Wang Anmei is basically done here, and then it's Zhao Zhen's turn.

  The next day, Xie Wan went to Li Ershun's hutong again and handed over some matters in person.

  Three days later, Li Ershun sent a letter to Lizihutong, informing Xie Wan and Zhao Furen that they would go to Qingquan Temple to burn incense the next day.

  Xie Wan polished for half a night and early in the morning led Yu Xueyu Fang to Qingquan Temple.

  Madam Zhao was resting in her room after finishing her incense offering when she heard a conversation coming from the next room.

  “……Sister, you have a hard life, and younger sister knows it in her heart. If you are determined to leave home, I will naturally ask our daughter and second young master to pay attention to such a family outside for you. It's just that I don't know what requirements you have, tell me, so that when our second young master arrives, he also has an idea.”

  "I'm living a life that's not even as good as a servant's at home, and I'm in such a situation, what can I ask for? As long as the other family is kind and doesn't look down on me, that's enough. Even if I have to be a cow or a horse, I'm willing."

  Madam Zhao heard the two sentences, her heart moved slightly, and she couldn't help but glance at the other side of the screen a few more times. The original room was a large scripture hall, now divided by screens into a place for female guests to rest. Although the person on that side spoke in a low voice, every word still reached her ears clearly.

  All that could be heard was a low sob for a moment, and then the voice sounded again.

  "Sister said so, then it's easy to handle. Although you have no hope for offspring, there are also widowers in the world who already have children. However, this would be a pity for sister... Sister is of good character and appearance, if not for that, she could easily marry into a good family. I'm really feeling sorry for you!"

  "Sister, don't say that! Since heaven has treated me this way, I have nothing to complain about. If I can really leave home and find another refuge, it will be my lifelong blessing. I must serve the master well, attend to the parents-in-law, and treat the younger sister-in-law kindly, in order to seek peace in the next life."

  "Sister!"

  Those two cried again.

  Madam Zhao's heart was racing wildly in her chest, and she kept glancing over there, but unfortunately the screen blocked her view completely, making it impossible for her to see anything clearly.

  It so happened that Li Ershun, who was following along, came forward to urge them on. She pointed at the sedan chair and asked in a low voice, "Who is speaking inside?"

  Li Ershun walked to the door and looked over, then immediately shrunk his neck and ran back saying: "It is, it's Xie Jia San's people. It seems that someone close to San was having a private conversation with someone else." As he spoke, he touched the whip wound on his face, looking like he still had lingering fears.

  Madam Zhao looked at him and guessed that he was intimidated by Third Young Miss Shao. At first, she didn't know the situation and thought that Xiaojuan's actions were too severe. Later, when she found out it was because of Li Ershun's gossiping, she no longer blamed her for the beating. They were all people who valued rules and propriety; if she were in Xiaojuan's shoes and heard that a servant was spreading rumors and slandering their former master outside, she would also teach them a lesson.

  At this point, he suddenly became suspicious and fell into deep thought.

  "Thanks to Third Sister..."

  Li Ershun said at the right time, "This Xie San Niang is young, but she has a strong personality. It's said that people with a hard life mature early. Since Xie Er Ye and his wife passed away more than a year ago, this third lady has changed completely, even their second master now consults her on many things. I was really blind back then, if only I had known better, I wouldn't have offended her. Now I have to take a detour whenever I see her."

  Madam Zhao glanced at him and said: "Then why do you often run to Li Zihou's shop in the alley?" As if she didn't know about those private matters of his!

  Li Ershun looked as if he had suffered a great injustice, his eyes wide with protest: "Madam, you misunderstand! I went to that shop to find Luo Sheng, the manager. Don't you know, madam, that my heart has always been thinking of Yu Xue..." He lowered his head, looking rather embarrassed.

  Originally, she didn't care about this matter, otherwise, she would have taken action against him long ago. Now that she heard what he said was reasonable, Mrs. Zhao just smiled. Because of her eldest son's lifelong disability, she had always been very lenient with the servants, fearing that if she managed them too strictly, it would damage her virtue and rebound on her eldest son.

  Her eldest son was a permanent heart disease for her. If it wasn't for rushing to send Zhao Zhen's dowry that year, she would have taken him, who was only two years old at the time, on the road and contracted pneumonia, which delayed his treatment, how could he end up so pitiful?

  He has been ill for so long, and she and Zhao Zhen have been feeling guilty for so long. Now that they are both not young anymore, their second son and youngest daughter will also have their own families soon, no one knows how much longer they can take care of him, she hopes to find someone suitable to take over her role and take care of him for the rest of his life!

  Thinking of this, she sighed and couldn't help but look towards the screen again.

  There is no sound over there anymore, it seems like the person has left.

  From their conversation, it seemed that the older woman had a miserable life and was infertile.

  For the Zhao family, not being able to have children is not a big deal. People with a bitter life are generally more tolerant of loneliness. And then I heard that "sister" say that she was decent in both appearance and character, so if her character was good, it should mean that she was a clean person. As long as she was a clean person, and could settle down at the Zhao family, and was also someone who knew the roots of the matter, being familiar with the inner workings, then she was already suitable.

  If even widows can be considered, then her son... At least, she can give her a stable and worry-free life, give her a dignified status, give her care and consideration, and also become her reliance for this life! She feels that what she needs, and what the woman just now needed, they can actually give to each other!

  "Second in order..."

  She subconsciously called out his name.

  "Is there anything I can help you with, ma'am?"

  Her face suddenly showed a hint of shyness, and she picked up her tea to pretend to drink, saying: "Has Mrs. Xie not sent any gifts over recently?"

  ……

  At night, Xie Wan was playing with paper cranes when Luo Sheng rushed in hastily.

  "Miss, Li Ershun came with a message saying that Madam Zhao has returned our lady's gift and said that Lord Zhao is about to enter the capital to report for duty. Taking advantage of the fact that he is not busy at present, starting from tomorrow, he will be visiting various large households in the county to express his gratitude for their care over the past three years. Our household is the first one on his list!"

  Xie Wan stood up and smiled: "This is a good thing!"

  Luo Sheng asked, "Aren't you worried that Madam will tell Mrs. Zhao about what happened between Li Ershun and us?"

  Xie Wan raised her lips and said: "Do you think Mrs. Zhao came to the mansion to visit the madam? She's here to find me. And even if the madam really told her about this, what's the big deal? Zhao Zhen is leaving, and even if I had calculated against him before, it's all in the past now. Isn't the madam looking for trouble by bringing this up at this time? The key is, Li Ershun hasn't been idle in the Zhao mansion for half a year, will Mrs. Zhao believe her?"

  Lu Sheng nodded after a long time: "It turns out that it was all in the young lady's plan from the very beginning. I was the one who overthought."

  The next day after breakfast, Zhao Zhen and his wife indeed came to the mansion.

  However, he did not directly find Xie Wan, but instead whispered to a maid to come over while chatting with Wang. It was said that the second house was doing silk business, and wanted to patronize their business on the grounds of asking Xie Wan to accompany him to the shop as an advisor.

  Xie Wan greatly appreciated Mrs. Zhao's thoughtful consideration. With such a pretext, not only did it seem reasonable and natural, but even outsiders wouldn't suspect anything, and using silk fabrics to cover their ears and eyes made discussing private matters seem perfectly normal.

  The appointment is set for two days later.

  On this day, Xie Wan arrived at the shop in the late morning, and Madame Zhao followed closely behind.

  Xie Wan really likes her like this.

  She calmly came forward and greeted her, led her to take a look around the store's silk fabrics, briefly introduced a few sentences, and then invited her up to the attic.

  "I don't know what kind of clothes the lady likes, is it a padded jacket, a cloak or a skirt? If there isn't a suitable one, we can go to the store on the other side of Willow Leaf Alley later and take another look."

  Xie Wan spread out the twenty or so pieces of silk fabric on the table, while saying. The fabrics laid out were all practical and had subtle yet elegant patterns like those on Mrs. Zhao's clothes, indicating that from the moment she entered the room until now, this nine-year-old girl had been quietly observing her without revealing her true intentions.

  While Xie Wan was doing all this with a calm and composed demeanor, Mrs. Zhao had been sizing her up. Her posture was elegant and her movements were skilled, just like an experienced housekeeper who had handled many chores over the years, but there was no sign of worldly experience in her eyes or face, only a quietness that would be suitable for any age.

  Madam Zhao observed very minutely, and when she really couldn't find any trace of ignorance or arrogance on her, a satisfied smile gradually spread across her lips.

  There are many people in the world who have lost their parents at a young age. Most people will struggle with grief for a while before choosing to either get back on their feet or continue to sink, but there are few people like Xie Zhu who, despite being very young, were not defeated by disaster and quickly stood up from adversity and started learning household chores.

  Recalling her own intentions, she also recalled the dirty things Wang's family had done to her in the past, and Mrs. Zhao couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

  Unexpectedly, what was initially calculated for the eldest son's marriage has now turned around to seek their help again for the same reason. As a result, the tone of speech unconsciously became more humble and casual, treating Xie Zhu as an ordinary girl, speaking about it as if chatting about family matters.

  "I'll just make a few more interlined jackets, and then I'll make two straight ones for our old master. After all, we have to go back to the capital to report on our duties, so we should dress properly." She suppressed the discomfort in her heart and smiled warmly, stroking the smooth silk under her hands: "And also, I'll make two new sets of clothes for our young master. He likes wearing new clothes, and he's tall, so they look good on him too."

  Her smile at the corner of her lips seemed a bit forced at this point.

  She was naturally someone who paid attention to details. Xie Wan noticed her expression and paused for a moment before saying, "Zhao Da Shao Ye should be over 20 years old this year, right?"

  "It's been twenty-four years." Mrs. Zhao nodded, a hint of sadness welling up in her eyes.