Second Madam Lu was a little surprised. "Mother..."
Mrs. Lu Sr. took another bite of food and said, "Since when did fine food become your standard for judging a person?"
"Are you looking down on us for eating this?"
"Mother, I didn't mean that," Second Madam Lu said sheepishly.
As usual, Mrs. Lu Sr. didn't press the issue. She watched as Madam Lu shielded the young woman and nodded in satisfaction.
Gu Shengsheng stared at her, wide-eyed. She double-checked. 'Isn't this the same old lady I just bumped into?!'
'Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't such a simple coincidence.'
Madam Lu and Mrs. Lu Sr. had helped her. Gu Shengsheng understood now. 'It feels like the Lu Family isn't entirely full of bad people.'
Besides, it was deeply ironic that her own biological parents were standing against her, while complete strangers were willing to stand up for her.
Gu Shengsheng quickly composed herself and thanked Madam Lu and Mrs. Lu Sr.
Madam Lu released her hand, her expression lukewarm. It seemed she didn't particularly like Gu Shengsheng, but she couldn't stand to see her being bullied.
Mrs. Lu Sr., on the other hand, walked over and took her by the hand. "Shengsheng, from now on, you'll call me Grandma."
"Hello, Grandma..." She wasn't coy, and she smiled at the old woman. 'Grandma seems to have a great temper and a good personality.'
Mrs. Lu Sr. immediately took the Jade Bracelet from her own wrist and slipped it onto Shengsheng's. "Shengsheng, a little something for our first meeting."
Gu Shengsheng could tell at a glance that it wasn't cheap. 'It has to be worth at least a million.'
She accepted it, then took out the Jade Pendants she had prepared. She handed the Cloud Pattern Jade Pendant to Mrs. Lu Sr. and another, carved with a pixiu, to Madam Lu.
At first, Madam Lu simply accepted it out of politeness.
'A family like theirs, what haven't they seen? But it would be rude to refuse the young woman's gesture.'
She was about to put it away, but then she noticed the texture... it was surprisingly fine.
Mrs. Lu Sr. also accepted her gift cheerfully and immediately put it on as a necklace.
"Grandma trusts your taste, little one."
Second Madam Lu: "..."
'She had waited all this time, and there was no Jade Pendant for her?'
'Her original plan was to mock Gu Shengsheng after receiving the Jade Pendant.'
'She'd accuse the country bumpkin from a backwater family of trying to fool them with some cheap plastic trinket.'
'She had it all planned out—how she would insult her, how she would anger Mrs. Lu Sr. But after all that scheming, she hadn't gotten a gift at all?'
'On top of that, Mrs. Lu Sr. had just given that little bitch the Lu Family's heirloom bracelet.'
'None of the three sisters-in-law had received it, not even the eldest. On what grounds was it being passed to Gu Shengsheng?'
So, Second Madam Lu said, "Miss Gu certainly knows how to give gifts. I'm here too, so how come there's nothing for me?"
Gu Shengsheng replied, neither servile nor arrogant, "That's right. Second Madam Lu is a person of high status. You certainly wouldn't like anything I gave you."
"Besides, I'm from the countryside and my family is poor—a 'country bumpkin' as you'd call it. I could only afford two pieces of jade. If Second Madam Lu wants one, she can just go buy one at the market."
Mrs. Lu Sr. couldn't stop laughing. 'This new granddaughter-in-law is so much fun. She hasn't even married into the family yet, and she's already gotten the second son's wife this worked up.'
"Exactly. Second daughter-in-law, stop making a scene. Just listen to what you were saying. At your age, you're having a junior point out your mistakes. I really don't know how you've managed to attend all these banquets over the years."
"..." Second Madam Lu lowered her head, mortified.
But this was a scolding from her mother-in-law, so she had no choice but to take it.
"Miss Gu is so poor, using some cheap street-stall trinkets to fool Mother and Eldest Sister-in-law. I just couldn't stand by and watch."
"A fake is a fake. Mother and Eldest Sister-in-law are just giving you face, but I won't. If I don't teach you some manners now, when will I?"
"What if you give some piece of junk to an outsider? Our Chaoyang is the Family Head. We rise and fall together. Wouldn't we become a laughingstock?"
Gu Shengsheng said, "The Lu Family Master isn't even here today, so he couldn't possibly state his opinion. Why is Second Madam Lu in such a hurry? Anyone who didn't know better would think you're the one running the Lu Family." Her words were sharp.
After a beat, Gu Shengsheng added, "My apologies, I've overstepped my bounds as an outsider. I just call it as I see it."
Only then did Second Madam Lu realize that saying such things in front of Mrs. Lu Sr. was indeed a great sign of disrespect.
'That vile look on Gu Shengsheng's face—how was she embarrassed in the slightest?'
Mrs. Lu Sr. stepped in. "Alright, that's enough. Second daughter-in-law, don't make a scene when we're out. I may be old, but I'm still alive. Let's not become a joke for everyone."
Then she looked at Song Shuhua and said, "I'm sorry you two young people had to see that. Your daughter has been wronged."
Song Shuhua smiled and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Second Madam Lu was right to teach her a lesson."
Mrs. Lu Sr.'s expression quickly cooled.
Seated at the dining table, Gu Shengsheng paid no mind to anything and simply focused on her food.
Mrs. Lu Sr., however, watched her with a smile. "Shengsheng, come sit by me and eat. Watching you gives me an appetite."
Her mouth was stuffed, but she nodded. She completely ignored Song Shuhua's subtle cues. Song Shuhua didn't want her to go, hoping instead that Rongrong could sit there and chat with the old madam, perhaps securing a good marriage for herself.
But Gu Shengsheng walked right over and sat down.
Gu Rongrong, who had been sitting beside Mrs. Lu Sr., scooted over. "Sister is the eldest daughter of the family, and Mom and Dad's biological child. She can sit wherever she wants."
With that, she went to the end of the table and stood there by herself, putting on a pitiful display.
Gu Shengsheng looked at the Lu family, all with their own ulterior motives, and said, "It's fine, Grandma. My sister's just like that. She likes to eat standing up. Don't mind her."
Mrs. Lu Sr. laughed. "And here I thought I was just asking you to come sit with me. I didn't realize I was committing a crime."
Her words were deliberately aimed at Song Shuhua and Guan Wutian.
Guan Wutian and Song Shuhua quickly tried to explain themselves, and after a few more polite exchanges, the atmosphere finally lightened up.
Since Gu Shengsheng had "explained" that she liked to stand, Gu Rongrong couldn't go back to her seat.
She just stood there with an awkward smile.
Eventually, it was Song Shuhua who spoke up again as the meal was winding down. "Mrs. Lu, our Shengsheng and Rongrong are both good girls. With Shengsheng getting married, Rongrong feels guilty and can't bear to be apart from her."
"So I was thinking, if you know of any good marriage prospects, perhaps you could consider our Rongrong. The child just loves being with her sister."
Such a petty trick.
In Mrs. Lu Sr.'s eyes, it was as ridiculous as a clown show.
Mrs. Lu Sr. said casually, "Oh, that wouldn't be convenient. When Shengsheng marries into our family, we'll all be focused on taking good care of her. If your Rongrong misses her, she can just come and visit."
"This isn't the old days, where women were confined to their homes. She can go wherever she wants, can't she? Besides, don't I go running all over the place myself?"
"..." Song Shuhua nodded awkwardly.
She could feel that Mrs. Lu Sr. was now very displeased with her. 'If I say anything more, I can forget about Shengsheng marrying into their family at all.'
Mrs. Lu Sr. sat at the head of the table and said, "With so many people here today, and our family also being in Beijing City, all this back and forth is rather inconvenient."
"So I was thinking, we'll just take our granddaughter-in-law back with us."