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Chapter 118 A Visit to Express Gratitude

Before going to bed that night, Wen Mingqian said to Zhang Ma, "The second young lady of the Cui family has really helped me a lot this time. Logically, I should personally visit her to express my gratitude, but I really have no choice right now. If I wait too long, it will be even more impolite."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ma said, "What you say is true, young lady. Why don't we pack the things tomorrow and send them over with Ma Ping'an? We can also invite Miss Cui to our residence as a guest. That way, it won't be considered impolite."

“For now, we have no other choice,” Wen Mingqian said. “That Madam Cui is a second wife. Although we don’t know the details, we can guess from looking at Miss Cui that she is not having an easy time at home.”

“How many people have an easy time making a living under their stepmother?” Zhang Ma said. “Although Miss Cui did something wrong before, I think she’s not that bad at heart. She was just temporarily fooled by Song Xiulian.”

"No matter what, we really have to accept her kindness this time, and we shouldn't neglect her," Wen Mingqian said. "We should give her a generous gift, not a small one."

Zhang Ma said, "Don't worry, young lady, I'll take care of it. You should worry less right now and focus on getting better."

The next day, Zhang Ma brought the gift list over for Wen Mingqian to review. After looking at it, Wen Mingqian added two more items.

"Send these things over first, and remember to tell Miss Cui that we invite her to our house for a chat on the nineteenth."

Everything was loaded onto the car, and Zhang Ma and Ma Ping'an escorted the car to the Cui residence.

Since returning from the nunnery outside the city that day, Cui Baozhu has not left the house, and she has been scolded for this for several days.

"As a girl grows up, so do her heart. It's fine for her to go out for a stroll during the day. But staying out all night—whose rule is that?"

Let alone staying in a nunnery, that desolate place. Even staying at a relative's house isn't something you can just do anywhere. Do I need to be taught that?
Those who knew the truth would think the girl had acted on her own initiative, but those who didn't would think I, her stepmother, had mistreated her so much that she wouldn't even return home, preferring to spend the night in a nunnery!

Cui Baozhu's stepmother, Leng Shi, was strong-willed and had a sharp tongue.

She knew that Cui Baozhu was unwilling to be controlled by her and was secretly harboring a strong desire for revenge. Since Cui Baozhu hadn't made any mistakes, she couldn't really do anything about it.

Now that I have leverage over her, I must seize it and repeatedly expose her, making her ashamed and timid, so that I can make her submit in the future.

She had already planned it out: marrying Cui Baozhu to the foolish son of the Marquis of Fengxian. By giving up a worthless girl, she could gain a lot of benefits for her family.

Their master's official position could be promoted at least one more level, and even if he wasn't promoted, he could still get a lucrative post and take the opportunity to make more money.

Although the son of the Marquis of Fengxian is foolish, he is still a son of a noble family. With the marriage to Cui Baozhu as a foundation, his own children will naturally rise in status when they marry into the family in the future.

How could such a brilliant plan fail?

Besides, the master knows this, so he has no reason to be unhappy.

But Cui Baozhu absolutely refused.

With the children growing up one year and getting younger the next, she was running out of patience.

No matter what her stepmother said, Cui Baozhu simply listened quietly. She neither argued back nor showed much shame.

In this family, the stepmother is in charge. Even her father listens to her in everything.

Cui Baozhu knew she couldn't offend her stepmother, or she would surely suffer the consequences.

Therefore, no matter how harsh her words were, Cui Baozhu simply endured them. But there was one thing she could never compromise on, and that was getting married.

She understood that a woman's marriage was like a second reincarnation; whether it was a pit of fire or a pot of honey, she had to keep her eyes open beforehand.

She knew that she had no say in the matter of marriage, but marrying the son of the Marquis of Fengxian would be tantamount to ruining her future with a fool.

Her family could gain wealth and status through this, but what about her? It would be like jumping into a dry well, never to be able to climb out.

She had been completely preoccupied with Gong Yu'an, but these days, when she calmed down and thought about it, she realized how ridiculous she was; it was nothing but wishful thinking.

When people are stubborn and delusional, they tend to get stuck on trivial details. Only when they calm down do they start to reflect.

Once her feelings for Gong Yu'an cooled, she realized how ridiculous her previous actions had been. She had tried every means to curry favor with Madam Song, and even harmed people on her behalf.

Thankfully, it didn't succeed; otherwise, it wouldn't just be laughable, it would be terrifying.

Leng didn't know why she was staying at the nunnery, and she didn't mention Gong Chang'an's matter.

She was willing to help largely out of guilt, and besides, in the end, she didn't find Gong Chang'an based on the clues she provided; instead, the child escaped on his own.

Therefore, Cui Baozhu did not think she had done anything to the Gong family, but if her stepmother found out about this, she would definitely shamelessly go to the Gong family to ask for favors. She knew that Leng Shi was absolutely capable of doing that.

"Don't try to play the Buddha with me. I know what you're up to." Madam Leng snorted. "Your legs are your own, and I can't tie you up. But let me make this clear: if you tarnish the Cui family's reputation, even without my intervention, the master will not spare you."

Cui Baozhu knew that Leng Shi's outburst had almost subsided, so she got up and poured her a bowl of tea: "Mother's reprimand is correct, daughter knows she was wrong."

Leng glanced at her, wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent. She picked up her tea and had just taken a sip when a servant came in and said, "Madam, someone from the Marquis of Ruyang's residence has arrived."

"You mean the Gong family? What are they doing here?" Madam Leng asked, puzzled. "Didn't their second wife pass away a few days ago? We haven't had any contact with them lately!"

Because Cui Baozhu had been too close to Song Shi before, they could no longer get too close after Wen Mingqian took over the household.

Therefore, when Leng heard that someone from the Gong family had come today, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Cui Baozhu knew the truth, but she said nothing.

Then Zhang Ma came in and greeted both Leng Shi and Cui Baozhu.

With a smile on her face, Madam Leng asked, "Madam, may I ask what brings you to my humble abode?"

“Madam Cui, I am Zhang Mama from the second branch of the Gong family. I have come to pay a visit on behalf of our mistress.” Zhang Mama was here to express her gratitude, so she naturally had to be friendly and polite. “A few days ago, your second young lady helped us a lot. Our mistress originally wanted to come in person to express her gratitude, but she was frightened and fell ill, so she was unable to come at the moment. Therefore, she sent this old servant to deliver some small gifts to express her gratitude.”

After Zhang Ma finished speaking, she waved her hand gently, and the servants and maids who came with her brought in all the gifts from the carriage.

The gifts weren't anything special; they were just things like silks and satins, gold and silver jewelry, and the Four Treasures of the Study.

But its strength lies in its quantity, and the fact that each item is presentable.

"Oh dear, what do you mean by this?" Madam Leng asked, her surprise mixed with doubt. "How can you send such an expensive gift?"