The 30th time

  Madam Wang came in and sat down in the main hall, Cai Pei immediately placed a five-ring double blessing round brazier with copper feet in front of her. Following Madam Wang were three aunties who stood respectfully to one side. The three Lanes also got up, bowed their heads and paid their respects. Madam Wang looked around at everyone, waved her hand and said: "Sit down, it's terribly cold, get the brazier burning well."

  The next sentence was said to the maid, Cai Huan immediately took out a curved patterned tongs from the corner of the house and added some silver thread fine charcoal to the white copper warming stove with nine sections of cloud dragon pattern eight sides, the room became warmer; Rulan pouted and walked over to sit down next to Molan, Minglan knew the rules and sat down in order next to Rulan, opposite them were three aunts; this side was lined with large chairs covered in brocade cushions, while the aunts' side had three round stools.

  This was Minglan's first time seeing the authentic madam style, and she immediately thought of a military parade, with Wang only lacking in shouting "Comrades are good, comrades have worked hard"; Minglan's thoughts were scattered, and she carefully observed the aunties opposite her. In these years, Lin Auntie had not changed much, her face was still beautiful, and her movements were elegant; Xiang Auntie's appearance was not outstanding, but she had a gentle and refined taste; Ping Auntie was a beauty, with cherry lips, curved eyebrows, and fine eyes, but unfortunately, her expression was somewhat frivolous and evasive, her movements humble and reserved, carrying a small family air.

  They were: the daughter of an old friend, a wife's personal maid, a colleague's gift concubine, and the late Wei Niang who was a virtuous concubine brought in from outside. In short, all kinds of concubines were present. Minglan sighed inwardly - even a small sparrow has all its vital organs!

  Madam Wang took a sip of warm tea and asked Minglan a few questions about whether she was getting used to the new house. Minglan answered each question with strict propriety, following the etiquette taught by her mother-in-law. Madam Wang had thought that since Minglan had been favored by Old Madame for so long, she would be somewhat spoiled and disobedient, and was prepared to put on a stern face to discipline her. But to her surprise, Minglan was respectful and courteous, with not a single mistake in her etiquette or behavior, and Madam Wang felt greatly relieved and comforted.

  "...If there's anything else you need, just let me know." Mr. Wang said gently to Minglan.

  Minglan smiled and said: "With Madam's words, Minglan will have to thicken her skin to come and ask for things in the future."

  Wang smiled and said a few more words to Minglan, then suddenly looked down, her expression turning serious: "Just now when I came in, what were you sisters quarreling about?"

  Minglan's heart skipped a beat as Wang Shi directly said the word "quarrel", it seemed that she was going to bring up the matter. She lowered her head and looked at Mo Lan, who was fidgeting with her handkerchief, while Lin Niang's mouth curled into a slight smile of disdain. Minglan knew she was being used as a scapegoat, so she said in a low voice: "Madam, please forgive me, it's my fault that I came late to pay respects yesterday, my sisters taught me the rules."

  Wang looked at her in surprise, thinking that it was the old lady who had taught her, and after a moment's thought, she had an idea. She said to Mo Lan and Ruo Lan: "Being an older sister is not just about scolding, if you knew that Liu Jie came to my place yesterday, then when you paid respects to the old lady this morning, you should have reminded her, instead of waiting for your younger sister to make a mistake before acting like an older sister!"

  Even Lan, who was so straightforward, understood the implication and smiled wryly: "Mother said it herself, without reminding her sister, what qualifications does she have to scold others?"

  Mo Lan hung her head, her face red with rage, not saying a word. Ming Lan couldn't help but glance at Lin Shi, only to see that she looked as usual, and silently praised her for being indeed capable. As early as when they were in Shou An Tang, she had heard that no matter how unruly Lin Shi was in reality, she never openly clashed with Wang Shi, and always managed to make Wang Shi lose her temper first, so even if it escalated to the point of involving Sheng Hong, she wouldn't be afraid.

  Today, Wang Shi finally got an opportunity to show off her maternal glory and said with a smile to the three girls: "You are close sisters, why must you be on guard against each other as soon as you meet? I didn't study like you did, following Master Xue for many years, but I also know that being siblings is about having a lifelong relationship. You should treat each other with love and respect. When Kong Yiniang spanked you earlier, she said that sisters in the same family should share the same punishment. Don't forget the pain after the spanking."

  Her voice was stern, and the three Lanes stood up to bow. Wang felt great, waved her hand, and walked out two maidservants from the inner room, one wearing a silver-red jacket with a cyan-colored lining, and the other wearing a green long jacket with a yellow lining. They bowed their heads respectfully and walked to the middle to pay respects to Minglan. Wang nodded slightly, then turned to Minglan: "The maids by your side were given by Old Madam, although they are good, but after all, they are still young, and Cui's mother has family burdens, often needs to go home, can't serve you every day. I'll assign Silver Gao and Jiu'er, these two older and more steady girls, to your room to serve you."

  Minglan smiled in her heart, as expected, fortunately she had thought of a countermeasure early; although she was not surprised in her heart, she couldn't show it, and pretended to be shocked on her face: "Madam has given me the capable person by her side, how can Madam do without anyone to serve her?"

  Wang smiled and waved her hand, speaking in a soft voice to Minglan: "My original intention was to have you move into the Weirui Pavilion, but Old Lady Wang couldn't bear to part with you, so I had no choice but to have you stay in the Musou Study. Although the place is small and can't accommodate many people, it also can't be too different from your sisters' arrangements. Even with these two added, there are still fewer people at your place than at your two sisters'. Go take a look."

  Yu Lan warmly hugged Ming Lan's arm and smiled: "Mother, you should have sent someone to fetch Sixth Sister long ago. Let's go visit her later, or else there won't be anyone to take care of her!"

  Wang looked at her daughter with a hint of annoyance and said, "I thought you were being considerate of your sister, but it turns out you're just thinking about your own comfort!"

  Like an orchid sticking out its tongue, she coquettishly smiled, and Xiang Yiniang and Ping Yiniang also joined in the laughter. Minglan felt it was enough and obediently said: "Since that's the case, I'll thank you, madam."

  Wang led Minglan by the hand, saying kindly: "These two may not be very old, but they have been with me for a few years and are capable of handling both internal and external affairs. You can rest assured and entrust them with tasks."

  Miss Lin's face showed gratitude and conviction, saying: "The people around the madam are naturally good, I respect them so much that I don't have time to worry."

  After saying a few more words, Wang's family dispersed. Rulan was in an exceptionally good mood today, and she walked past Molan with her head held high. Molan followed silently behind her, and Minglan followed Molan. The several madams parted ways at the door, each going their separate directions. Rulan yawned slightly and returned to Weixi Hall, probably to take a nap. Lin Madam was heading back to Lin Qi Ge, and before leaving, she glanced lightly at Molan, seeming to exchange a look with her. Xiang Madam and Ping Madam quietly returned to their own rooms. Minglan headed in the direction of Musou Zhai, while Molan headed towards Shu Ge, coincidentally going in the same direction.

  At this time, the winter chill had not dissipated, and a thin layer of ice covered the lake's surface. The branches were bare, with only a few scattered leaves clinging to them, and the sparse snowflakes fell silently to the ground. It was a solemn and quiet scene. The two sisters walked quietly for a while, neither speaking to the other. Mo Lan endured it for a long time before finally unable to hold back: "Sixth sister is so lucky, Madam values you so much, after all, she's from the old lady's side, no matter how hard I try to curry favor, I still can't catch up!"

  Ming Lan sighed, this morning she was very worried, really didn't want to spend energy educating the young girl, but after thinking about it, she felt that it's better to clarify things earlier, otherwise there would be no end to the fighting. So she stopped in her tracks, turned around and instructed: "Yan Cao, you take the two sisters back first, ask Dan Ju to take care of them, Xiao Tao, Qin Sang, you two go to the lake to pick up a few round small stones, my fish tank is big, it's better to add some decorations."

  They went at the sound, and Minglan immediately turned her face to look straight at Molan. Molan was stunned for a moment, she was also a person with a crystal heart, and soon understood what Minglan meant. She remembered that she still had some complaints in her heart today that she hadn't expressed clearly, and it wasn't good for the maid to hear either. So she directly ordered everyone around her to retreat, and the two sisters walked to a dead tree and stopped under it.

  "What advice do you have for me, Sixth Sister?" asked Mo Lan, wearing a thick fur-lined glove, looking at Xue'er and Qin Sang in the distance with a cold tone. Minglan raised an eyebrow and said seriously: "Sister is a clever person, we don't speak in riddles when facing each other, let's lay it out and talk about what's on our minds today."

  Mo Lan was taken aback by this straightforward speech, and she glanced at Ming Lan with her eyes. She saw that Ming Lan took a deep breath and said in a torrent: "Since big sister got married and left home, there are only the three of us sisters left. I'll speak from my heart - in terms of looks, talent, and even Father's favoritism, you're always the number one in our family."

  Everyone loves to hear good words, let alone a young girl of over ten years old. Mo Lan heard this and her cold expression relaxed slightly. Ming Lan saw that the beginning was good, so she picked up the conversation: "Fourth sister is only inferior in terms of birth..." Mo Lan's face immediately turned black, and Ming Lan didn't dare to delay, continuing to say: "...if Fourth sister were also born from a noble womb, then she would have the same good fortune as an elder sister; but Heaven has ordained it otherwise, and unfortunately gave Fourth sister a different fate."

  Mo Lan's eyes were extremely unwilling, and she hummed a soft sound in her nose, but after all, she dispersed her thoughts and didn't get entangled in the corner of her mouth earlier. Ming Lan carefully brought up the topic: "Fourth sister, I shouldn't say this, but I'm also a concubine-born child, except for Old Madam's pity, everything is inferior to you, so why must you be at odds with me?"

  Mo Lan was startled, and looked at Ming Lan with a straight gaze. She saw that Ming Lan was also staring back at her, her body still plump like an infant's, but without the childish air about her. Her eyes were as calm as a deep lake, serene and elegant, just like a grown-up. Mo Lan hesitated and said: "Sister is being too sensitive, I didn't mean to quarrel with you; it was just a couple of words today."

  Also don't know why, Mo Lan felt that her momentum had weakened a lot, and the anger from just now was gone.

  Minglan smiled and said, "Mr. Zhuang once said that all things in the world ultimately boil down to 'profit and harm'. As we are both daughters of a concubine, Fourth Sister has Lin's wife protecting her from above and Third Brother supporting her from below, I don't know how much stronger she is than me; this 'profit' word I am not comparable to. Sister's talent and beauty are exceptional, known to all, and she has ambitions to soar to great heights; Sister knows what Old Madame likes, while I, being raised by Old Madame, only know how to live a humble life like a wooden puppet, this 'harm' word I don't have with Sister at all. Can't we just get along peacefully as sisters?"

  Mo Lan's heart surged like a stormy sea, feeling both triumphant and exposed, unable to refute anything, so she just covered up with a cold smile: "Sister, you're really good at talking, just now in front of the madam, you were quite fierce!"

  Minglan looked at Mo Lan's face and knew she had been persuaded, but was still unhappy in her heart. She smiled and said: "A person must have dignity, a tree must have bark. My sister, even if I'm not good at things, I still have to take care of Old Madame. Today is the first time I've ever given my respects to Madame and been scolded, how can our family's reputation be maintained? It's just like how older sisters also need to maintain the dignity of their mother-in-law, it's a matter of principle. We, as younger sisters, especially cannot let people look down on us."

  Mo Lan's heart skipped a beat as she looked up and down at Ming Lan, feeling like she had never known her before. She was used to being arrogant and sharp-tongued, often bullying others when no one stood up for them. But today, facing Ming Lan, she found herself almost powerless to retort, yet somehow felt that Ming Lan's words were very reasonable, each sentence hitting the nail on the head. Feeling both inferior and proud, unwilling to admit defeat, her inner thoughts were being verbalized by Ming Lan's gentle and soft voice, like a child's tone, which surprisingly didn't make her angry.

  Minglan watched as Molan's expression changed, knowing that today's goal had been achieved. Talking to intelligent people has its advantages - once the pros and cons are clearly explained, the other party can easily accept it. If it were Yulan, once she became stubborn, no amount of reasoning would be useful.

  Minglan turned her head away, slowly relaxing her facial expression, and happily watched as Xiaotao and Qinsang picked up stones on the other side. The gentle cold wind brushed against her face, but she only felt cool and comfortable. Her gaze shifted to the two tall, bare osmanthus trees in front of Shou'and Hall, and a warm, soft feeling filled her heart - anyway... She didn't need Mo Lan's genuine affection, as long as they could get along peacefully; she had people who truly loved and cared for her, both in this life and the last.

  Heaven didn't treat this half-martyr too badly after all.