The He family had genuinely not planned on holding a xisan li ceremony, but Song Yuemei insisted, saying they could cover the expenses themselves if necessary. Perhaps feeling some guilt over something he’d said, Qingshan agreed when Song Yuemei pressed for the ritual for the child.

Qingshan agreed, leaving the He matriarch with no choice but to comply, though she contributed not a single coin. The banquet wasn't as grand as the one held at Hongyun's home; it was just a small gathering of immediate relatives, perhaps five or six tables. The dishes were passable—neither extravagant nor meager.

When Lin He arrived to partake in the celebration meal, she immediately noticed the change in Song Yuemei. Previously, Song Yuemei rarely spoke much, usually conveying matters through Qingshan or the He matriarch behind closed doors. This time, Song Yuemei completely inverted her former image. She managed every aspect of the household affairs. When relatives presented gifts and money—which the He matriarch fully expected to receive—Song Yuemei emerged holding the baby. Since the child was in her arms, the gifts were clearly meant as a welcome offering to the infant, and Song Yuemei tucked them directly into her own sash before retiring to her room to secure them.

The He matriarch merely stared intensely at Song Yuemei, given the presence of so many guests, restraining herself from causing an outright scene. This time, Song Yuemei shot the older woman a challenging glance before turning and leaving with the child.

Once the guests departed, the He matriarch went straight to Song Yuemei’s room and said, “Qingshan’s wife, you must have received quite a lot of things and silver today for the baby’s xisan li. Bring it all out so I can tally it; I will need to prepare return gifts.”

Song Yuemei replied, “No need to trouble yourself. I will keep my own record, and I will calculate the necessary return gifts myself when the time comes.”

“I am still the one in charge of this household. These things should be handed over to me. If you don't produce them, I will come looking myself, and don't blame me afterward,” the He matriarch said menacingly.

“You call yourself being in charge? Where is the sign of it? Did you contribute effort or money for this banquet? You wouldn't even help greet the guests, yet you dare claim you run this house. Furthermore, this silver belongs to my child; it is my undeniable right to accept it. If you dare rifle through my room, I will summon the Clan Elder to mediate the dispute,” Song Yuemei retorted, showing no weakness.

“How dare you, Song Yuemei, act so brazenly in front of me! Who gave you the nerve? You’ve only given birth to a little girl, and you actually think you’ve accomplished something grand enough to put on such a lavish xisan li for her,” the He matriarch exclaimed, sensing that Song Yuemei was decidedly different from before. While she might have occasionally talked back in the past, she never dared to be this defiant.

“This child, whether male or female, was carried by me for ten months and is the granddaughter of your Lin family. Is a xisan li held based on the child's gender? I organized this myself; I can handle it as I please. It is not up to others to criticize,” Song Yuemei stated coldly to the He matriarch.

As the two women exchanged these sharp words, Qingshan entered from outside. Seeing the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law locked in confrontation, he rushed in, calling out, “What is going on? Why are you quarreling again? The guests just left.”

Upon seeing Qingshan arrive, the He matriarch immediately recounted the dispute over the silver. Qingshan felt conflicted listening to it. His mother refused to pay for the banquet yet demanded the gift money afterward—it was hard to justify. However, Yuemei pocketing everything, not even leaving a single pastry for his mother, was perhaps excessive.

After some thought, Qingshan spoke, “Yuemei, take out the things and give some to Mother. Mother also needs to visit relatives, and return gifts will be necessary.”

Song Yuemei stared coldly at Qingshan and said, “If you want to give her money, buy something for your mother yourself. As for these pastries, I also have many relatives who will need return gifts.” With that, she insisted that Qingshan and the He matriarch leave, claiming she needed to nurse the child and that their presence was frightening the baby.

Qingshan was helpless against Song Yuemei. In recent days, he had truly felt that she was different. Every time she looked at him, Qingshan felt that gaze pierce him like an icy arrow; he found himself unable to withstand it.

The He matriarch retreated to the courtyard and began muttering curses from outside. Song Yuemei inside the room did not emerge to respond, letting her rant until she grew tired and returned to her own room to sleep.

Not long after the He family’s xisan li, the Mid-Autumn Festival swiftly approached. Last year, the entire extended family had celebrated at Zhao Shi’s house, but this year, Lin He’s household was busy with construction, requiring numerous long-term laborers and maids. Coupled with the many troublesome matters Zhao Shi was facing, there was no call for the whole family to gather for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Since Lin He’s immediate family would be celebrating on their own, naturally, they needed to prepare a substantial amount of food. Construction work halted for the entire day on the festival itself, and all laborers were given the day off. Da Bao, who worked in town, had returned the day before. Lin He had planned out the necessary meals for the festival the day prior.

With a good number of people, including the permanent staff and maids, Lin He and Da Bao took an early morning carriage ride to the market to purchase supplies. They shopped for the entire morning until the groceries were finally procured. Lin He felt that too much had been happening at home lately and wanted to prepare things to cheer everyone up. Naturally, the most fitting treat for the Mid-Autumn Festival was mooncakes. Lin He knew how to make them. After buying the vegetables, she also purchased the ingredients for the mooncakes before heading back.

When Lin He and her group returned with the purchases, they handed the groceries to the maids already at home and Lin He went directly to the kitchen to start making the mooncakes, asking Da Bao to assist her. Lin He had made these before; once the ingredients were prepared, the method was relatively straightforward.

Since the dough for the mooncake wrappers needed time to rest, Lin He decided to prepare that first. Making the wrapper dough was the simpler step: first, sift the flour and create a well in the center; then, mix the syrup, oil, and lye water into the well, slowly incorporating the surrounding flour until a soft ball was formed. This dough then needed to rest for over an hour before use.

With the wrapper dough set aside, she moved on to the filling. Lin He had already planned the filling: the household had ready supply of mung beans, which she had soaked that morning, making them ready for immediate use. She thoroughly washed the beans, picked out any spoiled ones, and then placed them in a pot. She brought them to a boil over high heat, then reduced it to a simmer. After waiting a while, Lin He smelled the sweet fragrance of the beans. Seeing they were soft enough, she found a basin and used a large ladle—the kind they used for stir-frying—to mash the beans, separating the skins from the pulp.

Next, she stir-fried the bean paste over low heat with oil, adding maltose in the process. She stirred continuously until the moisture reduced and the mixture formed a cohesive mass—the filling was complete. The final step resembled wrapping tangyuan: she rolled the rested dough into long ropes, cut them into equal portions, and pressed them flat with her palm, shaping them into circles—thicker in the center and thinner at the edges. She then placed the filling in the center, sealed it up, and pressed it into the prepared molds to form the mooncake shape. The very last step was baking the mooncakes to doneness in the oven Lin He used previously for smoking sausages.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.