Unable to persuade Shen Li, the two of them had no choice but to "obediently" follow her to the front yard.
Since she came back in this life, Shen Li had taken a fancy to bright and flamboyant colors. Just like today, she was wearing a red long dress with wide sleeves again. On her head, she had specially pinned a gold - inlaid and embroidered double - phoenix hairpin that her mother had left behind.
In the East Courtyard, when Shen Shi saw Shen Li coming, she walked two steps out of the main hall on purpose. She grabbed Shen Li's hand and said affectionately while standing there, "Li'er is here!"
"Auntie hasn't seen you for several days. You, child, what have you been busy with today? Why don't you come and visit auntie!"
"Auntie wanted to go to your courtyard to see you, but was afraid of disturbing you and making you dislike me!"
Shen Li looked at Shen Shi with a smile. Just like in the previous life, this Shen Shi was still glib - tongued and liked to pretend to be generous and do superficial things.
With just a few words, she had already put a hat on Shen Li, accusing her of not paying respects to her elders.
In the previous life, it was so hateful that she had always respected Shen Shi like a mother. She never thought that Shen Shi would quickly arrange a match between Shen Miao and Xiao Hanzhi, pushing her own daughter onto the throne of the queen.
"What are you saying, auntie! Li'er did want to come and visit you. But didn't auntie allow Li'er not to pay respects a few days ago? Why, have you forgotten now?"
The smile on Shen Shi's face suddenly froze. Obviously, she hadn't expected Shen Li to say such a thing. She could only smile and say, "Auntie has indeed forgotten about this!"
"Then auntie should go and see a doctor. Can this illness of always forgetting things be cured?"
"Auntie, don't be afraid. If you're sick, you should treat it early so that you can recover soon!"
This time, the smile on Shen Shi's face almost couldn't hold up. She secretly hated herself for underestimating Shen Li before. She didn't know that this girl could be so sharp - tongued.
However, Shen Li ignored Shen Shi's embarrassment. She walked forward generously, as if she were the host and Shen Shi were the guest.
Inside the house, Shen Miao was sitting in her seat, sipping tea. When she saw Shen Li come in, she didn't even stand up. She just lazily called out, "Sister is here!"
Shen Li responded faintly and then sat down opposite her. She lowered her head and played with her handkerchief.
As soon as Ming Yue entered the room, her eyes quickly scanned the room. She also smelled the fragrance in the air. After making sure there was no problem, she finally felt relieved.
"Li'er, I heard from your sister that you won the top prize yesterday and were appreciated by the princess! This is really a good thing!"
"I just don't know when you learned to paint. Even we didn't know about it!"
"I haven't really learned much. I just practiced with my mother for a few days when she was around. Later, I just painted casually for fun!"
After Shen Li finished speaking, she suddenly reached out and touched the hairpin on her head. "I don't know when mother and father will come back?"
When Shen Shi saw the hairpin on Shen Li's head, she first showed a look of suspicion. After looking at it twice in succession, she gradually confirmed it.
This hairpin on Shen Li's head was the one that Shen Li's mother, Liu Shi, had once worn. Since this hairpin was a reward from the emperor and Liu Shi had worn it out a few times, Shen Shi had an impression of it.
Now seeing it on Shen Li's head again, what else didn't she understand!
Shen Shi knew that Liu Shi had a lot of precious jewelry. When Liu Shi left, she had also said that it would be difficult for her to come back within ten years.
So Shen Shi dared to take some of Liu Shi's things for herself. Even if Liu Shi asked about it later, she could just say that there had been thieves in the mansion and the things had been stolen.
But the jewelry that Liu Shi had left in plain sight were just ordinary things. She hadn't been able to find those valuable ones.
It turned out that they had already been left to this girl!
Shen Shi looked at Shen Li sitting there silently. A hint of malice flashed in her eyes.
"Li'er, before you said you wanted to manage the household. I just thought it was something a childish girl would say as a joke. Now that you've been managing the household for a while, you must have realized how difficult it is!"
"However, you're still young and unmarried after all. It's really inappropriate for you to manage the whole family of your uncle and aunt like this."
Shen Li sighed silently in her heart. Sure enough, they were finally getting to the point.
"Li'er didn't know how hard it was to manage the household before. Now that I've been doing it, I really understand how hard it was for auntie."
"Every day there are the rations in the mansion, a pile of account books, and a group of housekeepers waiting for instructions. There are so many things to deal with every day that I can't even sort them out."
Shen Shi was just about to say, "Since you find it troublesome, then let me do it."
But Shen Li didn't give her this chance at all. She directly said, "Fortunately, the maids around me are all useful. They will help me keep accounts and manage the household, which saves me a lot of trouble."
"And the two maids that my sister gave me are also capable. They sweep the ground in my courtyard very cleanly. They are even more capable than those rough - working maids!"
Shen Miao stared at Shen Li's proud face, wishing she could tear it to pieces. She knew very well that those were the maids she had sent. Shen Li made them do rough work, which was obviously an act of looking down on her and provoking her.
Shen Shi quickly reacted and found a loophole in Shen Li's words. "Shen Li, you're still young after all. No matter how considerate those maids are, you still have to manage them carefully, so as to avoid being deceived by some servants who think they are above their masters."
"Auntie, are you saying that the two maids my sister sent will deceive me? But I don't think so. They've always been very obedient. All they do every day is work."
At this point, Shen Shi also sank her face. Shen Li was clearly doing it on purpose today. She was pretending to be stupid here and deliberately making her angry.
Shen Shi had a cold look on her face. "Li'er, you haven't gotten engaged yet. Some words, if spread out, will not be good for your reputation. It will also be difficult for you to get engaged in the future."
Shen Li continued to pretend to be innocent. "What words? What words could be spread outside?"
"Second aunt and younger sister have always had a good reputation in the capital. Outsiders all say that second aunt is strict in running the household and younger sister is both talented and beautiful!"
Shen Li's words were a threat to Shen Shi and Shen Miao's reputation. If they didn't let her have a good reputation, she would also ruin theirs.
Let's see who is afraid of whom!
Of course, this lunch didn't happen. Shen Li took Jiao Yue and Ming Yue back.
"Miss, you saw how angry the Second Lady was just now! Before, this servant always saw her bullying you. Now that you can bully her back, it's really so satisfying!"
Jiao Yue's face was slightly flushed, obviously very excited.
But Ming Yue didn't think things were so simple like her. "Miss, did you deliberately provoke the Second Lady and the Second Miss today for some special purpose?"
Hearing Ming Yue say this, Shen Li thought highly of her. She didn't expect that while Jiao Yue was too silly to figure it out, Ming Yue could see clearly.
"For what? They have their purposes, and I have mine! Just wait and see. There will be a good show in the next few days."