"Good, good, good, with you massaging me like this, my neck feels so much better," the Old Madam's hearty voice could be heard before the group even entered the house.
Qi Zhenzhen had assumed it was Granny Fang giving the Old Madam a massage, but upon entering, she saw Madam Tang (Li Nuan's birth mother).
"Aunt."
"Mother."
The sisters called out in unison.
After paying their respects to the Old Madam, Li Nuan and Li Rou leaned affectionately against Madam Tang.
Qi Zhenzhen and Qi Xuanxuan sat beside the Old Madam.
"You girls, have you eaten well?" the Old Madam teased them. "This old woman waited for you all morning to have a meal with me, but not a single one of you showed up. In Nuan'er and Rou'er's hearts, Zhenzhen here is far more important than I am."
"How could that be? Grand-Aunt, we were afraid we were being too frequent and would bother you," Li Rou quickly replied. "I know you never get tired of Zhenzhen sister, so I came with her. That way, even if you were bothered by us, you couldn't send us away."
"A'ru, listen to this. Just now you said Rou'er was reserved. Where is she reserved? She's so quick-witted, this old woman can barely keep up," the Old Madam said, smiling at Madam Tang.
Madam Tang smiled gently. "She's more open here with you, Aunt. Away from you, she's like a little wife again. I used to always teach her to read the room and know when to advance or retreat. It certainly made life easier, but I never expected it would make her so uninteresting. I worry that with this personality, she won't get along well with her in-laws when she marries."
Hearing this, Li Rou's smile vanished. "Mother, what are you saying? I'm not getting married."
Madam Tang chided Li Rou. "You child, what nonsense are you speaking? Which woman can avoid marriage? Your sister Zhenzhen and your eldest sister are both getting married. Although you are still young, you should start looking."
"There's no rule that says girls must get married. Didn't a great female scholar in the previous dynasty remain unmarried her entire life? She taught and educated people, led fleets of ships to sea, and brought back many rare treasures. Even the emperor of the previous dynasty praised her for her great virtue and said she was worthy of respect. I can be like that too!"
Li Rou spoke with great conviction, showing it wasn't a sudden whim.
Qi Zhenzhen was shocked, both by Li Rou's thoughts and by the mention of the female scholar from the previous dynasty.
"Aunt, you heard her. This girl..." Madam Tang sighed heavily. "What am I to do with her?"
The Old Madam was also very surprised. She had read about the female scholar Li Rou mentioned in historical records. However, such a person only appeared once in the previous dynasty, essentially an anomaly. Although she was respected, unofficial histories also mentioned that while she never married, she had many admirers among the gentry, and many noble sons yearned for her until their dying days. She didn't intentionally maintain relationships with any of them. While these relationships were unverified, unofficial histories, by their very existence, held a certain truth, sometimes revealing more reality than official records.
"Rou'er is still young. Perhaps she hasn't awakened to such matters yet. A'ru, don't worry. Watch her slowly. It's still several years until her coming-of-age ceremony, and there's no rule that a daughter must marry after that. If her parents are reluctant, they can keep her until she's seventeen or eighteen," the Old Madam comforted Madam Tang. "Who knows, perhaps she'll see how sweet her sisters are with their husbands and change her mind."
"Exactly, Aunt. Don't worry, Grandmother is right," Qi Zhenzhen chimed in with a smile. "I don't think Rou'er lacks the inclination. She dislikes trouble, so perhaps she feels this matter is too troublesome, which is why she has this mindset."