“Yes, let’s go look at the jewelry shop!”
Each of the four had their own thoughts weighing on their minds as they headed straight for Zhuhua Zhai ahead. The moment they stepped inside, Liu Qingyin came to an abrupt halt.
Why was Su Tan here too?
Song Tingchen’s gaze paused; he hadn’t expected to encounter Su Tan either.
Zhuhua Zhai was the largest treasure house in Jingcheng, filled with a dazzling array of jewelry highly sought after by the noble young ladies of the capital.
In the past, when the Su family was at the peak of its power, all of Su Tan’s accessories were custom-made here.
Old Madam Song snorted coldly, then suddenly her eyes lit up with an idea. “Speaking of which, Qingyin hasn’t bought any new jewelry in a long time.”
Song Xiao stared fixedly at the slender figure inside—the bad woman was standing with his aunt, and she was holding his cousin Su Jinghong’s hand.
He gritted his teeth hard and tugged at Song Tingchen’s sleeve, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, “Father! I want to buy a big bracelet for Aunt Qing!”
Song Tingchen’s expression remained impassive, his gaze lingering on that figure for a moment before he parted his thin lips slightly. “Mm.”
The entire family was unanimously staring at Su Tan, looking less like they were there to shop for jewelry and more like they were there to pick a fight.
The zhanggui of Zhuhua Zhai was round and plump; one glance at his belly was enough to know he was rolling in wealth. When he smiled, he resembled the Maitreya Buddha. In the past, when the Su family was flourishing, he personally attended to them whenever they came to purchase jewelry.
In recent years, as the Su family’s fortunes declined, his attitude remained unchanged. Now, seeing the Song family arrive, he was in no hurry to step forward, merely thinking to himself that this promised to be quite a spectacle.
Su Tan’s sister-in-law, Gu Mingzhu, frowned deeply upon seeing Song Tingchen and Liu Qingyin, her face as cold as frost, and simply pretended not to see them.
Song Xiao’s little face was tense, and he didn’t greet anyone.
Liu Qingyin, however, stepped forward with a smile. “What a coincidence, Sister Su Tan. You’re here to shop for jewelry too.”
“But the items at Zhuhua Zhai are exceptionally expensive. Did you bring enough silver, Sister Su Tan? If not, I have some here that I can lend you.”
A mocking smile touched Su Tan’s lips as she was about to reply when Hong Ge’er beside her straightened his little face. His voice was childish, but his words were surprisingly mature as he corrected Liu Qingyin earnestly, “You’re mistaken.”
Hong Ge’er was about the same age as Song Xiao. While Song Xiao was spoiled and had grown chubby, Hong Ge’er was slender and upright, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Though usually quiet, he was full of vitality, reminding one of a green pine standing tall in the snow.
His father was a towering general, and his mother came from a scholarly family, giving Hong Ge’er both the proud bearing of a military descendant and the integrity of a scholar.
Hong Ge’er looked calmly at Liu Qingyin. “My aunt has no younger sister surnamed Liu. You are not related to my aunt, so you should address her as Miss Su.”
Liu Qingyin’s face stiffened, her nails nearly digging into her palms.
Was this little brat insinuating that her background was inferior—that she was merely a merchant’s daughter, unlike Su Tan’s noble origins?
But she couldn’t say that outright, or she would be misinterpreting a child’s words.
Bearing the humiliation, Liu Qingyin’s eyes reddened, her voice choked with emotion. “Miss Su.”
Su Tan glanced at her indifferently. “If Miss Liu has caught a chill, you should get it treated. This habit of your eyes reddening so easily—you ought to see a doctor about that.”
“Otherwise, those blind and heartless people might see and accuse me of mistreating you again.”
Liu Qingyin swayed slightly, turning to Song Tingchen with a pleading look.
Song Tingchen’s expression turned stern as he cast a cold glance at Su Tan. “Miss Su, you’d do better to mind your own affairs.”
“The best outcome would be for you to avoid causing trouble for others.”
Song Xiao snorted, firmly holding Liu Qingyin’s hand while glaring at Su Tan. “We’re here to pick out bracelets for Aunt Qing. Running into you is nothing but bad luck, you wicked woman!”
Su Tan’s face remained impassive. Having heard Song Xiao call her “wicked woman” countless times, she had gradually grown numb to the insult.
“Then take your Aunt Qing and choose carefully.”
With that, she didn’t even glance at the Song family members before turning to the shopkeeper. “I’d like to see what’s upstairs.”
At Zhuhua Zhai, the higher one went, the more expensive the items became.
Song Xiao snorted again. “Everyone knows you’re poor! When you divorced Father, you didn’t have a single coin to your name!”
“You can’t possibly afford anything up there!”
Gu Mingzhu’s patience wore thin, her expression growing colder. Song Xiao was an ungrateful wretch who showed no respect for his birth mother, so she naturally wouldn’t treat him as a nephew. Especially considering the child had previously tried to smash his maternal grandfather’s Changming Lantern.
“Song Tingchen, control your son. To be so spiteful at such a young age—truly a reflection of poor family upbringing!”
Hong Ge’er shook his head, his brow furrowed tightly as he looked at Song Xiao with disapproval. “Cousin, even crows show filial piety by feeding their parents, and lambs kneel to drink their mother’s milk.”
“You glare coldly at the mother who worked hard to raise you and call her wicked woman with sharp words. This is truly unfilial and unjust. Cousin, don’t you feel ashamed of yourself?”
Song Xiao glared viciously at Hong Ge’er. He detested this cousin more than anyone.
Though they attended different academies, when his schoolmates isolated and mocked him, they always enjoyed comparing him to his cousin.
Song Xiao stepped forward and shoved Hong Ge’er hard, his eyes reddening. “None of your business!”
Hong Ge’er had a slender build and should have been knocked over by Song Xiao’s push.
Yet he remained unmoved, even reaching out to grasp Song Xiao’s wrist, his eyes showing unusual sternness. “I am your elder cousin, several months your senior. Today, in the presence of General Song and the Old Madam, I’ll take the liberty of teaching you a lesson.”
“Song Xiao, apologize to my aunt—your mother.”
Song Xiao’s eyes turned completely red, struggling uselessly against the grip. Su Tan stood by the entire time, showing no intention of intervening.
Old Madam Song grew anxious, stamping her foot as she moved to separate the two boys. Gu Mingzhu stepped in front of her with a pleasant smile.
“Old Madam Song, the children are just playing. We adults shouldn’t interfere.”
Cuiliu, Song Mingzhu’s maid, snorted disdainfully. “Our young master is so slender—if it came to a real fight, how could he possibly be a match for the young master?”
“They’re merely fooling around.”
As she spoke, Cuiliu bowed to Old Madam Song. “Please don’t take offense or worry, Madam. The two young masters were very close before—they’re just catching up now.”
Liu Qingyin’s voice choked with emotion, clearly worried Song Xiao might be bullied. “Brother Song…”
Song Tingchen’s gaze turned dark and cold.
Between the two children, Song Xiao was plump and round, his young face already showing signs of chubbiness.
Hong Ge’er maintained a slender figure, appearing clearly no match for Song Xiao.
To outsiders, it looked like two children roughhousing – if they were truly serious, Song Xiao could easily take on ten of Hong Ge’er.
But Song Tingchen, being a trained martial artist, could clearly see that ten Song Xiaos wouldn’t be a match for Hong Ge’er.
Song Tingchen’s brow furrowed as his gaze fell upon Su Tan, filled with bewilderment. How could a mother be so heartless? “You’re just going to stand there and watch?”
Su Tan sneered, “What? Is General Song going to interfere in children’s play?”
Hong Ge’er increased the pressure, causing Song Xiao’s face to contort in pain, yet he couldn’t break free. “Let me go!”
Hong Ge’er remained expressionless, repeating the same phrase: “Apologize.”