Sweet Tooth Grandmother

The Guan family was a family of merchants, so they did not have strict house rules like those of aristocrats or court officials. In those houses, everyone had to greet the elders of the house every day, once in the morning and one more time before going to bed. If they observed that, the first one to complain would be Madam Zhang. The Guan family was more lax in this aspect, so if you only came to greet an elder once every 10 or 15 days when you had nothing urgent to report, nobody would get angry with you.

It wasn’t a special day today, but Song Caitang couldn’t run away from this formality.

Before this, she was ill, and it was difficult for her to observe formalities like these. But now that she was well, she had to go around and fulfill her obligations.

Now, she had two new maids. Huamei kept fighting to do stuff, and she couldn’t stop complimenting Song Caitang. Qinxiu remained silent, but she was observing everything very carefully. If Song Caitang needed something and nobody noticed it immediately, she was the first one to attend to it.

Qingqiao rolled her eyes so hard.

She knew she looked ugly, but she always made sure to point out their actions to her Young Mistress secretly.

But who was Song Caitang? She was a modern-day coroner with some of the sharpest observation skills. She had noticed their behavior long ago.

Qingqiao had a round face and round eyes, so she looked especially cute and innocent; plus, she was super loyal and super protective of her mistress. After serving her for so long, nobody knew what Song Caitang needed better than her. But there were many things to attend to in the morning, and she couldn’t finish them all at once. There were some things that were more urgent than others.

In the past, she could take her time to finish all the work herself, and her slow speed wasn’t obvious. But now…there were two others fighting for work with her.

Qingqiao glared fiercely at Huamei, the one who was best at fighting for work and working the fastest. She had never seen these two work so hard in the past!

Song Caitang tugged at her hand. That’s quite enough. Don’t go too far. It would be bad if they bear a grudge against you.

Qingqiao smiled ingratiatingly, “Our Young Mistress is the smartest, the most magnanimous, and the prettiest!”

Song Caitang sighed inwardly. It wasn’t like flattery was going to get her anywhere.

Qingqiao knew what her Young Mistress was thinking. She knew that her position as the “most considerate head maid” was secure, so she stopped glaring at the other two. As she served Song Caitang, she made sure to give Huamei and Qinxiu a million and one instructions.

Qinxiu wasn’t fazed by the flurry of instructions since Huamei was such an expert at fighting to do all the work. She didn’t have a lot of chances to prove herself, but she was going to make sure Song Caitang saw her capabilities in the few things she was entrusted with.

Huamei was furious.

Compared to her family background, her life experiences, the things she had learned before, and her ability to serve others, Qingqiao was nothing! She was just a random orphan that a rich family happened to pick up!

But Huamei was now in foreign territory. No matter how angry she was, she had to hold it in until she became more familiar with this place and its mistress.

And once she got closer to Song Caitang, the first one she was going to get rid of was Qingqiao!

Seeing that Song Caitang was about done with everything she needed to do, Huamei looked out at the sky and smiled as she reminded Song Caitang, “It’s getting late, and I think the folks at Qingyi Court are already waiting. Cousin Young Mistress, are we going out now?”

Qingyi Court was where Madam Zhang lived.

Song Caitang glanced at Qingqiao.

Qingqiao immediately straightened up and stared at Huamei, “And who said Young Mistress was going to Qingyi Court?”

Huamei hesitated, “But Young Mistress is all ready…to greet the elders, right?”

“Of course she is! But who told you that the mistress of Qingyi Court is the only person in the whole house who needs to be greeted? Do you have no regard for Old Madam?” said Qingqiao with a righteous flair.

Huamei bit her lip, “But Old Madam is ill…”

“And because she’s ill, we ought to visit her more often!”

Qingqiao scolded Huamei fiercely, then secretly glanced at Song Caitang and hoped to be praised. Song Caitang merely looked at her with a twinkle in her eye, and Qingqiao’s heart swelled with pride. She was so pleased.

And because of these words, Huamei ended up having no choice but to back off. Qinxiu ended up going out with Song Caitang and Qingqiao.

Qinxiu’s eyes lit up, but she bowed politely as usual, “Please allow me to serve you.”

Huamei watched as the three ladies left and walked out of sight. She scowled and glared nastily in their direction. What are they so arrogant about?!

Did they think they could anger Madam this way?

And that Qinxiu! You’re very smug now, but wait till you come back! I’m going to get you!

Qinxiu was the steady one who didn’t like talking, so Song Caitang had a quiet walk.

By the time they arrived at Songhe Hall, where Old Madam lived, the maid guarding the door had already sent the message to the people inside. A comfortably dressed older woman with a gentle smile stood at the door and drew the curtain for Song Caitang to enter.

Qingqiao whispered, “This is Auntie Xu, the one in charge of Old Madam’s house.”

Song Caitang smiled, “Thank you, Auntie Xu.”

Auntie Xu pretended not to have seen them conversing. She held a hand out and said, “Cousin Young Mistress, this way, please.”

They passed through the main hall and around a screen. Once they got past the pearl curtain, Song Caitang finally found herself in Old Madam’s room.

The room was very large. The décor wasn’t the most elegant or the most expensive. It was filled with a lot of colorful commoner cultural items, like straw woven items, opera masks, and other things made from wood and rock. It looked like there was a party happening here, and the atmosphere was lively.

Besides the older maids, the two young ladies in the room stood out.

“Eldest Sister, Third Sister.” Song Caitang bowed to greet both of them before finally walking to the bedside. She carefully looked toward the person lying on the bed, Madam Bai, her maternal grandmother.

Her face froze for a moment.

Everyone kept referring to her as “Old Madam”, so her impression was that her grandmother was a very old woman. But actually, she wasn’t really that old. The hair around her ears was a little gray, and she had a few wrinkles near her eyes, but her general complexion was very good, and her lips were red. Her blanket covered her well, so Song Caitang couldn’t see what her body was like. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn’t see if her gaze was alert. But she certainly didn’t strike Song Caitang as an elderly woman nearing 60.

Guan Qing carried an empty bowl of medicine and whispered, “This cold is very contagious, so just stand here and look, don’t go any nearer. Grandmother just took her medicine, and she doesn’t feel very well.”

Song Caitang looked carefully at Madam Bai. There were tearstains at the corners of her eyes, her cheeks were slightly red, and her breathing was a little on the fast side. She, too, whispered back, “But she’s coughing badly?”

Guan Wan gently wiped the corners of Madam Bai’s eyes. Her own large eyes were teary, and she was on the verge of tears, “Grandmother keeps coughing this time. It’s not so bad during the day, but it’s really bad at night, so she can’t sleep well. And if she can’t sleep well, how is she going to get well?”

Guan Qing pulled away her younger sister before she started crying, “Grandmother is fine. She’ll get well after taking some medicine. Don’t get yourself worried over nothing, it will make it harder for Grandmother to recover.”

Guan Wan knew that it wasn’t good for her to cry in front of an ill person, but she just couldn’t bear to see her grandmother in this state…

She pushed Guan Qing aside, got up, turned her back to her grandmother, and took a deep breath.

Just then, Madam Bai suddenly reached for a small candy under her pillow and stuffed it into her mouth quickly.

Song Caitang’s eyes widened. She looked around her – Guan Qing was placing the empty bowl on the table, Guan Wan was still taking her deep breaths, while the maids stood silently with their heads bowed.

Nobody had seen what her grandmother had done.

Madam Bai seemed to have sensed someone looking at her strangely, so she suddenly opened her eyes and fluttered her eyes quickly at Song Caitang.

That was the first time Song Caitang realized how much one look could say.

There was worry in that look, as though she was asking, “Have you recovered?”

There was consolation in that look, as though she thought, “My lovely granddaughter has recovered, but unfortunately, I’m ill, and I can’t hug her!”

There was anticipation in that look, “Once I’m well, I must sit down and spend time with you!”

There was a warning in that look, “That candy I ate earlier is a secret between you and me, so don’t tell anyone!”

There was even an entrusting in that look, “Guan Qing and Guan Wan are two immature girls, so you need to take care of them!”

Song Caitang felt that her maternal grandmother was definitely a genius.

She had eaten that sweet secretly, probably because the doctor had told Guan Qing and Guan Wan that she couldn’t eat sweet things.

There were maids and the other two granddaughters in the same room, so Song Caitang didn’t tell on her because she didn’t want to embarrass the old lady.

But she made a suggestion, “Grandmother looks a little thin. Is it because her appetite is poor and she can’t eat much? Why not tell the kitchen to boil some pear juice to stop her coughing and reduce her phlegm?”

“Her appetite is poor,” said Guan Wan worriedly “But pears are sweet, and the doctor said that it’s best for her not to eat sweet things. Besides, she’s only coughing but doesn’t have phlegm…”

Song Caitang sighed.

Her grandmother was coughing so badly and still eating sweets. Even if she didn’t have phlegm now, she was going to develop some soon.

Since this didn’t help, Song Caitang had to switch strategies, “What about making some carrot juice? It’s good for replenishing her energy and improving blood circulation.”

That was an acceptable suggestion…

Guan Wan was the first one on it. She picked up her skirt and ran out, “I’ll get it done!”

Guan Qing looked thoughtfully at Song Caitang.

Song Caitang looked at her grandmother’s complexion carefully and asked a few questions to confirm that this illness wasn’t anything serious. It was just a common cold, and they had to be patient. Even with medicine, Madam Bai needed time to recuperate and would be well after a few more days.

“Eldest Sister, don’t worry. Grandmother will get well soon.”

Guan Qing nodded.

Madam Bai looked like she had fallen asleep, so Guan Qing dragged Song Caitang to another room, dismissed everyone around them, then asked her with a frown, “You suddenly have two more maids in your house. What’s going on? You don’t want them, but you can’t find an excuse to throw them out?”

Song Caitang laughed.

This Eldest Sister sounded like she was leaving Song Caitang to her own devices, but she had been secretly worried all this time.

“Don’t worry, Eldest Sister. I know what to do.” Her brows reflected the sun, and her black pupils gleamed brightly. The smile on her lips exuded intelligence.

Guan Qing was a little surprised by her reaction, then smiled as well.

She poked Song Caitang’s head gently, “It’ll be good if you really know what to do.”

When she saw the two maids outside the door and the way Song Caitang was dressed, she already knew that once Song Caitang was done greeting Madam Bai, she would have to head for Qingyi Court.

So, she purposely made Song Caitang stay for a long time, letting her leave only when she felt that she had been here for a sufficient amount of time.

Song Caitang knew that Guan Qing had a brush with a murder case at Tianhua Temple and wanted to ask her about it. She was hoping for a chance, but looking at Guan Qing’s expression…

Now was not the right time.

After Song Caitang left, Guan Qing returned to Madam Bai’s bedside. She looked at her grandmother, whose eyes were closed and seemed to be in a deep sleep, and sighed quietly, “Grandmother, you secretly ate a candy again, didn’t you.”

Meanwhile, in Qingyi Court.

Madam Zhang had waited so long that she had narrowed her eyes, and her face became tense from anger.

Guan Rongrong was even angrier than her and nearly broke her teeth from gnashing them too hard, “We woke up so early to wait for her, and she still hasn’t come yet!!”