Chapter 6 Traveling by horse-drawn carriage over land was extremely bumpy. At first, it was manageable, and everyone still had decent spirits, but by the latter part of the journey, they had begun to suffer from aching backs and sore limbs. Some even got motion sickness—Shiyu vomited all over the place.If this had been the old Yaoniang, she would have thought that since she had just returned, she ought to be kind and considerate to her siblings. But now, she no longer thought that way."Mother, I want to ride in the same carriage as you."Mrs. Yu gently touched her daughter's little face, feeling as though—perhaps it was just her imagination—her daughter seemed to have grown a bit fairer. She asked, puzzled, "What's the matter?"Yaoniang said, "Sixth Sister's spittoon for vomiting is already full to the brim, and the carriage reeks of sourness. Daughter wants to ride with Mother."Ah, so that was it. Mrs. Yu was a soft, dough-like person herself, but unexpectedly, she agreed to her daughter's request: "Very well, come over here then."Mrs. Yu's original intention was for the sisters to get along harmoniously, just as she herself did, maintaining amicable relations with everyone in the household, high and low. But it seemed her daughter was not of such a temperament.Yaoniang boarded the carriage at the post station, this time riding with Mrs. Yu and Jinghao, and she was far happier. In the past, she had always felt that since she had a mother while Jingrou did not, she should not be close to her own mother, lest it hurt Luo Jingrou's feelings, nor should she flaunt her status as the legitimate daughter in front of Shiyu. But as it turned out, when she got into trouble, her sisters did not help her because of her self-effacement.What truly matters is that a person should treat herself well, without harming others' interests—that is what is real. When flowers bloom with fragrance, butterflies come on their own. Otherwise, if you are kind to others all day long but you yourself are unremarkable, no one will think highly of you.As for Jingrou, she was still unaware of this matter. When she boarded the carriage and did not see Yaoniang, she asked Mrs. Fan, "Elder Sister-in-law, why hasn't Fifth Sister come?"Mrs. Fan replied with an airtight answer: "Fifth Sister was unwell before, after all, so it's easier for her to be looked after at the Madam's place."Luo Jingrou sniffed the air, feeling that although the carriage had been cleaned, there was still a sour, rotten stench. She found the odor unbearable and felt deeply distressed. She had lost her mother at a young age. Although her maternal grandmother, the Marchioness of Yanping, doted on her, she was not a true granddaughter of the Wang family after all—living as a guest was different from living in one's own home.Moreover, her grandmother intended to betroth her to her cousin, but the cousin was merely the youngest son of the family, with no title to inherit—that alone was bad enough—and he was also poor at his studies. Luo Jingrou naturally was unwilling.She and her brother had been separated since childhood, and their relationship was cold. Fortunately, Old Madam Shan had passed away, allowing her to follow the family back to their hometown to observe mourning, thereby avoiding the marriage arrangement with the Yanping Marquis's household.After returning to the countryside, she had originally thought that Mrs. Yu was useless, a muddle-headed creature who would not win their father's favor. But she had been mistaken—their father actually held Mrs. Yu in high regard.With a stepmother comes a stepfather—this was a truth she had long understood. She had even seen many examples in her maternal grandmother's household. Her third maternal uncle's wife was a second wife who doted only on her own daughter and casually betrothed the eldest cousin born of the first wife to anyone. That cousin died within a year of marriage. It was said her husband was a drunkard who beat her, and she was literally hounded to death. She had returned to her natal family several times, but no one had come to her rescue.Since ancient times, a woman's marriage was like a second chance at life, and her father was, after all, a man—if he carelessly arranged a marriage that looked good on the outside but was rotten within, she would have no recourse.During this period of mourning, she had worked hard to build good relations with Mrs. Yu and the fake daughter, but the more she interacted with them, the more she realized how deeply her father doted on Mrs. Yu and her daughter. The fake daughter's early education was personally taught by her father, who often held her on his lap to practice writing. Her father was only sharp-tongued; in reality, he treated them even better. When his fellow officials came to visit and jokingly suggested a marriage alliance between their families, her father's first thought was also of Mrs. Yu's daughter.Fortunately, at that very moment, the girl was exposed as a fake daughter.That day, she was utterly delighted, hiding under her blanket and laughing hard.She knew that because her mother had died early, others considered her an ill-bred eldest daughter of a deceased woman. The more prestigious and noble the family, the more they valued such propriety. Having Mrs. Yu as her stepmother, and appearing to have a good relationship with her, was advantageous for her marriage prospects and social standing.But Mrs. Yu had her own daughter. Everyone had selfish motives—if there were a good match, how could she give it to her instead of her own daughter?Since that was the case, she should learn the trick from her eldest maternal aunt. Her eldest uncle had a favored concubine who was so beloved that he never even visited his wife's chambers. He valued the concubine's son more than his wife's legitimate children. When the boy was only three years old, he had already secured him an imperial favor, granting him the hereditary title of Assistant Commander of the Third Rank.Her eldest aunt's method was to spoil someone to ruin them. When she left the Marquis of Yanping's household, she heard that the boy had committed adultery with her eldest uncle's concubine and was caught in bed. Her eldest aunt even helped speak well of them.No one would suspect her eldest aunt, and even the favored concubine was deeply grateful to her.She would use the same tactic herself. She had once heard the old Madam Yu say that people of the Yu family tended to gain weight easily. In her youth, she had endured hard times, too poor to even have any oil or fat. Later, after Master Yu became an official, she developed a fondness for pastries and put on weight within a year or two.Indeed, Old Madam Yu was very fat—she would pant after just a few steps.Her stepmother Mrs. Yu added, "Brother takes after you, with a heavy appetite. Even when studying, he's constantly snacking."They all laughed, and Jingrou remembered those words in her heart.This time, she planned to do the same. Unfortunately, that little girl didn't take the bait. It seemed she would need to think of other methods.Yaoniang, of course, had no idea what she was thinking. During the ten-plus days on the road, she made a point of avoiding the sun, resting daily, and sleeping endlessly with her little brother Jinghao.After all, the most important thing now was to recover her health. Her past life had taught her that as long as one was alive, there would always be a chance to turn things around.Midway through the journey, they switched from land to water. Mrs. Yu arranged for Mrs. Fan to look after Jingrou, Concubine Qin to care for Shiyu, while she herself took charge of Yaoniang and Jinghao. Concubine Qin felt heartbroken seeing her daughter, especially her thin, gaunt little face, but she still thanked Mrs. Yu gratefully: "Thank you, Madam, for letting me look after her."Mrs. Yu nodded. "Let Shiyu sleep as much as she needs, and have her smell the dried tangerine peel and green plums often. If she feels cramped, she can come over to my cabin to rest."Concubine Qin naturally didn't trust her daughter with Mrs. Yu, so she simply agreed.Mother and daughter returned to their cabin, and Concubine Qin couldn't help grumbling: "Look at this Madam—she acts so fair and impartial, yet she put you and Third Miss in the same carriage while keeping her own daughter by her side. She doesn't care for anyone who isn't her own flesh and blood."Shiyu, however, said something unusual: "When Madam heard I got carsick, she specially sent medicine over, and Eldest Sister-in-law has taken good care of me too. Besides, Fifth Sister even gave me a grass butterfly. Look."She held up the grass butterfly in her hand, delighted.Concubine Qin looked at the grass butterfly, unimpressed. In her youth, she had been a child bride, but unfortunately, when the man prospered, he cast her aside. Later, because she was fertile, Old Madam Shan bought her into the household.When she was young, she had been happy when the man she followed brought her a wildflower, but reality later taught her that gold, silver, wealth, power, and status were what truly mattered.

The Second Wife’s Daughter