Guo Yuhuan asked Xia Zhi when this set of clothes was made, and after hearing that it was just made, she smiled and asked: "Auntie is really good to the fourth sister, and gave the fourth sister a set of clothes. What did Auntie make for Zhenzhu?"

  The clothes that Zhenzhu took out were all made a few days ago, and there was nothing new. Xia Zhi smiled and didn't respond to Guo Yuhuan. It was still Zhenzhu who answered Guo Yuhuan's words: "Fourth sister's clothes were not made by my mother, but by fourth sister herself with her own money. Fourth sister also had a skirt made for me, which is not yet finished."

  Guo Yuhuan heard that the clothes were made by Xia Zhi herself, and she felt a bit uncomfortable. She smiled and asked Pearl: "How come you two are making clothes together, Fourth Sister's are all done, but yours aren't finished yet?" Meaning that Xia Zhi was neglecting Pearl.

  Zhenzhu didn't catch the implicit meaning of Guo Yuhuan's words at all, and she proudly told Guo Yuhuan: "Fourth sister asked Wang Shu to make a Moonlight Dress for me. You know that making a Moonlight Dress is not easy, it requires a lot of work. I'm happy to wait a few more days."

  "Moonglow skirt?" Guo Yuhuan was shocked, almost not daring to believe her own ears. The materials and labor for a moonglow skirt would cost at least two taels of silver, something she had always yearned for but her family couldn't afford to make for her. The silver needed to make one moonglow skirt could be used to buy her two or three sets of good clothes instead.

  Zhenzhu's family was better off than hers, and she was more spoiled. Guo Aunt and Xia Big Aunt were both willing to spend money on Zhenzhu. But even so, Zhenzhu didn't have a moonlight-colored skirt like Yueliang did.

  Xia Zhi surprisingly spent money on a Moonlight Dress for Pearl!

  Look at Pearl, then look at Xia Zhi, Guo Yuhuan knew this was not a joke. But she was a poor relative from the countryside, even if Xia Zhi made money selling zongzi, how could she bear to part with it! Xia Zhi was really generous, and Pearl was truly happy.

  "Fourth sister, you've made a moonlight skirt for Zhenzhu, why don't you make one for me too?" Guo Yuhuan said with a smile to Xia Zhi.

  Xia Zhi smiled and took a glance at Guo Yuhuan, thinking that this girl really dared to speak her mind.

  For someone like Guo Yuhuan, pearls are very familiar. Guo Yuhuan's face is very thick, she has used similar words to swindle many things from her. Zhenzhu worries that Xia Zhi won't be able to get past Guo Yuhuan's face. But the Moon Flower dress is really expensive. Zhenzhu worries that she will be dragged down by Guo Yuhuan, and her own Moon Flower dress is also in danger.

  "Yuexiang, why do you want everything you see? Fourth sister only made one for me, and she didn't even have the heart to make one for herself." Zhenzhu glared at Guo Yuexiang unhappily.

  Guo Yuhuan, even with a thick skin, couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when Pearl spoke to her like that. She quickly laughed it off: "Pearl, you're so petty! I was just joking and you took it seriously. Look at Fourth Sister, she didn't say anything."

  They went to Yao Wang Temple Hutong together, but before they even left the house, Zhenzhu and Guo Yuhuan had already started arguing. Xia Zhi had to intervene and smooth things over, changing the subject.

  It wasn't easy to get Pearl ready, and then everyone came over to see Aunt Xia. Aunt Xia was very satisfied with the clothes of several children, and then she specially instructed Pearl and Guo Yuhuan for two sentences, telling them that they must be reasonable when encountering things and cannot be in a bad mood.

  "You are all girls of the Guo family, and when you go out, it's the face of the Guo family. Yuhuan, as the older sister, take care of your younger sister." Xia Dagu said, and then reminded Zhenzhu, "Zhenzhu, going out is not like being at home, don't be naughty."

  When facing others, Xia Dagu didn't instruct Xia Zhi on anything, but only let her take good care of the little black fish.

  The carriage outside was ready. Xia Zhi and several others got on the carriage and headed straight for Yao Wang Miao Hutong.

  Yaowang Temple Hutong is located on the north side of Xishi Street, separated from Xishi Street by four streets. It's a pretty quiet place because there is a Yaowang Temple at the end of the hutong, so it's called Yaowang Temple Hutong.

  Tian Jiansheng gave Zhang Qiaor's house, which is located in the central part of Yaowangmiao Alley. The alley was inhabited by ordinary families, just as Xia Ershu said, the best and tallest house in the alley was Zhang Qiaor's house.

  There was no sign in front of the gate. The carriage stopped at the entrance, and Liu Qiang got off to talk to the little servant who was watching the door. Liu Qiang had been here before, but the little servant still seemed a bit dismissive. It wasn't until Liu Qiang accompanied him with a smile and said many good things that the little servant slowly went in. After a while, an old woman opened the side gate, but did not allow Liu Qiang's carriage to enter.

  "That day I and my mother came, also walked in." Pearl said softly to Xia Zhi.

  Xia Zhi nodded and thought that although Zhang Qiaoer was an outsider, her threshold was quite high. If she didn't want to take a look at Xia Ershu's and Xia Erniang's living environment, she wouldn't have come willingly.

  Guo Yuhuan, on the other hand, was excited and not angry at all. She thought this was the kind of style a surveillance officer's family should have. "This is their rule, how can they just let any car in? It's good that we walked in, now we can take a good look."

  A few people got off the bus and walked in through the side door.

  The doorkeeper closed the corner gate again, then lazily sat on a stool on one side, staring at Xia Zhi and others with a pair of dull eyes.

  "We were invited by Xia Er Shu, would you please go and inform them?" Xia Zhi Si looked around but didn't see any other servants nearby. She had no choice but to speak to the gatekeeper's wife.

  The old woman didn't respond at first, but when she saw Xia Zhi handing over the money, she stood up and smiled at him. With money paving the way, things became much easier afterwards.

  A little girl with a single braid led Xia Zhi and several others into a pavilion in the rear courtyard, telling them to wait for Auntie Xia Er.

  Xia Zhi glanced around, taking in the furnishings and furniture in the pavilion. This probably wasn't a place for receiving guests properly. She guessed that this pavilion was where family members handled affairs and discussed matters.

  "Fourth sister, I and my mother came over last time, also waiting for Second Aunt here." Pearl whispered to Xia Zhi.

  Guo Yuhuan sat down beside the pearl, her eyes rolling around in all directions. Then she saw that there was no one serving inside the house, so she got up and walked to a screen beside it to take a closer look and feel it.

  "...the frame is made of purple sandalwood, and the embroidery on that screen is so beautiful." After walking back, Guo Yuhuan lowered her voice to speak, with a face full of envy and excitement. Then she lovingly stroked the surface of the table inlaid with marble beside her. "This set of tables and chairs must be worth several taels of silver."

  At the summer solstice, this might be the place of the lower people. After that, Guo Yuhuan's face was full of envy and excitement. "This is still the outer house of the monitor's family, even the place of the lower people is so luxurious..."

  It seems that as long as it's related to Master Guo, Madame Guo thinks it's extremely good.

  Xia Zhi didn't go to see Guo Yuhuan, but instead thought of another matter. The status of Zhang Cai and Luo Juan in this mansion is hard to say, but judging from the attitude of the servants towards them, Xia Ershu and Xia Erniang's family status in this mansion may not be as high as they boasted.

  According to Xia Ershen, she was invited by Luo Juan to take care of Zhang Qiao'er. So from a certain perspective, this treatment is still in line with Xia Ershen's status in the mansion.

  It was a while after the summer solstice that several people waited for half a day, and even Xiao Hei Yu Er became impatient. Finally, they heard footsteps outside, followed by Wu Yue's voice.

  May is following a little girl who has come over. This little girl is no longer the one from just now.

  May's attitude was very reserved, she came in and said to Xia Zhi: "...... how come you didn't even let someone send a message before coming, I could have arranged for a car to pick you up. Didn't you tell the doorman clearly? Oh, it must be that the doorman has changed shifts, and is muddled, if I hadn't happened to run into you, I wouldn't have known you had arrived......"

  Then she let Xia Zhi and several others get up and follow her. "This is not our place to stay. Let's go, I'll take you there." As for Guo Yuhuan who came over to chat with a smile, Wu Yue's attitude became even more reserved, she just smiled at Guo Yuhuan and didn't talk to her.

  Out of the hall, May ordered the little maid to hurry and "inform Auntie". Xia Zhi thought for a moment before realizing that this aunt referred to Xia Erniang.

  That little girl responded with a "yes" and quickly left. Wu Yue smiled and explained to Xia Zhi, "My mother is upstairs chatting with Madame Wang. Madame Wang can't leave her for the time being. You've arrived, but my mother doesn't know yet. If she finds out that any of the servants have been slow in attending to you, she'll scold them severely in front of Madame Wang."

  Guo Yuhuan hastily followed May and said, "No one has been slow to treat us. The steward and the ladies are busy, it's just that we didn't make ourselves clear. Third sister, please don't let big madam get angry because of us, if she gets angry and damages her health, it will be our fault."

  It wasn't until May that he condescended to look at Guo Yuhuan with a serious expression. "Miss Yuhuan is understanding and reasonable, so let's just consider her face."

  May brought the summer solstice, and after passing through a few corridors and two courtyards, they arrived at a side hall. The furnishings in this side hall were sumptuous and majestic, far surpassing those of the previous building.

  In May, everyone sat down and said that this was the place where they would entertain guests. Guo Yuhuan looked at it with a bewildered expression, constantly exclaiming in admiration. "The heavenly palace must be like this too. Only someone as exceptional as San Jie could live in such a place."

  May didn't say anything with her mouth, but her smile was very triumphant.

  They sat for a while, and then heard May boasting, Guo Yuhuan flattering, but no maid came to serve, nor was there any tea. Xia Zhi didn't plan to pick on these things, while Guo Yuhuan simply didn't notice.

  "What about July?" Xia Zhi asked Wu Yue.

  "In July, she was also chatting with Grandma. May smiled and said, 'Only I managed to slip away. Sixteen, Uncle, don't worry about it. This is just the rules of a big household, not to mention you've come, even if the nephew or grandson of the monitor's family came, they would still have to wait. You folks from the countryside don't understand these things, this is their rule."

  Xia Zhi burst out laughing and couldn't be bothered to distinguish herself from May.

  Guo Yuhuan, however, repeatedly echoed in agreement, saying that wealthy families were indeed like this. "We're still relying on the prestige of Second Aunt and Third Sister. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't even be able to enter the backyard, and would have to wait at the gatehouse."

  Guo Yuhuan was sweet-talking and flattering May everywhere they went, coaxing May into smiling more and more.

  Xia Zhi asked again about Xia Er Shu and Xia Zhu, and Wu Yue replied that they had left early in the morning to follow Zhang Cai to the shop. "You won't be able to see them today. They can't leave the shop, they're busy from dawn till dusk every day. These two days, it's said that there are even more things to do."

  As he spoke, in May, he glanced at Guo Yuhuan.

  Guo Yuhuan then showed a grateful expression to Wu Yue in May: "My family's affairs owe thanks to Second Uncle's help. If it weren't for Second Uncle, no one else would have such ability."

  "Who made us relatives who take a detour? If we don't help you, who will?" May slightly raised her chin and smiled.

  Xiao Hei Yu really couldn't bear to listen anymore, so he said to Wu Yue: "Wu Yue, go find your mother. If she's busy, we'll leave."

  "My mother is with Grandma... " May said, looking at Xiaobei's face and not daring to say more, hesitating whether to get up and find Summer Aunt.

  Just then, Xia Ershen finally arrived.

  "Hey, when did you guys arrive? Why didn't you give me a heads up beforehand? I had to beg Grandma to let me come down and take a look." Xia Erniang burst into the room, speaking in a loud voice.

  In May, he let out a dry cough and Auntie Er's eyes darted towards him.

  Xia Er Aunt paused for a moment, then quickly glanced around before lowering her voice to speak.

  In May, she smiled and explained: "The big grandma is pregnant and fears being startled by people."

  "Second Aunt, we'll be heading back to the village in two days, so I came to visit you today," Xia Zhi said to Second Aunt.

  "Sixteen, are you guys leaving already?" Xia Er aunt sat on the chair looking at Xia Zhi and Xiao Hei Yu, "Why not stay a few more days? Is it that you didn't live well at your eldest aunt's place? Then you can move here and live with me, stay as long as you want."

  May also smiled and looked at Xia Zhi: "Sixteen, you came to live with me. You followed Big Sister to the prefecture city, I was thinking at that time, when can I come to the prefecture city to take a look. Who would have thought, you didn't come for a few days, we arrived. Now you want to go back, but we don't know when we can go back."

  "Third sister must have settled down in the prefecture city, what's the point of going back?" Guo Yuhuan immediately said with a smile.

  In May, he smiled and glanced at Guo Yuhuan.

  "I've been living quite well with Old Uncle at my eldest aunt's place. But after all these days, it's time to go back home. Even if the prefecture is great, it's not home." Xia Zhi ignored Wu Yue and only spoke to Xia Er Niang, "Since we're going back, I came to see you, Second Aunt. When I get back, I'll tell my grandfather and grandmother about it, so they can be at ease too."

  Xia Zhi only spoke seriously. Wu Yue felt uninteresting and didn't say anything else. Xia Er Shu sat up straight on the chair subconsciously.

  "We're all fine, Sixteen. You go back and let your grandparents not worry. It's much better here than in the countryside." Xia Er Auntie told Xia Zhi, and asked Xia Zhi which day he would be going back.

  "The specific date has not been set yet, it depends on what arrangements my dad has made, but it will be in the next two or three days." Xia Zhi replied.

  Then Xiaoyao walked in: "The old lady has ordered that a few of you girls go over to see her."

  (。)