Chapter 676: Chapter 677: Spin-off – Why Don’t You Go Yourself_1 Chapter 676: Chapter 677: Spin-off – Why Don’t You Go Yourself_1 Tianniu hadn’t yet reacted when Li Yuying was the first to laugh and say, “That’s fine, then. Otherwise, Marquise could acknowledge Tianniu as her goddaughter.”

The Marquise laughed, “That is exactly what I mean.”

Li Yuying laughed, “Tianniu, aren’t you going to pay your respects to your godmother quickly!”

Tianniu, not quite understanding Jian Yue’s intention, had always been well taken care of by her due to her relationship with Muniang, but why she suddenly brought up this matter today was beyond her, yet she still respectfully called out, “Godmother.”

The Marquise laughed, “Ah, good, it’s rare for me to have a daughter, and I’m pleased in my heart. I only fear some people don’t take my Marquis Chen Mansion seriously enough to insult me in public, bold enough to act as if their courage reaches the sky.”

Those words were spoken gently but were actually quite pointed. Mu Xinlin’s legs trembled, and she quickly said, “Not at all. It was merely a joke among sisters earlier. Who could dare to question Madame Zhao’s status? Not to mention that the Marquise has just taken her as a goddaughter, but even her cousin is the He’an Princess, which is an extraordinary status in itself. How could we dare to underestimate her?”

Jian Yue coldly huffed, “As long as you are aware of that in your heart.”

Mu Xinlin, frightened into a cold sweat, knew the Marquis Chen Mansion was a titled household, far from something their ordinary official family could afford to offend. Her heart filled with both anger and hate, unable to believe that Tianniu could actually secure the Marquise as her supporter; it was maddening!

Tianniu, full of gratitude, smiled at the Marquise. How could she not be moved by the Marquise considering her interests so?

“Enough of that. Everyone, go and play. Don’t always stand around me; it’s boring,” Jian Yue said with a smile.

Everyone then dispersed in twos and threes towards the West Garden. With early spring, the flowers and grass in West Garden were blooming beautifully, and it was naturally uninteresting to stay cooped up inside.

Holding Tianniu’s hand, the Marquise said, “I know you feel aggrieved in your heart. If it were Muniang, I wouldn’t worry about anything. But you, unfortunately, lack her ruthlessness, naturally leading to bound-up frustrations. I heard about what happened today. Don’t take Mu Xinlin’s words to heart.”

Tianniu lowered her head, “Of course, there’s nothing to take to heart. I’m very grateful that Marquise could clear things up for me. She just wanted to vent her anger on me; how could I be unaware of that?”

“You do see through things clearly. Zhao Jiangshui has achieved what he has today, and you are not without credit. Compared to marrying a well-bred lady who is just a vase, it’s better to marry someone with ability like you, who can actually support him. Zhao Jiangshui is clear about this in his heart, so you don’t need to worry that he would look down on you,” Jian Yue reassured her, patting her hand.

Tianniu laughed, “I didn’t expect the Marquise to have such thoughts. I’ve learned something new.”

“Muniang treats you like a real sister, often asking me to take care of you. Being alone in the Capital, it’s only natural that I don’t allow you to be bullied. Otherwise, if I couldn’t even keep such a small promise, I would lose face, wouldn’t I?” The Marquise said with a laugh.

“Hmm!”

“Oh, I heard that in a few days you are to return to Qinghua City with Zhao Jiangshui. When you come back, remember to share with me the amusing stories about my two little beloved grandchildren. I often hear about them in letters from Ze’er and Muniang, and it makes me miss them dearly.”

“Rest assured, Marquise. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would remember,” Tianniu said.

“What a clever child.”

After Jian Yue’s birthday had passed and Zhao Jiangshui’s leave was granted, Tianniu didn’t want to delay for a moment. The couple quickly packed up and set off for Qinghua City.

Zhao Jiangshui learned about what happened last time in Marquis Chen Mansion and saw Tianniu’s increasingly poor mood, feeling helpless. Although Marquis Chen’s wife had saved her face last time, the real wound in her heart was not that. No matter what Zhao Jiangshui promised, she could not trust herself, trust their future.

Zhao Jiangshui sighed, hoping that this return trip could cheer her up a bit.

Today, Mei Garden was launching a new play, and Muniang naturally had to check out the situation. The bustling scene had become all too familiar; originally, Mei Garden did not occupy the best location in Qinghua City, but now, this place had become the most prosperous central area.

“Lady has arrived? Please come upstairs quickly, we are opening the new play today, and the guests have been eagerly waiting. There’s a lot of foot traffic too; I’m afraid it will be crowded later,” the servant attentively invited Muniang in: “I’ll go and fetch Zhong Manager for you; please wait a moment, Lady.”

Muniang raised an eyebrow, finding the lad quite clever, and tossed him a piece of silver: “Go ahead.”

The servant grinned, his eyes squinting with joy: “Yes!”

The new play still followed the themes of the jianghu, with Chen Yuhua taking on the leading female role once again, while the male lead was played by Shen Dong this time.

It wasn’t that Zhong Yulang was no longer popular; his fame far surpassed Chen Yuhua’s. It’s just that Zhong Yulang also had to manage Mei Garden, which had grown bigger and bigger, and he was really spread too thin. As for Shen Dong, he had also honed his skills over the years and was just lacking a reason to become a hit. Muniang was happy to boost another one.

Thinking of this, Muniang had to curse Tianniu, this little ingrate. The Mei Garden she had left for her turned out to be in vain, and she still had to handle things herself.

Zhong Yulang’s contemptuous look: What are you busy with?

Zhong Yulang happened to push the door open: “What are you doing here?”

Muniang said irritably, “What am I here for in my own theater? Really!”

“So you still know this is your theater.”

“I admit I haven’t been very diligent lately, but you know I’ve been busy, right? As the main manager of our Mei Garden, can’t you take on more responsibilities? How can you have such a negative attitude!” Muniang glared and said.

“Alright, let’s talk business,” Zhong Yulang evidently didn’t want to waste time chatting with her; she was busy doing nothing but being lazy!

Muniang took a deep breath and angrily gulped down a mouthful of tea, thinking about the purpose of her visit, her tone softened significantly: “The new Embroidery House opened in Puhai, the person in charge there is not handling things well. The Embroidery House itself has opened decently, but the development of products related to Mei Garden is a complete mess, utterly unprofessional. With such a big area and four or five Embroidery Houses, we can’t afford to make a fool of ourselves.”

“I can’t leave.”

Muniang put on a smiling face and coaxed, “What can’t you leave? I’ll have someone else take care of this side of Mei Garden for you, just go over there for now, right? Go out and take a break, and you can enjoy the scenery along the way. You understand Mei Garden’s affairs the best. Those managers from the Embroidery Houses in Puhai are far away and don’t know anything about our theater, how can their products be standardized?”

Zhong Yulang eyed her: “Why don’t you think about going yourself with all the travel and exhaustion?”

“What are you saying? The scenery around Puhai is wonderful. You’ll have fun traveling there. Otherwise, I’ll double your monthly stipend!” Muniang said quickly.