"That's not right. It's not right for the old lady to eat in front of the guests." Grandma Lou San frowned. "It's even worse if we withdraw it. They'll say I've become a beggar, starving."

Why did this happen so late in the New Year? Who's in charge of the warehouse? How could such a mistake happen?"

"It's not the warehouse's fault. In previous years, we used to buy from the seafood store. This year, all the seafood in the city is ten days late. They won't be restocked until after the New Year," Madam Feng explained.

"That's fine, but we'll just find the person responsible. He'll definitely be punished..." Grandma Lou San was stern.

Madam Wang smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "It's New Year's Eve, how pitiful.

We're celebrating New Year anyway, and we're not outsiders. A few fewer guests won't matter..."

Since we can replenish our supplies after the New Year, it's just that the New Year banquet will be less well-stocked. The so-called guests will only be the Wang family.

Madam Wang naturally understood what she meant, but Third Lady Lou continued to hold on, saying, "That won't do. How can we afford to serve guests from outside when we're putting our own guests at risk? I just couldn't find it in a hurry. Second Sister-in-law, I heard you own a seafood shop in Yangzhou. Is your shop also late this year?"

Second Lady Lou had been watching with a smile, but upon hearing this, she knew her true intentions were revealed. She said, "My family isn't late. I brought some dried goods with me from my trip to the capital this time, but I don't know how big they should be."

"In previous years, the old lady always used five-head abalone. This year, we changed chefs, and abalone cooked in chicken broth is the best, so we switched to three-head abalone.

We also use three-head abalone for the guest banquet. I calculated that with two banquets under the New Year and another afterward, I'm afraid we'll need ten or so pounds of abalone." She took Second Lady Lou's hand and said, "If Second Sister-in-law has it, it'll be a lifesaver."

"If you don't have ten pounds, three or four pounds is still possible," Second Lady Lou said calmly.

"That's great! I'll have Madam Feng get it later. Just be sure to cover it for me and don't let the old lady know. I'm giving my second sister-in-law some money from the public account." Grandma Lou San smiled warmly.

Grandma Lou Er knew she couldn't give much as compensation, so she simply said, "Of course not. It would be awkward to give more. Just consider it a gift from me to the old lady."

"Of course not. I absolutely must give the money."

After the evening party, Grandma Lou San had indeed sent Madam Feng along to get the abalone. Madam Lou Er retrieved the key from her inner jacket and sent Madam Huang to fetch the abalone. It was indeed a superb three-headed abalone. Madam Feng beamed. "This is truly wonderful! One pound will probably yield seven or eight pounds."

"It's made using an ancient method. One pound of abalone yields ten pounds. You don't need to add anything else. Just simmer it in chicken broth," Grandma Lou San said calmly.

Ling Shuang and Xian Yue were both there, confused as to what was going on. Qing Yun's maid, Yue Xiang, came over and whispered something in her ear.

Their eyes grew cold. Madam Feng thanked them profusely and left. A moment later, she sent another maid over with ten taels of silver, saying, "Third Madam said there are too many debts to settle at the end of the year. So, I'll give Second Madam ten taels first. I'll make up for it after the New Year. Please forgive me, Second Madam."

There was a storm at sea this year, and the price of seafood had risen. Ten taels of silver couldn't even buy half a pound of abalone. Feng Wanhua wasn't just giving her compensation; she was clearly trying to irritate her.

After the maid left, no one spoke for a long time. Second Madam Lou sat on a stool, her face gloomy for a moment. Suddenly, she picked up the ten taels of silver and threw it violently out the door, directly into the snow.

Qingyun gestured, and Yuexiang went outside to retrieve it. She placed the silver back on the table, brought tea, and soothed, "Mother, there's no need to be angry about such a mean person. It's just a small thing, and I'm not afraid of her, I'm mainly concerned about Old Madam Wang's reputation. She can't eat much of this abalone, after all. Just think of it as a treat for Old Madam Wang and the guests.

It also shows how narrow-minded she is. She's so focused on such trivial matters. It's ridiculous."

Her words of comfort were truly insightful, and Second Madam Lou felt much more relieved. "Who said it wasn't true? You still laugh at me, a merchant girl? Feng Wanhua is even more petty than I am. A mere abalone is worth such a calculation."

Tanxue was the last to understand, and she clenched her fists. "If it were me, I wouldn't agree. What can I do if I don't give it to her? Can she still steal it from me? Humph!"

Everyone laughed. Ling Shuang admonished her, "If only everything in this world were this simple. Think carefully about Sanniang's words. It's like sitting on the mountain and watching a tiger fight. If Mother refuses, she won't lose anything, but it's the old lady's family who will be treated coldly.

It's obvious that we have abalone. If the old lady finds out, even though she knows it's Sanniang's fault, she'll inevitably blame Mother for not covering up for her.

Mother won't really watch Old Madam Wang suffer like this. It's all for everyone's sake. That's the way to be a head of household."

"Since Sanniang is so mean, the old lady should have driven her out and let Mother take over." Tanxue was still a child, so she had a simple mindset.

Ling Shuang smiled again.

"In this world, people don't just get along based on good and bad.

The Third Wife has been the head of household for over a decade, and they've become one and the same. Even when they clash, their tongues and teeth clash. Look at this incident, Sanniang treated the Old Lady's family harshly, which was abhorrent. But in other matters, Sanniang might be the one who pleases her most. As long as Sanniang's usefulness outweighs her negative intentions, the Old Lady will tolerate it.

People are often like this. Even if there are many disagreements in a relationship, they will continue to live together because of shared interests..." She taught Tanxue earnestly.

"Perhaps the Old Lady has long since given up on supporting such a large family, and the Third Wife is just using her as a pawn?" Xianyue suddenly said with a smile.

She looked sickly and charming, but in reality, she was deeply concerned. Her words shocked Tanxue. Even Second Madam Lou uttered a disapproving "hmm," stopping her from continuing to lead her in the dark direction.

Ling Shuang still followed her advice, saying to Tan Xue, "In short, from now on, listen more, observe more, and talk less. Think carefully about everything, and don't be too impulsive.

Don't assume too much of others, and don't be too naive. For example, in this case, don't assume it's all Sanniang's fault and the old lady's. If Sanniang and the old lady really were so incompatible, it would have been exposed long ago, and the old lady wouldn't have tolerated it. How could she have allowed her to be the head of the household until today?

Just like how many young ladies are polite and courteous, while their maids are domineering and snobbish, if you think about it, you'll understand the truth. Sometimes, it's possible that others are colluding to deceive you..."

"But we must always believe that if we behave uprightly and do nothing wrong, no one can do anything to us. Of course, it would be even better if we could put more thought into the smaller matters," Qing Yun concluded.

"That's the right way to go," Second Madam Lou said sternly.

After a brief chat, everyone dispersed. Ling Shuang went to bed first. Xian Yue sat in front of the mirror, removing her makeup while Tao Ran and the maid brushed her hair with two combs. She studied her reflection and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Actually, getting back at this isn't that hard," she said to the mirror.

"Don't get your ideas wrong again," Ling Shuang said, not looking up from her book. "Mother's going to scold you again."

"It's none of your business. Just watch."