“Sister, are you really leaving?”
In the flower hall of Chu Fu, Chu Mingzhu, dressed in fine silks and adorned with jewels, asked with feigned reluctance, though the triumph in her eyes was impossible to hide.
“Isn’t my departure exactly what you wished for?”
Opposite her, the cold and elegant Chu Wangge—no, at this moment, she should be called Feng Wangge—glanced sharply at Chu Mingzhu.
A month ago, Chu Mingzhu had arrived carrying the Chu family’s heirloom jade pendant, claiming to be the legitimate daughter of the family. With a face that was sixty percent similar to Mrs. Chu’s and a blood-recognition test, it was confirmed beyond doubt that she was the true daughter of the Chu family.
With their biological daughter back by their side, everyone in the Chu family was overjoyed. Consequently, her own status as the “fake” daughter who had been swapped at birth became incredibly awkward.
It wasn’t until three days ago that a letter arrived, stating that Wangge was their biological daughter and that her original surname was Feng. The letter mentioned three small moles on her arm as proof and stated their intention to welcome her home, saying they would arrive at Chu Fu today to collect her.
“Sister, Fan An is coming to present my betrothal gifts in a month. Won’t you really stay to have a cup of wine? After all, your biological parents live in a mountain gully and hunt for a living; even finding enough to eat must be a problem.”
Stung by Feng Wangge’s words, Chu Mingzhu refused to let it go and deliberately prodded her again.
“Are you still angry? After all, Brother Fan An is a man of great talent and noble birth, yet I was the one who ended up with the marriage contract that was supposed to be yours.”
The Chu family were merchants in Jiangzhou, while the Fan family was a family of officials in the same city. The person originally betrothed to Young Master Fan An was Feng Wangge, but now it had become her. But who could blame her? She was the true young miss, after all.
Furthermore, Feng Wangge’s biological parents reportedly had elderly, sickly grandparents and three bachelor brothers at home.
In a family like that, perhaps Feng Wangge’s parents were only bringing her back so they could sell her for money to afford wives for her brothers.
Feng Wangge’s gaze fell upon Chu Mingzhu’s face, seemingly reading her thoughts. “A waste like Fan An is quite a good match for you. Why would I be angry?”
After living together for a while, if she still hadn’t figured out what kind of person Chu Mingzhu was, then there would be something wrong with her own head.
“Chu Wangge, how dare you mock Mingzhu as a waste! How can your tongue be so poisonous? She is your younger sister!”
Mrs. Chu entered the flower hall and, hearing Wangge’s words, immediately flew into a rage, pointing at her and barking.
“Mrs. Chu, you truly have grown old. I am not a biological daughter of the Chu family, so how could she be my sister? Furthermore, my surname is no longer Chu. Don’t address me incorrectly.”
Feng Wangge responded indifferently, her eyes showing no emotion as she looked at Mrs. Chu.
For all these years since she was a child, Mrs. Chu had done nothing but scold and beat her. Since she became old enough to understand things, she had been well-behaved and dutiful, secretly helping the Chu family become the wealthiest in Jiangzhou. She had thought that by doing so, she would earn a place in Mrs. Chu’s heart as a daughter.
As it turned out, she had been overthinking. No matter what she did, Mrs. Chu looked down on her. Yet Chu Mingzhu could return and do nothing, and still receive all of Mrs. Chu’s love.
Bloodlines truly were powerful.
“Fine, fine, fine! Truly fine indeed. As expected of someone not of my own blood—impossible to tame. No wonder you’ve never been close to me all these years. You truly are the daughter of lowly, coarse hunters!”
In Mrs. Chu’s eyes, aside from her good looks, Feng Wangge was worthless. The fact that she had enjoyed her daughter’s years of wealth and luxury was a heinous crime in itself.
Feng Wangge’s gaze grew colder. The Chu family had raised her, but she had repaid them. Otherwise, how could the Chu family have their current status, and how could they have secured a marriage alliance with the son of the Prefect?
“I owe the Chu family nothing, nor have you ever truly raised or educated me.” Feng Wangge’s voice was cold, and her sharp gaze sent a chill through the hearts of both Chu Mingzhu and Mrs. Chu.
“Sister, please stop talking back to Mother. Quickly, look at this. This gold-inlaid jade bracelet is a gift from me, a keepsake. You must accept it.”
Chu Mingzhu tried to smooth things over, reaching out to stuff a bracelet into the bundle Wangge had placed on a chair. However, her movements were so exaggerated that the items inside the bundle suddenly spilled out.
It turned out to be a box of jewelry. Everyone who saw it couldn’t help but be shocked.
“So, Sister had already prepared everything she would need for the future. I was the one who didn’t think things through.” There was a glint of triumph in Chu Mingzhu’s eyes, even as she spoke these ambiguous words with a dazed expression.
Mrs. Chu was furious, her tone full of mockery. “Well now! You’ve enjoyed my daughter’s wealth for so many years, and now you’re trying to steal so much property on your way out? I’m going to send you to the yamen!”
“Mother, it’s alright. Don’t blame Sister. After all, Sister has sickly grandparents and unmarried brothers at home. They don’t have much money. Let’s just treat this jewelry as a gift to her.”
“You are just too kind. Thank goodness Mother found you and brought you back.” Mrs. Chu stroked Chu Mingzhu’s cheek dotingly. Compared to Mingzhu, Feng Wangge was indeed like dust, and now she was returning to the mud where she belonged.
Feng Wangge lazily flicked her eyelids. This little white lotus was quite the actress. Was she only capable of emphasizing that she was a thief?
Hadn’t she gotten tired of using the same tricks over and over this past month?
Chu Mingzhu gathered the jewelry from the floor, along with the gold-inlaid jade bracelet, placed them in a box, and handed it to Feng Wangge. “Sister, don’t be stubborn. Take it. Money is what’s useful in critical moments. As for me, Father, Mother, and my brothers will provide for me again.”
Her tone of concern was laced with overwhelming superiority. Feng Wangge took the box and glanced at the items inside. Hmph. Just like the person giving them, they were all of low quality.
Raising her hand, she gave a light flick. The jewelry in the box, along with the bracelet, tumbled out and fell into the small pond beside the rockery.
“I said before, I will not take a single cent from the Chu family. I am cutting all ties with you. If I ever hear you insulting me or my biological parents again, I will not be so polite.”
Having said this, she picked up her small bundle and turned to leave. Behind her, Mrs. Chu was beyond livid, screaming loudly that the money she spent was also the Chu family’s.
When she arrived at the main gate of Chu Fu, she saw a carriage with a body so dilapidated that the door was about to fall off. No, it was more like a donkey cart, or perhaps an ox cart.
In front of the cart, a donkey and an ox were hitched side-by-side. It was a bizarre sight. Even Feng Wangge, who was used to seeing all sorts of things, couldn’t help but twitch her lips.
A middle-aged man in tattered, soiled clothing stepped down from the donkey cart.
The moment the man saw Feng Wangge, he knew she was the young miss of his house. Her features were elegant and refined, and those calm, sharp eyes were exactly like the Madam’s.
“Greetings to the Fourth Young Miss. I am a steward of the household; you may call me Uncle Li. The Master and Madam have urgent matters to attend to, so they sent me to fetch you home. There was a bit of an accident on the road and the horses were injured, so I had to switch to a donkey. But do not worry, the other subordinates and servants are handling the aftermath. We can change carriages at the post station, so it won’t delay our journey.”
Steward Li’s words made Feng Wangge raise an eyebrow.
A steward, subordinates, and servants? Even the wood used for this carriage frame was Qiannian Wuchenmu, worth a fortune.
Was her biological family really just a bunch of hunters from a poor mountain gully like the Chu family said?
At that moment, the Chu family walked out of the gate. When they saw the dilapidated cart pulled by a donkey and an ox, and the beggar-like Steward Li, their eyes widened in disbelief.
“Sister, is this your family’s carriage?”
Chu Mingzhu spoke with feigned surprise, but the arrogant triumph in her eyes was unmistakable.
Even if the family was poor, they should have at least brought a decent carriage. It seemed Feng Wangge’s family was even more destitute than she had imagined.
Mrs. Chu’s expression was one of unbridled disgust.
It seemed they wanted to put on a front but didn’t have the money. Doing it this way only made them more of a laughingstock. They truly were hicks.
She then looked at the beggar-like Steward Li. Was this Wangge’s family?
“I presume you are the family of our young miss. I am the household steward, here to take our young miss back. My Master and Madam are grateful to you for taking care of and raising the young miss, and have specially prepared some gifts to show their appreciation.”
Steward Li didn’t notice the looks on the Chu family’s faces. He hurried to the carriage to take out the prepared gifts. Because of the accident, the gift boxes didn’t look very nice, so he had no choice but to pack them into several burlap sacks.
Because the sacks were quite large, they hit the carriage frame as he pulled them out. With a hard tug, the door fell off!