Hua Qingqing was the daughter of Hua Dingzong and his first wife, Lady Liu.
Lady Liu was frail and sickly, and she passed away the year after giving birth.
Hua Dingzong then remarried, taking Lady He as his wife. She bore him two sons and a daughter.
The daughter was Hua Manman. Her two brothers both studied at the Imperial College and only came home on their days off.
Lady He came from a family of military generals and was far from being as delicate and gentle as Lady Liu. She was direct and sharp-tongued in both word and deed, which was why the Old Madam, as well as the Second and Third Madams, were not fond of her.
Lady He didn't dislike the daughter left behind by the first wife, Lady Liu, but she certainly wasn't fond of her either.
Lady He never short-changed Hua Qingqing on anything she was due.
But as for anything extra, she could forget about it.
Lady He's way of doing things only made the Old Madam dislike her more.
The Old Madam felt that Lady He wasn't treating Hua Qingqing like her own flesh and blood, deeming her an incompetent stepmother. Thus, she took Hua Qingqing to live with her and raised the girl herself.
As a result, among all her grandchildren, the Old Madam's favorite was her eldest granddaughter, Hua Qingqing.
The Old Madam had wanted to reduce Hua Manman's dowry in order to set aside more for Hua Qingqing.
But neither Lady He nor Hua Dingzong would yield, preventing the Old Madam from getting her way. This left her harboring a grudge.
「Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the second day of the month.」
The next day, Hua Manman was to marry into the Prince Zhao Mansion. According to custom, she had to pay her respects and bid farewell to her grandmother and parents today.
She went to Changsheng Courtyard first thing in the morning.
The Old Madam disliked Lady He, and by extension, she wasn't very fond of the children Lady He had borne.
In the past, whenever Hua Manman visited Changsheng Courtyard, she would never be met with a pleasant look from the Old Madam. The slightest mistake would earn her a harsh reprimand, which made Hua Manman increasingly reluctant to come to Changsheng Courtyard.
On the rare occasions she was forced to visit, she would be on pins and needles, unable to sit still.
A maidservant told Hua Manman.
"The Old Madam has just woken up and is still washing up. Second Miss, please wait a moment."
Hua Manman had no choice but to wait outside the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a small white cat emerging from a flower bush.
Her eyes lit up. She immediately crouched down, beckoned to the little white cat, and even made soft "meow, meow" sounds.
The little white cat tilted its head and looked at her. Seemingly sensing she meant no harm, it trotted gracefully over to her.
Hua Manman picked up the little white cat, stroking its head, scratching its chin, and smoothing its fur.
The little cat was so comfortable being petted that it couldn't help but start purring. Its tail swished back and forth in contentment.
Suddenly, a stern question came from behind her.
"What are you doing?"
Hua Manman jumped, startled. She hurriedly put down the cat, stood up, and turned to see the Old Madam staring at her with a blank expression.
She quickly dropped into a deep curtsy.
"Grandmother."
The Old Madam's gaze was like a knife, scanning Hua Manman from head to toe, her eyes filled with criticism.
Seeing the white cat fur clinging to Hua Manman's clothes, the Old Madam was about to scold her. But just then, the little white cat padded over to the Old Madam and rubbed against her feet affectionately.
The Old Madam swallowed the reprimand that was on the tip of her tongue.
She spoke in a low voice to the maidservant beside her.
"Take Little White to the Eldest Miss. Tell her that if she's going to keep a cat, she needs to watch it properly and not let it run around everywhere."
"Yes, Madam."
The maidservant bent down, picked up the cat, and left.
Only then did Hua Manman realize the little white cat belonged to Hua Qingqing.
The original novel never mentioned that Hua Qingqing kept a cat.
'Perhaps it was never mentioned because it was an insignificant detail,' Hua Manman guessed.