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

The next day, when Meng Ruohua arrived at Rongxi Courtyard, Aunt Sun was already waiting for her with two children in the corridor.

Meng Ruohua stepped forward to greet her, and upon closer inspection, she noticed that Aunt Sun was still wearing last year's old clothes.

Although it was well-maintained, it turned slightly white after being washed multiple times, and the cuffs were frayed.

The concubines in the mansion each had four sets of clothes per season, which wasn't a lot but was enough for them, so they shouldn't have to wear old clothes.

The winter clothes for today were distributed long ago. She personally inspected them before they were distributed, and it was Sun's personal maid, Xinghua, who came to collect them. There was no way anyone would embezzle them!

Song Xi and Song Ming'an were wearing new clothes, which were made from materials arranged by Meng Ruohua.

She smiled and patted Song Xi's shoulder. The twelve-year-old girl was thin but not short, already reaching Meng Ruohua's shoulder.

"Fourth sister, would you like to go out and have some fun with your sister-in-law?"

A glint suddenly lit up in Song Xi's eyes, but she only looked at her without saying a word until Meng Ruohua smiled encouragingly. Only then did she turn to look at her aunt, and only after her aunt nodded did she answer, "I want to go out and play with my sister-in-law."

“Okay, I’ll take you next time!” Meng Ruohua said.

She wasn't suddenly inspired to help Aunt Sun; she just felt it was a pity that the two children, Song Xi and Song Ming'an, were so well-behaved and sensible, and that the Second Madam had been suppressing them all along.

Consider it an act of charity. She should indeed do more good deeds to repay God after being given a second chance at life!

Watching Tuanfu go in to report, Meng Ruohua nodded in satisfaction, finally he'd learned to be clever.

The maids and servants in the Second Madam's courtyard considered themselves superior to others and always looked down on everyone else. They even dared to bully an unfavored mistress like Aunt Sun!

Meng Ruohua wasn't going to tolerate them. If they didn't inform her, she would pull them aside in the courtyard and chat loudly, making sure the people inside could hear her.

After Tuanfu came out, he respectfully invited them in, and only breathed a sigh of relief after lowering the curtain.

This second young mistress is truly someone you shouldn't mess with!

After entering the house, they exchanged the usual greetings and chatted for a few minutes before parting ways. The second wife was preoccupied with dealing with household affairs, and seeing Meng Ruohua so leisurely only made her angrier. She didn't even have the energy to nag Aunt Sun anymore.

He waved for them to leave.

None of them look good to me!

Meng Ruohua and Aunt Sun left Rongxi Courtyard together. When they reached the fork in the road, she casually asked, "How is Fifth Brother doing at school?"

Song Ming'an had been studying at the Song family school since he was five years old. The school employed an old scholar who had not had a successful career in government. He was quite learned, but a bit pedantic.

Aunt Sun smiled slightly, "It's fine."

Meng Ruohua knew that she was used to being cautious and prudent, so she was not surprised. She simply held Song Xi's hand and said, "You can come to me if you need anything. I may not have any other skills, but I can still take care of you in the household."

Song Xi looked up at her, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

They were isolated and helpless in the mansion. Their father didn't care about them. They had enough to eat and wear, but that was all they had.

She's getting older every year, but she's hardly ever left the house. Sometimes when guests come over, she's not even allowed to come out to see them. If this continues, in another two or three years, her stepmother will definitely just randomly assign her to someone to marry off!

She didn't dream of marrying into a wealthy and powerful family; she only hoped to marry into a modest family of equal social standing and become a respectable wife.

There's also my fifth brother. He's clearly very good at studying, but he can't show it. My aunt says that the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind, and being too outstanding will bring trouble.

The mother and her two children acted like quails every day, not daring to move even if pricked with a needle.

Is this even useful? No matter how docile and obedient they are, what good will they end up with?

Song Xi wanted to find a way out for herself, and her second sister-in-law was the best help.

These past few days, she'd observed coldly and noticed that her second sister-in-law was quite different from before. Every time she directly contradicted her stepmother's opinions, every word she uttered was perfectly reasonable. Recently, her second sister-in-law had been involved in every event that had occurred in the household, yet none of them seemed to concern her.

To be able to escape unscathed, that takes real skill!

Song Xixin nodded admiringly, "I'll visit my second sister-in-law when I'm free, just don't find me a bother!"

"How could that be? Feel free to visit Qingfeng Academy whenever you have time."

Meng Ruohua knew that a few words wouldn't dispel Aunt Sun's concerns, but she didn't care. Helping them was just a matter of course; it would be best if there was a reward, but she wouldn't force it if there wasn't.

However, she felt that Aunt Sun wouldn't refuse her!

"Fifth brother, you must study hard. Only by studying hard can you have a future!" she said casually, and then strolled forward.

This is the truth. The only way out for a son born out of wedlock is to study and pass the imperial examinations. Once he has achieved that, even his legal mother has to give him some leeway.

The path to becoming a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) is one that many people cannot even begin to take!

The Song family has begun to decline, and their family education is only suitable for beginners. To truly pursue scholarship, one must seek out better teachers or attend better academies.

All of this was beyond the capabilities of Aunt Sun, an unfavored concubine!

Regardless of the thoughts of the three women, Aunt Sun, Meng Ruohua returned to Qingfeng Courtyard contentedly.

No worries, no worries!

Lin's mother directed the breakfast to be laid out, and while serving her the meal, she muttered, "Since the second young mistress has nothing else to do, why don't you ask her to take back the housekeeping duties? That way it will be more convenient for her to do whatever she wants."

"Look at what the wet nurse is saying. Whatever I want to do, even if something happens, would the manor make things difficult for me?" Meng Ruohua took a bite of the soft vegetarian bun and hurriedly invited Lin Mama: "Wet nurse, sit down. You should try some too. Aunt Li's cooking is getting better and better."

Since Aunt Li came, their tea room has been converted into a small kitchen. At first, they only made soup, porridge and snacks, but now they specialize in making meals for Meng Ruohua. Fortunately, they only make meals for her, so the small tea room can still be used efficiently.

Meng Ruohua's allowance at the Song residence was not cancelled; it was retrieved and distributed to the maids as a way of giving everyone an extra meal.

Lin's mother reluctantly cut off the conversation. She had brought it up three or five times in the past few days, but the second young mistress had avoided it each time.

She sighed heavily and said, "I'm getting old, I can't keep up with the Second Young Mistress's ideas anymore."

“Your wet nurse isn’t old, you’ll still be holding your grandson!” Meng Ruohua said.

Lin's mother didn't sit down; she stood and served Meng Ruohua until she finished her meal before going down to eat herself.

Since Lin's mother came back, it's no longer Shanhu's turn to come in and serve her. She's happy to eat first, so the food doesn't get cold.

After she finished eating, she came to relieve Linglong and Yuye, and also took the opportunity to tell Meng Ruohua the latest news.

"This morning, Yunzhu asked me for medicine to treat her injuries, saying that she had been pricked by a shard of porcelain yesterday. When I helped her apply the medicine and untied the bandage, I was shocked to see that her entire palm was covered in wounds, clearly indicating that she had been pricked by a shard of porcelain."

"It was dark and I couldn't see clearly, so she didn't pick them all out. I had to pick out five or six small bits of residue for her before they were clean."

Meng Ruohua smiled faintly, "It must be Aunt Lü throwing a tantrum again!"

"Second Young Mistress was right. Second Master didn't stay at Lianxiao Courtyard last night. He rested for a while after dinner and then left!" Coral said in a low voice. "Yunzhu even asked me for skin care tips and asked if I had any good face creams."

interesting!

"If she asks you about dressing up again in the future, just tell her. If you need anything, just let me know and I'll buy it for you!"