Seeing the grand gifts presented by others, Master Bao's eyes widened involuntarily. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a legendary luminous pearl, priceless. He instantly felt that the several thousand taels of silver Sun Guotang had given him was no longer appealing.
Just as he was about to accept it, Madam Bao sharply patted his hand, stepped in front of him, and apologized with a contrite expression, "We are from a small place and don't understand court matters, nor can we help you. As for why you've come to trouble us today, we will speak to our daughter. We cannot accept your gifts. To be honest, our daughter is too opinionated, and we have no control over her."
Madam Bao thought her words were clear enough and the other party would retreat. To her surprise, they still blocked their path, insisting on stuffing the gift into her arms. Madam Bao refused again and again, but the other party not only didn't back down but became even more pushy, likely thinking they were easy to deal with.
Wu Caiwei, standing not far away, saw this scene. She walked over with a smile, took the box containing the luminous pearl, and placed it in her mother's arms.
Madam Bao looked at her daughter in shock. Hadn't her daughter said that people in the city had ulterior motives and their gifts should not be accepted? Why was she actively accepting it today? The next moment made her understand her daughter's intentions. Wu Caiwei said meaningfully, "Mother, since they insist on giving it, you should accept it. Perhaps Madam Li feels you are from the countryside, shy and poor, and too embarrassed to ask her for money. She is willing to sponsor you, why aren't you quickly thanking her? After thanking her, we must leave quickly. The Third Prince wants to meet you."
In Madam Bao's eyes, her daughter's words were like a decree. Although she was still a bit confused, it didn't stop her from acting according to her daughter's wishes.
Madam Li watched helplessly as Madam Bao thanked them. In the blink of an eye, Wu Caiwei was pulling her away. Master Bao wanted to stay and discuss with them to find out what they were asking for, but seeing his daughter's resolute departure and hearing that the future emperor wanted to meet them – a matter he could boast about for a lifetime – he quickly followed.
Madam Li knew her actions had offended Wu Caiwei and dared not act further. She could only stamp her foot in frustration and leave angrily.
Madam Bao cautiously handed the box to Wu Caiwei. Wu Caiwei didn't even look at it and said calmly, "Since it was given to you by someone else, you should keep it. If you encounter such situations in the future, do as you did today and let them suffer a silent loss."
"Are you sure you want to give me such a precious item?" Even though she wasn't worldly, she knew this thing was not cheap. Hadn't Master Bao eagerly wanted to take it? Yet her daughter handed it to her without batting an eye, which made her feel incredibly satisfied, thinking her daughter still cared about her.
As for her later suggestion of making others suffer a silent loss, she felt a little guilty. But she had seen that Madam Li had ill intentions, even a sense of coercion. Anyway, Madam Li's ostentatious display clearly showed she wasn't short of money. For herself, this was more important than anything. Although her daughter had promised to prepare a courtyard for her, having money in hand felt much more secure.
As Wu Caiwei nodded, Master Bao immediately reached out to take it. Madam Bao turned her body, evaded his hand, and shoved the item into her embrace, defensively saying, "This is from our daughter to me. It's mine to keep safe. Why do you want to take it? To give to your concubine and son?"
"How can you say it's our daughter's gift to you alone? Our daughter is the daughter of both of us, so it's naturally a gift to both of us. I thought you've never seen such a fine thing in your life and feared you might lose it? I wanted to keep it safe.
Besides, what's wrong with giving it to our son? No matter what, our son will inherit the Bao family in the future. You are the Madam of the Bao family, and he will provide for you in your old age. It's not impossible to give him some." Master Bao frowned unconsciously when he saw that his wife openly expressed her dissatisfaction with their son in front of their daughter. He felt she lacked foresight. Wasn't their son also hers? He would provide for her in her old age, so why was she so stingy and didn't know how to plan ahead?
Madam Bao let out a cold laugh as if she had heard a joke. "Hoping he will provide for me? I'd starve to death! This little brat wants to beat me to death every day. When he grows up and becomes the master of the Bao family, where will there be a place for me? Moreover, I only gave birth to one daughter. My daughter will provide for me in my old age, so why would I need him? Don't forget he is your son, not mine."
Master Bao glanced at his daughter somewhat awkwardly. Seeing that his daughter seemed not to hear their conversation, he breathed a sigh of relief. He doted on his son excessively, which resulted in his son's overbearing personality. Usually instigated by his concubine, he would yell and curse at Madam. He never took it seriously and was unwilling to reprimand his son.
He didn't expect his wife to have kept all this in mind. Now she was saying it in front of their daughter. It seemed she was determined to stay in the capital. This was not good news for him. Previously, he hadn't felt much, but after coming to the capital this time, his daughter's attitude towards her was clearly much better than towards him.
This was understandable. After all, he had neglected her when he had his son, while Madam had always tried to help her, both openly and secretly, and kept her in her heart.
Although he hadn't gained even an iota of benefit from his daughter, this luminous pearl was priceless, and that was just on the surface. Perhaps she had given him a lot of money in private, which was more than their family's assets. Thinking about it made his heart yearn.
Wu Caiwei, seemingly indifferent, was actually observing their interaction. She couldn't help but nod. Madam Bao was more rational than she had imagined. She originally thought that after following Master Bao for a lifetime, even if she had a difficult time in the Bao family, she would still adhere to the virtues of obedience. Unexpectedly, she was now willing to defect to her without hesitation and live with her in the capital.
This showed that her life had been difficult in recent years, completely due to Bao Susu's troubles. Before Bao Susu married Sun Guotang, even though she only had one daughter, she was irreplaceable in the Bao family and had kept Master Bao with her alone for so many years, indicating extraordinary means.
Wu Caiwei was satisfied with this. Smart people knew what they could and couldn't do. Just like how she had tried every means to give her gifts earlier, she had refused them all. This way, she wouldn't be burdened by them in the capital in the future.
However, Master Bao's petty thoughts needed to be curbed, otherwise, she would definitely find a way to drive him away. In that small place, she could still find a way to resolve any trouble they caused. But the capital's connections were intricate. Anyone they met might be a high-ranking official. If they angered them, even if she held significant importance in the Third Prince's heart, the Third Prince would have to consider the feelings of others.