Chapter 22

Yao Wenluo seemed surprised by Ning Zhen’s calm attitude. 

 There was no panic, nor disdain. Ning Zhen asked her question calmly, never taking her eyes off Yao Wenluo, observing her expression closely. 

Inside, Yao Wenluo felt a surge of resentment. 

“…We’ll see,” Yao Wenluo responded with a composed and elegant smile. “Ning Zhen, it’s useless for you to try to stop this.” 

“Indeed,” Ning Zhen nodded. 

Her gaze suddenly wavered for a moment. 

Yao Wenluo took this as a sign of insecurity, believing that Ning Zhen was just pretending to be calm. 

Feeling even more smug, Yao Wenluo added, “Ning Zhen, Ah Yu has already returned to the city. He might come for dinner tonight.” 

“Is that so? No one told me,” Ning Zhen replied. 

Yao Wenluo said, “Well, I’m telling you now. From now on, I’ll be the first to inform you of anything related to Ah Yu. You’ve always had a bias against me, but I have a lot of friends, and everyone likes me. That proves I’m easy to get along with.” 

“Maybe…” Ning Zhen responded. 

“It’s probably Jin Nuan who’s been speaking ill of me to you. She’s your sister-in-law now, so you must have learned something about her temper, right?” Yao Wenluo probed. 

In most families, the relationship between sisters-in-law was average at best. Even peaceful cohabitation was considered a success, making such relationships easy to manipulate. 

Ning Zhen lowered her gaze slightly and remained silent. 

When she lifted her eyes again, her tone had shifted. “I have a beautiful hibiscus plant on the second floor. Would you like to see it? The flowers have been particularly lovely these past few days.” 

Seeing Ning Zhen’s apparent softening, Yao Wenluo was overjoyed. 

She was more than willing to linger in Ning Zhen’s courtyard. The longer she stayed, the more advantageous it was for her plan. 

The two went upstairs to admire the flowers. 

It was an ordinary hibiscus plant, but it bloomed profusely, with a lush and enchanting appearance. In a way, it resembled Ning Zhen—beautiful, but lacking uniqueness. 

Still, Yao Wenluo forced herself to offer some compliments. 

They chatted a bit longer, and Yao Wenluo even took the opportunity to badmouth Jin Nuan. 

Once the flower viewing was over, Yao Wenluo prepared to head to the old lady’s courtyard and said her goodbyes. 

She grabbed the short fur coat that had been draped over the armrest of the sofa. 

As soon as she left, Ning Zhen asked Cao Ma, “Well?” 

“It’s been switched, madam,” Cao Ma replied. 

Ning Zhen nodded. 

She then instructed Cao Ma, “Go find the third concubine and tell her I brought over a chest from my maiden home. It’s no longer needed, so store it in the warehouse. Ask the third concubine to bring the tokens and keys.” 

Ning Zhen had many dowry items, like the traditional “128 chests.” Though these were now stored in different forms, the ones she didn’t often use were kept in the family’s warehouse. 

The keys and inventory tokens for the warehouse were held by the third concubine, Xu Fangdu. 

Ning Zhen wasn’t concerned, as every item was recorded, and the accounts could be checked. 

The Sheng family wasn’t struggling financially, and there was no need to covet Ning Zhen’s dowry. Like her aunts and cousins-in-law, Ning Zhen stored her valuables in the family’s communal warehouse. 

Cao Ma acknowledged the instruction. 

At that moment, the third concubine was meeting with the housekeeper. When she saw Cao Ma bringing the chest, the third concubine’s housekeeper said, “Leave it here for now. When the third concubine has time to inventory it, we’ll send the receipt to the madam.” 

She added, “If Cao Ma is worried, you can wait here.” 

The time right after lunch was the busiest for the third concubine. 

Coming at such a time, the housekeeper felt that Cao Ma and Ning Zhen were being inconsiderate. 

Cao Ma smiled and said, “The third concubine is trusted by the old lady and helps manage the household. How could I not trust her? I’ll be on my way now.” 

She turned and left. 

The housekeeper cast a disdainful glance at her. 

Less than an hour later, before the third concubine had finished her work, Cao Ma returned. 

She smiled apologetically and said, “Has the madam’s chest not been stored yet?” 

“Not yet. Even with the Old lady’s belongings, everything needs to be carefully accounted for before being placed in storage. If anything goes wrong, it’ll all be blamed on our concubine. What’s your rush?” The head maid spoke rudely. 

In the old household, whoever held the key tokens for management had subordinates who spoke with more authority. 

Cao Ma remained unperturbed, still smiling. “I apologize. The madam just realized she forgot to take something out and asked us to bring the chest back.” 

The head maid paused for a moment. 

Since the items hadn’t been stored yet, there was no reason to refuse to take them back. 

She gave a signal, calling over two sturdy maids to help Cao Ma carry the chest back. 

Later in the afternoon, after finishing her tasks, the third concubine, Xu Fangdu, took a break with a cup of tea and asked the head maid, “I saw people from the madam’s side coming and going earlier. What were they doing?” 

The head maid sneered slightly. “They brought in a chest to store, then took it away again. Such a hassle! If you had already stored it, it would have involved several procedures.” 

She added, “I think the madam is bored and stirring up trouble, trying to make things difficult for you.” 

She continued, “It’s probably because she’s unhappy with you holding the keys to the storeroom. Now that she has the kitchen accounts, she’s looking for a reason to pick a fight. Concubine, we need to be careful.” 

Xu Fangdu sipped her tea, enjoying the fragrant aroma that filled her mouth and slid down her throat. 

In a good mood, she smiled and said, “It’s not necessarily trouble. Maybe she’s just feeling uneasy and wanted to talk to me, but I was too busy.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Miss Yao has been visiting frequently these days and might be staying at the house long-term. The madam is feeling very anxious,” Xu Fangdu explained. 

The head maid asked, “Is Miss Yao planning to take her place?” 

“Who knows?” Xu Fangdu slowly drank her tea. “But it’s none of our business. Let’s finish the accounts; I need to have dinner with my wet nurse.” 

In Ning Zhen’s residence, the chest was placed in her personal storeroom. 

However, the storeroom was nearly full with frequently used items, so it took some effort to find the right corner to squeeze the chest into. 

The Old lady soon invited Ning Zhen to dinner, and she went over. 

On the small path outside the Old lady’s courtyard, Ning Zhen spotted her younger sister-in-law, Sheng Changyin. 

Changyin had just returned from school and hadn’t yet changed out of her blue cotton student skirt. Her hair was styled into two short pigtails that hung over her shoulders. 

She was pacing back and forth, nervously biting her nails. 

“Are you anxious or troubled?” Ning Zhen asked suddenly. 

Whenever Ning Zhen was preparing for exams, she used to bite her nails too. 

Sheng Changyin snapped back to reality and greeted her, “Sister-in-law.” 

“What’s wrong?” Ning Zhen asked with a smile. 

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Changyin had started to feel more warmly toward her sister-in-law. Even though Xu Fangdu often reminded her to show respect, it was becoming harder for Changyin to dislike Ning Zhen. 

“…Sister-in-law, Sister Yao is inside,” Changyin said, pointing toward the Old lady’s courtyard. 

Ning Zhen asked, “You don’t like her either?” 

Changyin’s eyes lit up. 

She liked how Ning Zhen used the word “either.” 

“I don’t like her either. I even fought with her once,” Ning Zhen continued. 

Changyin grabbed Ning Zhen’s arm, walking a few steps forward with her, displaying the innocent playfulness of a young girl. 

“She teaches piano, but she’s nowhere near as good as my teacher, and she constantly shows off. It’s so annoying. But my mother clearly wants to win her over,” Changyin said, full of frustration. 

Ning Zhen asked, “Did you tell your mother about this?” 

“I didn’t dare.” 

Ning Zhen thought for a moment. “Maybe don’t say anything yet. If your mother gets upset, she might take it out on you.” 

Changyin pleaded, “Sister-in-law, please help me! If you help me this time, I’ll owe you a big favor. Whatever you need in the future, I’ll treat it as my own problem.” 

Ning Zhen laughed.