After the meal, everyone went back to their respective homes. Qian Mandua had Li Ahcao tidy up the place, while she herself packed a bowl of potato braised pork, especially reserved for Lady Tang, into a basket and headed to Darong Village.
Lady Tang's small courtyard was not large, comprising only three main rooms, one kitchen, and one latrine. It was brand new, uniformly built with green bricks and tiles, and there was a willow tree in the yard.
Qian Manjiang had hired an Old Grandma Wong from Darong Village to do two hours of housework for her every day, washing clothes, cleaning, and cooking a midday meal. She cooked plenty, enough to heat up and eat again in the evening.
At the moment, Lady Tang was sitting under the willow tree in the courtyard, chatting and laughing with two other women.
Qian Mandua didn't like these two women at all; they were the gossipy types from Darong Village, and one of them was the extravagant Widow Tan.
