Mrs. Qi’s heart was pounding.

To her, Yang Haiyan’s words felt as if they were threatening her life.

Was Mrs. Qin going to report her to the authorities?

It was just some casual talk between women; how could it be so serious?

Yet, she couldn’t help it; her legs turned to jelly, and she immediately knelt before Yang Haiyan, pleading, “Mrs. Qin, spare my life! It wasn’t me who said it; it was them! I just listened!”

Yang Haiyan was taken aback by Mrs. Qi’s timidness and the fact that she knelt down in fear.

Nevertheless, she maintained her composure and didn’t break into laughter.

Instead, she went over to help Mrs. Qi up, saying, “What are you doing, Mrs. Qi? I know you weren’t the one gossiping about me. After all, a few days ago, someone already informed me that those women in the family quarters were gossiping about others. I was just wondering if the people mentioned were the same as those you overheard.”

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Qi realized that someone had already told Mrs. Qin about it.

But then again, it was expected; after all, Mrs. Qin was the wife of a captain, so it was normal for her to be informed by someone close to her.

This thought put Mrs. Qi at ease.

Since someone had already mentioned it, what difference would it make if she spoke about it too?

Yang Haiyan noticed her dazed expression and called out, “Mrs. Qi? Mrs. Qi?”

Mrs. Qi snapped back to reality, her mood a bit calmer now and no longer as frightened as before.

She said, “Since you already know, Mrs. Qin, I won’t hide it any longer. The ones talking about you today were Mrs. Feng, who wants to get a ride today, and Mrs. Tang, who is friendly with her.”

Yang Haiyan only knew the wives of the ten centurions under Qin Fang, so she wasn’t familiar with Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang.

“Tell me about these two, Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang.” She added, “Granny Lian, is the tea ready?”

Granny Lian replied, “It’s coming, it’s coming…”

She entered with the tea. “Mrs. Qi, please enjoy the tea.”

Mrs. Qi thanked her repeatedly, “Thank you, thank you, Granny.”

Yang Haiyan instructed, “Granny Lian, please prepare some pastries to bring to Mrs. Qi later.”

Granny Lian responded, “Yes. Mrs. Qi, please take your time with the tea.”

Upon hearing about the pastries, Mrs. Qi couldn’t help but feel envious.

Everyone knew that Mrs. Qin’s pastry shop was doing great business; not only were the prices cheap, but the taste was also excellent.

Many people envied and resented it, but no one dared to act on it. Who would dare to, when everyone’s husbands were in the military?

So they could only watch with longing, feeling more and more sour about it.

Once Granny Lian left, Mrs. Qi shared everything she knew.

She usually enjoyed mingling with Mrs. Tang and Mrs. Feng, but she was timid and acted merely as an audience.

Of course, if she had been bold, she wouldn’t have been frightened to this extent by Yang Haiyan’s scaring.

However, timid people could still listen to gossip. Mrs. Qi usually enjoyed hearing it.

Though she was timid and didn’t dare to speak ill of others, she wasn’t one to hold her tongue.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have blurted out such words in the carriage.

One thing about Mrs. Qi was that she never spread rumors.

What she heard from others remained unchanged when it passed through her lips; she absolutely wouldn’t embellish the stories.

After listening to Mrs. Qi for a while, Yang Haiyan summarized that those women were indeed saying that she was wasteful and unable to bear children.

Initially, when she heard Mrs. Qi’s words in the carriage, Yang Haiyan was angry—not because they were speaking ill of her, but because she felt it was unfair for women to trouble other women.

But now, she was no longer angry; she had begun to formulate her own thoughts.

Yang Haiyan considered this and then asked, “I suppose Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang must have laid quite a few eggs, right?”

Mrs. Qi was momentarily confused, “Huh?”

Yang Haiyan took a sip of tea and clarified, “I mean, they must have had quite a few children, right?”

Mrs. Qi was quick to respond, “Mrs. Feng has three sons. Mrs. Tang had three daughters before; her fourth child was a son. Among us, they are the most prolific.”

Yang Haiyan remarked, “Then Mrs. Tang’s words must be even sharper than Mrs. Feng’s.”

Mrs. Qi looked at Yang Haiyan with admiration, “How do you know?”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “I was just guessing.” But in reality, it wasn’t just guessing; it was analysis.

Mrs. Tang liked to say that people don’t lay eggs, which showed her serious preference for sons over daughters.

It was evident that when she had three daughters before, she must have felt significant psychological pressure.

Not to mention, her personality was likely very insecure.

During those years, she must have felt very repressed, timid, and didn’t dare to speak, shrinking herself into a dark corner.

Once her fourth child was a son, she must have felt vindicated, saying things that sounded pleasant, but in a harsher light, it meant her previous years of insecurity and repression needed an outlet.

As a result, her words were surely sharper; she was eager to prove herself and desperately wanted recognition from others.

Then she transferred the suffering she had endured onto someone else.

Mrs. Qi truly thought Yang Haiyan was just guessing and couldn’t help but say, “Mrs. Qin, your guesses are really accurate. She loves to gossip.”

Yang Haiyan smiled.

Just as she was about to respond, Aunt Yu came in: “Madam, Chen Dashi said Mrs. Lu has arrived.”

Yang Haiyan was taken aback but then said to Mrs. Qi, “Mrs. Qi, please sit for a moment; I’ll go greet a guest.”

Mrs. Qi replied, “Oh.”

Yang Haiyan went to the main hall, not intending to bring Sister Lu into the study.

Even though Mrs. Qi had come to “surrender” to her, she had no intention of exposing her.

If Sister Lu came and saw Mrs. Qi here, it could lead to trouble tomorrow if Sister Lu, Mrs. Feng, and Mrs. Tang had a conflict.

There was no telling what Sister Lu might overhear.

This was Sister Lu’s second visit; the first time was after the Qin couple moved, when they invited everyone for a meal, and now this was her second time.

Unlike her first visit, this time there were more servants in the residence.

When Sister Lu arrived at the main hall, Yang Haiyan was already there.

Sister Lu immediately performed a greeting, “I’ve met Mrs. Qin.”

She had contemplated for the whole morning about the events in the carriage and felt that Yang Haiyan’s status had changed, so she could no longer be as casual as before.

Who knows, maybe Yang Haiyan preferred her to be respectful, which is why she followed the proper etiquette.

Yang Haiyan was momentarily surprised.

As a modern person, she was accustomed to the local customs and etiquette, but privately, she didn’t like to adhere to so many formalities.

At that moment, Sister Lu’s overly polite greeting made her feel something.

She sensed that a wall seemed to have been erected between them.

Reflecting on it, Yang Haiyan had never acted superior in front of Sister Lu.

She had always been polite to her, just as when they were neighbors, but Sister Lu… perhaps she was overthinking it.

Yang Haiyan smiled and said, “Sister, why are you being so formal with me? I fell ill when I first came here, and it was you who took care of me. We are like sisters, so you don’t need to be so polite with me.”

Sister Lu stood up and said, “It’s my fortune to be considered your sister.”

“You?”

Yang Haiyan sat down and decided not to continue the sisterly topic. “Sister, please sit. Did you come over for something?”

Sister Lu sat down and hesitated before saying, “Actually, I should have come a few days ago, but I forgot because I was busy. Today, in the carriage, when Mrs. Qi mentioned some gossip, I remembered something. There was a time when I went to fetch water and overheard a few women talking…”

The women Sister Lu referred to included Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang, with Mrs. Qi among them as a listener.

Yang Haiyan was very surprised; what was Sister Lu’s intention in bringing this up today?

She wasn’t suspicious; she just wondered why Sister Lu chose to mention this now, especially after the incident in the carriage.

Yang Haiyan wasn’t sure.

However, even though she had already learned some things from Mrs. Qi, she still appreciated Sister Lu for coming to inform her.

Yang Haiyan expressed her gratitude, saying, “Thank you, Sister. I understand now. Among a group of people, there are always a few with loose tongues, just like when rice is left too long in a pot, it will inevitably have a few weevils. People have too much free time and just can’t keep their mouths shut.”

Sister Lu replied, “Those mouths belong to others; we can’t help it. Just relax and don’t take it to heart.”

Yang Haiyan said, “I understand; don’t worry.”

Sister Lu chatted with Yang Haiyan about some casual matters before leaving.

Yang Haiyan stood up to see her to the door, and only after she disappeared did she return to the study.

Upon reaching the study, Granny Lian had already returned with pastries from the snack shop.

Yang Haiyan and Mrs. Qi didn’t chat much; she gave the pastries to Granny Lian, thanking her for informing her about the day’s events, and told her to come by whenever she had time.

Mrs. Qi thought Yang Haiyan valued her, and she happily took the pastries home.

At dinner time, Qin Fang returned from his duties.

While eating, Yang Haiyan asked him, “Husband, do you know Master Qi, Master Tang, and Master Feng? I heard they all serve under General Ao.”

Qin Fang was surprised that his wife suddenly brought up these people, but he knew them all.

Whether they served under General Ao or other generals, he recognized them. “I know. Master Qi and Master Feng serve under Captain Wei. As for the Master Tang you mentioned… there’s a Master Tang under Captain Wei, and another one under Captain Hong, but I don’t know which one you’re referring to. Did you meet their wives today?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “I recognized Captain Hong’s wife. The other day at General Ao’s residence, Auntie introduced me to Mrs. Hong. It’s not that I met their wives; it’s just that I heard they’re quite skilled at laying eggs, looking down on someone like me who can’t lay eggs.”

Qin Fang was left speechless.

Seeing his confused expression, Yang Haiyan laughed and explained, “It’s just that today…”

She recounted the events with Mrs. Qi from earlier, “But you don’t need to worry; I’ll handle it.”