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

The second wife disliked Meng Ruohua for leading Song Chen'an astray, and glared at her fiercely without any attempt to hide it, only to be met with a smile in return.

You're so shameless!

She didn't believe for a second that Meng Ruohua was thinking of Lü Ningshuang's best interests; instead, she scrutinized her warily, fearing that Meng Ruohua was up to something again.

Meng Ruohua seemed oblivious, and instead smiled and praised, "As expected of father and son, Second Master still dotes on his child the most."

The way you say that makes it sound like others don't care.

The second madam raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Meng Ruohua interrupted her, "Madam, let's get to the bottom of this today. Otherwise, the second master will have to worry about the child while he's on duty, which will affect him."

Upon hearing this, the second madam's hesitation vanished immediately; nothing was more important than Song Chen'an's future.

She hesitated for only a moment, then waved to Mother Qi, who understood and immediately turned and left.

Although Song Chen'an rarely thought about his child while on duty, Meng Ruohua's words made him genuinely worried about the child, and he would look outside from time to time.

Meng Ruohua fell silent, only lowering her head to study the patterns on the teacup.

With its smooth and elegant lines and delicate and exquisite patterns, this piece, though not made by a famous artist, is of superior quality and should be worth some money.

She glanced around again and noticed that the teacup she was using was a set with those in front of the Second Madam and Song Chen'an, which she had never seen before.

I stroked the pattern with a touch of regret, thinking to myself, I hope you can all get through this safely.

The sun had not yet set, and the slanting rays of the setting sun shone into the courtyard. Through the thin paper windows, one could see the golden light outside.

It's dusk again.

A short while later, Qi's mother led Lü Ningshuang and Yunzhu in.

As soon as Qi's mother explained the reason, Lü Ningshuang immediately got up to come along. It was part of her plan; how could she possibly miss it!

Since everyone was already there, the Second Madam didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "I heard from Chen-ge'er that the food in your courtyard is cold."

Lu Ningshuang glanced quickly at Meng Ruohua with a flickering look, her expression suggesting that Meng Ruohua had bullied her behind her back.

"It's a little cool, but not too cool," she said softly. "It'll be fine after I warm it up."

Since it's just a matter of warming up, why bother encouraging Song Chen to take it so seriously?

The second wife, impatient with her timid demeanor, raised her voice in a fit of anxiety, "Yes or no, what are you afraid to say here?"

Lu Ningshuang looked up with a flattering smile and said softly, "Of course I can say anything to my aunt."

Her timid demeanor, just as it had been when she first entered the manor, stirred a pang of pity in Song Chen'an, and his eyes unconsciously filled with tenderness.

Lu Ningshuang naturally sensed it, and took the opportunity to glance at Meng Ruohua again. When their eyes met, she seemed to be startled and took a half step back.

Although her footsteps were light, everyone in the room was watching her and could see her clearly.

Meng Ruohua's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. In the past, Lü Ningshuang had repeatedly used this method to frame her, and no matter how she explained, no one would listen.

She no longer cared about their misunderstanding, but she wouldn't let Lü Ningshuang continue to be so arrogant.

"Why are you looking at me, Aunt Lü? Do I look unwell?" She stroked her rosy cheeks and said to the Second Madam with a pained expression, "I've been feeling tired lately, and I have no energy at all. Aunt Liu has been cooking different dishes for me every day, but I've been eating them for half a month and I haven't gotten any better."

Lu Ningshuang's eyes widened instantly. Meng Ruohua's face was rosy and her complexion was excellent. How could she say such things against her conscience? Doesn't her conscience hurt?

I'm sorry, Meng Ruohua says she has no conscience towards you or the Song family!

The two exchanged glances, each expressing their disdain for the other's acting.

The second wife glanced at him casually, showing no respect whatsoever, and snorted coldly, "I don't think you need any tonics."

“Madam, you’ve misunderstood me. What I’m eating is just the most ordinary medicinal diet, without any precious herbs at all,” Meng Ruohua said casually. “Even if there were, Aunt Liu wouldn’t know how to cook it. She’s just an ordinary cook.”

The second wife's eyebrows twitched, as if she had thought of something, and she looked at Meng Ruohua carefully.

It must be the mother-in-law who sent the cook to help her daughter get better, since no family has had a daughter-in-law for three years and still no sign of pregnancy.

As Lü Ningshuang listened to her brazenly boasting about her cook, and recalling how she was also trying to win over Pearl to gain favor, she became even more indignant. She said pitifully, "Aunt, you don't even have a small kitchen yet, and the Second Young Mistress is already using one. If word gets out, people will say that there are no rules in our household."

Oh, so you know there are no rules in this household?

There are too many unruly things happening in this mansion!

Meng Ruohua raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What, does Aunt Lü want to buy a cook for the Second Madam?"

Lu Ningshuang was much calmer than before. Despite Meng Ruohua's provocation, she didn't get angry. She just said softly, "Second Young Madam, you misunderstand. What kind of status do I have? Even if we were to procure items for Madam, it wouldn't be my turn to do so first."

The implication was that Meng Ruohua had to deliver it first before she could deliver it herself.

"So, in Aunt Lü's opinion, there's a priority to filial piety!" Meng Ruohua turned to the Second Madam and said, "Aunt Liu was given to me by my mother. If I were to give her to you, Madam, firstly, it would damage the harmony between our two families, and secondly, outsiders wouldn't think it's a good match. They might even speculate that our Song family doesn't even have a cook."

Upon hearing this, the second wife waved her hand and said, "It was given to you by your mother, so you can keep it for yourself."

No matter the topic, as long as it touches on the reputation of the Song family, they are invincible.

Aunt Lü secretly pursed her lips. If she didn't want to give it, she didn't want to give it. What was this talk about hurting feelings? Who would hurt feelings over a cook?

"Although the Second Young Mistress's cook cannot be transferred, Qingfeng Courtyard is the only place in the mansion with a small kitchen. Does that sound good if word gets out?"

The second madam sat at the head of the table, listening to their back-and-forth, and when she was dragged into it, she couldn't help but speak up to stop them, saying, "Alright, what about the small kitchen? Let's talk about the food in Ning Shuang Courtyard first."

Meng Ruohua suddenly realized, "Yes, why is the food in Aunt Lü's courtyard cold?" She turned to Yunzhu and asked, "Does Yunzhu know?"

Even if she knew, she couldn't say. Yunzhu pretended to be confused and shook her head, saying, "I don't know."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qi Mama brought Wang Gui's wife into the house. After greeting everyone, she began to defend herself, "The food in Lianxiao Courtyard is always served hot, and the individual dishes are served directly from the stove. It's impossible for them to be cold."

Wang Gui's family already knew the cause of the matter on the way, and they were somewhat bothered by it, so they explained it clearly without any ambiguity.