Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the night corridor brightly.
Madam Huo stormed ahead, her long skirt nearly falling into the rain, muttering complaints all the way, “Listen to what, listen to the nonsense she’s spouting!”
“My zither is only for killing! Ha, ha, ha!”
“That serious look on her face almost scared the old lady.”
“Madam, Madam, Madam, calm down, don’t make yourself faint…” Governor Yu followed closely behind, quickly taking the umbrella silently handed to him by a maid and sheltering his wife’s head.
“I’ve had enough!” Madam Huo turned around, baring her teeth at the man, gritting her teeth as she spat out each word, “This girl was born to bring me bad luck! She won’t stop until she’s infuriated me every day!”
“Look at her! Every time I try to be nice to her, she drives me half to death!”
“That girl’s mouth is full of lies! She either doesn’t speak at all, or when she does, it’s either sharp or a lie! Not a single word she says is true; she’s a complete fraud!”
“Oh, Madam, you’ve gone a bit too far,” Governor Yu tried to pull his wife aside to comfort her.
Huo Jinxiu flung his hand away. “In my thirty-plus years, I’ve never suffered more than I have recently!”
“Don’t talk about my maternal family. You know better than I what kind of life I had there. I, Huo Jinxiu, was raised with the utmost care and respect in the Huo family. I’ve never suffered any humiliation from others.”
“Since marrying into your Yu family, my mother-in-law has hardly ever given me any trouble. But recently, I’ve been repeatedly humiliated and defeated by your daughter. I’m so angry that my heart aches.”
Huo Jinxiu became increasingly agitated as she spoke, poking her chest with her finger.
“She ruined such a nice family reunion dinner! How can I possibly get over this?”
“Keep protecting her! Keep protecting her!” Madam Huo raised her arm, pointing and cursing angrily, “If you keep protecting her, she’ll become lawless! Just wait until you get the chance to return to the capital for your duties, and you’re in that area, see what kind of mess she’ll cause you!”
Governor Yu sighed bitterly, his neck shrinking and his shoulders slumping, “What do you mean by returning to the capital for your duties, Madam? Now that Liang Wang has been murdered by villains, and he himself is corrupt, he’s caused me such a big mess. When the report comes from the capital, whether I’ll be dismissed from my position as governor is still uncertain!”
“Forget about returning to the capital.” Governor Yu waved his hand weakly, his head hanging low in dejection.
As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, Madam Huo stopped her fussing and asked in a trembling voice, “Is it…is it really that serious?”
Governor Yu seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, his face full of dejection as he said, “It is I who have wronged you, Madam. Alas.”
Governor Yu sighed deeply.
“Master,” Madam Huo felt a pang of sadness and took a few steps forward to support Governor Yu’s arm, “It’s too early to talk about these things now. Perhaps things are not as you think?”
“Dismissal from office is unlikely, at most, at most a demotion. Don’t worry too much, Master. I will write to my family and ask them to intervene on your behalf. At worst, we can return to the capital a few years later; there will always be a chance.”
Governor Yu almost burst into tears, “Thank you, Madam. But it will be unfair to you to postpone your return to the capital to visit mother-in-law.”
“Master, isn’t it too formal of you to say such things to me?”
“The night rain is chilly, Madam. Let’s go inside and rest.”
….
On the day Yu Qiuping left home, a light drizzle fell from the sky, and the corridor was shrouded in mist.
Because she was rushing to get married before the New Year, the wedding ceremony was kept simple, and only two strings of firecrackers were lit.
Yu Qiuping’s marriage was hasty and impoverished, but the moment she stepped into the bridal sedan chair, her steps were unusually firm.
As the curtain fell, through the red veil, Yu Qiuping vaguely saw Aunt Ma standing in the corner, gently waving her handkerchief.
Yu Qiuping clutched the small box tightly, overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
Inside the box was the last bit of money her aunt had saved for her funeral, all given to her as part of her dowry.
Although it was pitifully small compared to the dowry her family had given her, Yu Qiuping was still deeply moved. She inexplicably recalled what Yu Linlang had told her that day: “Your aunt’s love for her daughter is beyond question. She has no money, yet she gave you everything she had…”
Yu Qiuping hugged the box tightly, wiping away tears, and muttered to herself as if making a vow: “I will strive to live a good life, Mother.!”
Her third sister’s words were harsh, but the reasoning was sound.
For a concubine’s daughter like her to marry into the Wu family as the principal wife was already a good marriage.
The marriage was final, but she would have to control her own future and how it would turn out!
“Mother, wait until I’m settled, then I’ll take you out of the manor so you can enjoy your old age in peace…”
“Wait!” came a cool voice from outside the sedan curtain. “The Third Miss has specially ordered me to come and add a dowry to the Eldest Miss’s.”
Ba Liang took out a contract from a small brocade box, raised it, and said, “A small estate in Bali Village, Chengde Road, with 120 mu of fertile land. Congratulations to the Eldest Miss on her marriage, and may she and her husband have a long and happy life together.”
She finished speaking crisply, then put the contract back in the box and handed it to a beaming servant.
The eldest son-in-law, Wu Zhe, riding his horse, cupped his hands and laughed loudly, “Thank you, Third Sister.”
Yu Pianpian, standing at the door, was filled with shame and indignation, almost fainting from anger.
What kind of dowry was this? Chasing after someone and loudly singing to add to the dowry— Yu Linlang was truly unique in the world!
Just moments before, she had given her elder sister a simple silver hairpin, mocking and gloating, indulging in her superiority. Now, Yu Linlang was offering her an entire estate and a hundred acres of fertile land, a slap in the face.
Yu Pianpian instinctively grabbed Huo Shi’s arm, bit her lip, stomped her foot, and gently shook Huo Shi’s arm.
Huo Shi was also angry, but with everyone present, she couldn’t immediately lash out. She could only pat her daughter’s hand gently to appease her.
Yu Zhihua stood by the door with a gloomy face, feeling utterly resentful.
Although she couldn’t match Yu Pianpian’s actions, her dowry for her elder sister was just an ordinary gold-threaded bracelet, worth very little.
Unlike Yu Linlang’s extravagant gifts.
An estate and a hundred acres of fertile land— farmland near Weizhou City had now risen to two or three taels of silver per acre.
That would amount to at least four or five hundred taels of silver for the dowry, utterly inhumanly extravagant!
Inside the sedan chair, Yu Qiuping, deeply moved, reached out and lifted the curtain, calling out hurriedly through the red veil, “Ba Liang, please thank Third Sister for me. I will remember her great kindness. If there’s an opportunity in the future, please visit me often.”
“Oh dear, bride, don’t lift the curtain!” The matchmaker chuckled, helping to lower the curtain, showering the bride with compliments. “Alright, alright, the auspicious time has arrived, lift the sedan chair!”
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