Lu Jingzhi nodded.
Both of them looked at Shen Nanwei.
As Shen Nanwei seemed lost in thought, Jiang Tanyue patiently waited, while Lu Jingzhi grew a bit impatient and urged, "What's there to think about? In the end, there will only be two choices: to cooperate or not to cooperate... If you're afraid, I promise to cooperate with you, okay?"
Seeing the beautiful woman's smile seemed to light up the dark and damp room, Lu Jingzhi became even more certain that "Mother" was beautiful and delicate, unable to fight, and easily coveted by others. If no one protected her, life wouldn't be easy for her.
In fact, Shen Nanwei was not thinking about all this.
She nodded and chuckled lightly.
Her eldest daughter was calm, intelligent, and possessed the air of someone with power. She had a strong mind, incredible patience, and was good at acting. Oh, and she could also manipulate people without showing any signs, judging situations, enduring, and enduring hardships... There were too many characteristics in her, and even the Imperial Noble Consort couldn't list them all at once.
Shen Nanwei's eyes flickered with admiration—she saw the shadows of many people in her eldest daughter: Consort De, Concubine Li, the Empress Dowager, and even the Emperor...
As for her younger daughter, she was impulsive, had good skills, and was righteous.
If she were asked which trait the Imperial Noble Consort loved most in her daughters, it would undoubtedly be "enduring hardships."
After all, she herself was lazy and delicate.
"What did you say to Qian Zhenzhu when you hit her today?"
Facing Shen Nanwei's question, Lu Jingzhi chuckled, "Pity and the like are controlled by others, while the handle is in our own hands."
At this moment, not only were Shen Nanwei's eyes bright, but even Jiang Tanyue also fixed her gaze on her and listened carefully.
-
Lake West Village was not like Yangjia Village, Lijia Village, Lujia Village, and others, which had family heritage and were dominated by a single surname with close kinship among the villagers.
This was a mixed surname village.
The Jiang family was considered a prosperous family in Lake West Village.
That night, the Jiang family's dinner had several poorly cooked dishes, and the cornbread was burnt. Grandma Jiang complained and cursed.
"I'm sorry, my head was buzzing, and my vision kept going black. I don't know how I forgot about the cooking time. It won't happen again tomorrow. Mother, please don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health," Qian Zhenzhu said, half in truth and half in jest.
Her head did hurt.
But it wasn't solely because of the pain that she ruined the meal.
It was because her mind was elsewhere due to other matters.
There were many chores in the household, and cooking was considered the easiest one. Even if her wounds were cracked open, she had to persevere.
She did not want to feed the pigs, chop wood, or carry water.
Qian Zhenzhu's apology was quite sincere.
Even though Qian Zhenzhu was Grandma Jiang's niece, Grandma Jiang never held back when it came to scolding others. However, even as Qian Zhenzhu put on a smile and coaxed her, Grandma Jiang remained unhappy.
In the end, it was Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Youcai who could not take it anymore and managed to quiet Grandma Jiang down with a few words.
There was no other choice. If it were any other day, it wouldn't be as big of a deal, but today was different. Today Grandma Jiang had lost face in Jiang Darong's family. She was in a terrible mood and cursed everyone she saw. She even picked up a rattan whip and lashed Jiang Xiaoduo over a minor issue.
This had nothing to do with Qian Zhenzhu. After all, Jiang Xiaoduo was the daughter of the eldest branch couple, Zhao Chunhan and Jiang Dafu, not her daughter.
Lying in bed, drowsy and unable to sleep, Qian Zhenzhu saw a pair of smiling eyes that resembled a deep pond whenever she closed her eyes. Startled, she suddenly sat up, breathing heavily but not daring to make too much noise.
She was afraid of waking up Zhou Dagui and their children sleeping beside her.