"Pah, he’s still your own son, and you don’t feel bad for him. An old woman like me shouldn’t feel bad either." Third Grandma was even angrier, continued hitting Mrs. Chen with a broom, but she always had a soft spot for Brother Wang and the other family descendants. After a few hits, when she accidentally hit Brother Wang, she stopped, and said, "Mrs. Chen, quickly clear up the account, give the Silver due to Xiao Yu and Xiao Hua, and then get to the kitchen to help with the cooking. Don’t always think about freeloading."

"It’s one thing to always come and freeload, but during the big festival, you’re so stingy it hurts. You only brought three pounds of rice, a piece of meat, and a few moon cakes. You really have some nerve. Just you and Brother Wang could finish three pounds of rice and a piece of meat, and there’s also Da Gui and Brother Fa. You want to freeload a good meal without doing proper work, you’re asking for it!"

Mrs. Chen laughed, "Look at what you’re saying, making my family sound like such people? Isn’t Big Brother here? He brought quite a lot of good stuff."

"You and the two households have long been separated. How can you still mention Da Fu? The stuff was brought by Da Fu and his son, it has nothing to do with you at all." Third Grandma was berating Mrs. Chen, thoroughly enjoying it, when she heard Brother Cheng’s voice.

"Third Grandma, Big Brother and I are back." Brother Cheng ran in and upon seeing the situation, laughed, "Is Third Grandma lecturing Aunt Da Gui again? It’s a festival today, Third Grandma, spare Aunt Da Gui this time and save your energy for eating meat."

He looked at Mrs. Chen again and said, "Aunt Da Gui is quite formidable; hitting her takes too much effort." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Mrs. Chen frowned, "Brother Cheng, what do you mean by that? Are you saying Aunt is a shrew?"

Third Grandma slapped Mrs. Chen, saying, "Aren’t you? With your temper, if I didn’t keep you in line, you’d tear the sky down."

Third Grandma then hurried over to Brother Cheng, smiling, "Oh, our Brother Cheng is finally back. Are you exhausted from sorting the accounts?"

She glared at Gu Jin’an, saying, "And what were you thinking, recommending Brother Cheng to Master Ouyang to help with the accounts? I heard the accounts at that bank are very complicated. Brother Cheng, being just a child, how can he manage such exhaustive accounting work? Xiao Yu said staying up late can stunt a child’s growth. What if Brother Cheng ends up short?"

Brother Cheng laughed, "Haha, don’t worry, Third Grandma. Everyone in our family is tall, I certainly won’t be short."

His siblings took after their mother in looks, but they inherited the tall stature from their great uncles of the Fei family, each growing quite tall.

Gu Jin’an followed up, "Third Grandma, Brother Cheng is growing up, so he should learn something useful. Learning how to manage accounts is beneficial for a lifetime."

"Alright, alright, I can’t argue with you, Third Grandma." Third Grandma gave Brother Cheng two snow-skin moon cakes, "These are sesame-filled, smell wonderful, eat up."

"Alright." Brother Cheng took them and generously gave one to Gu Jin’an, "Big Brother, have one too."

Mrs. Cui heard that Gu Jin’an and the others were back, so she quickly came out from the kitchen, saw them, and smiled, "Brother An, Brother Cheng, you’re back."

"Mom, I’ve missed you so much." Brother Cheng ran over, looked up at Mrs. Cui, and smiled.

But Mrs. Cui frowned, worriedly asking, "Brother Cheng, what’s wrong? Are you sick? Why do you smell like medicine?"

Indeed, Mom had noticed.

But Big Brother had already thought of a strategy.

"Mom, I’m not sick. It’s the insect repellent medicine bag that Second Sister gave." Brother Cheng tugged at a sachet on his waist, "Mom, smell it, it’s this medicinal scent. Big Brother has one too."

Gu Jinli made insect repellent medicine bags for the family to wear during mosquito-heavy summer and fall seasons. Although Mrs. Cui was still suspicious, she looked at Gu Jin’an and asked, "Brother An, is your brother sick? He looks unwell. You shouldn’t hide it from Mom, tell the truth."

As his mother, how could she not know if her child is sick?

Gu Jin’an hurried to say, "Mom, don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. Since this was Brother Cheng’s first time managing accounts and he didn’t do well, I punished him and hit him a few times with rattan, made him stand in the courtyard for two hours in the rain, and he caught a fever. But the fever subsided quickly, and now he’s mostly recovered, so don’t worry."

Gu Jin’an, seeing he couldn’t hide it, instead told a half-true, half-false story.

He added, "It’s your son’s fault, so punish me instead."

Mrs. Cui couldn’t possibly punish Gu Jin’an, she said, "It’s good that he’s mostly well. Since today’s a festival, let’s not talk about punishment."

In the family, the one who cared most for Brother Cheng was Brother An. If Brother Cheng fell ill from a beating, Brother An would feel worse than I would as his mother.

"Oh dear, Brother Cheng is sick? Xiao Yu, quickly take a look at Brother Cheng." Third Grandma quickly pulled Gu Jinli over to check Brother Cheng’s pulse.

Gu Jinli carefully felt Brother Cheng’s pulse, and reassured the worried Third Grandma and Mrs. Cui, "Third Grandma, Mom, don’t worry, Brother Cheng is mostly recovered, he’s fine."

Third Grandma said, "Glad it’s nothing serious. Brother Cheng is different from you all. He suffered greatly when he was born, almost didn’t make it, looked like a little mouse when he was born, we feared he wouldn’t survive."

Brother Cheng pulled a face, "Third Grandma, couldn’t you have said I looked like a kitten or puppy? I’m so handsome now, calling me a little mouse sounds terrible."

Third Grandma laughed heartily, "You’re so young and already care about being handsome? Eager to marry?"

Brother Cheng shook his head, smiled without answering... He used to be eager to marry, but now that Big Brother’s marriage is settled, he doesn’t need to bear the responsibility of continuing the family line, so he’s not in a rush.

Gu Jin’an took the opportunity to bring out the snacks given by Third Miss, though he took all the portions meant for Brother Cheng and Gu Jinli, handing them to Mrs. Cui, "Mom, these are from the tutor, made in the Capital style by Third Miss, for Third Grandpa and Grandma, and for Dad and Mom to try."

It’s important to maintain good relations with in-laws. Helping Third Miss curry favor with Third Grandma and Mom ensures family harmony in the future.

Brother Cheng was stunned; his Capital mooncakes were gone just like that!

Listening to Gu Jin’an’s words and glancing at Brother Cheng, Gu Jinli realized that during their time at the Ouyang family, a lot must have happened. However, she already figured the outcome must have been good, otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten special mooncakes made by Third Miss herself.

Yes, things turned out well, she could rest assured.

Poor Brother Cheng, though. The little guy was surely beaten badly. The antiseptic medicine he was using was made by her, she knew its smell well, could recognize it at once.

"Third Miss is indeed thoughtful. These noble ladies from the Capital are extraordinary; not only skilled in horseback riding and archery, saving Brother An, but also excellent at cooking and embroidery with the style of great masters." Mrs. Cui loved embroidery, and praised Third Miss’s embroidery skills endlessly, which amused Gu Jin’an, who couldn’t stop smiling.

"What? Mooncakes made personally by Third Miss? I must try. These are made by a young lady from a powerful family in the Capital, missing it would be a loss." Mrs. Chen hurried over, hoping to grab a mooncake, but was slapped back by Third Grandma.

"Mrs. Chen, you good-for-nothing, is this meant for you? This was for the old lady and Dashan’s wife to try. Hurry up and clear the accounts, distribute the Silver, and if you dare reach out like that again, I’ll get a kitchen knife to chop your hand off!"