Transmigrator Meets Reincarnator

Chapter 194: Aunt

Madam Zou took her two daughters with her back to her maiden home, the Dingyuan Estate, for a week. After both getting persuaded by her mother and being invited back by a messenger from Matriarch He, she finally returned to the Jing'an Estate.

The new year was almost here. The estate couldn't do without a woman in charge of the household, and there was no one else who could take the post.

It was around this time that Madam Zou suddenly started playing up her helplessness. Her belly was still boiling with anger. Furthermore, the stores in House Jing'an's name weren't earning much. They had to spend lots of money to keep up their dignity as a noble house while visiting friends around the capital.

On this day, she brought her two daughters over to Qingxi Hall to give their greetings to the matriarch.

Madam Zou pulled the six-year-old Little An and the four-year-old Little Lin close to her and whispered in their ears, "Hurry up and greet your great-grandmother."

Little An and Little Lin ran over to the matriarch on their little legs and called out sweetly in unison, "Great-Grandmother!"

The matriarch patted the two girls' heads with affection.

When she had a good look at how the two girls were dressed, Matriarch He's expression turned grave.

"It's almost New Year's now; why haven't you let the children dress up a little? At such a young age, they should be wearing brighter and livelier colours. They should have their golden lock amulets and pearls on, too."

After Matriarch He mentioned their state of dress, everyone in the parlour directed their gazes to the two youngest misses of the house. They showed all sorts of expressions after doing so.

The two young girls were wearing some worn, plain short dresses today. There wasn't even a single kind of decoration on their little heads. Even the pearl-inlaid gold collars they usually wore had been taken off. They didn't look anything like the precious noble ladies they were. Instead, they looked no different from the daughters of commoners.

It was going to be New Year's in a few more days, yet the legitimate misses of their estate were dressed so poorly. No wonder the matriarch wasn't pleased.

Madam Zou had been waiting for Matriarch He to say something like this. She gripped the handkerchief in her hand without saying a word, as if she was embarrassed to speak. Senior Servant Qiao couldn't stand seeing her mistress like that, so she spoke up.

"Matriarch, please pardon us. The two young misses are our madam's dear children. How could Eldest Young Madam bear to treat them shabbily? It's just that our Eldest Young Madam has found it hard to make ends meet as the lady-in-charge, especially since we're preparing for New Year's. Eldest Young Madam still has to spend an appropriate amount for gifts to other estates so that our estate won't be looked down upon. Since the two misses are Eldest Young Madam's daughters, the two misses have to share a little of the burden now that the main branch has cut down on spending."

Senior Servant Qiao immediately kneeled down right after she finished speaking, as if she knew she had done wrong by explaining all that and was prepared to receive any punishment for speaking out of turn. This made it hard for the matriarch to say anything else.

The corners of Madam Zou's eyes reddened and she mumbled, "Grandmother, it's Granddaughter-in-Law who wasn't capable enough to manage the household properly and made Grandmother worry."

Matriarch He frowned deeply. Although she was starting to dislike this granddaughter-in-law of hers more and more, Dalang had indeed taken a concubine before he had turned thirty, so she still felt like she owed Madam Zou a little for that.