Shen Zhuo had a leg injury and it was inconvenient for him to move. So the carriage drove to the front courtyard, and then several young servants in the mansion carried him into the courtyard room that Shen Li had earlier ordered to be cleaned.
Concubine Su and Shen Zhen got off the carriage outside the main gate of the Shen Mansion. The two Concubine Lius saw them and warmly welcomed them.
"Hello, Sister Su! The master told me to wait here specifically to welcome you!" said Concubine Big Liu, Ye'er.
Concubine Su was a beauty in her youth, with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a delicate figure. However, during the years in the manor, although she didn't lack food and clothing, she didn't receive meticulous care. Now she looked much older than in her youth.
She was no longer wearing silk and satin. Instead, she had on some semi-new old clothes, which were the best she had at present.
Now seeing the two beautiful and bejeweled concubines, and with the information she had learned from the young servants before coming, she immediately realized that these might be the two favored concubines of Shen Junming.
"Hello, two younger sisters!" Concubine Su said as gently as possible, "Thank you two younger sisters today!"
"Sister, you don't need to be so polite with me!" Concubine Big Liu was obviously more talkative than Concubine Small Liu. At this moment, she kindly took Concubine Su's hand and said to her affectionately, "People in the mansion call me Concubine Big Liu and her Concubine Small Liu. From now on, sister, you can just call us Sister Big Liu and Sister Small Liu."
Concubine Su smiled and agreed, silently noting the differences between them in her heart.
"Is this the Third Miss? I pay my respects to the Third Miss!" Concubine Small Liu noticed a young girl who resembled Concubine Su by about 50% standing behind her, and stepped forward to salute.
Hearing this, Concubine Big Liu also stepped forward to pay her respects. "The Third Miss is as beautiful as Sister Su. She's really a beauty! She's no less beautiful than the Second Miss!"
It seemed that Shen Zhen had never encountered such a situation before. She took a shy step aside. "Th - th - two concubines, please get up quickly!"
Seeing this, Concubine Su said on her behalf, "Sorry, two younger sisters. Zhenzhen is timid. She hasn't seen much of the world in the countryside. Please forgive her."
The two Concubine Lius naturally said with smiles that it didn't matter.
Then the group chatted and walked into the mansion.
The Shen Mansion had been built for several decades. It covered a vast area. Just the Western Courtyard had no less than ten independent yards, and Shen Li naturally lived in the best one.
The yard that Shen Li arranged for Concubine Su and Shen Zhen was also in the Western Courtyard. Although it was called the Western Courtyard, it wasn't just one single yard.
The rule in the Shen Mansion was that all adult young ladies or young masters had their own independent small yards. So Shen Zhen and Concubine Su weren't arranged to live together.
The yard that Shen Li arranged for Concubine Su was in the southeast corner of the Western Courtyard, and Shen Zhen's yard was not far from hers.
Jiao Yue and Ming Yue led Concubine Su and Shen Zhen to the yard that Shen Li had arranged for Concubine Su, and ordered the servants to carry their luggage in.
Looking at the timid mother and daughter, Jiao Yue felt a bit of pity in her heart and said kindly, "Concubine Su, this is the yard that our Eldest Miss arranged for you! The Third Miss's yard is not far from here. I'll lead the Third Miss there later."
"Concubine Su and the Third Miss have just returned to the mansion. You may not be familiar with some things. These four maids were just bought into the mansion recently. Let them serve Concubine Su and the Third Miss first."
"Now our Eldest Miss is in charge of the mansion. If Concubine Su and the Third Miss have anything to do, you can ask our miss to arrange it."
Jiao Yue told them in advance that Shen Li was in charge of the mansion, which was also a reminder to Concubine Su and the others not to make a mistake.
"Therefore, please convey my thanks to the Eldest Miss on my behalf! My daughter and I will always remember her kindness!" Concubine Su's words showed that she accepted Shen Li's favor.
Jiao Yue and Ming Yue nodded in satisfaction. After saying a few more words, they left.
Concubine Su had spent several years in the manor. The silver she had taken from the mansion when she left was almost used up. She had even pawned many valuable things like jewelry and clothes. So when she returned to the mansion this time, she only brought back two small boxes, and even these two boxes weren't fully filled.
Nanny Wang, who had returned to the mansion with her, and her daughter, the young maid Furong, both went to unpack their luggage.
Concubine Su sat in the main hall. The four young maids sent by Shen Li stood in front of her, waiting for her to ask questions.
Concubine Su didn't ask them any difficult questions. Instead, she gave each of them a piece of silver worth half a tael.
"We've just returned to the mansion. We'll surely need your care in the future. So take this silver. Although it's not much, consider it a greeting gift."
The four maids looked at each other, silently accepted the silver, and then went into the inner room to help Concubine Su pack things.
When Shen Zhen saw that only she and Concubine Su were left in the main hall, she walked to Concubine Su's side, pulled on her sleeve, and said uneasily, "Mother, why can't I live with you? I'm afraid to live alone!"
Hearing this, Concubine Su patted her hand and whispered, "Zhenzhen! This is not the manor anymore. From now on, you should call me concubine when you see me! The Second Madam is your mother!"
Then, seeing that Shen Zhen still wanted to say something, she directly said, "Even when there are only the two of us, you can only call me concubine! Remember, you mustn't call me wrong. We can't break the rules."
After hearing this, Shen Zhen's mouth unconsciously drooped, but she didn't say anything against it. "Yes! Concubine!"
Hearing her call "concubine", Concubine Su felt a bit bitter in her heart, but still showed a relieved smile. "It's good that the Third Miss will act like this from now on! You're the Third Miss of the Shen Mansion. You should know your own status and act like a mistress. You can't let the servants in the mansion laugh at you!"
Shen Zhen nodded when she heard this. She still didn't understand why her biological mother, Concubine Su, had always wanted to return to the mansion. She had gone through so much trouble, and even her elder brother had been seriously injured because of this.
They used to live quite well in the manor. They had enough to eat and wear. Why did they come to this place full of rules like a cage?
Concubine Su still wanted to tell Shen Zhen a few more things, but seeing her confused face, she knew that Shen Zhen couldn't adjust to so many things all at once. So she lovingly squeezed her hand and didn't say anything more.
When Concubine Su took Zhenzhen to the manor, she was only six years old and didn't remember much. Over the years, she had been living carefree in the manor and had been raised without any scheming.
Concubine Su didn't notice this before, but now that they had returned to the Shen Mansion, in this way, Zhenzhen would surely be eaten up by those wolves and tigers without leaving any residue.
In the future, she would surely have to take great pains to correct her daughter's personality.