Chapter 240: Chapter 240
"Wan girl, tell me, what exactly have you been doing these days at the Cui family? Explain everything to me clearly and truthfully..."
The inner chamber occasionally echoed with Old Lady Yang's voice carrying a hint of anger.
On the way back, An Ning directly took her mother's somewhat cold hand, her small mouth chattering incessantly like a firecracker with its fuse cut:
"Mother, in a few days the weather will turn hot, it'll be so stuffy staying in the mansion—why don't we take little brother to the villa for a few days!"
"And the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish from Songhe Tower, your daughter really wants to eat it. Later when father returns..."
"Also, I heard from Mu Yang that a new dessert shop opened near Bright Moon Tower—they have so many varieties of chilled bowls, and they taste wonderful..."
"You! Summer hasn't even arrived yet, and you're already craving cold things . What will happen when the season actually comes!"
"And don't forget your monthly cycle is due in a few days. A young woman's body is most precious and must never be treated carelessly..."
Dotting her daughter's small nose affectionately, Yu soon regained her composure, speaking with rare seriousness.
"But Mother must supervise me closely these next few days. You know how your precious daughter is—completely lacking in discipline. If I'm not careful, I might..."
As if remembering something unpleasant, An Ning sheepishly stuck out her tongue, the bright red satin ribbon swaying gently in the wind with her movement.
Looking at her lively and adorable young daughter before her, Yu's somewhat low spirits finally lightened a bit.
Returning to their room, mother and daughter chatted for a while longer. After a moment, An Ning heard her mother say softly:
"Actually, it's not without reason that your grandmother dislikes me. When I first married into this family, and for a long time after, I showed no talent for household management."
To say she showed no talent was putting it politely. It would be more accurate to say it was complete chaos.
Her birth mother had passed away early, and the stepmother had her own biological daughter to care for, treating her with only superficial affection. Coupled with her father's particular intentions, when it came to managing household affairs, she truly hadn't been taught much.
Unfortunately, she wasn't the type of quick learner who could cram at the last moment.
Her father had specially hired tutors for music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but alas, her natural talent... was exactly like her little daughter's—completely nonexistent.
Even if she strained her eyes red, an embroidery piece would still be full of bumps and holes, barely recognizable as any pattern.
Earlier, A-Ning's father had tried to teach her poetry appreciation, but after a few attempts, before she could even mention giving up, her husband himself stopped bringing it up.
These recent years have been somewhat better, but when she first married into the family, don't even mention social interactions and managing relationships between different households.
She'd heard from servants before that because of her mistakes, her mother-in-law had been so angry she nearly fainted multiple times.
"A-Ning!" Yu unconsciously let out a soft sigh, gently pulling on her precious daughter's sleeve:
"Your grandmother may be strict and difficult to talk to, but she's truly excellent at household management. All these years, the mansion has been well-organized, with hardly any mistakes in social engagements and hospitality."
That's why all these years, even knowing the other party didn't think highly of her and constantly interfered with household authority, Yu never felt particularly bothered.
She'd even secretly felt somewhat relieved.
Though she had less freedom in handling affairs, at least with her mother-in-law overseeing things, there would rarely be mistakes. It actually made things easier for her, saving her from daily mental and physical exertion.
Besides, with money in hand, she wasn't constrained in her actions.
So to some extent, Yu could understand why her mother-in-law looked down on her. Anyway, the old lady was a proper person who would never embarrass her in front of outsiders.
Since it didn't affect her daily life, she hadn't really taken it to heart all these years...
She just never expected...
Yu's tone unusually fell into melancholy, her narrow eyelids slightly lowered, casting beautiful shadows on her fair, jade-like cheeks.
Never expected Big Sister would be !
An Ning silently added in her heart, knowing that even though she had been joking around earlier, her mother's mood must still be quite low.
It wasn't that Big Sister's attitude had been bad earlier—quite the opposite. Her attitude had been excessively gentle...
Such a significant matter, and not even a word of complaint? Compared to before, it practically didn't seem like the same Big Sister.
But was this really good? An Ning wondered to herself. Probably not...
Looking at her beautiful mother before her—nearly forty yet still breathtakingly gorgeous, like a red peony in full bloom.
Was there any difference between the mother before her now and before?
The answer was no. She remained as pure, simple, and gentle as ever. So the reason for such a dramatic shift from arrogance to humility was almost obvious.
If before, her beautiful mother could still deceive herself into thinking her eldest daughter was just behaving according to her nature, disliking her way of doing things, plus having a bad temper and speaking without thinking...
Then now... such an obvious transformation.
Clearly, the other party knew all along how to respect people. She knew how hurtful those so-called "angry outburst" words could be. She knew her mother and younger sister would be unhappy, even heartbroken over them...
She just didn't particularly care.
It's just that in her eyes, the value these two people held hadn't reached the point where she needed to consider their feelings, even to the extent of humoring them, swallowing her pride, and saying nice things...
Gently holding her mother's waist, An Ning thought to herself that her mother must be truly disheartened this time!
Even more chilled to the bone than those previous times when her daughter had trampled on her dignity...
Indeed, after this day, at least in An Ning's presence, Yu never mentioned her eldest daughter's name again. Even when the other party later visited occasionally, her intention to reconcile was obvious.
The beautiful mother would just smile, then turn around and happily focus on preparing her precious daughter's dowry. Occasionally, she would enjoy various beautiful clothes and accessories with her daughter.
Especially after the imperial marriage decree, knowing An Ning's preferences, the prince's manor frequently sent over all kinds of beautiful fabrics and ornaments.
Immersed in beautiful things all day long, mother and daughter became increasingly engrossed in their enjoyment, showing no signs of worry whatsoever.
It had to be said, even An Ning felt deep admiration for her mother's ability to let go so easily and remain so magnanimous.
Meanwhile, at the Cui Residence
On the incense table, an exquisitely carved purple jade incense burner slowly released fragrant smoke.
Casually setting aside the account book in her hand, a woman around forty years old on the soft couch gently twirled the fragrant tea in her hand. After a moment, she finally spoke to the person below:
"She went back again today?"
Though not explicitly stated, "she" was quite obvious. A middle-aged woman dressed in grayish-brown half-sleeves, appearing like a matron, quickly responded from below:
"Reporting to Madam, indeed she did!"
Above, Madam Cui simply nodded slightly, as if not surprised. She didn't say anything more for now, but the woman beside her seemed somewhat hesitant:
"Madam, no matter what, the young madam is still a daughter of the Yang family, the biological older sister of the future princess consort. Madam, your previous actions, and recently, wouldn't it..."
Matron Sun spoke hesitantly, but the woman above remained noncommittal. With elegant hands playing with the tea cup, Madam Cui's usually gentle features maintained their composure:
"Matron, you must understand—there is a type of person in this world who naturally fears authority but doesn't respect virtue."
"With such people, no matter how well you treat them, it's useless. On the contrary, only by consistently keeping pressure on them will they remain obedient, respectful, and attentive in everything..."