Welcoming all

“Mother, did you bring me some delicious food back from the Kitchen? I want Chestnut Cake, Green Bean Cake, fermented glutinous rice balls, and soup dumplings. Just bring me some of whatever tasty things there are; I’m so craving them.” Su Wenyue didn’t say she was hungry to avoid Han Yu worrying and her parents feeling distressed; she merely said she was craving something.

Even so, Master and Mrs. Su, as well as Han Yu, all saw through it. Han Yu knew that these two meals were cooked by the Second Sister-in-law, which meant less oil and average taste. His wife, used to eating well, could hardly stomach it and ate very little each meal.

He felt a bit of heartache but, living with a large family where everyone ate the same, he couldn’t easily make special requests. He didn’t want to give Mother any reason to take issue with his wife. Both Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law had their eyes wide open and were watching; neither of them were easy to deal with, and he couldn’t do anything for his wife even if he wanted to. Continuing like this was no solution; he would have to think of something when he got back. He, Han Yu, might not be very capable, but he couldn’t let his wife go hungry.

“We’re about to have Lunch. If you eat so much now, you’ll not have room for lunch. Regular meals are more important. How about I bring vou vour favorite Chestnut Cake to tide you over?”

“No need, just bring me a basket of soup dumplings filled with a mix of three delicacies,” Su Wenyue craved something greasy, and soup dumplings were definitely tasty.

“Mother, have the kitchen make more Green Bean Cakes. I’ll take some back home. The cooks at home are skilled, and no one there knows how to make it.” Su Wenyue never hesitated to ask her parents for things, thinking of taking more cakes back with her. When hungry, these could tide her over. Plus, such foods could be kept for longer without spoiling and would last her several days.

“Right, and make me some tasty little snacks too. I have a few little nephews and nieces back home who will definitely love them.” Su Wenyue hadn’t forgotten the little ones at home. Due to her experiences in her previous life, she had a particular fondness for children, including Mrs. Liu’s two daughters—she bore no dislike for them.

Thinking of this, Su Wenyue also planned to search the study room at home to find the Hundred Family Surnames or the Three Character Classic for Baofu’s enlightenment. She had intended to buy them in the market once in The City, but if they were available at home, there was no need to spend the money. In these times, books were quite expensive. She should also take some extra paper and ink from home—they were never in short supply there.

Seeing Su Wenyue act in such a manner irritated her concubine sisters Su Cai and Su Yun, filling them with disdain and a sense of superiority they had never felt before. Surely, they had come back at the right moment. Su Wenyue’s life seemed so pitiful now, fussing over a few cakes and wanting to take them from her mother’s family—how embarrassing!

They had initially thought the Queen Mother had provided Su Wenyue with a significant dowry, but now it seemed questionable. Otherwise, with Su Wenyue’s proud nature, she would rather spend her own money than lose face in front of them. It must be that Su Wenyue was short on funds and was thus planning to take things from her mother’s family to bring back home.

Feeling the gaze of her two concubine sisters, Su Wenyue was well aware of it.

Still, she carried on asking An Family for things, acting cute in front of Master Su, completely unaffected and laughing foolishly. Han Yu watched her and once again facepalmed; this girl really was thick-skinned.

Su Cai and Su Yun were Master Su’s oldest and second concubine daughters.

Both were somewhat pretty. One married the County Magistrate of Xinye County, and the other married a Wealthy Merchant in the county. They both lived rather comfortably and were, therefore, quite pleased with themselves.

Although Mrs. An was quite cunning, she never mistreated her concubine daughters. In fact, she treated them even better than Old Master and Master Su did. Their food and clothing were a cut above what the other families provided for their concubine daughters. Mrs. An’s family, the An Family, had once been a Big family that had eventually declined, but they still retained their foundation, having experienced wealth. The girls in the An Family were raised just like little misses in Big families, with a thorough understanding of backyard politics.

Mrs. An might have felt a bit disgusted at the existence of concubine daughters.

But isn’t that the way of men? Anyone with a bit of wealth would take multiple wives and concubines. Master Su was relatively decent. Though he had two Concubines, he didn’t actively take them. They were the Servant girls who served him while Mrs. An was pregnant. He finally acknowledged them as concubines after they got pregnant and had children. Mrs. An held tightly to their body contracts, ensuring they couldn’t cause trouble, easily managed.

To Mrs. An, concubine daughters were there to create benefits for the Family. She raised them well from a young age; they were proper and learned in music and dance. When they grew up, she found them suitable and beneficial matches for the Family’s sons.

Therefore, Su Cai and Su Yun held no grudge against Mrs. An but looked up to her with awe and hoped to be loved by Mrs. An. This was also why they enjoyed competing with Su Wenyue since childhood.

“Oh, it’s been so long since we last met. You’re married now, yet you’re still craving treats like when you were at home. These little cakes are nothing. Our parents adore you. They’ll make sure you have everything delicious to take back with you to the Han Family. Don’t worry about going hungry,” Su Cai said with a teasing smile, ostensibly jesting but actually mocking Su Wenyue’s Husband’s Family.

Seeing her Older Sister mocking their legitimate Younger Sister, Su Yun joined in, not to be outdone: “Yes, it’s rather sad for our Younger Sister, isn’t it?

Raised in luxury, now married and experiencing such hardship. It breaks my heart as her Older Sister. The cooks at the Second Sister-in-law’s place are also pretty good. I’ll send some tasty things over to you later. Just enjoy, Younger Sister. Once you finish, Second Sister will send more. Don’t worry about going hungry.”

Su Wenyue knew exactly what her two concubine sisters were like. They weren’t terrible people, though they carried a certain pettiness. They wouldn’t dare in front of their Mother, but they liked to compete with her behind her back. As always, they probably returned today hoping to joy in seeing her dismayed. They had been overshadowed by her, as the legitimate daughter from their childhood, and they must feel relieved now, finally her superior, eager to mock her a few times.

If this had been the Su Wenyue from before, she might indeed have been angered to death by Su Cai and Su Yun. But now, seeing their actions, she just found them childish and oddly heartwarming—it had been a long time since she last felt this way. So, she responded with a smile: “Great, I love to eat. Eldest Sister and Second Sister, feel free to send me anything delicious. Not just pastries, but also roast chicken, duck, or goose. Any tasty thing is welcome..”

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