"Why are you quarreling again out of the blue?"

At this moment, Mrs. Zhang already walked in with Xu Lian, who had just been tidied up. Seeing their sharp exchange of words, she couldn’t help but sigh, placing a few chestnuts from the bamboo winnowing basket onto the wooden table.

Yongping turned her body away: "Who wants to argue with her? Who can ever win against her?"

Fu Zhen smiled without saying a word, casually picking up two chestnuts, putting them into her mouth, and biting them open to eat.

With such natural ease, how could she seem like the wife of a high-ranking General?

Mrs. Zhang originally had something to say, but seeing this, she swallowed her words instead.

Seeing Fu Zhen eating so heartily, the thorns on Yongping seemed to soften, and she mumbled: "Dry and bland, what’s so tasty about it? Wait till you choke on it, then you’ll have something to say."

Xu Lian looked at them, spread his arms, and went up to hug his mother: "Mother, don’t be sad. If mother can’t beat her, Lian Er will help mother."

Fu Zhen glanced at him: "You can’t even reach the height of the table standing, what can you help with? Just a mouthful of sweet talk!"

The child had already grown to resemble his father a bit, and to be honest, Fu Zhen found him quite displeasing to the eye.

Yongping scooped up Xu Lian and looked askance at her: "Bullying a child, don’t you have any shame?"

Fu Zhen eyed her sidewise: "Oh? Who was it just now, acting like a mad person, hitting him?"

Yongping turned her face away, looking like she didn’t want to argue.

Mrs. Zhang laughed angrily: "You two are not young anymore, why still act like children?" After saying this, she took all the chestnuts from the basket and placed them in front of Fu Zhen: "Since you don’t mind, I picked a good half a sack from the hills outside last year, kept in the cellar. Will you take some back?"

Yongping said: "How could she eat these?"

Fu Zhen nodded to Mrs. Zhang: "Sure! It’s been a long time since I had such local produce. Please pack me some more!"

Mrs. Zhang smiled, wiped her hands, and turned to leave.

Holding Xu Lian, Yongping occasionally glanced at Fu Zhen, then again.

...

When she carried a large bag of chestnuts out and got back into the carriage, Zi Yan assisted Fu Zhen in getting on, then eagerly looked through the carriage window at Mrs. Zhang, who was standing at the door, and asked impatiently:

"Why did Young Madam accept their things? Do you plan to keep maintaining contact with them in the future?"

Fu Zhen just smiled: "These chestnuts taste good."

The chestnuts indeed tasted good.

Even though they were picked from the mountain, they must have been selected from the best among those picked.

It’s not Fu Zhen’s first time dealing with Mrs. Zhang, how could she not know her character?

This woman would not be defeated by setbacks.

She has the tolerance.

And the scheming.

They would never turn their fortunes around in this lifetime.

But, who wouldn’t want to live a better life within their capabilities?

Selecting some tasty chestnuts to entertain Fu Zhen was already the furthest extent of what Mrs. Zhang could do at the moment.

Perhaps she knew very well that relying on these won’t make Fu Zhen abandon past grievances to help them, she also knew, Fu Zhen wasn’t that easy to manipulate.

Yet, she still actively did so, still striving to seek even a slight chance to change their situation for herself and her family. Regardless, such a person with vibrant vitality was someone Fu Zhen admired.

Even so, neither Mrs. Zhang nor Yongping humbled themselves or asked for anything from her.

They longed to change their situation but still maintained their dignity.

Yongping had her detestable points, but not all of her ways are loathsome.

It’s hard for one to go through life without facing adversity at some point.

It’s hard not to encounter some setbacks.

But whether one can rise from setbacks, maintain dignity, and preserve character is open to interpretation.

Among those who managed, there is Mrs. Ning, Yang Yi, and Mrs. Zhang. At the most difficult times, they never made the wrong choice, and even when plunged into adversity, not one of them succumbed to reality, not even Yongping indulged.

Those who didn’t manage include Xu Yin, Lian Yang, and many of those who followed them.

They were born nobility, yet they lost the noble character, reduced to an ugly, unbearable state.

From start to finish, Fu Zhen never promised to help Mrs. Zhang, nor gave them any hint, but Fu Zhen did not repulse them either.

The water that is too clean has no fish.

Life is so long, who can predict the future?

...

When the chestnuts brought back from Mrs. Zhang’s were finished, the old peach tree Pei Zhan planted in his courtyard was already in full bloom. When the wind blew, the petals fell thickly on the ground, and Liang Xuan rolled on it every day, like a merry little dog, covering himself in flower mud.