A master of metaphysics is farming.

It's normal for the ghost baby to approach Xiang Lianmei, but how did she obtain the fetus?

Xiang He had seen the wooden box; the patterns on it were not those of a simple wooden box. There were binding talismans on it, clearly carved by someone knowledgeable.

The fleshy embryo was imprisoned inside, and ordinary people couldn't easily find it, let alone let the things inside get out.

Unless someone opens the box and releases it to find Xiang Lianmei.

At this moment, Xiang Lianmei tightened her grip on the table, her face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly relaxed. "It was given to me by a passing sorcerer who said... as long as I finish eating everything inside within forty-nine days, my child will be able to return."

"You actually believed that?"

Xiang Lianmei smiled helplessly, "At that time, that... appeared in my room, and I believed it without really understanding what was going on."

Hearing this, Xiang He rested her chin on her hand and looked at her, "The things that happened to Ninth Sister are really strange."

Seeing her innocent look, Xiang Lianmei just smiled and said, "Although I don't know why you were there that night, I won't tell anyone about it, so you can rest assured."

Unexpectedly, Xiang Lianmei is quite sensible, completely different from Zhang Shi's personality.

Xiang He spread her hands and said, "It's just a coincidence. I'm just a country girl."

"Hehe," Xiang Lianmei looked out into the courtyard, "Achang said he's inviting your family to a joyous gathering at Chunfeng Tower tonight, would you do me the honor?"

"That's great!" Xiang He hurriedly ran back to her room, carrying a cloth bag in her hand. "It just so happens that I'm going to deliver a thank-you gift to Miss Jiang."

"I've heard that you're acquainted with Miss Jiang. It seems you've already established yourself in the city."

"It's not that we hurt each other, it's just that we happened to meet."

The two chatted for a while, and as dusk fell outside, Xiang Lianmei and her husband went to Chunfeng Tower first, while Xiang He waited for Madam Su to return before the whole family went out.

As soon as they arrived at Chunfeng Tower, Jiang Xinyue hurriedly caught up with her, "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

Xiang He turned around and told them to go up first, then looked at Jiang Xinyue while holding the cloth bag, "Why are you always here..."

"I am the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, of course I have to take care of the building."

Xiang He had never known her before, and she never expected that her father would let a woman like her manage the household, which was very rare in this era.

She handed over a cloth bag, saying, "This is a thank-you gift for lending me clothes when I was soaking wet that day. It was embroidered by Zheng Niang herself."

Jiang Xinyue, who was about to refuse, immediately took the embroidery upon hearing that it was embroidered by Zheng Niang, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Do you know how hard it is to get a piece of Zheng Niang's embroidery!"

"It wasn't that difficult..."

Zheng Niang rarely does any handiwork. The shop only produces three pieces of clothing embroidered by Zheng Niang each month. Because of their scarcity, the price went up, and her reputation spread as well—a win-win situation.

Thinking about it this way, the two sets of clothes that Xiang He received can be considered quite precious.

With a smile, Xiang He saw that Jiang Xinyue was still admiring the embroidery, so she turned and walked upstairs. "Alright, my ninth sister is waiting. See you another day."

"okay!"

-

Everyone sat around a table chatting and laughing. Zhang and Xiang Dacheng were also invited. When they saw Xiang He and his family, their expressions were clearly not right.

Zhang pulled Lianmei aside and whispered in her ear, "Why did you invite their whole family?"

"Half a month ago, He'er brought chicken soup. It was her kind gesture and advice that helped my daughter see things in a better light. I must express my gratitude."

Thinking back to that night when I went to their house, my daughter didn't act like that at all, and the more I thought about it, the more something seemed off.

"Could it be that He'er did something? How could you..."

Xiang Lianmei gently patted Zhang's hand, "Mother, don't think so much. He'er means well. Don't say anymore, Mother, try the pearl duck from Chunfenglou."

Zhang looked on with suspicion as she watched the family admiring the furnishings in the side room, feeling a sense of disdain.

He looked like he had never seen the world.

"Sister-in-law, you can't touch that porcelain lightly, or you'll have to pay for it if you break it."

Su immediately looked towards the corner of the room, where Xiang Yun was standing in front of the wooden lattice, looking at a porcelain piece in surprise.

As if she heard that she was being talked about, Xiang Yun waved her hand at her side and said, "Second Aunt, I didn't touch it."

"You're so clumsy, don't get too close. It would be bad if something happened to you."

Her words were full of disdain, but Madam Su simply beckoned to Yun, "Come and sit down. Haven't you had enough of looking at the master's house yet?"

“This is different. The gentleman’s house has many patterns. He taught us to draw them and even let us touch them to see the difference.”

“The valuables in your household, sir.”

The two talked as if no one else was around, which made Zhang seem petty.

Zhang was furious and rolled her eyes inwardly. "Your family is doing better now. The two younger ones can go to school, and most importantly, they're by your side. Unlike my Kaixi, who lives so far away in the prefectural government, we can only see him every ten days or half a month."

"That's because your son Kaixi is capable; he passed the preliminary examination and was noticed by the teacher."

"Of course! My son Kaixi passed the preliminary examination early on. His teacher said he'll definitely pass the county-level examination in the spring of February!"

She was full of praise for her son, showing all her pride, but when she looked at Xiang Yang and Xiang Yun, she was disdainful and contemptuous, as if she looked down on Xiang Dayong's family from the bottom of her heart.

That's normal, after all, they're the worst-off family, and we've never hoped they'd have a better life.

This time, Madam Su stopped talking. Xiang Lianmei, who was standing to the side, tugged at Madam Zhang's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking. This was supposed to be a joyous gathering, why make things awkward?

She poured a cup of hot tea for Madam Su, saying, "Third Aunt, Xiao Yang and Yun'er are fortunate to have received the teacher's guidance; their future prospects are sure to be bright."

"That's too much, that's too much. Being able to read and write is enough; I don't expect to get a high ranking in the exam."

Xiang He sat silently to the side. Xiang Lianmei wanted to build a good relationship, but Zhang Shi was arrogant and self-righteous. Her husband, Xiang Dacheng, had a stern face and only smiled when talking to Chen Qingchang. His disdain was obvious.

After all, we are not traveling together.

"Sir, the dishes are served!" A waiter came in from outside carrying a plate of jade. "The host is very pleased to return the favor to the young lady and is serving two dishes as a token of his appreciation."

Zhang, who had just been looking down on him, paused slightly, looking at Xiang He with suspicion in her eyes, "It's you?"

"Somewhat familiar, somewhat familiar."

Xiang He smiled at the waiter and said, "Please thank Miss Jiang for me. Let's meet again another time when you're free."

"Yes."

After the waiter left, Chen Qingchang turned his head with a smile, "He girl has a wide circle of friends, she even knows the eldest daughter of the Jiang family."

"Just a casual acquaintance."

Seeing Chen Qingchang's friendly attitude towards Xiang He, Zhang felt resentful. She thought that since she had just benefited from one family's kindness, she should try to curry favor with them.

Their contempt ran even deeper; Zhang never gave them a kind look.

After the meal, Xiang He's family was satisfied, but Zhang Shi was put in a difficult position. She had to force a smile and nod while complaining about the family.

If it weren't for Chen Qingchang, Zhang would probably have been even more sarcastic.

Xiang He was speechless at the sight of someone who couldn't stand seeing others doing better than her. As soon as she finished eating, she said goodbye to Xiang Lianmei and her husband and rushed home to wash up.

Just as she was about to go to sleep, she felt the call of the ram, and she had no choice but to put on her cotton coat again and go out.