"Our family doesn't care about these red tapes... Isn't it okay not to greet?" Luo Rui asked with some doubt. Although he had not experienced the various exchanges between mothers-in-law, he thought that no daughter-in-law would willingly get up early in the morning to greet and serve her mother-in-law, not to mention that Xu Shichu was only his stepmother.
"No, I'm just a little worried that if people find out, they will think I'm disrespectful to my elders and unfilial..." Qin Mei said carefully.
"How can outsiders care about our affairs? And the stepmother would rather we don't bother her, so you don't have to care about these things." Luo Rui said patiently. He didn't know why his wife kept discussing this with him. Isn't it enough for her to do what he said? Why bother to explore too much.
Qin Mei saw her husband's impatience and finally shut up.
Xu Shichu originally thought that having a step-daughter-in-law would not be a problem for her, but she never expected that Qin Mei was a "filial" person. Although she listened to Luo Rui and did not pay her respects to her in the morning and evening, she began to visit her during the day.
"Madam, the young mistress is outside. She said she wants to see you for something." Zhichun came back and told Xu Shichu.
Xu Shichu was teasing Du Zhao with some fruit when he suddenly heard this and was puzzled: "Why did she come to see me? Forget it, let her in."
After all, she was a new daughter-in-law, and Xu Shichu couldn't refuse her contact from the very beginning.
Qin Mei followed the leading maid into Xu Shichu's yard. What caught her eyes were flowers blooming everywhere. It was like entering a fairyland, which made her feel light and refreshed, and all the dirty thoughts in her body were swept away.
"It really is worthy of being the garden of the prime minister's wife in the capital..." Qin Mei opened her eyes wide in amazement at the words in the yard and couldn't help but sigh. The maid she brought with her was also shocked by the various exotic flowers and plants.
Qin Mei recalled that when she and her brother were strolling on the streets of the capital, they passed by a flower shop called "Baihua Pavilion", where all kinds of rare and beautiful flowers were neatly arranged.
She was so engrossed in the flowers that she forgot to look away. When she went in to look, she realized that she could hardly afford any of the pots of flowers there... Although she couldn't afford them, she could still appreciate them. At that time, she even lamented that if one day she could buy a pot of flowers from the "Hundred Flowers Pavilion", she would be satisfied!
And now, the owner of Baihua Pavilion is her mother-in-law... Qin Mei's heart was burning with excitement when she thought of this fact, especially when she saw the yard full of flowers that were so beautiful that she couldn't stop looking at them, her heart beat even faster - there is no woman who doesn't love flowers.
"My stepmother is so amazing. She can grow so many exotic flowers and plants." Qin Mei said in amazement, even slowing down her pace.
The maid leading the way was used to seeing guests being dazzled by these flowers, so she said proudly: "Our lady is definitely very capable. No matter how rare and difficult a flower is, it will survive in her hands."
Seeing that Qin Mei could hardly walk, the maid said with understanding: "If the young lady likes it, you can tell the lady and stay to appreciate it later."
"Okay, I will definitely appreciate them. There are many flowers here that I have never seen before." Qin Mei said happily, and then she walked quickly, wanting to get in touch with Xu Shichu as soon as possible so that she could appreciate the flowers.
"Mom, the flowers in your yard are growing so beautifully. I fell in love with them at once. I wonder if I can come and admire them?" Qin Mei exchanged a few words with Xu Shichu and then made her request.
Xu Shichu raised her eyebrows. She was not stingy in letting others appreciate her flowers, but she was worried that someone would not feel it was enough after appreciating them and would want to take them for themselves.
But Qin Mei wouldn't be so shameless, right? Xu Shichu thought uncertainly, but still agreed to her request to go and enjoy the flowers.
"Auntie, let's pick strawberries!" Little Zhaozhao raised her chubby little face and said to Xu Shichu with a smile.
In addition to growing flowers, Xu Shichu also grows some fruits, strawberries being one of them, but he doesn't grow many, so if you want to eat strawberries you have to wait.
The little fat boy wanted to eat strawberries every day. Even if the strawberries were not ripe yet, he would ask his maid to hold his hand and go to see them every day.
"The strawberries aren't ripe yet, why are you picking them?" Xu Shichu rubbed the fat boy's chubby face, "You picked every ripe one, how can there be any ripe ones now?"
"Yes, yes!" Xiao Zhaozhao's chubby face was rubbed until it pouted, but his little mouth still said firmly, "Yesterday, it was half cooked yesterday!"
"Half cooked?" Xu Shichu couldn't help laughing. "Half cooked yesterday, will the remaining half be cooked today?"
"Yes." The little fat boy nodded as a matter of course.
"Okay, I'll let you go and see if they're ripe." Xu Shichu picked up the heavy little guy and walked towards the small plot of land where strawberries were planted.
The little fat boy was so happy that his face was beaming with joy. He put his short fat arms around Xu Shichu's neck and whispered affectionately in her ear, "Aunt, when we pick the strawberries, I'll give you half of them!"
Xu Shichu was amused by him: "Only half? I had people grow these strawberries."
The little fat boy frowned and said with difficulty: "Then, then give one more to auntie?"
"Just one more?" Xu Shichu said pretending to be unhappy.
"Two more! No more! If there are any more, I'll have no more..." Xiao Zhaozhao said with a sad face, feeling pain in his flesh, as if giving two more strawberries to Xu Shichu would be like digging out flesh from him.
Xu Shichu was amused by his distressed expression and finally said with a guilty conscience: "Forget it, auntie won't compete with you, just give me half."
"Thank you, auntie!" Xiao Zhaozhao smiled immediately when she heard it.
When the aunt and nephew arrived at the strawberry field, Xu Shichu took a quick look and saw that there were only a few red strawberries.
Xiao Zhaozhao obviously saw it too. He walked around the strawberry field with disappointment in his eyes, raised his little head, and said to Xu Shichu in frustration: "Aunt, there are so few..."
"Who told you to think about picking them all day long? You ate every ripe one. You're lucky that there are still a few ripe ones left." Xu Shichu teased.
The little fat boy had no choice but to pick the ripe strawberries in disappointment, hold them in his chubby hands, and then share them with Xu Shichu one by one.
The aunt and nephew shared the strawberries. Little Zhaozhao played for a while and then went for a nap.
Xu Shichu also wanted to take a nap, but unfortunately there was Qin Mei in her yard.
"Go and ask the young lady how long she wants to appreciate it. If it takes a long time, I will take a nap first." Xu Shichu sent the maid to ask Qin Mei.
After a while, the maid came back and said that the young lady wanted to appreciate it for a long time, so she told the lady to go to sleep.
Xu Shichu didn't bother to be polite with his cheap daughter-in-law and really went to bed.
When she woke up, she saw Qin Mei, who was full of excitement, asking her shyly and expectantly: "Mother, can you give me some flowers? There are many of them planted in the yard, so it shouldn't be a big deal if you give me some..."