Hai Tong had not yet called Mrs Shang, but Mrs Shang called her first.
She answered her great-aunt’s call. Mrs Shang asked her directly on the phone, “Tongtong, Great-aunt is missing Beibei terribly. Can you send Beibei to my house to play for a day? Looking at those boys all the time gives me a headache. I need to see Beibei’s cute little face to stir up whatever affection I have left for my grandchildren.”
Hai Tong laughed out loud. “Great-aunt, I was just telling Zhan Yin that Grandma has gone to Old Eight’s place and won’t be back this morning, so I was thinking of sending Beibei over to you to look after her for half the day.”
“You called just as I was about to ring you. I thought if you were busy, Zhan Yin would take Beibei to the office instead. My in-laws are still in Yangcheng and haven’t returned.”
There were plenty of nannies, but no family member watching Beibei, and no one felt easy about that.
Mrs Shang laughed. “How could I be busy? I have nothing but time. You don’t need to bring her over. Great-aunt is already on the way to your house. I’ll be there soon and can pick Beibei up myself.”
“Has the old lady gone to Old Eight’s then? Has Old Eight finally shown some interest? Fallen for some family’s daughter?”
It seemed everyone understood the old lady well.
Normally, she never took her eyes off her precious great-granddaughter. For her to willingly leave the girl and rush to another grandson’s house, it must mean that grandson had taken a liking to someone. The old lady loved gossip more than anything.
In her own words, melons had to be eaten while they were still hot. Wherever there was fresh gossip, she had to be first in line.
“Yes, Old Eight has someone he likes. She’s the daughter of the Zeng family. The Zengs are a medical family. Everyone in the family is a doctor. Miss Zeng currently works at a hospital here in Guancheng.”
“She’s a girl with sweet looks and a very blessed appearance. I liked her the moment I saw her.”
Zeng Xiaoya’s beauty did not rank highly among Hai Tong’s sisters-in-law, but her round face was cheerful and pleasing. She looked comfortable and very endearing.
Both Hai Tong and the old lady had taken an instant liking to Zeng Xiaoya.
“Which of your sisters-in-law doesn’t like her? You all get along like real sisters and never quarrel. Great-aunt is delighted and relieved by that.”
Hai Ling was now the head of the Feng family in Jiangcheng. In the Feng household, she was sky and earth. She had the final say.
Though she had married Lu Dongming, she did not live with his family. Distance created beauty, so naturally there were no conflicts.
Mrs Shang had originally worried most that Hai Tong would struggle with her sisters-in-law, and that those sisters-in-law, with their powerful family backgrounds, might look down on Hai Tong.
Fortunately, all those worries had been unnecessary.
Hai Tong got on with her sisters-in-law like sisters, like close confidantes. They never quarrelled.
No matter how powerful their family backgrounds were, those Zhan young madams were always respectful towards Hai Tong, their eldest sister-in-law, because everyone in the Zhan family helped reinforce Hai Tong’s position.
Even before marrying into the Zhan family, those young madams had seen it clearly. Hai Tong’s own family background might not match theirs, but in the Zhan family, she was the eldest sister-in-law, the mistress of the main house, the future matriarch. No one could shake her position.
Moreover, their husbands respected Hai Tong deeply, so they naturally respected her as their eldest sister-in-law too.
Apart from Ning Yunchu, the other young madams did not usually live in Guancheng, so there was little interaction and no chance for conflict.
The old lady had personally chosen the wives for several of her grandsons, selecting only those with excellent character, all to continue the Zhan family’s tradition of harmony.
Now, Mrs Shang no longer worried at all about her two nieces.
Her sister could rest in peace beneath the nine springs. Both daughters were doing well and now had sons and daughters of their own.
“Great-aunt, my sister and I are both very happy. You don’t need to worry about us.”
Mrs Shang smiled. “Now Great-aunt truly isn’t worried.”
Saying she had not worried before would have been a lie.
She herself had married into the Shang family with no background at all, had not been liked by her mother-in-law, and knew exactly how hard that life had been.
