Zhang Huahan stayed too long at Wutong Pavilion, and by the time she returned to Grandmother's courtyard, the other Zhang Family girls were already impatient from waiting.
Unable to resist her granddaughters' coaxing, the Zhang Family matriarch had set out the fabrics and jewelry that the eldest Zhang master had brought back from the provincial capital, which the Zhang Family girls were eagerly inspecting.
Seeing Zhang Huahan return, the matriarch immediately smiled and asked, "Have you seen your mother?"
Zhang Huahan lowered her eyes and replied, "I just sat in the outer hall for a while."
Upon hearing this, the Zhang Family girls showed expressions of mockery, as if their guess had been confirmed.
The matriarch opened her mouth as if to speak, but held back, her gaze a mix of pity and distress as she looked at Zhang Huahan, which ultimately ended in a sigh.
In response, Zhang Huahan felt nothing, neither sadness nor joy.
