Second Marriage

Eldest Madam Ye was determined to have a stronger connection with the Fifth Branch.

In the past, Ye Shen was just a brother-in-law, and she wanted to avoid arousing his suspicion. Moreover, Ye Shen was not an easy person to get along with. But now, there was a younger sister-in-law who she could finally find a way to make a connection with.

Yet, she didn’t expect Xiao Youning to be very busy after getting married. On the third day, she returned to her maternal home. On the fourth day, she was invited to the palace by the Empress. Finally, on the fifth day, the residence held a banquet, so she was able to visit.

Today’s banquet included Old Madam Ye’s close friends. Among these friends were two who had come from Baoding after hearing that her youngest son had married. They were not sent an invitation to the wedding, so they were angrily visiting to “kill”.

Eldest Madam Ye came early in the morning. She thought that since there were a lot of servants in the residence and Xiao Youning was young, she might not be able to handle everything. Eldest Madam Ye was ready to lend a hand so that this sister-in-law would remember a bit of her sincerity.

In the end, she was politely invited to the reception hall by Xiao Youning. “I bothered my sister-in-law during those days leading up to my marriage. Mother-in-law told me that my sister-in-law has helped me a lot. So today, sister-in-law will stay by mother-in-law’s side, and just eat, drink and have fun.”

Eldest Madam Ye’s excuses to get closer to her were blocked. She laughed dryly and did not give up. She said, “What are you and I being so polite for? We are family. The room will be full of elders, so let me help you out…”

Before she could finish, the steward’s wife came quickly to Xiao Youning and said, “Madam, the garden is ready.”

“What are you doing in the garden in this weather?” Eldest Madam Ye was interrupted, she looked at the beaming Xiao Youning in astonishment. “Does sister-in-law want to hold the banquet in the garden? It is cold today. The elders have weak bodies, so you should not do this.”

Xiao Youning nodded to show she understood. She gestured for the steward’s wife to retreat. She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. Today, I have ordered the kitchen to make a big pot of food. The garden will be a good place to enjoy the scenery. The charcoal stove is already on, so it is already warm. As soon as the pot is placed, it will only be cozy there. Mother-in-law and her friends rarely get together. It will be exciting, and they will be happy.”

Eldest Madam Ye opened her mouth, but it was difficult to say anything more. Coincidentally, there happened to be a report from the kitchen. Xiao Youning directly followed the servant and did not let Eldest Madam Ye speak more.

At the end of this conversation, Eldest Madam Ye was embarrassed and could only go to where the Old Madam Ye was. There, she chatted with the wives who came with the elders.

She was still thinking, perhaps Xiao Youning will be aware of my kindness when a mishap arises.

Unfortunately, Xiao Youning handled the banquet so well that the elders were delighted. In particular, they enjoyed eating the warm pot with all kinds of meat and vegetables.

“Your child’s wife is really well liked. She knew that we would be boisterous and had us get together to eat from the pot. Where did the copper stove come from? I’m going to have a servant find one that big!”

After enough alcohol and food, the servant girls came to clean up. An old lady pointed to the copper pot that three servant girls had to carry out.

Old Madam Ye covered her mouth and smiled. “She is young, full of energy, and naturally loves socializing. She might even be a food lover. She used us to have fun.”

Old Madam Ye was being modest and jesting. The closeness between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was secretly envied by many wives there.

Xiao Youning twisted her handkerchief and smiled. “Mother-in-law assumed correctly. This evening, I want to eat soup noodles. I will bring her a bowl of soup noodles later in the evening. I hope you like it.”

Everyone laughed, and someone said, “Your youngest child’s wife is really trying to make you happy and is filial to you. This is taking care of you in case you get indigestion at noon by treating you with some soft food in the evening. Noodle soup is best for settling the stomach. It is very thoughtful. Elder sister, this is an easy and comfortable life.”

These words were all true. At this moment, Xiao Youning had become the perfect daughter-in-law in the eyes of all the old ladies.

Eldest Madam Ye watched and listened to the others praise her sister-in-law for putting in so much effort and consideration. The smile on her lips froze and became awkward.

This meant that she, the older sister-in-law, was suppressed by the younger sister-in-law.

They supported Xiao Youning, which meant they were ridiculing her.

The banquet continued until sunset. Xiao Youning helped her mother-in-law send off the guests who did not stay the night. After waiting for the guests to leave, she slowly paced back to the main courtyard.

Yuan Guo had already lit a lantern. She went to her side and whispered, “Young Miss, does Eldest Madam really think you are stupid? Today, she came to steal the Young Miss’s spotlight and insisted on helping. You didn’t see how when people were praising you, she couldn’t even fake a smile.”

Xiao Youning shook her head. “How does she want to be in the spotlight? The truth is, she wants me to remember her in a positive light. However, Fifth Master will not have too much contact with the Ye Family in the future, and I won’t bother to socialize with her too much. After that, she will stop trying this hard. It’ll be fine if we are just cordial with each other in the future.”

“Why won’t Fifth Master have anything to do with the Ye Family in the future?” Yuan Guo didn’t understand and asked with uncertainty.

She just smiled and said, “You’ll see. There is still more than a month to go before the New Year, so let’s start making preparations first. It will probably be very busy during the New Year. All the courtyards will have to be cleaned. Tomorrow, let the steward find a dealer for servants, and we will choose some clever ones to use first.”

Yuan Guo agreed. After Xiao Youning was back in the courtyard, Yuan Guo went to find the steward. It was right when Ye Shen had come back from the palace, and Jian Yin was following him. When Jian Yin saw her walking out, he followed her and went out.