactful in her speech and would not say anything that would make people embarrassed. She only chatted for a few words and then stopped.

She repeatedly urged Song Tian to take her daughter out to play more, and even subtly hinted that after Song Tian got married, she would invite her daughter to visit the Wang family.

Song Tian readily agreed, "Fifth Aunt, don't worry. If there's a chance, I'll invite my sister to stay for a few days."

Ma understood the implication and didn't stop it. Instead, she was even more proud of Song Tian's marriage.

It was a great honor for them to marry into the Wang family. When Song Tian's marriage was arranged, it immediately aroused the envy of many people in the clan.

Since Shen Yunlan and Song Tian were both unmarried, it was inconvenient to say too much. Madam Song only explained Shen Yunlan's dowry in detail.

“The five hundred taels were the dowry that Mr. Shen gave to the young lady. Another five hundred taels were entrusted to one of the young lady’s cousins ​​to prepare some more dowry. The money was given to your family’s steward, Mr. Zhu.”

Shen Yunlan nodded, "Thank you for your help, Fifth Aunt."

After explaining everything, Madam Song went home first. She had been traveling back and forth for more than a month and was exhausted.