Chapter 7: Naive Liang San Sui

Nurse Xu sighed. With no other choice, she had to go to the door of Madam Wu’s room and knock.

"Knock, knock, knock. Young Mistress."

Hearing the sound, Madam Wu asked curiously, "What is it?" She had only just laid down; why was she being called again?

Leaning against the doorframe, Nurse Xu said helplessly, "The Old Mistress wants you to go buy the festival gifts. She says she wants to inspect them in a while."

Madam Wu:...

This fussy old woman really wouldn't let her have a moment of peace.

She glanced at her daughter, who was sleeping soundly like a little milk bun, sighed, and called out, "I understand. I’ll go after I’ve washed up and eaten."

Her mother-in-law didn't want her to sleep in, but surely she couldn't force her to go out to work without eating? She was a nursing mother; could she really be denied a meal?

Sure enough, as soon as Nurse Xu heard she wanted to eat, she agreed, "Then I’ll have the small kitchen bring your meal over."

It was freezing outside; she shouldn't let her catch a cold.

Madam Wu gave a hum of acknowledgment and finally got up to put her clothes back on.

The room was heated by an underground flue, so it wasn't cold.

Ying-jie, sleeping on the bed, was only wearing a thin little cotton jacket, with a warm little quilt over her belly, so she wouldn't be cold at all.

Xiao Hong brought the food over, set it on the table, then closed the door and came over to talk to Madam Wu.

"Mistress, is the Old Mistress acting up again?"

Madam Wu nodded. She held a bowl of hot soy milk, sipping it as she complained to Xiao Hong.

"Of course. She must have seen my husband go out in this freezing weather and couldn't stand seeing me warm in my room, so she deliberately made me get up early to buy the festival gifts." She didn't even look at what time it was!

The shops weren't even fully open yet; only a few noodle stalls were. Making her go out this early to buy festival gifts—it was ridiculous!

Xiao Hong was also helpless. "There’s no helping it. Since the Old Mistress is the head of the household and your mother-in-law, if she tells you to work, you can't refuse." Otherwise, if word got out, people would definitely criticize the daughter-in-law.

Madam Wu was speechless, but she continued eating, alternating between sips of soy milk and bites of a meat bun.

Seeing her carefree attitude, Xiao Hong laughed. "I think you were destined to be a daughter-in-law in the Liang family. Anyone else wouldn't be able to stand the Old Mistress's fussiness."

"Pfft, you girl, you really dare to say anything."

The mistress and servant looked at each other and laughed.

But Xiao Hong was right; Old Madam Liang simply couldn't stand seeing her daughter-in-law live comfortably.

If it weren't for Madam Wu’s broad-mindedness, any other young wife would have fallen into a depression long ago.

After finishing her breakfast, Madam Wu went to Old Madam Liang’s room to get the money.

Old Madam Liang guarded the money from her as if she were a thief, giving her exactly the right amount for each purchase, not a single cent more.

Madam Wu didn't care; as long as they gave her the money, she would buy the items. It saved her from having to use her brain.

Ying-jie didn't wake up until the sun was slightly warm.

She opened her grape-like eyes and let out a couple of "mm-mm" sounds, but no one came to hold her.

Finally, because she was hungry, she had no choice but to wail a few times.

Xiao Hong had gone out to work by then.

The Liang family only had three or four servants, and there was plenty of housework, so Xiao Hong was very busy every day.

Seeing that no one came to hold her, Ying-jie wailed even louder.

Finally, Nurse Xu heard her and immediately picked her up with a heart full of pity.

"Oh, my little darling, are you hungry?"

"Come, let’s go to your grandmother’s room to have some goat milk."

Because they were worried the mother wouldn't have enough milk, Mother Wu had specially sent over a milk goat, which was currently being kept in the Liang family’s backyard.

Madam Wu drank a bowl of hot goat milk every day for her complexion.

Since she had to go out to buy the festival gifts and didn't know when she would return, she had instructed Nurse Xu to feed the baby some hot goat milk if she got hungry.

Nurse Xu remembered the baby would be hungry and had already warmed the milk.

She had already had someone bring the goat milk to Old Madam Liang’s room.

Because Old Madam Liang had heard that goat milk was good for the complexion, she had haughtily insisted on trying it too, so a bowl was brought for her every day as well.

It was a good time to take Ying-jie over to get familiar with her grandmother.

Ying-jie saw Nurse Xu’s good intentions, but she didn't know if that patriarchal grandmother would still look down on her later.

She stayed obediently in Nurse Xu’s arms, sucking on her little fist, looking incredibly cute.

Nurse Xu loved this milky, adorable look and smiled as she pushed open the door to Old Madam Liang’s room.

"Madam, look who I’ve brought!"

Old Madam Liang was drinking her goat milk when she saw the little girl being brought in, and she immediately pursed her lips in displeasure.

"Why did you bring her here? So noisy."

What a huge injustice! From just now until this moment, Ying-jie had been quiet in Nurse Xu’s arms; how had she been noisy?

This grandmother was truly patriarchal to the extreme.

So, she became unhappy, pouted her little baby lips, and began to protest, "Waa~ waa~"

Since you say I’m noisy, I’ll be noisy for you to see. *Blehh.*

"Waa~ waa~"

Seeing her cry until her little eyebrows were red, Nurse Xu hurriedly held and coaxed her. "Oh, oh, don't cry, don't cry. The goat milk is right here; Nurse will feed you now."

After saying that, she shot a glare at Old Madam Liang.

"Madam, really, why do you have to make a little baby cry for no reason?"

Being scolded, Old Madam Liang felt a bit guilty and turned her face away.

She even retorted, "I wasn't wrong; she is very noisy."

Nurse Xu was two years older than her, and they had decades of friendship; their bond was deep, so sometimes Nurse Xu could speak her mind.

"If you keep disliking our Ying-jie like this, she won't be close to you when she grows up."

While feeling annoyed, she sat on the edge of the bed with Ying-jie and fed her with a small spoon, bit by bit.

Once Ying-jie had food, she stopped crying.

In fact, she hadn't been crying at all—there wasn't a single tear. She had just wanted to make a fuss at Old Madam Liang because this grandmother was always looking down on her.

The goat milk had a faint, fragrant scent after being boiled, and Ying-jie drank it with great gusto.

By the time the small bowl of goat milk was finished, her little baby hand was still clutching the spoon tightly.

Seeing this, Nurse Xu laughed. "Oh my, it seems our Ying-jie really loves goat milk; she won't even let go of the spoon."

Old Madam Liang glanced back at the baby and hummed, "Tch, it’s just a bowl of goat milk, is it worth being so greedy? Just like her mother, she’s never seen the world."

Nurse Xu:...

Ying-jie:...

Perhaps because of the surprised expressions on the old woman and the baby, Old Madam Liang felt a bit guilty, but she still coughed twice haughtily, feeling she was in the right.

"Alright, take her back once she’s finished feeding. I need to rest for a while."

Nurse Xu shook her head and placed the child directly on the bed.

"We still have to make rice cakes today, and I need to go help. There are only three or four servants in the house, and no one is free to look after Ying-jie, so you’ll have to watch her."

After saying that, Nurse Xu turned and ran off.

In any case, it was freezing outside, and the child needed to be in the room to stay warm.

Besides, Old Madam Liang was the only idle person in the house; if she didn't watch the child, who would?

So, Nurse Xu boldly left the child with Old Madam Liang.

Old Madam Liang hadn't expected that she would have to watch this little girl, and she was immediately very unhappy.

She pouted and warned the adorable little thing on the bed in a childish tone, "Let me tell you, while you're here, you have to listen to me. No crying, no fussing, do you hear me?"

If you dare to cry or fuss, I’ll have you carried out, hmph!

Ying-jie:...

Forget calling her grandmother; she should just be called "Liang Three-Year-Old."