A Mother's Heart

Lady Xu understood her meaning and felt very comforted in her heart. Her Ningning had grown up, knowing how to care for her and think of her. She reached out to pull her into her arms and said with a smile, "I know what you are worried about, but rest assured, the extra clothes made for you do not use silver from the public funds; they are from my private money. Even if someone wants to find fault, they cannot find fault with me."

Gently patting Xue Qingning's back, Lady Xu continued, "I only have you as my daughter. If I do not give you good things, who should I give them to? Even if others call me Mother, they did not crawl out of my womb after all. How can they compare to you in my heart? Therefore, no matter how they look or what they say, I do not care. You shouldn't mind either, just be happy."

She then called a maid to bring the winter clothes of the Eldest Young Master and Second Young Master for her to see. After looking them over, she called her two head maids, Wenzhu and Ruixiang, instructing them to deliver the winter clothes to the Eldest Young Master's and Second Young Master's courtyards, telling their maids to store them carefully.

As for Concubine La and Concubine Feng, along with their children and the winter clothes of the masters of the Third Branch, Lady Xu handed them all over to Nanny Sun, letting her arrange for maids and servants to deliver them.

Xue Qingning was quite concerned about Lin Xingcheng's share, even deliberately asking Lady Xu, fearing she had forgotten to order the tailors to make them.

Lady Xu smiled and reached out to gently pinch her chubby cheek. "How could I forget what you requested? I have already had the tailors make his share as well. The fabric and style are the same as your two older brothers'."

Only then did Xue Qingning feel at ease.

Watching Nanny Sun excuse herself from the room, Xue Qingning suddenly remembered something and quickly asked Lady Xu, "Mother, has the small kitchen finished making the mooncakes today?"

Although there was a main kitchen in the manor, Lady Xu found it too far. Often, by the time the meals arrived, they had already gone cold, so she had ordered a room in the front courtyard to be cleared as a small kitchen. She also used her private money to hire a skilled chef. All the vegetables, grains, and rice allocated to their First Branch each day were delivered straight to the small kitchen. If there was any day they wanted to eat something novel, Lady Xu would pay out of her own pocket to send someone to buy it, so others could say nothing.

Since tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a few days ago, the chef in the small kitchen had come to ask if they would make mooncakes this year and what fillings they would use.

Lady Xu did not like eating mooncakes very much, finding them too greasy. She also felt it was just a formality, so she told the chef to just make them as in previous years. Xue Qingning, however, was interested. She said she wanted to make fresh meat mooncakes and snow skin mooncakes this year, and had been lingering around the chef for the past few days to research them.

“They are done.” Lady Xu only thought she wanted to eat them and was about to order a maid to go to the small kitchen to fetch a plate when she heard Xue Qingning call Xiao Tao: “Go to the small kitchen and fetch a plate of the freshly made mooncakes to give to Nanny Sun. Tell her that when she sends someone to deliver the winter clothes to Young Master Lin later, she should bring this plate of mooncakes to him as well.”

Xiao Tao complied and turned to walk out.