Chapter 291 The Immoral Mother

Cao Yingying gave Aunt Meng a friendly smile.

Aunt Meng immediately understood that the eldest young lady was going to protect her. If she still couldn't see it, she deserved to be killed by the madam.

She immediately crawled over and knelt before Cao Yingying: "Thank you, Miss, for restoring my innocence. I will never forget your great kindness..."

Qi slammed her hand on the table in anger: "This is outrageous! When did it become the turn of a daughter about to get married to be in charge of the Cao family!"

"Waaaah, big sister is the worst!"

Cao's son suddenly started crying and kicked Cao Yingying's leg.

Zhao Ergou's face darkened, and he grabbed Cao's son by the back of his collar.

"Let me go! Let me go!" the youngest son of the Cao family roared. "I don't want any younger brother! Everything in the Cao family is mine, and no one is allowed to take it from me! Guards, drag Aunt Meng away and beat the bastard in her belly to death..."

Cao Defu's expression changed drastically.

His son is only seven years old, how could he be so vicious!

Even if the child in Aunt Meng's belly wasn't from the Cao family, it would still be too cruel to beat her to death like that!

He stared at Qi Shi and gritted his teeth, saying, "Is this how you taught my son? How could you be such a vicious woman!"

He raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.

"Don't you dare hit my mother!"

The youngest son of the Cao family let out a howl and pounced, biting Cao Defu's hand.

Fortunately, Zhao Ergou was standing nearby and stopped him in time; otherwise, Cao Defu's hand would have been bitten and bled.

"Guards!" Cao Defu shouted, "Take Madam and Young Master away and lock them up separately. I'll deal with them tonight!"

Steward Sun nodded: "Yes, sir!"

He beckoned, and four strong old women came over to hold Qi down, while four servants came over to lift up the Cao family's child.

The Cao family's youngest child kept crying and fussing.

Qi was quieter, but her eyes were full of resentment.

The mother and son were taken away, and Aunt Meng was also helped down to rest by her maid. Only then did the flower hall finally quiet down.

"I've made a fool of myself in front of Lady Sui again," Cao Defu sighed. "There's never a moment of peace in the backyard of our Cao family."

Cheng Wanwan said, "Young Master Cao is indeed a bit unruly, so Boss Cao may need to put in a lot more effort."

Upon hearing this, Cao Defu immediately asked without hesitation, "My Cao family has been virtuous for generations. My son's current state must be due to the influence of that wicked woman, Qi. But Qi is the child's biological mother, so we can't just..."

“If the biological mother is immoral, then we should consider finding someone else to raise her,” Cheng Wanwan said calmly. “The child is still young, and we can still correct him. Once he grows up, it will be too late to regret it.”

Cao Defu nodded: "What Madam Sui said is right. I will try to select someone to take care of the child as soon as possible, and Qi Shi will not be allowed to interfere anymore... As for Qi Shi, let her eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers in the ancestral hall every day!"

Cheng Wanwan didn't think the Qi family could settle down, but it was already quite remarkable that Cao Defu had made such a decision. As an outsider, she could just point it out.

As she left the Cao family, she pulled Cao Yingying aside and gave her a private message: "Your stepmother's attention will likely be focused on Aunt Meng from now on. If you want to fight against your stepmother to the end, you must do everything you can to protect the child in Aunt Meng's womb and ensure its birth..."

Cao Yingying nodded: "I know."

If Aunt Meng had given birth to a son and raised him well, then the Cao family's business might not necessarily have been inherited by the younger brother.

Their merchants valued the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, but in reality, they weren't that strict. Ultimately, the person who inherited the family business had to be intelligent.

Her father wasn't smart, so why was he able to inherit the Cao family business? It's because her grandparents only had her father as their son...

"Make sure you take good care of yourself," Zhao Ergou said with a light cough. "If you need help, you can send a message to Dahe Village, and I can come anytime."

Cao Yingying's pretty face suddenly turned red, and she quietly agreed, shyly hiding behind Cao Defu.

Cao Defu had the return gifts loaded onto the carriage. The return gifts for the betrothal were very elaborate, and Cao Defu had hired a specialist to prepare them. No one could find any fault with them.

The carriage slowly began to move. Zhao Ergou pulled on the reins, looking longingly in Cao Yingying's direction...

"Still looking!" Matchmaker Zhao joked. "The wedding will be in four or five months, so you'll have plenty of time to look!"

Zhao Ergou felt a bittersweet feeling; four or five months, almost half a year, was simply too long.

As the carriage entered the city, Cheng Wanwan lifted the curtain and saw many emaciated and sallow-faced refugees wandering and begging in the streets.

She also saw the constables carrying wooden buckets, sprinkling white lime in various corners and alleys of the city... It must be because some refugees had just died in the streets, so they were sprinkling quicklime to disinfect and prevent the plague... Her mood suddenly became heavy.

She began by asking, "Does Matchmaker Zhao know where in town I can buy lime?"

Zhao the matchmaker was familiar with the surrounding area and knew the place well. She told Zhao Ergou to drive the carriage there.

The place selling limestone was outside the city. In front of a house, limestone and wood were being burned. After a few days of burning, it would become limestone.

This stuff isn't expensive; you can buy a big bucket for thirty coins. If you didn't bring your own bucket, you'll have to pay an extra twenty coins.

She bought four large buckets, mainly because she was worried that refugees would wander into Dahe Village. If someone died, the lime would be very useful.

In short, it's always better to be prepared.

The carriage left Hekou County and returned smoothly to Dahe Village.

It was afternoon, and the courtyard was bustling with activity. Kong Xiuniang was giving a lesson, with Zhao Xiaohua, Wang Damai, and Sun Shuiqin as her main students. There were also more than twenty girls watching. Although there were many people, no one in the courtyard dared to speak while Kong Xiuniang was lecturing. They listened quietly and took notes.

The daily lessons consisted of two hours in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, ending right at that time.

Kong Xiuniang packed her things and greeted her with a smile: "Madam Sui, did your journey go smoothly?"

Cheng Wanwan nodded: "The wedding has been arranged. It will be on March 24th next year. There are still more than half a year to go."

“I knew this wouldn’t be a problem.” Kong Xiuniang lowered her voice. “A few days ago, Master Cao came to me and asked me to help embroider the magnificent peony pattern on the eldest young lady’s wedding dress. The eldest young lady will mainly embroider the wedding dress herself, and I will be responsible for the most difficult patterns…”

Cheng Wanwan twitched the corners of her lips. Cao Defu was too impatient. The wedding hadn't even been finalized a few days ago, and he was already brazenly asking someone to embroider the wedding dress. Wasn't he afraid that if word got out, it would damage his daughter's reputation...

While the two women were talking, Zhao Dashan and Zhao Ergou were unloading the return gifts from the carriage.

Red boxes, tied with silk cloth, were carried out of the carriage one by one, attracting much attention.

The girls around who were learning embroidery all stared wide-eyed.

If the return gifts are this generous, then the dowry will only be even more... What incredible luck did Zhao Ergou have to marry the eldest daughter of the Cao family!

Among the girls, Sun Shuiqin's face was somewhat pale.

She pursed her lips tightly, finally mustered her courage, and took a step forward, following Zhao Ergou, who was carrying gift boxes, into the main room.

Zhao Ergou carried the boxes into the storeroom and put them away. As soon as he came out, he was met with Sun Shuiqin's deathly pale face. He was immediately startled: "What are you doing in my house? What are you doing here?"

Sun Shuiqin's lips moved slightly: "I come here every day to learn embroidery from Kong Xiuniang."

Zhao Ergou had no idea she was there. Every day, a bunch of girls would chatter away in the southeast corner of the yard, but he hadn't paid any attention.

He said coldly, "Fine, learn it. But don't come into my house in the future. If anything goes missing, I'll hold you responsible."

Sun Shuiqin's face turned even paler.

Zhao Ergou used to be so gentle with her, how come he suddenly became so cold and inhumane...?

Was all his tenderness and affection fake?