The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Du Juan couldn't hide her surprise, "Miss?"

Yuan Tiaotiao even joked, "What, you want to warm your master's bed?"

Du Juan shook her head repeatedly. She had served Yuan Tiaotiao since she was a child, and the two of them used to stick together for warmth.

But from some point onward, the girl she had served since childhood had become such a deep and thoughtful person.

Even she couldn't see through it.

Warming the bed? She doesn't even want to go around in front of He Zhizhang anymore.

Du Juan secretly resolved that she must find an opportunity to marry herself off as soon as possible, and she must never let her daughter have any other thoughts.

She didn't think she could be a match for Yuan Tiaotiao.

----

It was almost Chinese New Year, and neither Yuan Tiaotiao's miscarriage nor Aunt Shui's giving birth to Xiao Qi caused much of a stir in the household.

The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day when married daughters return to their parents' home.

Madam Shen led her children to the Shen family residence to pay New Year's respects. This was the first time Hua Sirong had visited her maternal grandparents' home in seventeen years.

Upon arriving at the Shen family home, Hua Sirong discovered that the official residence of the Shen family was indeed not large, with several families living together in a somewhat cramped manner.

Of course, in the heart of the capital city where land is incredibly valuable, the Shen family was already extremely fortunate to have a three-courtyard house.

The crampedness was only relative to the Marquis's residence.

And then there's Hua Sirong, a rich girl who has never suffered much hardship since childhood.

Hua Sirong originally thought that as an orphan and with her mother being born out of wedlock in the Shen family, she wouldn't receive much favor.

She was prepared to be an invisible figure alongside He San.

To her surprise, everyone in the Shen family was exceptionally warm towards her.

He Zhizhu, the granddaughter of the Shen family, took on the role of liaison officer to bring Hua Sirong closer to the Shen family members.

In short, according to He Zhizhu, everyone in the Shen family was a wonderful person and was full of goodwill towards Hua Sirong.

Hua Sirong, however, felt alarmed, as if everything was too fantastical.

But today is only the second day of the Lunar New Year. It's not like they're starting to cause trouble right at the beginning of the new year, is it?

Are the people in the Shen family not worried that a bad start might affect their fortune for the rest of the year?

But she kept reminding herself that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Then, Hua Sirong began to tighten her grip on He San.

This made He San doubt himself, wondering who was really the Shen family's biological granddaughter!

During lunch, Hua Sirong had a cup of tea spilled on her by a maid...

Hua Sirong watched this familiar routine and didn't immediately pay attention to the girl kneeling and begging for mercy. Instead, she looked at He Zhizhu with a strange expression.

She said calmly, "In the capital, it often snows in winter."

Worried that I would get my clothes wet when I went out, Madam Wang specially asked the shopkeeper of the West Market to find me a kind of waterproof fabric.

"Unfortunately, it was only found a couple of days ago and then sent to Qingwu Courtyard."

"Originally, I intended to make a large cloak, but I had Aunt Wang try it out to see if it could be made into clothing. If it's truly waterproof and doesn't look bulky, then I'm prepared to recommend it to you."

After saying that, she quickly lifted a section of her dress and said, "Look, it seems to be working quite well so far. When we get back to the manor, I'll have Wang Mama send each of you two outfits made of this material."

Before she finished speaking, she calmly straightened her clothes, as if she were talking about something insignificant.

He San tried his best to hold back his laughter.

He Zhizhu stared in disbelief at Hua Sirong's clothes.

The little girl knelt there, at a loss, unsure of what to do next.

The original plan was to take the merchant's cousin to the guest room to change her clothes...

But now it seems there's no need to change anything, so the rest of the plan is naturally ruined.

After a long while, He Zhizhu finally chased away the not-so-clever little girl, saying, "You're so clumsy and inconsiderate, you can't serve people well, so get out of here right now."

Hua Sirong felt refreshed and hoped that her cousin He Zhizhu, who was secretly causing trouble, would know when to stop and not cause any more problems later.

Otherwise... she was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist taking action.

After finishing their meal, Hua Sirong followed He San into a secluded little pavilion. In the dead of winter, staying in a drafty little pavilion was incredibly uncomfortable.

However, in He San's words, "Sixth Sister is helping Aunt Shui take care of Seventh Brother, so she didn't come today."

Usually, when we come to Grandpa Shen's house, we find a quiet, secluded spot to while away the time.

Hua Sirong nodded gently, indicating her understanding.

He San and He Liu were born out of wedlock, so the people in the Shen family might not necessarily like the two illegitimate daughters.

They find it more comfortable to kill time by finding their own places to go.

He San looked at Hua Sirong with a joke, "The Shen family is, after all, your maternal grandparents' family. I'm just lazing around here and not going to fulfill my filial duties. You, as their true granddaughter, should be going to be by their side to enjoy their company."

Hua Sirong's gaze was deep and thoughtful. "It's only the second day of the Lunar New Year. I don't want to get a bad reputation for causing trouble on my first visit to my maternal grandparents' house."

He San recalled the scene at the banquet earlier and couldn't help but chuckle, "Is your clothing really waterproof?"

Hua Sirong smiled and said, "Guess!"

He San spat, "Anyway, I don't care whether it's waterproof or not, you still have to give me a set of clothes."

As the two were talking, a maid brought tea and charcoal from outside the pavilion.

The two could only sigh, "This is truly a timely help in our time of need!"

It was probably too cold, so the two women couldn't resist drinking a cup of piping hot tea.

The Shen residence wasn't large, so they couldn't see any scenery from the pavilion and could only chat idly for a bit.

He San suddenly said, "Why do I feel sleepy instead of feeling warm in this cold wind?"

Hua Sirong shook her head and said, "It's probably because the charcoal fire is burning too brightly that I also feel a bit hot."

The two women, suddenly struck by a sudden inspiration, exchanged a glance, then looked at the tea. "Could there be something wrong with the tea?"

He San shook his head. "That shouldn't be the case. In previous years when we were here, maids and servants would bring us tea and snacks to pass the time."

This is too blatant!

After saying that, He San yawned.

Hua Sirong dared not let her guard down. She pinched her thumb hard, "Chunyan, Chunyan?"

But none of the maids who were waiting under the eaves responded.

Hua Sirong took out a calming pill from her purse and put one in her mouth and one in He San's mouth.

Then hurried footsteps could be heard outside the pavilion, but He San had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Hua Sirong made a quick decision and, like He San, lay down beside the coffee table.

Hua Sirong tried her best to suppress her inner turmoil, guessing that she had probably been drugged with some kind of filthy drug.

He San's situation should be better than hers.

Before she could think any further, the person outside the pavilion had already entered.

"Huh? They all passed out so quickly?"

"That's good, it'll be easier to move her if she's unconscious."

These are two unfamiliar old women having a conversation.

“Let’s each carry one and deliver them to the guest rooms.”

"Alright, these delicate young ladies are as light as cats, I can carry them with one hand."

"Alright, enough with the nonsense, lest we delay the masters' important business."

"Okay, okay, hurry up, hurry up."

"Tsk tsk tsk, our third young master is really lucky to have such a heavenly wife."

"The Third Young Master is born out of wedlock. If it weren't for the First Madam's generosity, would he have gotten such a good opportunity?"