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

That day, Meng Ruohua thought that Song Xi's new clothes should be finished by now, so she asked Shanhu to invite the person over.

Before long, Song Xi and Yu Ye arrived at Qingfeng Courtyard, chatting and laughing.

As soon as she entered the house, Song Xi smiled and thanked her, "The fabric that Second Sister-in-law gave me has already been made by the sewing room. I was just thinking of coming to thank Second Sister-in-law."

"That's not worth it."

Meng Ruohua waved her hand happily. She had made many new clothes for the Second Madam and Song Tian before, but no one had ever thanked her in person.

He pulled her to sit on a low couch and instructed Linglong to fetch freshly made poria cocos cake and almond tea for Song Xi, saying, "These are all homemade, and they're cleaner than what you buy outside."

Song Xi blushed slightly and said shyly, "I came to thank my second sister-in-law, but I've only caused her trouble."

"What's the trouble? It's made to be eaten. I'll bring another portion for Brother Ming later," Meng Ruohua said.

After Song Xi ate a piece of poria cocos cake and drank half a cup of almond tea, Meng Ruohua didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I was thinking that this is Minister Wang's birthday banquet. Since our family has accepted the invitation, isn't this an opportunity? There will definitely be many outstanding people of good character and talent on the day, and we can make some friends."

Meng Ruohua paused, observing Song Xi's reaction, and continued, "There are just a lot of people at the banquet, so you might encounter one or two who look down on you."

Fortunately, Song Xi was only stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then she laughed after she came to her senses. "I understand, and I understand my sister-in-law's heart. I have already made two sets of dresses with those two bolts of fabric, so I have a replacement."

"I know you don't need to worry, I'm just giving you a few words of advice." Meng Ruohua took out the prepared box. "You know the situation in our household very well. There are many things I'm powerless to do. No matter what, we juniors can only obey."

"I've prepared a few pieces of jewelry that no one has ever seen before. Take them back and wear them with your clothes." As she spoke, she opened the small vermilion box, inside which was a set of gold filigree and pearl-encrusted headdress.

Each hairpin and ornament in this set is small and delicate, with pearls no bigger than soybeans. The price is not high, making it especially suitable for young girls. Moreover, Song Xi is young, with delicate features and a well-behaved demeanor, and cannot carry off overly luxurious and expensive jewelry.

Upon seeing this, Song Xi waved her hands repeatedly, "Sister-in-law, this is too precious, I can't accept it."

Her sister-in-law took her out and even brought her new fabric to make new clothes. She was already very grateful and couldn't ask for anything more.

"It's not exactly valuable, I'm afraid Fourth Sister wouldn't want it," Meng Ruohua said with a slight smile, casually fiddling with it.

Song Xi was so surprised that she quickly stood up and waved her hands awkwardly, "It's not that I'm disgusted, it's not that I'm disgusted, it's just that I really feel that my sister-in-law has spent too much money."

Meng Ruohua pulled the person back onto the bed, saying, "This really isn't worth much money."

In the past, she only cared about pleasing the Second Madam and Song Chen'an, and even indulged Song Tian quite a bit, paying no attention to the others in the mansion. Since she came back to life, she has been observing everyone in the mansion with a cold eye and has discovered many people and things that she had previously overlooked.

For example, Song Xi, though young, is very tactful. Taking her out to a banquet and giving her clothes and jewelry afterward—wasn't that a test?

If she, like Song Tian, ​​wanted to marry into a wealthy family, then she wouldn't need to pay attention to Song Xi anymore. If she could marry into a wealthy family, she wouldn't need Song Xi's help; if she couldn't, she certainly wouldn't care about Song Xi's help.

She pushed the box over, saying, "If Fourth Sister doesn't mind, she can keep it. It's just sitting there for nothing to me."

Song Xi carefully observed Meng Ruohua's expression and found that she was indeed sincere. "Second sister-in-law, you've gone to so much trouble. You've not only prepared fabric for me but also jewelry." Her smile was shy, as she was still not used to others being so kind to her.

In the mansion, apart from her aunt and fifth brother, no one else cared about her. She had recently thought it over carefully and realized that her second sister-in-law's kindness towards her must have an ulterior motive. If it was to pave the way for her second brother's marriage, then her sister-in-law's overtures were a bit too early. She was only twelve years old; she still had at least three more years before she could get married.

Besides this, she couldn't think of anything else that would attract attention or be exploited by others.

Song Xi frowned slightly. Hadn't her second brother stopped staying at Qingfeng Courtyard for two or three months?

Meng Ruohua was unaware of Song Xi's thoughts, and seeing that she had accepted the gift, she no longer mentioned the Wang family banquet.

After exchanging a few more jokes, Song Xi, seeing the sun setting, decided to take her leave. She asked Shanhu to put the box into the food container, and then packed two plates of pastries, escorting Song Xi all the way back.

Early the next morning, Shanhu went into the house to report that the Second Master had once again stayed at Aunt Sun's Lotus Courtyard.

Meng Ruohua raised an eyebrow and looked at Shanhu in the bronze mirror, whereupon she saw Shanhu nod firmly.

The second master had two concubines, one named Concubine Sun and the other Concubine Hu. Concubine Hu had given birth to a son years earlier, only two years younger than Song Chen'an, named Mu'an. Song Mu'an was intelligent and quick-witted, excelling in his studies and poetry, and was greatly favored by Song Chang. Whenever Song Chang attended a banquet or poetry gathering with Song Chen'an, he would always invite Song Mu'an as well. Outsiders, unaware of the situation, simply assumed the Song family had two legitimate sons, and even praised Song Mu'an more.

He continued like this until he was twelve years old, when he fell into the water at a banquet.

After being pulled from the water, it was said that she had been drunk and accidentally fallen in, but unfortunately, no servant was with her. The investigation yielded nothing, and the matter was dropped. From then on, Aunt Hu became depressed, spending her days chanting and copying scriptures, rarely appearing in public.

Aunt Sun entered the household before Song Mu'an's death. After entering, she was well-behaved and followed the rules. Before Song Xi was born, she lived a relatively good life, and the Second Madam rarely mistreated her. It was only after she gave birth to two children in succession that the situation changed.

In previous years, Song Chang would argue with the Second Madam after learning about this, but he later discovered that the more they argued, the more severely Consort Sun would be punished. As a result, Song Chang gradually became indifferent to Consort Sun, and life in the mansion became much more peaceful.

Therefore, Song Chang returned to the inner courtyard less and less often, and most of the time he went to Aunt Sun's Lotus Courtyard. Occasionally he would go to Rongxi Courtyard, where he would always have a few words with the Second Madam.

Meng Ruohua secretly recalled that Song Chang had visited the Lotus Courtyard twice since she spoke with Aunt Sun. A slight smile played on her lips as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

After getting ready, Meng Ruohua took Shanhu to Rongxi Courtyard as usual.

Before leaving, he instructed Lin's mother, "Nanny, I want to eat your sweet egg soup. Please make me a serving today."

Madam Lin, who was in need of the meal, happily agreed, "Second Young Madam, go and pay your respects first, and you'll be able to eat when you return."

Upon arriving at Rongxi Courtyard, Meng Ruohua looked at the empty courtyard with surprise. Weren't Aunt Sun and her two children here? Why weren't they punished by the Second Madam?

Upon seeing Meng Ruohua, Tuanfu immediately went inside to announce her arrival. She then came out and solemnly lifted the curtain, saying, "Second Young Madam, please come in."

Meng Ruohua was puzzled, but her face remained expressionless.

Upon entering the main hall, she looked up and saw that it was Song Chang.