Meng Zifang didn’t need to choose at all; she decisively chose to stand on Lin Yulan’s side.
Furthermore, what Lin Yulan said was the truth.
“Right, right, Elder Sister Lin is right. Sister-in-law, you misunderstood.” To win Lin Yulan’s favor, Meng Zifang unhesitatingly stepped on Lin Yuwei while she was down. “Sister-in-law, how could you speak to Elder Sister Lin like that without even listening clearly? Besides, Elder Sister Lin is your elder sister too! Order between seniors and juniors must be respected; sister-in-law, you should be a bit more polite to Elder Sister Lin.”
The corners of Lin Yulan’s lips curved upward. No one knew Meng Zifang’s temperament better than she did.
“Miss Meng is truly obedient and well-mannered. It seems the family upbringing in the Meng family is quite good, and they really know how to teach a daughter!”
Meng Zifang instantly lit up with happiness again, beaming from ear to ear. “Thank you for the compliment, Elder Sister Lin!”
Lin Yuwei was so angry that her nose was practically crooked with rage! She cursed inwardly at the ungrateful, unappreciative little bitch!
Wasn’t she standing up for her? Yet she had the nerve to team up with an outsider to bully her, her own sister-in-law!
Extreme fury raged in Lin Yuwei’s heart, but she absolutely refused to lose her composure in front of Lin Yulan. Across her nearly distorted face, she squeezed out a three-part smile. “Is that so? It seems I really did misunderstand. Zifang, wasn’t I just concerned about you, fearing you might have suffered grievances? As for elder sister, she has always spoken this way, beating around the bush and never being clear, so it’s no wonder people misunderstand. Fortunately, Zifang is broad-minded and doesn’t hold it against her; otherwise, elder sister really ought to offer an explanation!”
Meng Zifang felt even more gratified inside. She cast a deeply satisfied glance at Lin Yuwei, then turned to Lin Yulan with a look that practically begged for praise, as if saying: Elder Sister Lin, see? I really am a good person, right? I surely match up well enough to befriend you!
Lin Yulan found it rather amusing. Just from the way Meng Zifang looked at Lin Yuwei, she knew exactly what kind of status Lin Yuwei held in front of the Meng family mother and daughter.
Lin Yulan smiled. “After leaving her maiden home, younger sister has become increasingly sensible and eloquent!”
When did it ever become your turn to comment on me? Lin Yuwei sneered inwardly. “I’m still better than elder sister. After all, I remember all of Mother’s teachings, unlike elder sister!”
Her gaze landed on that pair of kingfisher-feather hairpins, and she suddenly smiled. “Elder Sister, this pair of hairpins is so exquisite. How about you take them off and lend them to younger sister to admire?”
Meng Zifang had been drooling with envy for a long time. Hearing this, her eyes lit up, and she also hurried to chime in with a smile, “Yes, Elder Sister Lin, lend them to us to look at!”
With a single stride forward, Lin Yuwei suddenly reached out and pulled one of the hairpins straight out of Lin Yulan’s hair bun.
Startled, Lin Yulan looked at the hairpin clutched in her hand, feeling as though she had truly seen a ghost.
Lin Yuwei was seriously out of her mind!
Xiaoqu’s expression also changed as she let out a low gasp of alarm, looking anxiously toward her mistress.
Lin Yulan shook her head gently at her. No matter how Lin Yuwei had behaved in the past, she would never have personally stepped forward to pull something like this. This truly was—beyond her expectations.
Looking immensely pleased with herself, Lin Yuwei held the hairpin up to inspect it alongside Meng Zifang. While praising it aloud, her eyes were filled with chilling hatred.
This elder sister of hers was an expert at acting, enduring insults patiently and setting aside her pride. Who knew what kind of fawning, groveling acts she had put on in front of Shao Xun to actually coax him into giving her this pair of hairpins?
However, based on her understanding of him, Shao Xun was not someone who was easy to reason with. He couldn’t possibly have given this pair of hairpins to Lin Yulan outright; he must have merely lent them to her so she could wear them for her home visit to put up a good front.
What if… Lin Yulan failed to protect this hairpin and ended up breaking it?
This was bestowed by the late Empress Dowager to his mother on the occasion of his parents’ grand wedding! If Lin Yulan broke it, that madman Shao Xun would definitely not let her off!
Noticing that Lin Yuwei’s expression seemed somewhat abnormal, Lin Yulan instantly developed a sense of foreboding. Before she could even react, she saw Lin Yuwei intentionally release her grip prematurely as she pretended to hand the hairpin over to Meng Zifang, sending it tumbling down to crash sharply against the ground!
With a startled shriek, Lin Yuwei hurriedly squatted down to pick it up, seizing the opportunity to violently rip off a strand of pure gold tassels tipped with rubies from the end. While doing so, she cried out, “Zifang, how could you be so clumsy? Why didn’t you hold onto it properly? Elder sister, Zifang didn’t do it on purpose, please don’t blame her!”
Panicking in utter dismay, Meng Zifang denied it in a fit of exasperation, “It wasn’t me! Clearly you were the one who didn’t hold it right!”
“Zifang, my elder sister is gentle and kind-hearted; she certainly won’t blame you. You don’t need to be afraid.”
“It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! Sister-in-law, don’t frame me!”
Terrified, panicked, and furious all at once, Meng Zifang didn’t fear Lin Yuwei in the slightest. How dare her sister-in-law frame her like this? Was this acceptable? Furious, she yelled her denial and raised her hands to shove Lin Yuwei.
With a startled cry, Lin Yuwei staggered backward and fell. The hairpin flew out of her hands, hitting the ground once more. The pure gold tassels separated completely from the main body of the hairpin, smashing onto the pavement in a state of obvious, visible destruction.
With a pale face, Meng Zifang backed away in a panic and turned to run.
She had caused a disaster! She had to go find her brother!
“Mistress!” Xiaoqu hurriedly picked up the broken hairpin and the detached tassels, looking as though she were about to cry. “What should we do, Mistress?”
Leisurely rising to her feet, Lin Yuwei cast a sidelong glance at Lin Yulan and sneered.
With a dark expression, Lin Yulan stepped forward. “Did you do that on purpose?”
Smug and triumphant, Lin Yuwei retorted, “Elder sister, don’t talk nonsense. Clearly, elder sister failed to protect her own belongings properly, yet you still have the nerve to blame others?”
Lin Yulan smiled. “That’s right, I truly didn’t expect you to be so utterly shameless.”
“What did you say? Say it again!”
Consumed by rage, Lin Yuwei could no longer contain herself. No one could endure being cursed and insulted to their face by someone who had always cowered and groveled in front of them.
“I said, you have no shame.”
“Shut your mouth!”
Screaming at the top of her lungs, Lin Yuwei raised her hand to slap Lin Yulan across the face.
Catching Lin Yuwei’s wrist in mid-air, Lin Yulan leaned in close and whispered with a light chuckle, “How are things treating you in the Meng household, younger sister? Is that Big Brother Meng of yours really as great as all that? If he were truly that great, would his younger sister show zero respect to you as her sister-in-law? Let me guess, your mother-in-law must be pretty unpleasant too, right? Then again, in such petty, common households, what rules or proper manners could there possibly be? They managed to marry a daughter of an official family with great difficulty, and the whole clan is probably drooling with the desire to sit back and enjoy wealth without lifting a finger! Younger sister, you’d better keep your guard up; your dowry wasn’t much to begin with, so make sure they don’t greedy-handedly swallow it all up. No wonder you look at me with such displeasure and scheme with all your might!”
Trembling with rage, Lin Yuwei snapped, “You’re spouting nonsense—utter nonsense! What do you have to be so pleased about? Don’t think I don’t know: you aren’t the one calling the shots in the Marquis of Wuwei’s estate. That old hag and the second branch family are not easy to deal with, and the Marquis himself is a cold, selfish man who cares nothing for anyone’s life. As his wife, you’re nothing more than a coptis root dipped in honey—bitter to the core while looking sweet on the outside. Your heart is probably more bitter than anyone else’s! Someday in the future, I will trample you beneath my feet! You were inferior to me in the past, you are inferior to me now, and you will be inferior to me in the future!”
“Is that so? If that’s the case, why are you full of jealousy and scheming against me?”
“I just can’t stand the sight of you!”
“Well, that’s too bad. You’re going to find plenty of things you can’t stand the sight of for the rest of your life. Good younger sister, take your time; your good days are still ahead of you.”
“You—”