Meng Ziyun glared at Meng Shuping, thinking she wasn't that petty. Yet, to prevent Meng Shuping from gossiping about her again, she reluctantly agreed with Old Madam Fu, "I understand, Grandmother."
Just then, the maid who had gone to fetch the jade pendant returned. Old Madam Fu handed the pendant to Meng Shuping with a cheerful smile, "It's nothing valuable, just something to wear for fun."
Surely, this kid wouldn't call her stingy now, would he?
Meng Shuping accepted the pendant and thanked her, then subtly observed Old Madam Fu. Seeing not a trace of reluctance on her face, he couldn't help but wonder, "Did I guess wrong? Is the Earl's mansion actually not poor?"
Hearing this, Old Madam Fu finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling she had salvaged her dignity. But before she could fully relax, she heard Meng Shuping continue thinking, "Maybe she's just good at hiding it?"
Old Madam Fu was so infuriated by his thoughts that she gritted her teeth. She truly couldn't understand—Meng Shuping clearly looked shabby and must have grown up in a humble household. How did he have the nerve to call her stingy?
Seeing that Old Madam Fu's business was concluded, Feng Shi took the opportunity to introduce Fourth Madam Wu Shi to Meng Shuping, "Ping Geer, come, this is your Fourth Aunt."
Meng Shuping bowed to Wu Shi, "Greetings, Fourth Aunt."
Fourth Madam Wu Shi didn't want to be called stingy by Meng Shuping either, so she nodded and said, "Good child, Fourth Aunt doesn't know what you like. Not long ago, I acquired a set of fine scholar's treasures. If you don't mind, I'll have someone send them to you later."
Meng Shuping thanked her as well, "Thank you, Fourth Aunt."
Afterward, Feng Shi introduced the identities of the other girls to Meng Shuping. To his surprise, among these girls, aside from the daughters of his Third and Fourth Aunts, the other two were actually his cousins.
However, one was Old Madam Fu's grandniece (from her maiden family), and the other was the daughter of Fourth Madam's sister. Both were temporarily staying here.
Meng Shuping had no time to ponder why they were staying here. After exchanging greetings with them, he followed Feng Shi to bid farewell to everyone.
Seeing them about to leave, Old Madam Fu quickly called over a second-tier maid from the room, "Jinzhan, from now on, you will serve Ping Geer."
Jinzhan widened her eyes in shock. What? Serve this newly found pauper? Why should she?
Although she was a second-tier maid in Old Madam Fu's quarters, her daily tasks weren't heavy, and she often received rewards from various mistresses. But what would she get at Fifth Young Master's place?
Yet, she didn't dare disobey Old Madam Fu's order and reluctantly curtsied, "Yes."
Old Madam Fu believed she had treated Meng Shuping quite well—not only giving him such valuable gifts but also handing over one of her prettiest maids. Surely, Meng Shuping would appreciate her kindness now, right?
But Meng Shuping was puzzled, "Why is she giving me a maid out of the blue? Surely, it can't be genuine grandmotherly affection?"
He couldn't help but speculate about Old Madam Fu with the worst intentions, "Could it be that this maid is involved in some scandal and they're making me the scapegoat? In big families like this, such things happen often."
"No way, no way. I'm not doing it."
Feng Shi felt that today was undoubtedly the happiest day she'd had in a long time. This kid was just too amusing. If only they weren't at Old Madam Fu's place, she would have burst out laughing.
Old Madam Fu nearly spat blood. When had she ever thought of such a thing? If it were true, it would only bring shame to her.
Suppressing her anger, she put on a kindly expression and said to Meng Shuping, "Ping Geer, you've just returned and aren't familiar with your way around yet. If you need anything, have Jinzhan assist you."
Then, she sternly said to Jinzhan, "You've always been well-behaved here. Don't slack off even a bit when serving Ping Geer, understood?"
Jinzhan tensed up and hurriedly replied, "Yes."
Seeing this, Meng Shuping found it even more suspicious, "See? It's exactly as I thought. She specifically emphasized that this maid is well-behaved here, so if she misbehaves at my place, it won't be her fault. No, no, I absolutely cannot accept this maid."
He opened his mouth, about to refuse, but Old Madam Fu quickly said, "Alright, you may leave now. I have nothing else for you."
Meng Shuping's courage deflated instantly. Helpless, he could only leave with the others. After walking some distance from Rui Yin Hall, for some reason, Feng Shi suddenly burst into laughter, startling Meng Shuping. He looked at her in surprise, "What's wrong with her?"
After laughing her fill, Feng Shi returned to normal. Under Meng Shuping's bewildered gaze, she said, "Let's go, to see your Eldest Aunt."
Meng Shuping could only say, "Oh."
After paying respects to everyone, they finally entered the Second Household's courtyard.
By then, Meng Wenxiu had been waiting in the main hall for a long time. As soon as Feng Shi and Meng Shuping entered, he asked discontentedly, "What took you so long?"
Feng Shi replied indifferently, "The Old Madam kept us a while longer."
Hearing this, Meng Wenxiu couldn't say much. Their household had never been favored by the Old Madam, so even if they were kept longer, it likely wasn't for good reasons. He could only say, "Oh, I see."
He then turned to Meng Shuping and said awkwardly, "Ahem, Ping Geer, I've already asked Old Lady Qian. It turns out she deliberately led you the wrong way because Yang Geer threatened her into doing it. I was indeed wrong to blame you earlier."
Meng Shuping glanced at him in surprise, "Oh."
"So he can speak nicely too? I thought he only knew how to shout!"
As for the truth of the matter, who knew? Meng Shuping remained noncommittal.
Hearing this, Meng Wenxiu nearly lost his temper again, but remembering his father's words, he forced himself to hold back. Fine, adults don't bear grudges against children. He wouldn't bother with this kid.
Feng Shi was puzzled, "Why would Yang Geer do such a thing?"
Meng Wenxiu couldn't figure it out either and could only guess, "He probably just wanted to play a joke on Ping Geer."
Meng Shuping gave him a meaningful look, "I get it, I get it. Given his relationship with Yang Geer, it must've been just a joke."
For a moment, Meng Wenxiu's face shifted through a range of expressions, quite a spectacle. He wanted to refute Meng Shuping—he and Sun Shi had nothing going on, and Yang Geer couldn't possibly be his son. But since those were all Meng Shuping's private thoughts, if he refuted them, it would only make things worse.
So, he could only awkwardly change the subject, "These are your two older brothers and younger sisters. You should get to know them."
Then, he called the other children over and introduced them one by one to Meng Shuping, "This is your second brother, Meng Shuchun; this is your third brother, Meng Shuqi; second sister, Meng Qingyun; fifth sister, Meng Huiyun; eighth sister, Meng Heyun; and this is your cousin from your second aunt's family, Miss Jiang."
Meng Shuping exchanged greetings with them again. He felt he had far too many siblings—and this was just their Second Household. If he included the other households, there would probably be over a dozen.
Thinking of this, Meng Shuping felt a bit worried. Would he have to see this many people every day?
Meng Shuchun and the others secretly observed Meng Shuping. Was that voice earlier his?
Feng Shi had earlier sent two senior maids to fetch some items, and they had now returned. Feng Shi said to Meng Shuping, "You just returned today, and I don't know your measurements. I estimated that Chun Geer's clothes might fit you, so I had the maids bring two sets of Chun Geer's unworn clothes. Wear them for a few days, and if anything doesn't fit, they can be altered quickly. Tomorrow, I'll have someone make new sets for you."
Meng Shuping quickly said, "Thank you for your trouble."
Although Meng Shuping hadn't been back long, Feng Shi had a rather good impression of him. Assuming he probably didn't have much money on hand, she had another maid bring forward a tray, "I don't have much to give, but here's some loose silver and copper coins. You can use them for yourself or for tipping—it'll be more convenient."
Meng Shuping's good impression of Feng Shi grew even stronger. He hurriedly thanked her, "Thank you, Madam!"
"Second Madam is so generous and thoughtful—much better than my cheap dad."
Seeing that Meng Shuping was genuinely grateful, Feng Shi's smile held a bit more sincerity. After all, no one wanted their kindness to be taken for granted.
However, Meng Wenxiu's face darkened. He had finally figured it out—this brat, every time he complimented someone, he had to belittle him afterward. He had only scolded the kid a few times; was it necessary to hold such a grudge?
Meng Shuping accepted the clothes and money, then glanced covertly at Meng Wenxiu, "Why hasn't cheap dad given me anything? Could it be that, like Third Aunt, he's not giving a welcoming gift?"
After a moment's thought, Meng Shuping couldn't help but speculate, "Maybe the two of them got together because they're both stingy and have common ground? You know what, now that I think it over, it makes perfect sense."
Feng Shi covered her mouth with a handkerchief, shaking with laughter. She couldn't help it—it was just too hilarious.
Meng Wenxiu's veins bulged on his forehead, wishing he could jump out to clarify and give Meng Shuping a good thrashing. But he could only entertain the thought, as he had no real way to deal with Meng Shuping.
The immediate priority was to give the little brat a welcome gift to prevent him from making up more stories. However, Meng Wenxiu truly hadn't prepared anything in advance and now found himself in an awkward spot.
He surreptitiously scanned his own clothing and noticed the jade pendant hanging at his waist. His expression relaxed, and he promptly said, "I, as your father, also—"
Noticing his movement, Meng Shuping couldn't help but speculate, "Is he really going to give me that cheap-looking jade pendant? Seriously? Even the old lady gave something much better. How can he even offer that?"
"Ah well, something is better than nothing. What good stuff could I expect from a stingy dad anyway?"
Feng Shi had to suppress another laugh. Seeing Meng Wenxiu freeze mid-sentence, she suspected that he might also be able to hear that voice and deliberately asked, "Master, what's wrong?"
Meng Wenxiu quickly collected himself. Realizing everyone was looking at him, he quickly shook his head. "It's nothing. I was just saying that I also prepared something for Ping Geer."
Then, he instructed a maid nearby, "Jinkui, go fetch that set from my study—"
Just then, a maid from outside came to report, "Master, Madam, Miss Zhu'er from the fourth branch has arrived."
Feng Shi quickly said, "Please invite her in at once."