A light rain began falling at midnight, the drizzle bringing a coolness that dispelled much of the day’s heat.
It should have been perfect for sleeping, but Madam Li Shi of the second branch tossed and turned restlessly. One moment she felt suffocated, the next dizzy and confused—utterly unable to find sleep.
She abruptly sat up. The night-watching maid Bi Yu rubbed her eyes as she rose, understanding perfectly well what troubled her mistress. Sighing inwardly, she poured a cup of tea and handed it to Li Shi:
“Madam, it’s almost the third watch. You should rest awhile, or how will you manage tomorrow morning if you’re exhausted?”
Li Shi sat distraught, her pretty face tense with thin lips pressed tight. She grabbed Bi Yu’s hand, heedless of the tea splashing out:
“Bi Yu, why has the master returned so soon? In previous years when he went to inspect the fields, he would stay at least half a month—waiting to see how the tenants’ rice seedlings headed before returning. Why so early this time…”
Had he not returned so early, that little brat would have caught a chill and developed a fever.
She could have manipulated his medicine dosage—a little more or less—delaying his recovery enough to surely make him miss his teacher appointment. Perhaps even let it develop into a serious illness.
The more Li Shi spoke, the more regretful she became. The venom in her eyes made Bi Yu’s heart clench, raising goosebumps across her back in the midnight hour.
Not daring to let her mistress notice, she lowered her head.
“I heard the steward sent someone to fetch him. The master had instructed earlier that he must be informed at the slightest sign of trouble with the second young master.”
Bi Yu spoke hesitantly, immediately feeling the grip on her wrist tighten painfully. Her wrist would likely bruise.
She clenched her teeth, enduring the pain without daring to make a sound.
“I knew it! The master only has eyes for that mother-killing brat. Our Hao Ge’er is the eldest grandson, yet he can’t even compare to his younger brother’s little finger!”
Furious and resentful, Li Shi’s eyes blazed as she struck the bed in frustration.
Bi Yu dared not speak, though inwardly she objected—
Young Master Yue’s mother had fought desperately to live half a year longer for her son’s sake. However you looked at it, the “mother-killer” label couldn’t be pinned on Yue Ge’er.
Moreover, while Hao Ge’er was indeed the eldest grandson, Yue Ge’er was the first grandson of the main branch. Strictly speaking, he was the legitimate eldest grandson.
Besides, Yue Ge’er was lovely as a celestial child, with a good temperament, clever and quick-witted, and had been raised personally by the master.
As the saying goes, those who raise them cherish them most—how could Hao Ge’er compare?
Of course, Bi Yu couldn’t utter a word of this. Instead, she had to humor Li Shi, finally coaxing her to sleep after some time.
Yawning and rubbing her wrist, she shook her head thinking about the commotion from the main branch’s punishment of servants yesterday. Her mistress would surely face hardship tomorrow.
Bi Yu wasn’t mistaken, though she only guessed part of it. The next day, Second Madam Li Shi indeed received punishment—
One month of chanting sutras for her deceased mother-in-law and sorting Buddha rice, with her household authority stripped and temporarily handed to the steward.
Li Shi had anticipated this but remained unafraid, confident because only she could rightfully hold the crucial household authority.
The main branch had no mistress, and Landlord Xu had never remarried, keeping only a few concubines who couldn’t manage proper affairs.
Therefore, only she could legitimately hold the household authority. The steward could only manage it temporarily.
But Landlord Xu shattered her beautiful dream with one sentence:
“It’s been three years since the elder branch’s wife passed. It’s time to find him a new wife. How can a man manage without a proper spouse?”
With these words, even the kitchen fire-tending maid knew: Second Madam Li Shi was like bamboo flowering—doomed to decline.
With a new head wife in place, what standing does the second wife still have?
It’s only right for the eldest daughter-in-law to manage the household!
Upon hearing the news, Li Shi immediately collapsed and fainted. Even the second master, who had been in the county indulging in poetry gatherings amid breezes and moonlight, rushed back in haste.
Things looked grim—without the silver his wife skimmed from household management, how could he socialize with his literary friends? The graceful young ladies of Chunyan Pavilion were still waiting for him.
…
As for her cheap father, who was often away on business and rarely seen throughout the year, remarrying, Xu Yue couldn’t claim to be completely indifferent.
After all, the inner quarters were a woman’s domain. Yet she wasn’t overly concerned either. Men and women were different—men naturally enjoyed more protection.
A granddaughter could be arbitrarily mistreated or even sent to relatives’ homes if her stepmother disliked her, but a grandson was of the family’s own bloodline. How could he be manipulated by a woman?
Xu Yue smiled mockingly. So she wasn’t afraid. She just wondered if this stepmother would be the same one from her previous life…
Most importantly, she was about to formally become a disciple!
Early that morning, Landlord Xu summoned his two grandsons. When Xu Yue, freshly dressed, was carried in, she immediately met a pair of eyes glaring fiercely at her.
The owner of those eyes was about six or seven years old, possessing the Xu family’s consistent good looks—appearing as lovely as jade and snow. Unfortunately, a trace of cruelty between his brows ruined that charm.
While glaring at Xu Yue, he shook his fist threateningly.
Lan Fen, the senior maid carrying Yue Ge’er, glanced warily at the eldest young master, fearing he might lunge forward.
Everyone in the Xu family knew the eldest young master had been spoiled rotten by the second wife. He would ride servants like horses for half a day, and if they collapsed from exhaustion, he’d kick and beat them.
He used slingshots to target maids and elderly servants, clapping and laughing uproariously when he drew blood.
A born troublemaker!
Xu Yue pretended to be frightened and hid in Lan Fen’s embrace, while secretly grinning at Hao Ge’er. She brought her hand to her mouth and made a mocking face.
Noticing this, Hao Ge’er first looked incredulous, then flew into a rage, his eyes turning crimson as he screamed:
“You bastard! You harmed my mother and dare laugh at me? I’ll beat you to death! I’ll beat you until you submit!”
While shouting, he charged forward like a wild bull, trying to drag Xu Yue from Lan Fen’s arms, but was promptly restrained by others in the room.
When Landlord Xu entered, this was the scene:
His precious grandson’s beautiful eyes brimmed with unshed tears of fear. Upon seeing him, the child stretched his chubby little arms desperately toward him—a truly pitiful sight.
Meanwhile, Hao Ge’er was screaming and thrashing in the servants’ grip, his face full of malice as he stared at Yue Ge’er.
Landlord Xu quickened his pace, first picking up his precious grandson and gently patting his back to comfort him:
“There, there, our Yue Ge’er mustn’t be afraid. With Grandpa here, no one can bully you…”
Feeling the small body in his arms gradually calm down, he had just sighed in relief and was about to ask what happened when a shrill cry erupted:
“Grandpa! That little bastard is faking! He must be faking! He was just laughing at me and making faces! You have to punish him!”
Before Hao Ge’er finished speaking, Lan Fen could no longer restrain herself:
“Second Young Master is Eldest Young Master’s brother. Even if brothers share a laugh between themselves, how could that be a crime? Second Young Master is too young to understand complicated matters. If he accidentally offends Eldest Young Master, must he be threatened with beating and killing?”
Clearly, it was all the Eldest Young Master’s narrow-minded and sinister nature—none of it was Second Young Master’s fault.
Here, Lan Fen shot a quick glance at Hao Ge’er and declared righteously:
“Besides, even if I had smiled, there was certainly no such thing as a ghostly expression. Which of the people in the room witnessed it?”
Landlord Xu turned to look at the other servants in the room upon hearing this, and two or three of them shook their heads simultaneously.
Out of the corner of her eye, Xu Yue noticed Hao Ge’er’s incredulous expression and sneered inwardly. What was there to disbelieve? It was merely a matter of weighing advantages and disadvantages.
The original host had been powerless, allowing you to kick and beat her at will. When she was pushed into the lake in winter, no one would testify for her. Her stepmother casually fabricated the pretext that she was jinxing you, which led to the original host being sent away.
Now that it’s your turn, how come you can’t bear it anymore?