Protect Her

"You really spared no expense, Madam."

Madam Zheng smiled. "You misunderstand. Madam Li bought it as a gift for my daughter."

"Madam Li?" The woman looked in surprise at Madam Li, who stood beside Zheng Yuanqing attending to him. "I had no idea..."

Madam Li smiled, untroubled by her slip. After handing Zheng Yuanqing a cup of tea, she said gently,

"Wanru is the only girl in the family. How many years can a girl stay at home? Her elders should spoil her while they can."

"Of course, of course." Knowing she had spoken out of turn, the woman hurried to praise the Zheng Family's happy household and the harmony between its wives and concubines.

Shen Lantang watched the family above her, who might as well have been putting on a play, and shook her head to herself.

Madam Li was an interesting one. She spent so freely on someone else's daughter, yet treated her son so harshly.

Shen Lantang had figured it out. What Madam Li had said to Zheng Qingyu earlier was a command to go change his clothes—to take off that patched outfit before he embarrassed her in front of the guests and her husband. Wasn't it just like parents who mistreated their child at home but made a show of loving him before outsiders?

She treated the two children so differently that anyone who didn't know better might think Zheng Wanru was her daughter.

Wasn't that how novels often went? A concubine's child would be raised by the principal wife to improve their standing. They still ranked below a true legitimate son or daughter, but above an ordinary child born to a concubine. These distinctions of birth were complicated indeed.

Come to think of it, Zheng Wanru and Madam Li looked rather alike. Both were petite