Lan Shuang handed the silver to the waiter and, carrying the food she had packed, was about to leave.
“Stop!”
Pei Lu suddenly called out to Lan Shuang. “Lan Shuang, put away that high-and-mighty attitude. Things aren’t like before—you, the Lan family, are nothing now.”
“Your Highness.”
Lan Shuang lowered her voice, then suddenly laughed. “Back then, you acted so timid in front of me… it must have been exhausting to keep up the act, huh?”
Pei Lu was born to palace maids and had been bullied in the palace since childhood.
Until she met the original Lan Shuang, whose father and brothers were powerful, and even the former emperor had respected the Lan family.
If not for the original Lan Shuang protecting her, Pei Lu wouldn’t have survived to this day.
The original Lan Shuang had treated her like her closest confidante, yet how hateful that she actually stole her childhood companion!
“Lan Shuang, don’t talk to me about the past.”
Pei Lu despised the days when she had only received Lan Shuang’s charity. She linked arms with Ji Yunqian.
“You have nothing now, while I… I have everything you ever wanted.”
Including Lan Shuang’s man!
“So it turns out you’re just used to taking what’s mine.”
Lan Shuang laughed suddenly and said to a bewildered Ji Yunqian:
“Then you’re quite pitiful. Maybe she never had feelings for you at all—she only took you because you were my future husband.”
“Lan Shuang, what nonsense are you talking about?!”
Pei Lu glanced at Ji Yunqian’s face, which had changed slightly, and hurriedly explained:
“Husband, don’t listen to her nonsense.”
Ji Yunqian furrowed his brows slightly, feeling a bit confused.
“Whether it’s nonsense or not, you know in your heart. After all, someone who truly loves a person wouldn’t be willing to share him with anyone.”
Ji Yunqian felt a surge of joy. What did Shuang’er mean by that?
She didn’t want to share him with the princess—so she still had feelings for him, right?
But his eyes held suspicion as he looked at Pei Lu. “Madam, I remember you really liked taking Shuang’er’s things back then.”
At that time, everyone thought they were just playing around—but now, it turns out, all the signs were there from the start.
Lan Shuang had successfully driven a wedge between them, then clapped her hands and left gracefully.
“Husband, she’s just jealous of us.”
Pei Lu’s eyes flickered guiltily. “We just had a good relationship back then, with similar tastes, that’s all.”
“Is that so?”
Ji Yunqian pictured Lan Shuang’s expression when she said those words and felt a bit lost.
…
Lan Shuang observed carefully along the way, avoiding anyone following her. Only when she reached the village entrance did she take out the wheat and rice, then pushed the cart into the village.
Xu family village was crowded and noisy. Seeing the amount of food Lan Shuang had brought, everyone’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
“Tea Flower’s little sister, why are you buying so much grain?”
“No wonder you come from a rich family—you eat so well.”
“You’re silly! If you had money, why would you come live in our village?”
“…”
Lan Shuang ignored all their comments and just smiled slightly.
“There are many people at home; we need to eat.”
Then she quickly pushed the cart toward her house. At that moment, Aunt Hua appeared.
“Tea Flower’s little sister! You’re finally back. Her uncle brought people to your house to seize it!”
“What?!”
Lan Shuang pushed the cart with such speed that it was faster than running.
All anyone could see was a shadow speeding past.
The villagers: …
“Oh my goodness, is that even humanly possible?”
Aunt Hua stared at Lan Shuang’s back in disbelief!
At this moment, Lan Shuang had already reached her front door and faintly heard Xu Dabo’s questioning voice.
“Li Zheng, please judge this fairly. Xu Chahua is a married daughter—why does she get to live in our Xu family house?!”
“My sister-in-law is a Xu by birth and lives in her parents’ house. So what’s the problem?”
Min Ruolan, full of presence, shielded the crying Xu Chahua behind her.
“And who are you? This is our Xu family’s matter; you have no place to interfere!”
Xu Dabo went back and thought it over again, still unwilling to accept it—the house belonged to his own younger brother.
Why shouldn’t they be allowed to live there?
A married daughter returning home to seize her mother’s property—who had ever heard of such a thing?
“This matter…”
The village chief of Xu family village, who was both the village chief and the head of the entire Xu clan, felt troubled.
“By the rules, a married daughter shouldn’t snatch her mother’s house from her brothers.”
“Listen, listen! The village chief is fair and just!”
Xu Dabo immediately felt elated; he thought the chief was on his side and proudly said:
“Xu Chahua, you better quickly take your husband’s family and move out!”
“The chief said ‘by the rules’—I suppose the rest of the sentence hasn’t been said yet?”
Lan Shuang strode in, pushing the grain cart to the corner of the courtyard.
Even so, everyone present was impressed.
Xu Dabo’s eyes turned red with jealousy.
Damn it, she’s already so rich, and she’s here to seize a wooden house too!
“Yes.”
Village Chief Xu sighed and said, staring at Xu Dabo, “That may be so.
But Chahua’s real brothers are all gone. This house truly belongs to her.”
“No, Chief, cousins are still brothers too!”
Xu Dabo pointed to a few sons behind him. “They are Chahua’s brothers.
If this house were given to outsiders, what if they cause trouble in our village later?”
“Chief, we wouldn’t do that.”
Xu Chahua hurriedly waved her hands, panicked. The Xu family was her maternal home.
She would never harm her own maternal family.
Village Chief Xu was in a difficult position. Thinking of Xu Chahua’s gentle nature, he said:
“Chahua, I heard from your aunt that your husband’s family is fairly well-off.”
“Yes.”
Xu Chahua still couldn’t bring herself to say the Lan family’s situation was poor. She didn’t care about appearances.
But her grandmother and sister-in-law were all dignified women.
“No matter how rich we are, it’s still our money.”
Lan Shuang hated the idea that weakness gave anyone a right. She said coldly:
“This is my second sister-in-law’s ancestral home. If she can’t even protect her ancestral home, then when my second sister-in-law comes back to her maternal home, she won’t even have a place to stay. And just look at my uncle, eyeing her property.
Do you think he would accept my second sister-in-law, a married daughter? Forget it. So whatever belongs to my second sister-in-law, no one can take it away!”
“Yes, Uncle Xu.”
Xu Chahua’s tears fell freely. She held a handkerchief and gently wiped them.
“My father always said you were the fairest person in Xu family village. I believe you wouldn’t side with someone like my uncle.”
“Xu Chahua, don’t be shameless!”
Xu Chahua’s eldest cousin, Xu Laoda, pointed at her angrily to intimidate her.
He had always liked bullying Chahua, thinking that she was still as easy to push around as before.
Bang!
Lan Shuang grabbed a stone and smashed it directly onto Xu Laoda’s hand, hitting his palm dead-on.
“Ah!!!”
Xu Laoda jumped up in pain, clutching his hand. “It hurts like hell!”
“Try pointing at my second sister-in-law again!”
Lan Shuang was never a patient person. With one palm, she sent Xu Laoda flying.
Then, in front of everyone’s shocked, wide-eyed stares, she politely smiled at Village Chief Xu.
“Chief, I’m a very reasonable person.”
Everyone: …
Reasonable? You look like a bandit, not a reasonable person.
Didn’t you see Xu Dabo’s whole family turn pale with fear?
“Oh, the sins!”
Xu Bóniang clutched her son’s hand in distress. “Chahua, bringing outsiders to bully your maternal family—there will be retribution.”