Playing chess and losing all the time was no fun, so Yue Xiangxiang took Qing Shu to the garden to play hide-and-seek. 

Qing Shu didn’t want to go, but she was dragged along by Yue Xiangxiang, so she reluctantly complied. 

Because she wasn’t familiar with the Yue family’s garden, no matter where she hid, Yue Xiangxiang quickly found her every time. Each time she was found, she would tap her on the forehead. 

Qing Shu doesn’t know whether to laugh and cry. She didn’t expect to be bullied by such a young girl at her age. 

For lunch, Qing Shu and Yue Xiangxiang ate in her little courtyard. Qing Shu asked curiously, “Why don’t we eat in the main house?” 

Yue Xiangxiang replied, “I don’t want to. Xiao Xiong always makes a mess during meals and doesn’t go to the restroom to clean up.” Even if you couldn’t see it, you could definitely smell it, and it completely ruined her appetite. 

Qing Shu actually didn’t mind, but seeing Yue Xiangxiang’s expression, she wisely avoided discussing the topic further. 

Lunch was relatively abundant, featuring sweet and sour spare ribs, steamed fish, braised tofu, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, and chicken soup. 

The Yue family’s cook was average, and the taste of these dishes was ordinary. However, Qing Shu wasn’t a picky eater anymore; even if the food didn’t taste great, she still enjoyed it. 

After finishing lunch, Qing Shu wanted to go home. 

Yue Xiangxiang didn’t want to let her go and held Qing Shu’s hand, saying, “Qing Shu, stay a bit longer and have dinner with us.” 

“I want to take a nap.” She had endured the morning and didn’t want to play these childish games with Yue Xiangxiang. 

Yue Xiangxiang coquettishly said, “We can take a nap together!” 

Qing Shu shook her head and refused, “No, I have to sleep in my own bed.” 

Seeing that Qing Shu wouldn’t change her mind and insisted on going home, Yue Xiangxiang could only say in resignation, “Then come to my house to play in a few days.” 

Qing Shu nodded at that. 

Seeing how reluctant Yue Xiangxiang was to part with Qing Shu, Weilan laughed and said, “Weren’t you the one who used to think Qing Shu was slow and didn’t want to play with her? How come you’re so clingy now?” Her attitude was completely different from before. 

Yue Xiangxiang held onto Weilan’s arm and said, “Mother, Qing Shu has become so clever now. She solved that difficult nine-linked rings puzzle in an instant.”  

The key was that she said it was easy, which was quite discouraging! Fortunately, she was broad-minded; otherwise, she would have definitely labeled Qing Shu as an undesirable playmate. 

Weilan chuckled and said, “Do you think Master Wuchen’s words are just to joke with you?” 

The main issue was that while Qing Shu had become smarter, she hadn’t reached an extraordinary level. For instance, she still couldn’t play chess or Go. 

Yue Xiangxiang said, “Mother, I also want to become as clever as Qing Shu. Can’t we go ask Master Wuchen to help me be enlightened?” 

Weilan sighed and replied, “It’s no use going to ask Master Wuchen. Qing Shu was enlightened on her own; it wasn’t Master Wuchen who helped her.” 

Yue Xiangxiang had a sudden idea and asked, “Mother, can I become smarter if I get sick?” 

Weilan stopped laughing and said seriously, “Let me tell you, don’t mess around with that idea. Over the years, I’ve only heard of Qing Shu becoming smarter after getting a fever. Many others have ended up mentally impaired due to improper care during illness.” 

Not everyone could turn a misfortune into a blessing like Qing Shu did. It was more about Qing Shu’s good fortune. 

Master Wuchen’s influence was still significant. With his endorsement, no one doubted Qing Shu. 

Yue Xiangxiang didn’t want to become mentally impaired, so she had to give up on the idea. 

When Qing Shu returned to the Gu family, she ran into Gu Heping and Yuan Shanniang, who were about to go out. “Uncle, Aunt.” 

Yuan Shanniang saw the gold lock on Qing Shu’s chest and the shrimp whisker bracelet on her wrist, and she wished she could snatch them both away. 

Gu Heping spoke warmly, “Qing Shu, why are you going out alone? It’s not safe outside. Next time, don’t go out alone.” 

Qing Shu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I had servants following me! Uncle, are you going out?” 

Gu Heping nodded, “Uncle has some matters to attend to. The sun is scorching; you should go back inside.” 

As they got on the carriage, Yuan Shanniang muttered with discontent, “Husband, that Long Life Gold Lock and the shrimp whisker bracelet on her wrist, all this attire put together costs no less than a hundred taels of silver.” 

Gu Heping replied, “Shanniang, Mother is Qing Shu’s paternal grandmother. If she wants to buy things for Qing Shu, can we stop her? Besides, knowing Mother’s personality, if we dare to stop her from buying things for Qing Shu, she’ll definitely scold us.” Scolding was one thing, but she might even find an opportunity to punish Shanniang. 

Yuan Shanniang said with a heavy heart, “Even our precious daughter has never worn such beautiful clothes or worn such expensive and lovely jewelry.” 

“Baozhu is still young. Why dress up so extravagantly? Besides, Qing Shu is going as a guest; it wouldn’t look good if she dressed too modestly.” 

The couple had a son and a daughter. Their elder son, Fugui, was five years old, and their younger daughter, Baozhu, was two years old. 

Yuan Shanniang didn’t like hearing this, “Who allowed her to marry a poor man? Besides, that wicked girl is from the Lin family. She is also a disgrace to the Lin family, not our concern.” 

Gu Heping didn’t want to argue with Yuan Shanniang and said, “Mother is unwell, and the doctor said she needs to rest. You can say these things in front of me, but don’t mention them when you see her later to avoid making her angry.” 

If Old Madam Gu were here, she would definitely praise him as a filial son. 

Qing Shu returned to the main house and asked Hua Mama, “I saw Uncle and Aunt rushing out at the main gate earlier. Do you know what happened?” 

Hua Mama chuckled, “Someone from the third branch came and said that Third Madam is ill. Master rushed over when he heard.” 

“Third Grandmother is ill? Should I go and visit?” She had heard a lot about this Third Grandmother but hadn’t had the chance to meet her in person. 

Hua Mama scornfully replied, “What illness? She’s just pretending to be sick to lure Master over. It’s also because Old Madam is softhearted and thinks they’re close relatives, so she didn’t stop them from getting close. As a result, Yuan shi has managed to manipulate Master and create a rift between Old Madam and Master.” She didn’t care about Yuan shi either, so she directly referred to her by her surname. 

Because Qing Shu was now sensible, Hua Mama told her about these matters. 

Qing Shu asked, “I heard from Chen Mama that Grandmother and Third Grandmother had a falling out. What caused their falling out?” 

Hua Mama nodded and said, “At the end of last year, Yuan shi contacted some elderly members of the clan to pressure Old Madam into handing over the family business to Master. Not only did Old Madam refuse, but she also exposed all the ugly things Yuan shi had done over the years. Since then, the two branches have been at odds and no longer associate with each other.” 

Qing Shu found it strange and asked, “I heard from Chen Mama that the family’s properties were earned by Grandfather and Grandmother.” 

“That’s right. Before Old Master married Old Madam, the Gu family was struggling to make ends meet. Old Master used Old Madam’s dowry as capital to earn this family fortune. Without Old Madam, the people from the second and third branches would have had to work hard every day to make a living, and they wouldn’t be living as well as they are now. Second Master is fine; he has never coveted the properties of the main branch and is very respectful to Old Madam. But Third Master and Yuan shi are different. They have been urging Master to take over the family’s properties for years.” If they really handed over the family’s properties to Gu Heping, it wouldn’t be long before these properties would bear the Yuan surname. 

Qing Shu’s face showed anger. 

She had been wondering why her mother, during her difficult childbirth, would leave her behind. Now, she had her answer. Money could corrupt the heart, and Yuan shi and her nephew had long considered the wealth of the main branch as their own. So, when her grandmother’s health deteriorated, they took the opportunity to act.