Xu Lanyin smiled calmly and said, "I live for myself and my family. Why should I care whether others laugh at me or not? Besides, there are still many good people in the world. Since I broke off my engagement with Gu Wangchen, most people not only stopped laughing at me, but also treated me better than before."

Hu Yi thought blankly for a moment, tears welled up in her eyes, and she sniffed and said, "I'm not as open-minded as you. During that time, Brother Xin said a lot to me, saying that I was beautiful, that I was cute, that he wanted to marry me, and that he even held my hand. He also, also..." Her tears flowed and she couldn't continue.

Xu Lanyin's heart sank. Could it be that this little girl had been taken advantage of by that man? This would be difficult to deal with. It would be easy to be exposed when she got married. She had heard Hu Yi's inner thoughts before, but she had never heard her talk about losing her virginity.

Hu Yi wiped her tears with a handkerchief, tapped her left cheek with her finger, and added, "He also kissed me here."

Her voice gurgled in her throat, and after she finished speaking, she covered her face with a handkerchief and cried. She cried very sadly and said vaguely, "But when he returned to Beijing, he married someone else..."

Xu Lanyin was relieved. It was just a kiss, not a big deal.

Xu Lanyin hugged her and said, "You saw through that man's true nature long ago. Sister Yi should be happy. That man has a bad nature. You didn't marry him. You are much luckier than his current wife."

"But he held my hand and kissed me. If others knew..." Hu Yi covered her face and sobbed.

Xu Lanyin said, "If you don't tell me, who will know?"

"But I can't lie to myself. I feel uncomfortable." Hu Yi wiped his left cheek hard with the handkerchief, making his face red.

Xu Lanyin held her hand and said, "Sister Yi, why not think about it from a different perspective? Think of that person as a toad. You were just touched and kissed by the toad. Although it's a bit disgusting, there's no substantial loss. Just stay away from it in the future. Gu Wangchen also touched my hand and kissed me once. That's how I think." She quickly reminded him, "No one knows that Gu Wangchen held my hand and kissed me on the face. I only told you, so you must keep it a secret."

Xu Lanyin hadn't completely lied about this. Gu Wangchen had indeed pulled the original owner's hand after the original owner gave him forty-five taels of silver. The young original owner was so thrilled at the time that she felt it was worth it to be beaten up by Xu Lanzhou and Old Lady Xu when she got home. As for the kiss, those two had to take the blame.

Seeing Xu Lanyin's nonchalant tone, Hu Yi felt it wasn't a big deal. She also reminded him, "I only told Sister Xu about that guy holding my hand and kissing my face. Sister Xu, please keep it a secret for me."

"Of course. It's so disgusting to be touched by a toad." Xu Lanyin nodded heavily.

The two young ladies who shared a secret moved closer together, whispering more secrets to each other and how to forget their pain and live happily.

Before lunch, Meng'er's voice came from outside the window, "Second Miss, Third Miss has guests now and cannot be disturbed."

Miss Hu Liu said, "I haven't seen my third sister for a few days and I miss her very much. Her guests are also my guests, so I'll go and meet them." As she said that, she was about to walk into the house.

That day, Hu Yi cried for no apparent reason in the middle of the night. Her biological mother, Aunt Zhao, asked her father about it, but he not only refused to answer but also reprimanded her. After several days of inquiries, the mother and daughter still could not uncover any information. They thought the country girl who often accompanied Hu Yi might know something, but she was always driven to and fro by a horse-drawn carriage, so they had no chance to ask. Today, she decided to come and see for herself.

Meng'er reached out to stop Hu Liu and prevented her from entering.

Hu Liu was furious and shouted, "How dare you, a servant, touch me? This is outrageous."

Meng'er said, "I dare not. It's just that the Madam just left, and she specifically instructed that no one is allowed to disturb the Third Young Lady. Second Young Lady, wait a minute. I will send someone to ask the Madam for permission. If the Madam agrees, the Second Young Lady will go in."

He then signaled a little maid to report to Mrs. Hu.

Hu Liu only dared to come when Mrs. Hu was away. He didn't dare ask anyone to report to her, so he could only stomp his feet and leave.

Hu Yi's face darkened and her cheeks puffed up, showing that she really disliked her half-sister.

Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "If you're still angry with someone you don't like, you're just asking for trouble."

Hu Yi pouted and said, "I don't want to be angry with her, but I just can't help it."

Xu Lanyin said, "Then you might as well learn from me..."

Xu Lanyin had heard from Mrs. Hu that Mrs. Hu had a son and a daughter. The daughter was Hu Yi, and the son was Hu Wan, the legitimate son and the only child in the family. He was currently studying at a government-run academy in the provincial capital and was rumored to have passed the examination for a scholar, though he had failed the provincial examination this year. The eldest and second daughters, Miss Hu, were both concubines. The eldest was already married, while the second daughter was only half a year older than Hu Yi. As a favored concubine, she occasionally caused trouble for Mrs. Hu and Hu Yi.

Soon it was the end of the Wei hour, and Xu Lanyin was leaving. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, and she would not come to the Hu family again until the fourth day.

Seeing Xu Lanyin and Hu Yi walking out hand in hand, Hu Yi's face was full of smiles, her eyes were brighter, and she whispered to Xu Lanyin, as if she had returned to a year ago. Mrs. Hu was so happy that her eyes were red.

Hu Yi escorted Xu Lanyin to the courtyard gate, and Mrs. Hu escorted her to the second gate. She personally handed Xu Lanyin a red envelope and a brocade box, saying, "Miss Xu, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. My daughter Yi'er is where she is today, all thanks to you."

Xu Lanyin took it and said with a smile, "If you want Sister Yi to stop having attacks, the most important thing is the love of her family and a relaxing environment. Don't let people she doesn't like get close to her and irritate her..."

Mrs. Hu gritted her teeth and cursed, "Those two mother and daughter are so vicious and cruel, they're plotting to destroy me. I've already had someone slap Aunt Zhao in the face this afternoon and set a rule for that damned girl. She won't do it again."

Mrs. Hu is so tough, which is of course the best. Hu Yi is in very good condition now. If someone provokes her, all the previous efforts will be wasted.

Xu Lanyin also gave some instructions and agreed that if Hu Yi's mood remained so good, she would come to the Hu family every one or two days after the New Year.

Although Mrs. Hu hoped that Xu Lanyin would go there every day, she had other things to do and had to agree.

Xu Lanyin took a carriage to Xu's shop, and after meeting up with Xu Dashi and his wife, they returned to the village together.

The shop will be closed tomorrow and will not reopen until the fifth day of the New Year.

Inside the carriage, Xu Lanyin opened the brocade box, revealing a pair of crystal-clear jade bracelets. She then opened her purse, revealing two silver notes worth one hundred taels.

Xu Lanyin smiled. She hadn't expected that helping others would earn her a windfall. She thought for a moment and decided to keep the banknotes for herself. They would be very useful to her.

When the carriage arrived in front of the shop, Xu Lanyin got off and gave two bags of snacks to the coachman.

When I went to the backyard, Xu Lanzhou was there too, taking inventory of the goods and accounts with Xu Dashi, both of them looked happy.