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

Song Tian gave a reproachful look, then took Meng Ruohua's arm and said sweetly, "Look at what you're saying, sister-in-law. I still have a lot to learn from you."

"Madam, are you here to see the jewelry your sister has chosen?" Meng Ruohua patted Song Tian's hand and praised, "Young ladies always have good taste. Last time, she picked out the hairpins herself, and the manager of Cuilulou praised her for choosing the newest and best items in the store."

Hearing this, the second wife couldn't help but snort coldly, "You certainly know how to make excuses for her."

"Excuses for what?" Meng Ruohua looked around blankly, full of doubt, and asked, "What did my sister do wrong?"

Song Tian immediately shook her head obediently and replied, "No!"

"I knew it!" Meng Ruohua breathed a sigh of relief and affectionately put her arm around Song Tian. "My little sister is the most sensible!"

The second wife didn't want to reprimand Song Tian in front of Meng Ruohua, lest she make a fool of herself, so she swallowed back the words she hadn't said, but the feeling of not being able to say them was very uncomfortable.

She frowned as she looked at Meng Ruohua, making no attempt to hide the impatience in her eyes, as if she wanted to tell her to leave the moment she was about to do so.

Seeing the Second Madam's ashen face, Madam Qi, standing behind her, quickly poured another cup of tea and gently interrupted her angry glare, "Second Madam, please have some tea first!"

To avoid making the second young mistress even angrier!

She'd been observing her closely for the past two months, and it was clear that the Second Young Mistress wasn't someone to be trifled with. While it seemed the Second Young Mistress had suppressed her, even taking away her management power, the Second Young Mistress, without that power, lived a very leisurely life, occasionally even going out of the manor for a stroll. This made one wonder if she had voluntarily relinquished the management power, since the manor's accounts weren't very full, and previously, it was only through the Second Young Mistress's subsidies that the servants received their monthly wages.

No matter how angry the second madam glared at her, Meng Ruohua seemed oblivious, and continued to joke with Song Tian, ​​"Where's the jewelry you chose, little sister? I'm all here, aren't you going to take it out and let me see? Are you afraid I'll steal it from you?"

With a beaming smile, Song Tian opened the dressing case and touched the top layer with her neatly arranged, smooth fingertips. "These were all bought today. Together with the hairpins and ornaments my sister-in-law bought for me a few days ago, they make a complete set of headdress."

Meng Ruohua curiously leaned closer and examined it carefully. "It really makes me want to take it!"

"Sister-in-law, feel free to take it if you like it. Just buy me a couple more next time."

"Listen to this, you've got a really clever plan!" Meng Ruohua said, then turned to the silent Second Madam. "Madam, how did you raise such a clever Third Sister? She can charm people with her words, making them want to give her anything they want."

The second wife calmed down a bit after being praised, but when she looked at the box full of jewelry, she felt a pang of heartache, as it was all bought with her own money!

"Clever? Clever when it comes to spending money."

Upon hearing this, Song Tian's face fell. Her mother's words in front of her sister-in-law made her lose face.

Meng Ruohua sat down next to Song Tian and said with strong disagreement, "Madam is wrong. If we open shops and buy land, who else can we spend the money on if not the children? Our family only has the second master and the third young lady as legitimate children. All the family wealth belongs to the two siblings. Now that the younger sister likes these things, she can buy them. But she won't be able to do so so freely in the future."

It's not appropriate to bring up marriage in front of her sister-in-law, who isn't yet engaged, but everyone understands what she means.

Once you get married and move to your husband's family home, you can't do whatever you want anymore.

These words struck a chord with Song Tian. Her family wasn't short of three or five hundred taels of silver, so why was it worth scolding her for so long?

Her mother was reluctant to spend the money on her, thinking of saving it all for her second brother!

She glanced at the jade hairpin in Meng Ruohua's hair; its bright white color indicated it was of the highest quality. Her second sister-in-law had told her that her brother had brought it to her from the Northwest before she got married. Look how much her brother cares for his sister! Her gaze then shifted to the lotus-green Shu brocade jacket with gold thread embroidery that Meng Ruohua was wearing. That Shu brocade was definitely not from the manor; it must have been made from her second sister-in-law's own dowry.

Look, she's dressed entirely in her dowry; that's the source of her confidence.

Song Tian turned her head to look at the east room, which was her bedroom.

She also needs to save up as much dowry as possible while she is at her parents' home, otherwise she will be looked down upon if she marries into a prestigious family like the Wang family without a dowry!

Thinking of Wang Yuanzhi, a smile unconsciously crept onto her face, followed by a blush.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Song Tian got up and went into the inner room, beckoning Meng Ruohua over, "Second sister-in-law, take a look, how do I look in this new dress when I go to the banquet at the Wang family the other day?"

It was a long gown made of bright red satin with scattered flowers, given to her by Meng Ruohua, paired with a light green pleated skirt with subtle patterns.

"It's beautiful! Everyone will be envious if you go there!"

Her gown was exquisitely made, with gold thread trimming the edges and the unique sheen of the satin, making her look radiant.

Song Tian happily handed the clothes to Qingping, telling her to hang them up so they wouldn't get wrinkled.

The second wife felt even more frustrated watching them talk so enthusiastically. The child she had raised with such care had been swindled away by Meng Ruohua with just a piece of fabric; how could she be so easily fooled!

She coughed lightly impatiently and said, "Tian'er, stop showing off. Wasn't that fabric given to you by your sister-in-law?"

Song Tian's joy was instantly extinguished by a bucket of cold water. She sat sullenly on the bed, not uttering a sound.

No wonder my father didn't like going to Rongxi Courtyard; with my mother's ability to pour cold water on things, no one could stand it.

She wanted to argue and defend herself, but she didn't want to argue in front of her sister-in-law, otherwise how would her mother manage the household in the future?

She glanced at her sister-in-law, who also looked embarrassed. Sensing her gaze, Meng Ruohua forced a smile, giving her a knowing look, and said considerately, "Sister-in-law has something to do, so she should go back first. Sister, please get some rest."

Before leaving, Meng Ruohua winked at Song Tian, ​​as if to say, "If you need anything, just go to your sister-in-law!"

When she first arrived, she could still hear the two arguing in the yard, but they stopped arguing once they went inside. It seemed they didn't want to argue in front of her, so she decided to leave first.

Sigh, she's been an outsider from beginning to end!

Song Tian sat on the bed, listening to Meng Ruohua say goodbye to the second madam, and as the footsteps in the courtyard gradually faded away, she immediately felt as if all her strength had been released and leaned back on the bed.

If an argument is interrupted halfway through, it's hard to continue. The anger between the two people dissipates over time, leaving only exhaustion.

Outside, Qi's mother whispered words of persuasion for a quarter of an hour before personally inviting Song Tian out of the house.

The second wife coughed awkwardly, "Let's leave it at that. I won't pursue this matter further, but don't do it again!"

What do you mean, "Don't repeat the same mistake"? She didn't do anything wrong!

Just as she was about to retort, Madam Qi quickly interrupted, "Third Miss, if you want to buy anything in the future, just tell Madam. She's your own mother, how could she not buy it for you?"

Given my mother's stingy nature, she really might not buy it for me!

She lowered her eyes helplessly and stared at the chair leg without saying a word.