Chapter 72 - 71: Laughable (Monthly Pass 40+)
Nanny Zhao saw that this Mrs. Fang was a sensible and understanding person, so she felt relieved, said a few more words of encouragement, and turned around to report back to Mrs. Zhen.
Mrs. Zhen, upon hearing this, sighed a couple of times. She initially wanted to say that Madam Miao was too harsh, but with Du Yunluo right in front of her, she didn’t want her daughter hearing about such messy affairs, so she let it go.
Du Yunluo lowered her head slightly, thinking about the affairs of that Madam Miao.
She remembered that before the Qixi Festival, she was carefully carving flower melons when Du Yunnuo came to chat with her for a while.
When discussing Miao Ruoshan being sent to the estate, Du Yunnuo had mentioned that because of this niece’s issue, the Miao Family had an extremely unpleasant confrontation with her maiden family. At that time, someone even wanted to turn the tables on the Miao Family, blaming the incident of Miao Ruoshan’s near-drowning on the Miao Family and Du Yunlang.
Upon hearing today about Madam Miao’s actions, Du Yunluo speculated that she must be the one who came intending to turn the tables.
People, indeed, are strange creatures.
In this sweltering heat, she came to Fa Yin Temple to kneel and pray, clearly believing in the Bodhisattva. Yet, Madam Miao didn’t have a bit of the Bodhisattva’s compassion; she knelt in front of the Bodhisattva chanting "Namo Amitabha Buddha," but turned a blind eye to an old servant pleading for help. Not only did she cut off their livelihood, but she also allowed her maids to mock Mrs. Fang. Even when Mrs. Fang jumped into the releasing pool, she remained indifferent.
Behaving this way in front of the Bodhisattva, how could she expect the Bodhisattva’s protection?
Truly laughable!
Thinking of this, Du Yunluo felt that Mrs. Zhen had said something very accurate, "Truly from the same household." The way Miao Ruoshan behaved was undeniably influenced by Madam Miao’s daily conduct.
While she was mulling over such trifles, Du Yundi knocked on the door and came in.
Du Yunluo’s eyes brightened, and she stared directly at him.
Of course, Du Yundi understood what she meant. He smiled helplessly and, cupping his hands, said to Mrs. Zhen, "Mother, I escorted the Princely Heir back to the main hall. He came today with a few friends, one of whom is my classmate from the academy. Earlier, I hadn’t had the chance to speak with him, so I just went to have a few words. The Princely Heir and the classmate also introduced me to several other young men."
Mrs. Zhen nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.
Du Yundi wanted to pursue a career in officialdom, so while scholarship was vital, he couldn’t ignore his network, and it was beneficial to make more connections.
Those young men, being able to accompany the Princely Heir, must have decent backgrounds and good conduct.
At any rate, they must be more reliable than that Shi Shiren.
Thinking of the Shi Shiren siblings mentioned by Si Shui and Chang An, Mrs. Zhen felt a slight headache. Looking again at Du Yunluo’s swollen ankle, she scolded, "With you like this, you’re still hoping to accompany me to Tong City in September. If you don’t take care of yourself, not only will I refuse to take you, but the Old Madam will also forbid you from traveling."
"Mother is going back to Tong City?" Du Yundi asked in surprise.
"Yes, it’s Grandmother’s fiftieth birthday, and Mother wants to take me back to celebrate," Du Yunluo eagerly answered, pleading with Mrs. Zhen, "You promised I could go with you, please don’t leave me behind."
"Then be good and take care of your ankle," Mrs. Zhen replied, removing the cloth-wrapped ice, "Enough, keeping it iced constantly isn’t good; I’ll wrap it up again on our way back."
This being midday, Nanny Zhao led the servants to fetch a vegetarian meal.
Shui Yue set up the table, and Mrs. Zhen didn’t dare let Du Yunluo move around, so she had Jin Ling set up a small table for her, with half portions of various dishes brought before her.
The vegetarian meal was indeed as Du Yundi had described, pleasing in color, aroma, and taste.
Having resolved a concern today, Du Yunluo found herself with a good appetite, eating more than usual, much to Du Yundi’s amusement.
Originally, Mrs. Zhen intended to return before sunset, but due to Du Yunluo’s foot injury, they didn’t linger at Fa Yin Temple. Nanny Zhao was sent to prepare a sedan chair, and they returned to the residence.
Du Yunluo was jounced down the mountain, and it wasn’t until she changed to the carriage that she gradually caught her breath.
The carriage drove all the way to the second gate.
The Miao Family had sent Mrs. Shen Changgen to receive them.
When Mrs. Shen Changgen saw Du Yunluo being carried off the carriage, her face turned pale. Since Du Gongfu used a soft sedan for transportation within the courtyard, she quickly arranged for one and helped Du Yunluo onto it.
Outside Lianfu Garden, Lanzhi waited anxiously after receiving the news. Knowing Du Yunluo injured her foot, her heart raced, remembering the Old Madam’s warnings in the morning. How did something still go wrong?
Old Mrs. Xia had a stern expression, with anger visible in her eyes. But upon seeing Du Yunluo’s pale face as she was carried inside, her heart ached involuntarily.
Du Yunluo was settled on a side couch, and Old Mrs. Xia asked Mrs. Zhen, "Did you consult a physician?"
"The temple isn’t suitable for summoning a physician, so we asked a woman knowledgeable in minor injuries to take a look. She said the tendons and bones weren’t injured," Mrs. Zhen replied, bowing her head.
Old Mrs. Xia nodded slowly and gestured to Madam Miao, who immediately understood and sent someone to call for the medical woman.
"Now, tell me, what happened?" Old Mrs. Xia demanded coldly.
Since it concerned the Miao Family, Du Yunluo couldn’t speak up, leaving Mrs. Zhen to explain.
Seeing the numerous maids and older women in the room, Mrs. Zhen hesitated, and only after Old Mrs. Xia dismissed most, keeping just two close assistants, did she recount everything, not omitting Madam Miao, Mrs. Fang, or Mu Lianxiao. She couldn’t tell half-truths before Old Mrs. Xia.
Madam Miao felt a tingling on her scalp; concerning Miao Ruoshan’s issue, she had completely lost face before Old Mrs. Xia. If there were such a thing as regret pills, she would promptly swallow one, never again allowing Miao Ruoshan into the household.
In her husband’s home, Madam Miao couldn’t raise her head, and regarding her own family, she harbored a belly full of anger. When the incident happened, they dodged responsibility, and even sought to place blame. Yet, when seeing Du Gongfu regain prominence, they were hastily eager to send Miao Ruoshan to the estate, a method Madam Miao disagreed with.
But she was a married madam for many years, and she couldn’t intervene in her family’s affairs, especially those related to her. Even if she argued against sending Miao Ruoshan to the estate, no one would appreciate it; instead, they would scold her for hypocrisy. Therefore, concerning Miao Ruoshan’s case, Madam Miao turned a blind eye, but never anticipated that Madam Miao would actually...
"That Mrs. Fang, I recall she was somewhat like a wet nurse?" Old Mrs. Xia reminisced, letting out a humph, "Driving away a wet nurse, truly unheard of!"
Any family with a sense of dignity would support a wet nurse in her old age. Even if the wet nurse erred, as long as it wasn’t a scandalous matter, they’d still provide her sustenance. Families like the Miao Family, who directly drive people away, are truly rare.
Madam Miao felt both angry and ashamed; how could such a ridiculous person become her sister-in-law!
With such a woman managing the Miao Family’s backyard, it was bound to be chaotic.
After silently cursing Madam Miao in her heart, Madam Miao forced a smile and said to Du Yunluo, "Yunluo, I’m sorry you had to suffer today. Your aunt apologizes; poor child, hurting your foot and enduring such hardship."
Du Yunluo knew this wasn’t the time to make demands. She glanced timidly at Old Mrs. Xia and quickly said, "Second Aunt, in fact, it’s because I wasn’t smart enough. I feared the fish would wet my clothes, which is why I moved slightly away from the maids and attendants. It was my oversight. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have fallen."
No matter what, Du Yunluo decided to accept the blame first, hoping to humbly avoid Old Mrs. Xia’s punishment.