Mrs. Li was even more delighted to hear this. Smug satisfaction welled up inside her, and her face broke into a wide smile. "It’s all thanks to the kindness of the folks under my husband. Tell everyone to come and visit when they have time! We’ll have to work even harder and be more diligent to be worthy of their support!"

For Mrs. Li, such diplomatic niceties were child’s play. She might not have been a natural orator, but she could certainly praise something to the high heavens.

"Oh, Mrs. Li, you’re too modest. With a capable and supportive wife like you, Leader Li is sure to keep rising through the ranks. We all must learn from you in the future." Xia Yingyu flattered Mrs. Li, her voice fawning. She hoped Mrs. Li would put in a good word with Leader Li and get her husband, Zhao Jinghai, promoted.

That way, she too could enjoy the glory that came with her husband’s success and become a lady of high standing.

In this residential compound, the wives’ network was also incredibly important. Sometimes, matters that were awkward for the men to discuss were communicated through their wives.

"It’s only what I should do. You’re all still young. When you get to my age, you’ll know how to handle things with the same care," Mrs. Li replied, positively blooming under Xia Yingyu’s compliments and feeling exceptionally pleased.

After a whole morning of deliberate flattery from Xia Yingyu and Wang Lianhua, combined with Zhao Nuanyue’s meek and submissive demeanor, Mrs. Li was in an excellent mood!

Seeing that it was almost lunchtime, Wang Lianhua chuckled and said, "Nuanyue, there’s a good girl. Go to the kitchen and make a meal. Let Mrs. Li have a taste of your cooking; it’ll prove we weren’t wrong to praise you all morning."

Mrs. Li had been about to get up and leave, but she stayed put when she heard Wang Lianhua. ’That’s right,’ she thought. ’I should see if this Zhao Nuanyue can cook. If she can’t cook or do any housework, marrying her would be like bringing home a pampered young mistress, wouldn’t it?’

But Mrs. Li wasn’t worried. ’As long as the girl isn’t a fool, I can train her to be perfectly virtuous and hardworking, no matter what she’s like now.’

Seeing that Mrs. Li said nothing and showed no sign of leaving, Xia Yingyu quickly chimed in, "Nuanyue, listen to your grandmother. Go to the kitchen and make the meal."

"Okay," Zhao Nuanyue agreed. She lowered her head and walked to the kitchen. ’What am I going to do?’

Seeing this, Wang Lianhua laughed. "Oh my, the girl is just shy!"

Xia Yingyu found Zhao Nuanyue’s reaction a bit odd. ’Nuanyue seems even more withdrawn than usual,’ she thought.

They had meat, eggs, radishes, cabbage, onions, and carrots at home. Zhao Nuanyue made a dish of scrambled eggs with garlic shoots, braised pork with radish, and sweet and sour cabbage. Then, she used the remaining cabbage leaves to make a soup with cellophane noodles.

The three dishes and a soup were a hearty meal, and everything tasted delicious.

As she ate the meal Zhao Nuanyue had prepared—perfect in color, aroma, and taste—Mrs. Li grew even more satisfied, her smile becoming more radiant.

"My, what a skillful girl! She’s pretty, and she’s a wonderful cook. Any family that gets her as a daughter-in-law will be truly blessed." Mrs. Li clucked her tongue in admiration, already imagining Zhao Nuanyue marrying her son. ’She’ll wait on him hand and foot.’

Wang Lianhua chimed in, "That’s right. Our Nuanyue’s skills are truly top-notch."

Xia Yingyu said modestly, "The girl is still young. She’ll need a few more years of guidance."

"Young? What do you mean, young? By the time I was Nuanyue’s age, I’d already given birth to Jinghai," Wang Lianhua said with a laugh. "Our Nuanyue is hardworking and virtuous—a truly rare find. We must find a good family for her."

Xia Yingyu was stunned by her mother-in-law’s words. Her mother-in-law seemed far too enthusiastic today, as if she were trying to market Nuanyue. In the past, Wang Lianhua had wanted nothing more than for everyone to think ill of Zhao Nuanyue. She was constantly tarnishing her daughter’s reputation, telling outsiders that the girl was gluttonous and lazy, never sparing a single good word for her.

But now, not only was her mother-in-law speaking well of her, she was actively praising her daughter in front of Mrs. Li, making her look good.

This change was deeply unsettling to Xia Yingyu. A faint, ominous feeling even began to well up inside her.

"Mother, please don’t praise her so much. She’s too young to handle it," Xia Yingyu said with an awkward laugh. "Besides, back in your day, it was still a feudal society where women married early. We’re in a new society now. Who gets married that young anymore?"

Mrs. Li was taken aback by Xia Yingyu’s words. ’It sounds like she doesn’t want her daughter to marry early,’ she thought. She glanced over at Wang Lianhua, looking for an explanation.

Wang Lianhua gently shook her head.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Mrs. Li’s mind. ’So, Xia Yingyu doesn’t know about this yet! No wonder she keeps insisting that Zhao Nuanyue is too young and unwilling to get married. This is all Wang Lianhua and Zhao Jinghai’s idea.’

’My, what a wonderful stepfather and step-grandmother!’ she thought sarcastically.

’Then again, this works out for the best. Without people like them, it would be much harder for me to arrange a good wife for my son!’

"Heh, of course. With such a wonderful daughter, who would be willing to marry her off so early?" Mrs. Li said with a knowing laugh. ’Anyway, Wang Lianhua and Zhao Jinghai will handle things on their end. The rest of it isn’t my concern.’

’I’ll help Zhao Jinghai get that position, but he’ll have to pay the price. And giving up a stepdaughter is hardly a steep one.’

At this thought, Mrs. Li felt at ease.

"You’re right, Mrs. Li," Xia Yingyu said with a smile. "My daughter has been so well-behaved since she was a child; I can’t bear to marry her off so soon. Even though we’re in a new society, how can life with in-laws compare to life at home with her mother? It’s better for her to stay with me for a few more years and enjoy her freedom."

Mrs. Li felt a prickle of annoyance at these words. ’Is Xia Yingyu trying to insinuate that my son is no good? That her daughter would be suffering and getting swindled by marrying into our family?’ But then she reminded herself that she was overthinking things. ’After all, Xia Yingyu has no idea what’s going on.’

Since Xia Yingyu had made her uncomfortable, she decided she wouldn’t let Xia Yingyu feel comfortable either.

’Once her daughter belongs to my son, we’ll see if Xia Yingyu still wants to keep the girl at home for a few more years.’

Just as these vicious thoughts churned one by one in Mrs. Li’s mind, Zhao Nuanyue, who was standing nearby, felt the Dragon Bright Grass around her neck gradually grow warm.

’Oh god,’ Zhao Nuanyue thought, suddenly certain. ’This Mrs. Li is having vicious thoughts about tormenting me!’

"Heh, you’re right. I understand completely. If I had such a wonderful daughter, I’d want to keep her hidden at home too," Mrs. Li said with a laugh as she stood up. "Alright, I’ve been out for quite a while, and on top of that, I’ve had a delicious meal at your home. Thank you so much. Yingyu, you should bring Nuanyue to visit my place more often. We should see each other more and get better acquainted. After all, our relationship will be much closer in the future. Who knows, we might even become family!"

Seeing that Mrs. Li was leaving, Xia Yingyu, though still confused, knew she couldn’t afford to provoke the wife of her husband’s direct supervisor. She could only suppress her doubts for now and resolve to ask her mother-in-law about it later.