Reborn in Each Other’s Bodies: A Mother and Daughter’s Deadly Revenge - Chapter 62

Sheng Mingbo’s eyes widened at her words.

“Little Sister, why should you have to pay for a simple bowl of dessert from your own kitchen?”

Sheng Mingzhu inwardly scoffed. If it were Eldest Brother or Third Brother, they would’ve understood my meaning immediately. Only Fifth Brother is this dense.

Oh well. If he were any smarter, this clumsy ruse wouldn’t have worked on him anyway.

She deliberately hesitated before speaking. “Fifth Brother… the household has been cutting expenses everywhere. My personal kitchen… has a limited budget. I can’t ask the servants to spend their own money to prepare food for me…”

Sheng Mingbo’s face flushed with anger. His mother had only mentioned adjusting his little sister’s diet for her health—but he never imagined she was being treated so harshly!

Now, even a simple bowl of dessert lacked sweetness…

What kind of miserable life was his little sister living?

He wanted to storm into Haitang Courtyard’s kitchen and demand answers, but Sheng Mingzhu stopped him.

She only wanted him to confront their mother—not start beating her servants.

So, after a brief struggle where Sheng Mingzhu pretended (and failed) to hold him back, Sheng Mingbo stormed out of the courtyard in a rage.

Qing Tian’s eyes flickered with calculation. Soon after, she also found an excuse to slip away.

Peony Courtyard

Sheng Minmin had been ill for several days but had since recovered.

Today, she even received a letter from Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao, written on someone else’s behalf.

The letter mentioned that “Feng Liuyá” had actively approached them, relentlessly probing for information about the capital and expressing a desire to come find her “mother.”

It also detailed recent events in the Feng household—how “Feng Liuyá” had been beaten, publicly exposed the family’s hypocrisy, and nearly starved to death as a result…

And how she had been sent to the Zhang family as a child bride, only to be returned after a single night…

These details confirmed Sheng Minmin’s suspicion: Huang Yaning had been reborn in her body.

Realizing this, a hidden tension in her heart finally eased.

She still couldn’t determine whether this Huang Yaning was the one with memories of her past life or the current one—but at least she now knew Huang Yaning was trapped in her six-year-old body.

As for whether it was the past or present Huang Yaning… that was something she could figure out later.

Just the thought of Huang Yaning spending a night in the Zhang household made Sheng Minmin want to laugh out loud.

The Zhangs were a den of wolves. A single night there would’ve been torture enough.

She wrote back, instructing Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao to continue “looking after” Huang Yaning.

With Huang Yaning confirmed to be in her body—and a spy now planted by her side—Sheng Minmin was in excellent spirits. Her appetite had returned, and she had devoured a large bowl of rice at lunch.

Worried she might overeat, Qing Ying and the other maids notified the main kitchen to send over some digestif sweets.

Soon, a young maid arrived with a plate of hawthorn cakes and a newly developed stomach-nourishing pumpkin millet cake.

Since Sheng Minmin’s illness, the servants had been exceptionally attentive. The main kitchen went to great lengths to prepare varied dishes and pastries daily.

It seemed the household staff had finally realized who their true employer was—no longer prioritizing Sheng Yong, his three legitimate sons, or Sheng Mingzhu, the so-called “legitimate daughter.”

Sheng Minmin was thoroughly pleased.

In high spirits and with an even better appetite, she ate two pieces of cake.

“These are quite good. You all should try some too.”

She gestured to the maids in the room.

At the moment, Qing Ying was teaching Qing Chi and Qing Zhu how to read, while Qing Xiang was ironing clothes nearby.

Xiangxiang had recently been promoted to first-rank maid and given the new name Qing Xiang.

Qing Zhu, on the other hand, was the pitiful woman Qing Ying had brought back from the countryside—originally named Xiaoxiao.

Fifteen years old, Xiaoxiao was strikingly beautiful but carried an air of aloofness.

Sheng Minmin had initially wanted her to rest and recuperate, but Qing Zhu insisted she was fine and eager to learn the household rules. Worried she might grow restless cooped up indoors, Sheng Minmin agreed.

To her surprise, she soon discovered that while Qing Zhu was illiterate, she had a natural talent for arithmetic.

Perfect—she needed someone to help manage accounts. So she bestowed the name Qing Zhu and had her learn to read alongside Qing Chi.

In the future, Qing Ying would handle household management, Qing Xiang would oversee her daily needs, Qing Chi would act as her bodyguard, and Qing Zhu would manage the books.

With capable aides at her side, Sheng Minmin felt her path to revenge would be much smoother.

Right now, she was preparing to take the next step in her plan—waiting for the right moment to further slash Sheng Mingzhu and the others’ allowances.

Just as she was plotting, a young maid’s cry of pain came from outside, followed by the sound of the door curtain being flung open.

Sheng Mingbo stormed in, his face dark with fury.

The moment he entered, he saw his mother’s expression turn stormy—only then realizing how rash he had been.

The memory of his last punishment, kneeling in the ancestral hall, resurfaced, and his knees ached faintly in phantom pain.

But Sheng Mingbo was stubborn. Though he knew he should apologize, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He only softened his tone slightly.

“Mother, Little Sister can’t even get a proper bowl of dessert in Haitang Courtyard. Who knows how long those wicked servants have been mistreating her? You must sell them off at once—”

“You’re saying Sixth Daughter is being mistreated? Where’s your proof? Servants can’t be accused without evidence,” Sheng Minmin countered.

She had been furious when Sheng Mingbo barged in, but his words quickly replaced her anger with delight.

This had to be Sheng Mingzhu’s doing. At six years old, her schemes were full of holes—perfect for exposing and exploiting.

Seeing that his mother wasn’t punishing him but instead immediately addressing his concerns, Sheng Mingbo felt reassured.

Perhaps Mother had just been upset before because Little Sister was too close to her wet nurse… and because Father doted too much on his concubines…

Yes, that must be it.

So he recounted everything that had happened in detail.

It never occurred to him that the old Sheng Minmin would’ve charged straight to Haitang Courtyard in a rage—never asking for evidence.

But he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. By the time the Haitang Courtyard kitchen staff were summoned, he still hadn’t caught on.

Sheng Minmin draped a heavy cloak over her shoulders and seated herself in the courtyard.

The Haitang Courtyard kitchen had once been overstaffed, but after Sheng Minmin’s purge, only four people remained. A plump, amiable-looking woman in her forties, Mama Liu, had been made the head cook.

Upon hearing the accusations, Mama Liu burst into tears.

“Madam, Fifth Young Master, we wouldn’t dare mistreat Sixth Miss even if we had ten extra lives—!”

She wept loudly, and the three other cooks behind her also teared up silently, looking like helpless victims of a tyrant’s abuse.

Sheng Mingbo was incensed. “Lying wretches! I saw it with my own eyes—you’ve been neglecting my little sister!

“Who knows how much you’ve bullied her before I found out? Keep lying, and I’ll have you beaten—!”

“Fifth Young Master, we’re truly wronged! There’s still one bowl of osmanthus rice dumplings left in the kitchen—we kept it warm in case you wanted some…

“If you don’t believe us, send someone to fetch it! You’ll see we’re telling the truth!

“If we’ve truly failed Sixth Miss, we’ll accept any punishment from you and Madam!”

The commotion in the courtyard quickly drew a crowd of curious onlookers.