Assistant Minister Song said helplessly:
"You know what Yaoyao's temper is like. I couldn't stop her at all."
Hearing this, Madam Song also said with worry:
"This child is so rebellious, what can we do in the future?"
Assistant Minister Song patted his wife's hand:
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Worrying is no use!"
In the afternoon, Left Remonstrance Councillor Rong Ping arrived at the Song Residence together with his wife.
Assistant Minister Song asked Song Yaoyao to make a trip to the front hall. When Song Yaoyao received this news, she asked Bi Tao in surprise:
"Bi Tao, what is going on here?
When guests come to the house, don't we have my dad and my mom? Why are they having me go to the front hall again?"
At this moment, Song Yaoyao still did not know that the arriving guests were Rong Ping and his wife.
Bi Tao urged:
"This maid doesn't know either.
Miss, the master, mistress, and the guests are all waiting in the front hall!"
"Got it."
Only after washing up and tidying herself did Song Yaoyao go to the front hall.
Upon reaching there and seeing Rong Ping, Song Yaoyao remembered the matter of warning him earlier.
The moment Rong Ping and his wife saw Song Yaoyao, they stood up.
Song Yaoyao hurried over and offered a greeting: "Greetings, Lord Rong; greetings, Madam Rong."
Rong Ping nodded, and Madam Rong said warmly:
"I haven't seen you in a few days, and Little Lord Song has grown even more bright and lovely."
Song Yaoyao touched her own face. Sure enough, she was a beautiful young maiden whom everyone loved and flowers bloomed for.
Seeing Song Yaoyao's narcissistic expression, Madam Rong felt that this girl was truly interesting.
Having seen her once before at the Palace Banquet, this close-range contact made her fondness for this girl grow all the more.
Although the person was a bit flighty, her heart was pure, and she was not a scheming girl.
Next, Assistant Minister Song and his wife chatted with Rong Ping and his wife, while Song Yaoyao sat there without speaking further.
It was not that Song Yaoyao did not want to speak, but the topic they were discussing was simply one she could not wedge a word into!
When Rong Ping and his wife were about to leave, Madam Rong pointed at the gifts they had brought and said:
"We brought some gifts over. Please accept them."
Subsequently, Madam Rong pulled a stack of silver notes from her own sleeve pocket and handed them right before Song Yaoyao:
"We didn't know whether Little Lord Song would like those gifts or not. If you don't like them, just use this silver to buy some things you do like."
Madam Song hastily spoke up to stop her:
"Madam Rong, this will not do."
Madam Rong waved her hand:
"Accept them.
Compared to the lives of our entire Rong Clan, these amount to nothing!
Thanks to your warning, we were able to promptly stop that unfilial wretch's actions; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!
If you don't accept them, our hearts will feel ill at ease!"
Hearing this, Madam Song finally relented.
Holding a large stack of silver notes, Song Yaoyao's heart turned upside down with joy.
She never expected that a single act of kindness would yield such a reward!
It truly fit that saying: good people meet with good rewards!
Once the guests left, Song Yaoyao impatiently opened the gifts brought by Lord Rong and his wife. Inside a large chest, there was everything imaginable, mostly items suitable for a young girl in her early teens.
She would keep one or two items for herself, pick out a few pieces for her eldest sister, and let her old mother handle the rest.
Song Yaoyao was just about to run off when Madam Song grabbed her by the back collar:
"What are you running for?"
Song Yaoyao silently hid the silver notes and stammered:
"I-I'm not running."
Madam Song extended a hand:
"Hand them over."
Song Yaoyao feigned incomprehension and asked:
"What?"
Madam Song glared at Song Yaoyao:
"Don't play dumb with me. Hand over the silver notes."
Song Yaoyao put on a completely foolish and confused facade and said:
"What silver notes? Mom, I didn't take your silver notes!"
After taking several deep breaths, Madam Song roared:
"Song Yaoyao, stop playing dumb with your old mother.
The silver notes Madam Rong gave you-hand them over."
Seeing her old mother suppressing her anger, Song Yaoyao could no longer keep up the act, and she cautiously probed:
"Mom, can you give me just a little bit? Just a tiny bit."
Song Yaoyao used her thumb and pinky finger to measure out a tiny gap.
Madam Song stated:
"Hand over the silver notes first, and we'll decide based on the situation."
"Alright then."
Reluctantly, Song Yaoyao fished out the silver notes.
Seeing her reluctant appearance, Madam Song snatched the silver notes away in one motion and began counting them.
Song Yaoyao stretched her neck out resentfully, fixing her gaze on Madam Song's money-counting movements.
Song Yaoyao also counted the silver notes along with her in her mind.
After a long while, the counting finally finished. Every single note had a denomination of one hundred taels, totaling a full fifty notes-which meant precisely five thousand taels.
So much silver!
Song Yaoyao reached out, tugging at Madam Song's sleeve while acting coquettishly:
"Mom, look at all these silver notes. How much can you give me?"
Madam Song thought for a moment, drew out a one-hundred-tael silver note from the stack, and handed it to Song Yaoyao:
"Here you go."
Song Yaoyao pouted. This was simply too stingy, and she said with dissatisfaction:
"Mom, out of five thousand taels, you're only giving me a hundred? Isn't this a bit too little?"
Madam Song said ungraciously:
"There's only this much, take it or leave it!"
Madam Song readied to pull back the silver notes in her hand, but Song Yaoyao snatched them away in a flash:
"Who said I wouldn't take them? Even a mosquito's leg is better than nothing."
Listening to her muttering words, Madam Song let out a cold snort and turned to leave. Quick-witted and fast-handed, Song Yaoyao grabbed a corner of Madam Song's garment:
"Mom, wait."
Madam Song turned back around and asked:
"What is it now?"
Since so many silver notes had already been confiscated by her old mother, Song Yaoyao wanted to secure some welfare for her eldest sister and the others.
Thus, Song Yaoyao cautiously said:
"People came to thank us, and this is a good thing.
Mom, can you give a hundred-tael silver note each to Eldest Sister, Eldest Brother, and Second Brother, so they can be happy too!"
She had not expected that at a time like this, Song Yaoyao would still remember her siblings. This actually made Madam Song feel quite gratified, and she nodded:
"I'll grant it to you this time."
Subsequently, she took out another three hundred taels in silver notes, handed them to Song Yaoyao, and said:
"Here, one hundred taels for each of you four siblings."
Song Yaoyao nodded, took the silver notes, and left.
Song Yaoyao would first deliver the one-hundred-tael silver note to her eldest sister's place. When Eldest Brother returned in the evening, she would give him his share. As for Second Brother, she would give it to him the next time he returned from the military camp.
Although Song Yaoyao liked silver, what belonged to others was theirs. She certainly didn't have the habit of pocketing other people's money!
A gentleman loves wealth and acquires it properly!
She disdained doing such shameful things!
Besides, these three hundred taels were even for her own family, so Song Yaoyao would never do that!
Watching the retreating figure of Song Yaoyao, Madam Song shook her head.
This child already had several thousand taels of silver notes in her hands; she could not be given any more!
Madam Song would not squander the silver notes Rong Ping and his wife sent today either; she would save them all up for Song Yaoyao, keeping them as her dowry for the future!