Early in the morning, Luo Chaoyan brought the little chubby boy to the Old Madam’s courtyard right on time to pay their respects.
Seeing Old Madam Huo wearing a stern expression again, she felt somewhat puzzled. Had she done anything wrong recently? Regardless, she decided to let the little chubby boy work his charm first. She gently tapped the small hand she was holding—Huo An’s. This was the secret signal they had agreed upon earlier.
Huo An understood immediately. His mother had said that as long as he behaved well, she would take him along whenever she went out to play in the future.
He let go of his mother’s hand, walked up to his grandmother and great-grandmother, obediently bowed, and beamed, “Grandmother, Great… Grandmother! An’an… pays… respects to you!”
The two elderly women were momentarily stunned by his unusually long sentence, then overjoyed.
Old Madam Huo pulled him into her arms and showered him with affection.
“An’an, so well-behaved!”
Madam Huo felt relieved and smiled. “It’s all thanks to A Yan. Before, An’an could barely speak clearly when greeting people.”
Hearing this, Luo Chaoyan’s eyes flickered with a hint of guilt. If the Old Madam found out that she usually teased the little chubby boy like a circus animal trainer, she would probably want to kill her.
Thinking about how his mother would take him out later, Huo An cooed to the Old Madam, “Great Grandmother! Go… out, eat!” He pointed at Luo Chaoyan, then gestured toward the door.
The two elderly women didn’t quite understand what he meant, so they both turned to look at Luo Chaoyan.
She smiled awkwardly and explained, “Grandmother, Mother, yesterday I took An’an to Jin Shop to try some new dishes. It seems he really liked them.”
Huo An nodded his little head in agreement, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Old Madam Huo. “Like!”
The Old Madam tapped his little nose and chided playfully, “Then why didn’t An’an bring some back for Great Grandmother?”
Luo Chaoyan found it amusing. The Old Madam’s words were likely directed at her. She quickly explained, “Grandmother, the dishes at Jin Shop are best enjoyed fresh. If we pack them to bring back, they won’t taste as good after a while.”
“Hmph! You’re the only one who knows how to eat!” Old Madam Huo glared at her. “You are the Young Mistress of the Huo Family. How can you be so greedy? Aren’t you afraid of losing face?”
Alright, the Old Madam was just sour grapes. Ah, she wondered who it was that shamelessly snatched her milk candies and occasionally had her kitchen snacks taken away. Luo Chaoyan sighed inwardly. Indeed, the elderly and children were all the same.
“Grandmother, you are right. Your granddaughter-in-law was wrong.” Luo Chaoyan admitted her mistake with utmost sincerity. “From now on, I will no longer have anyone research new dishes, and I will write to my uncle to stop sending things to the capital.”
“You!” Old Madam Huo was left speechless. Was that what she meant?
Madam Huo couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them.
“A Yan, the Liang residence is hosting a banquet tomorrow and has sent us an invitation. You should come with us.”
Old Madam Huo said grumpily, “Why bring her? She’s so unsophisticated, she’ll just make us a laughingstock!”
“Grandmother is right. It’s better if I don’t go.” Luo Chaoyan nodded in agreement. When her engagement to Huo Jin was finalized, people outside had already been curious about her. However, she wasn’t too keen on being put on display like a spectacle for everyone to gawk at.
Madam Huo gave her a reproachful glance and smiled, “A Yan, the Huo Family’s inner courtyard will be handed over to you in the future. Take this opportunity to get to know some noble ladies—it can’t hurt. If you don’t go, others might think the Huo Family’s daughter-in-law is too shy to show her face.”
“This… alright then!” Luo Chaoyan had no choice but to agree dejectedly.
The next day, the women of the Huo Family set off for the Liang residence.
In one of the carriages, Luo Chaoyan and Huo Rui were staring each other down.
Shulan sat in the middle, holding Huo An, constantly on guard to prevent them from starting a fight.
“Why are you here?” Luo Chaoyan spoke first.
Huo Rui shifted his posture, leaning against the carriage wall like a lord. “This is the Huo Family’s carriage. I can go wherever I please!”
“Open your dog eyes wide and look—this is my carriage.” Luo Chaoyan pointed to the warmly and comfortably decorated interior. The original seats were hard, so she had specially ordered thick cotton padding to be added, creating a simple, lazy sofa-style arrangement to avoid fatigue during the long journey.
Huo Rui patted the soft seat, somewhat smug. “Woman, you seem to have forgotten that you are part of the Huo Family, so your belongings are also the Huo Family’s.”
“Shameless!” Luo Chaoyan sneered. “This is my dowry. Even your father wouldn’t dare say such a thing. Where do you get the confidence to boast like this in front of me?”
“Hey! Wait—why aren’t you at school today? Are you skipping class?” As if uncovering some hidden secret, she mocked, “No progress in your studies, but you’ve learned to skip school. It seems I need to have a good talk with your father.”
Huo Rui, who had been acting carefree, immediately bristled at her words. “Woman, don’t go too far!” Nowadays, he had to go to school at the crack of dawn to study tedious poetry and classics with those old scholars. If he performed poorly, he would be scolded or forced to copy texts as punishment. He was utterly fed up.
“Hmph! Who told you to keep trying to get my attention for no reason? If I don’t give you some trouble, I’d be letting down this ‘kindness’ of yours!” Luo Chaoyan emphasized the word “kindness” heavily.
“You!” Huo Rui fumed. “You have no sense of being a mother! The old scholar said you should respect the elderly and care for the young!”
“Hah! And do you have any sense of being a son? Didn’t the old scholar tell you to be filial to your parents?”
“You’re a stepmother!”
“And you’re a stepson!”
“You…”
“Stop!” Shulan, her head aching from their bickering, breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Fengli outside announce that they had arrived at the Liang residence. She looked at the two and said, “Fengli says we’ve arrived at the Liang residence! Young Madam, Young Master Rui, let’s get off the carriage.”
The two glared at each other, snorted, and then stepped out of the carriage.
Today was Old Madam Liang’s sixtieth birthday, and the Liang residence was bustling with activity as many dignitaries and nobles gathered to offer their congratulations.
Luo Chaoyan and Madam Huo supported Old Madam Huo as they entered the Liang residence together.
In the reception hall of the Liang residence’s inner courtyard, many noblewomen were already seated.
Old Madam Liang sat at the head of the room. Seeing Old Madam Huo and her party enter, she rose with a smile to greet them.
“Old sister, you’ve finally arrived!”
Old Madam Huo smiled. “How could I miss such a joyous occasion for you, sister?”
The two elderly women linked arms, like long-lost sisters reunited.
Old Lady Liang looked at Luo Chaoyan standing beside her old friend. Though not a stunning beauty, her lightly penciled brows and graceful demeanor made her quite charming. She teased, “Could this be the Fourth Miss of the Luo Family who managed to capture our Zhuangyuan?”
Many ladies and young misses present turned to look at her, curious about this Young Mistress of the Huo Family who had become the talk of Jingdu.
Ahem!
Luo Chaoyan was caught off guard. How should she respond to such a remark? In such a public setting, neither confirming nor denying would be appropriate. She could only pretend to be shy and lower her eyes.
Madam Huo smiled and came to her rescue, “Old Lady, please don’t tease this girl anymore, or she might become too embarrassed to show her face.”
“Exactly!” Old Madam Huo chided, “Old sister, you’re still as fond of teasing as ever.”
Seeing how both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the Huo family defended Luo Chaoyan, Old Lady Liang realized they were quite satisfied with this Fourth Miss Luo. She took off a gold hairpin from her bun and said with a smile, “Ajin’s wife, come here. This old woman didn’t prepare any meeting gift, so I’ll give you this hairpin.”
“This…” Luo Chaoyan looked toward her mother-in-law and Old Madam Huo. Seeing them nod, she accepted it, “Thank you, Old Lady.”
The Second Madam of the Liang family, Madam Yang, pretended to be displeased as she glanced at Old Lady Liang, then smiled and said, “Ajin’s wife, this hairpin from our family’s Old Lady was bestowed by the Empress herself. She usually treasures it so much she won’t even give it to her own granddaughters when they ask. Yet now she generously gives it to you—it seems she really likes you!”
Old Lady Liang feigned anger as she glared at her daughter-in-law, complaining to Old Madam Huo, “Look at this! She’s even jealous of your granddaughter-in-law!”
Everyone present couldn’t help but laugh. Most of the women here had struggled in the inner courtyards themselves, so they understood perfectly well that the Liang mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were simply flattering Luo Chaoyan because they saw the Huo family’s satisfaction with her.
Rumors said Luo had used underhanded methods to marry into the Huo family, but witnessing how the Huo elders appreciated and protected her, those who had come hoping to see her embarrassed abandoned such thoughts.
Thus, Luo Chaoyan not only became a spectacle for everyone to observe but also the target of flattery and currying favor—all because of her title as Young Mistress of the Huo Family. To avoid being criticized by her mother-in-law later, she had to brace herself and respond with humble politeness.
In the crowd, she spotted her aunt, Zhao Shi, and was somewhat surprised. Given their Luo Family’s modest status, being invited to this first-rank military marquis’s residence likely required considerable effort from her aunt.
She discreetly observed the Second Madam of the Liang family. Though she appeared amiable, there was an underlying arrogance. Luo Chaoyan shook her head inwardly—her aunt had probably miscalculated.
Zhao Shi walked up to her with a smile, affectionately expressing concern to show everyone she was the maternal elder of the Huo Family’s Young Mistress. Then she familiarly struck up a conversation with the Second Madam of the Liang family.
Sure enough, the noblewomen who had previously ignored Zhao Shi began to change their attitudes.
Luo Chaoyan couldn’t help but marvel at how skilled her uncle and his wife were in social situations.
Seeing this, Madam Cui of the Ye family felt indignant. She had thought that after her short-lived stepdaughter passed away, her own daughter would naturally marry into the Huo family. Who would have thought this Luo woman would appear out of nowhere? Hearing that Luo’s mother came from a merchant family—wasn’t this making people think their Ye family was inferior to the humble Luo family?
She gave a light cough, drawing everyone’s attention before speaking in a tone full of regret, “Young Madam Huo looks truly wonderful—her appearance is lovely, and she seems to be in good health. Ah… unlike our Shuang’er, who has been frail since childhood and passed away so young…”
The noblewomen from prestigious families were all shrewd; how could they not see that she was merely feigning distress out of envy that Luo had married into the Huo Manor, dissatisfied with the Huo Family and putting on such an act? Everyone knew that Huo Ye-shi had never gotten along with her.
Some sneered at her behavior, thinking that this Ye Cui-shi was simply unrefined and unfit for such occasions.
Of course, there were also those who relished the prospect of drama, such as the daughter-in-law of Marquis Gu—Xie Shi! The Huo Family had been ungrateful, lodging a complaint against the Gu Family at court for Luo’s sake, causing them to lose face. If they could witness the Huo Family embroiled in some commotion today, it would make the trip worthwhile.
Lady Liang Er was somewhat displeased that Cui-shi was causing a stir at their Liang Family’s banquet, but she did not show it on her face. Smiling, she said, “Madam Ye, today is our Old Madam’s birthday celebration. Let’s not bring up such sorrowful matters.”
Cui-shi pretended to wipe away tears, putting on a show of deep longing for her stepdaughter. She apologetically looked toward Old Madam Liang and Old Madam Huo, offering an apology, “Look at my thoughtless mouth—it truly deserves a slap. Seeing the Young Madam reminded me of my daughter. I hope the two Old Madams won’t take offense.”
As the hostess, Old Madam Liang naturally could not make an issue with a guest. She merely smiled faintly without speaking.
Cui-shi continued, “Speaking of which, A Jin was exceptionally talented in literature in our Dayong Dynasty, and our Shuang’er was also well-versed in the arts. They were once a deeply affectionate couple here in Jingdu!” She glanced at Luo Chaoyan, who seemed like an outsider—neither jealous nor resentful. It was unclear whether she was pretending or genuinely indifferent.
Feigning curiosity, she said, “I heard that the Young Madam’s maternal family is in Jizhou, and she grew up there as well. I wonder if there are any renowned families or great masters in Jizhou for one to study under? The young ladies from noble families in Jingdu have been taught by famous tutors since childhood, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I suppose Madam Luo’s instruction in poetry and literature for the Young Madam must be quite commendable!”
Her words carried a subtle implication.
Yin Shi, the wife of Luo Sanlang, came from a merchant family in Jizhou. Although her family was wealthy, in the eyes of these aristocratic families, her status was truly looked down upon—following the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Cui-shi might as well have pointed at Luo Shi and declared her unworthy of marrying into the Huo Family.
Zhao Shi secretly resented Cui-shi for deliberately stirring trouble. She was also worried that her niece, having never experienced such a grand occasion, might speak inappropriately and invite criticism.