Seeing that Wang shi was being like this again, Hualan said in a hurry, “Mother, stop. Haven’t you been busy enough taking care of my niece? She is getting older day by day, and you shouldn’t focus on other things. My brother has entrusted his daughter to you, you should at least teach my niece to read some words or recite some poems. Old Madam has taught Quan to be such a tame boy. Now he is even able to hold the writing brush and trace the calligraphy! Why don’t you learn from Old Madam?”

It would be better if Hualan didn’t mention about that. Wang shi got even angrier and thumped on the table, “All right, all right! You all did the right things, I am the only one who’s being unreasonable! Fine, I’ve already been here today. Minglan, you should keep healthy. Don’t give birth to a girl like your unlucky Fifth Sister did, she is being bullied by others every day! I won’t visit you mother-in-law today. You go tell her this. We are leaving now.”

Minglan stood up to persuade her to stay immediately. However, Wang shi insisted on leaving. Hualan couldn’t help saying, “Mother, why don’t you leave with my sister-in-law first. I’ll stay for a bit longer.” Wang shi glared at Hualan, “Don’t stay here. You sister needs to rest.”

Hualan sighed, “Mother, I’ll go back to the Yuan’s mansion soon. We won’t be on the same way later anyway. Also, I haven’t seen Sixth Sister for so many days, why don’t you allow us to have a chat? I’ll give obeisance to Old Madam Qin later, in case she would find faults with us.”

After all, Hualan was Wang shi’s blood daughter. At last, the latter agreed with Hualan but with a quite angry tone. After that, Wang shi left in a hurry. Liu shi followed her quietly. Minglan was stunned while wondering if Wang shi had gone into menopause.

After they had left, Minglan brought Hualan to the inner room. As the two sisters settled down, the snacks and tea were served to them.

Hualan looked at Minglan’s belly and said smilingly, “I’m relieved to see your face glowing with happiness. Old Madam always worries that you would be too thin.” Minglan touched her belly with a depressed look, “I don’t want to be too fat. What if I can’t get my figure back?” Hualan scolded her with a smile, “Get over yourself! Stop thinking about your pretty shape now!”

After the two sisters chatted for a while, Minglan couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What have happened? Why was Madam so angry?”

Hualan took a sip of the tea and sighed, “Don’t mention it. Mother has been running into walls for days. After Fifth Sister gave birth to a girl. Mother was afraid that she would get bullied in her husband’s home, so mother has gone to the Wen family and bossed the Wen’s people around every now and then. Actually, mother has done this right for the first two times, because Old Madam Wen said that a girl was not that delicate and there was no need to invite two wet nurses to look after Rulan. No one is using her money, how dare she speak all those nonsenses!”

Minglan nodded continuously to show her consent. Hualan then continued, “Alas… anyway, Fifth Sister lives in the Wen’s home now. It’s not a problem to speak for Rulan, but mother was too…” She picked a word with difficulty, “She has been there for too many times. Every time she’s there, she would say something to irritate Old Madam Wen…” Minglan frowned, “That’s not good. If things continue like this, Fifth Brother-in-law will definitely get displeased no matter how nice a person he is.”

“Exactly!” Hualan bit the millet cake and then said, “Old Madam realized that things had gone south and then scolded mother. Mother then got super aggrieved. Gosh, then Third Brother got married. Father felt that Mother hasn’t made efforts in organizing the wedding. Because of that, he put mother on the spot in front of the stewards several times.” Minglan said instantly, “Father is a bit paranoid, mother will never be like that!” After all, Minglan couldn’t say that Wang shi was exactly like that in front of the latter’s blood daughter.

Little did Minglan realize that Hualan was quite fair-minded, “Father hasn’t been completely unreasonable. Mother hasn’t in a good mood lately, so she just couldn’t help venting her anger on other things.”

Minglan fell into silence and gave any response. Hualan then continued, “After that, our new sister-in-law started to live in our family. She is a good woman. Since the second day of her wedding, she began to listen to mother’s discipline while standing. Mother is not a good-tempered person and would sometimes say something bad. Sister-in-law has endured all of that and never retorted mother. For two days, mother commanded her to hold a basin of water by the door to serve, and she also followed that order without saying anything. In the yard where the cold wind blows, she stands and kneels every time she is asked to. Alas… mother has gone too far this time. Anyone who sees that would say that sister-in-law is a virtuous and gentle woman and that mother is a mean and cruel mother-in-law.”

Minglan knew what had happened next without needing to think. Someone must have stopped Wang shi, “It’s father, or Old Madam?”

“It’s father.” Hualan set her mouth in a grim line, “Father and Master Liu are on good terms. At that time, father promised that Liu shi wouldn’t be treated unfairly. Now mother put Master Liu’s daughter through this… It’s like slapping on father’s face! Father has tolerated mother for days. Lately, mother is so hot-tempered just like my mother-in-law. After she and father got into a big fight, the other things she did were also exposed. It turned out that mother has skimped on the spending on food and clothing of the servants in sister-in-law’s yard. Gosh… I hurried to our mansion to persuade our parents, but still was of no help.”

Minglan didn’t utter a word for a long while. Then she sighed gently, “What happened next?”

“Father discussed with Old Madam. From then on, our sister-in-law could decide everything that happens in her own yard. Also, she could draw money spending on the food and clothing directly from the family’s savings without asking mother’s permission. Father has wanted to save sister-in-law from listening to mother’s disciplines every day, but she insisted on serving mother every morning.”

Hualan’s voice sounded bitter. Maybe she was pitying her mother or disappointed in the latter. “Mother has been annoyed for days and didn’t want to bring sister-in-law to see you. I then offered to do it for her. However, Old Madam got mad and said that how could a married lady bring her sister-in-law to visit others and it was not like there’s no one in our family. Old Madam urged mother to come. Then, mother is mad at Old Madam now!”

This time Minglan didn’t even bother to sigh. The biggest strategy in Mrs. Wang’s life was that her allies and enemies were all cleverer than her. Her enemies were so smart that they could beat her so easily and her allies were so intelligent that they looked down upon on her and didn’t want to communicate with her.

“I have a few sedative pills…”

To Minglan’s surprise, Hualan waved her hand and said, “It won’t help. You think father hasn’t told mother to drink the medicine? She has been taking pills on time, but the medicine doesn’t seem to take effect.” As Wang shi’s blood daughter, Hualan also couldn’t tolerate Wang shi’s temper now, because the latter truly was very irritable.

“So what could we do?” Minglan was worrying about Old Madam Sheng. She hoped that the Old Madam wouldn’t be annoyed by Wang shi.

Hualan sighed resignedly, “What else could we do? I’ve already asked the doctor. The only thing we can expect is that this period of time could be passed quickly. We’ll let her continue to take the medicine and tell her some happy things to cheer her up. She will be recovered eventually.”

“What happy things can we tell her?” Minglan said anxiously.

“Nothing else, it’s just after Concubine Lin has made a fuss several times and suffered enough, she finally got tired. Now, she becomes a vegetarian and prays to Buddha every day, aging a lot. Another thing is that Fourth Sister still hasn’t got pregnant.”

Minglan was tempted by that subject at once. She had a different social circle right now and hadn’t heard of Molan for quite a while. Since Hualan stopped talking about her mother’s bad temper, she also got spirited.

“… Our aunt and Marquise Yongchang are good friends. Wenying thought that Molan was my sister after all, so she always tells me Molan’s story.”

It was not all Molan’s fault that she hadn’t got pregnant. There was a reason for this.

Wan Chunge was a scheming girl. Although she had given birth to a girl at that time, Liang Han still adored her a lot. After a while, she got pregnant again. Molan could only play the same trick again with larger effort. She wore that kind look every day and kept sending nutritious food to Chunge as if those things wouldn’t cost a penny. On the day when Chunge deliver the baby, her baby was too big because of her overnutrition. After she had moaned for two days and nights, she still couldn’t give birth to the baby. At last, the baby was suffocated before he was out. First Madam of the Liang family suspected that Molan was behind this and made a scene but couldn’t find any clue. Those nutritious food were all of great quality and even the imperial doctors said that there was no problem in the food.

First Madam Liang could only give up. However, Second Madam Liang held this against her. Liang’s first family(illegal son’s family) and second family(legal son’s family) had fought with each other for a long time. Molan, as sensitive and nimble as she was, seized this chance right away. She cried for a divorce letter from Liang Han and said that she had treated Chunge sincerely and God could be her witness. She also said that she didn’t want to live anymore since she had been suspected and slandered for no reason. At last, she claimed that she would suicide herself after she got the divorce letter.

Though Liang Han was deeply in love with Chunge, he also loved and respected his wife a lot. Ever since Molan had married into the Liang family, she had never talked or done anything wrong. Also, this pretty and elegant woman was also very considerate. As a result, Liang Han was angry at his eldest sister-in-law and assumed that Chunge had complained to her cousin(First Madam Liang). At last, this affair was acknowledged by Marquis Yongchang. He scolded and punished his eldest daughter-in-law fiercely. Also, considering that Molan was a virtuous girl and that the Sheng family was getting more and more prospering, Marquis Yongchang also told his wife to comfort Molan.

The legal son of the Liang family completely won the battle. As a result, Second Madam Liang began to get close to Molan and Marquise Liang was also nicer to her. As a reward to Molan, Marquise Liang told Liang Han that he should have a legal son first. Before that, his Tongfang and concubines had to drink birth control medicine.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Minglan said questioningly. She knew that Molan wouldn’t have a rough time with her intelligence and capability.

Hualan rolled her eyes to Minglan and continued to tell the story.