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

She was self-aware enough to know that even if she went to school, she would only be isolated, let alone have one or two close friends; that would be giving herself too much credit.

"If Mom is worried that I'll be idle at home with nothing to do, then when you go out, remember to go to the bookstore and find me a couple of storybooks."

"Okay, Mom will buy them for you, but two books aren't enough. Mom will buy all the best-selling novels from the major bookstores in the capital."

"Mom is so nice, I'll never be bored again."

Chunyan, who was listening nearby, was also happy.

After arriving at the Marquis's residence, she was confined to the small courtyard. Except for going out once a day to fetch food from the kitchen, she dared not move around freely in the residence.

She's young and at the age where she loves to play, but this has really been keeping her cooped up.

The girl bought a storybook and loved to read it to the young girls. She's in for a treat now.

The next day, Wang's mother went out through the back door early in the morning to run errands.

Hua Sirong led Chunyan to pay their respects to the Lady of the Marquis.

"Rong girl, please sit down. I'll be done in a bit, then we'll go to the old lady's place together."

"Yes, Aunt."

Chunyan followed closely behind Hua Sirong, her head down, not daring to look around. Wang Mama had been giving her instructions countless times these past two days, dozens or even hundreds of times a day. It would be hard for her not to remember them, especially since her daughter's position was awkward and she didn't dare to cause her any trouble.

"Is this the little girl you brought? What's her name?" Madam Shen asked her casually when she had a spare moment.

"This servant, Chunyan, greets Madam." Upon hearing Madam Hou call her name, Chunyan quickly performed the proper greetings as taught by Granny Wang.

His voice was loud and trembling, showing how nervous he was to be questioned by such an important person alone.

"She's a good girl. Take good care of your daughter, and I will reward you for it."

"Yes, this servant will definitely take good care of my young lady." Chunyan thought to herself, isn't that obvious? I am here specifically to take care of my young lady, do you think I would expect you to do that?

The two old women in the courtyard have been removed, and now all the heavy lifting in the courtyard depends on Chunyan.

"Wenqin, find a pair of pearl earrings and give them to this girl as a reward." Madam Shen looked at the girl and saw that she was strong but not very bright.

"Thank you for the gift, Madam." Chunyan accepted the earrings, her mouth agape with joy, momentarily forgetting herself. It wasn't that she particularly liked jewelry, but rather that she had been poor since childhood, and in her eyes, these were all things that could be exchanged for money.

These days, I keep hearing Wang's mother say that her daughter is out of money and that life will be difficult in the future.

She came to the Lady Hou's place and made a little money to take back with her, didn't she?

Unfortunately, the girl could only go out to pay her respects on the first and fifteenth of each month. If she could receive a good gift every day, she would be rich.

After getting ready, Madam Hou led Hua Sirong out to the old lady's Fushou Hall.

"You only have two people serving you in your courtyard now. Is that enough? The young ladies in the manor have at least ten or twenty maids and servants serving them. It's still a bit quieter there."

"Thank you for your concern, Aunt. I don't need to go out and socialize. I just copy scriptures in the courtyard to pass the time. I don't need so many people to serve me."

Besides, Chunyan does all the heavy work in the yard. Don't let her young age fool you; she's got plenty of strength.

Upon hearing this, Chunyan couldn't help but puff out her chest, indicating that her reputation was well-deserved.

"Alright, since you say it's enough, then I'll shirk my responsibilities. After you finish your filial duties, your aunt will assign more people to take care of you."

"Yes, I'll listen to my aunt."

When they arrived at Fushou Hall, Madam Zhan and Madam Jin were already talking to the old lady.

After Shen led Hua Sirong to pay their respects, they sat down and began to speak.

"I arrived later than my two younger siblings again today. Mother, please don't blame me for being lazy."

The old lady waved her hand dismissively, "We women aren't supposed to be like men, attending court and listening to politics. It doesn't matter if it's earlier or later."

You've had people come to check on things here every day, and nothing's wrong. Even if they don't come today, no one can say anything.

Seeing that the old lady didn't seem to care, Madam Shen felt relieved. "It's definitely not right for me not to come. You are the backbone of our household, and I always keep you in my thoughts."

I arranged everything at home yesterday, and I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to disturb our time together today.

Madam Zhan chimed in, offering Madam Shen a way out, saying, "My third sister-in-law and I just arrived; it's not like my eldest sister-in-law is late."

My eldest sister-in-law is busy managing the Marquis's mansion every day, without a single day of rest. My third brother's wife and I, on the other hand, are always so idle. Shouldn't we come early to keep Mother company and chat with her more?

Jin, naturally not wanting to be outdone, said, "That's exactly right. The book says it's called a clear division of labor."

For a moment, the people in the room were extremely harmonious, and Hua Sirong could not see any of the open and veiled sarcasm she had seen during her last greeting.

Seeing the harmonious relationship among her sisters-in-law, the old lady was very pleased. "The eldest daughter-in-law is busy with her eldest daughter's affairs recently. If she can't manage it, the second and third daughters-in-law should help out if they can."

After saying that, he turned to Madam Shen and said, "You, don't be reluctant to use them. There are many young men and women in this mansion. After the eldest daughter passes away, it will be Zhang-ge'er. There will be many weddings and banquets in the mansion in the future. I can't bear to leave you to work alone."

Madam Shen was still a little puzzled as to why the old lady was speaking up for her two concubines today. But then she thought that all three families would be getting married in a year or two, and she, as the head of the household, couldn't possibly take care of everything.

The old lady was definitely biased towards her own son and grandson, so Madam Shen readily agreed to the old lady's suggestion.

"Mother still cares about me the most. Then I will assign the tasks that my second and third younger brothers and sisters-in-law need to handle to you later."

The Zhan and Jin families never expected that even after the family had split up internally, they would still have a chance to get their hands on the management of the Marquis's mansion. How could they disagree?

"Sister-in-law, just send the order, and we'll definitely handle it perfectly for you."

When they're handling things, they can not only take the opportunity to skim some money, but when the eldest daughter's marriage is arranged, word gets out, and they'll have a good reputation, won't it?

If they gain a good reputation, then their children will inevitably become known to others. This matter must be handled properly.

Inside Fushou Hall, Granny Xie massaged the old lady's shoulders. "Old Madam, do you think Madam understands your good intentions?"

The old lady replied nonchalantly, "She may not understand now, but she will in the future. They all live in the same mansion, and the sons of the second branch are quite promising."

"Your young master only has one brother, and he's from Concubine Shui's family. Your wife and Concubine Shui have been at odds for so many years, how can you expect her to treat Concubine Shui's son well? Besides... never mind, since that's the case, it would be better to promote the cousins ​​of the second branch of the family."