Aunt Yang was originally from the capital. She was a new bride when she was sold into marriage. Yang's mother was a minor supporting actress in an opera troupe.

Unlike modern opera performers, ancient opera singers had an exceptionally low social status.

Every day, following the group around to greet and see off people, bowing and scraping, one can't develop an upright character.

The daughter was sold and all she knows is to cry weakly. The son is just like his father in temperament and personality. Even the daughter-in-law was bought.

Her sister-in-law Jiang Lanling's father was a scholar, but after struggling to pass the preliminary examination, he felt that he had no ability to go further and wanted to start working as soon as possible to help support his family.

She became an accountant, and after her daughter was born, she didn't have the stubborn ideas of those pedantic Confucian scholars. When she was young, her father often held her on his lap and read history to her.

Later, a major flood struck the south, and she fled all the way to the capital. Separated from her family, she sold herself into marriage as a wife to the Yang family.

She didn't ask for much money, just food. She was willing to marry into a commoner family, as it was better than ending up in a brothel.

Jiang Lanling was brought back to her by Grandma Yang, who was performing in an opera troupe at the time.

This made it clear that they were ordinary people, not from brothels or shady establishments.

He bought her back so that she could be a proper daughter-in-law, promising her that he would register the marriage with the government.

Jiang Lanling noticed that she spoke kindly and investigated further to confirm that she was alright before following her home.

Aunt Yang was sold, but her family couldn't afford the money to redeem her, and there was no one to help her.

It was her sister-in-law who lifted the veil, and from the second day after the wedding, soup, tea, and meals were delivered to the dance hall every day without fail.

He claimed to be delivering meals, but in reality, he was just looking after his sister-in-law. Despite not being that old himself, he dared to roll up his sleeves and glare angrily at everyone.

The neighborhood head initially disliked her, thinking, "Where did this rascal come from?" But after six months of seeing her constantly in wind and rain, he insisted on coming over every day to check on and take care of Aunt Yang.

So I teased her, "If you just keep my dance studio clean and tidy every day, I'll have the lead dancer take your sister in, how about that?"

"The sooner you learn the skill, the sooner you can go to the entertainment district to perform and earn money, and your family's living standards will be better, won't they?"

Strangely enough, the young woman, who was usually quiet and reserved, stared at her with bright, lively eyes after hearing these words. She was truly captivating!

"If we finish our studies quickly and earn money, can we buy our freedom?"

The dance studio owner glanced at her quickly, then turned his head to look at his hands, which were covered in nail polish, and his eyes welled up with tears. "Yes! Once you've earned enough money, I'll find a way to help you."

Yang successfully learned from the lead dancer for seven years. After seven years, she often went to the entertainment district with the lead dancers to earn money.

Because of her sister-in-law, Aunt Yang suffered the least beatings and scoldings among that group of dancers.

The beatings and scoldings she recalled amounted to less than three-tenths of what others experienced.

Aside from teaching dance and folk arts, the owner of the dance studio rarely humiliated or beat the dancers.

Later, she often went to theaters and brothels to perform dances. Her sister-in-law was worried about her, so she wrapped her hair up and went to these places to work as a cleaning lady.

If anyone speaks rudely, they will step up to argue and rebuke them.

Every time, Aunt Yang would hide in the back. The lead dancer of the dance troupe, seeing this woman's unwavering care for her for ten years, couldn't help but soften her heart.

Whenever there was a disagreement with the guests from the entertainment district, he would always help them. Not for any other reason than to appreciate Yang's kind and honest heart.

Of the ten people who get into the dance studio, eight or nine are unfortunate, and the lead dancer of the studio is one of them. It's a pity that there's no good sister-in-law to protect her from her tantrums.

It's not easy to save up money to redeem oneself. The dance hall takes a cut, you need to eat and drink, and you have to buy nice clothes and jewelry yourself.

Aunt Yang was unwilling to use the cheap jewelry provided by the dance studio, as she herself loved to dress up.

It took her four whole years to save up enough money to redeem herself, but then she met Gu Xiao.

Concubine Yang longed for a life of luxury, ignoring her sister-in-law's earnest advice, and insisted on entering the Marquis's mansion. It was only after giving birth to Gu Ting that she was elevated to the rank of concubine.

She ignored advice and became a concubine, but after all, Sister Yang had taken care of her for so many years. Even though she hated her for not pitying herself, she forgave her after her anger subsided.

They went to the Wei River to sell flowers and candy to earn money, and a few months later, they sent over a dowry.

A dowry chest containing the usual amount of money, a sandalwood comb, a bronze mirror with a diamond pattern, a plain silver hairpin, a linen robe, and a pair of Hangzhou silk shoes.

At that time, Yang still had a pure heart, and she was grateful and moved by what she saw.

Especially after becoming a maidservant, she realized that life was not easy.

The fact that she could only enter the mansion through the side gate and was not allowed to leave the courtyard normally made her very sad.

Moreover, they are forbidden from wearing wedding dresses for life, and even more unexpectedly, they can receive a dowry. A concubine even has a dowry chest specially prepared for her.

But the allure of wealth and luxury blinds people and clouds their judgment.

From some point onward, Aunt Yang began to view her sister-in-law, who exuded a commoner's air, with disdain and contempt.

The genuine affection of a flower seller couldn't compare to the string of pearl hairpins that Gu Xiao gave her as a treat, like teasing a cat or dog.

Although they now enjoy a life free from worries about food and clothing, their mindset has gradually become unbalanced, just like Gu Xiao's. They are never satisfied with what they have, and no matter how much they take, it's never enough.

At this point, the person she most wanted to see was not her sister-in-law, but her own brother, who was just like her father.

Seeing people with the same despicable mentality as her, she felt extremely pleased with just a few taels of silver, and her brother's fawning and bowing made her feel very happy.

Instead of feeling as aggrieved and helpless as when I saw my sister-in-law's clear, bright, and caring eyes, I felt even more restless.

Gradually, Jiang Lanling also realized something was wrong, and the two stopped seeing each other. If things continued like this, it would be fine.

But later, no one expected that she could be so heartless as to call her niece into the mansion while her sister-in-law was doing chores, just to lift Gu Ting's confinement as soon as possible.

Yang Mei looked about sixteen or seventeen years old back then, but she was actually not even fifteen!

Aunt Yang told her brother that she could make Yangmei live a good life with delicious food and a good night's sleep, but it wouldn't be entirely true that she had no ill intentions.

Yang's brother didn't care about his daughter at all, if it weren't for Yang's wife brandishing a knife to scare people.

He had the same idea as his father back then: to send Yangmei to learn dancing to earn money.

While Jiang Lanling and Yang Mei's brother were out working, the two dragged Yang Mei into the mansion.

When Yang's sister-in-law heard this at home, she was terrified. She packed a bundle of clothes she had made, saying she was coming to visit her.

She couldn't get in for the first two days, but after Zheng Jin made proper arrangements and things settled down, and Aunt Yang had no hope of causing trouble again, she was able to see her.

Jiang Lanling entered the mansion with a knife, having lost all hope.

If Aunt Yang really wronged Yang Mei, she was willing to risk her life to protect her back then, and she's willing to risk her life to kill her now.

It was Zheng Jin. Zheng Jin saved Aunt Yang's life. She was an upright person. She dealt with Yang Mei, but she didn't harm anyone.

After looking her over and asking her questions, he handed her a red beaded string, implying that a young lady should become a proper wife.

Yang Mei understood perfectly and seized the opportunity to find a way to survive.

Only then did Sister Yang lose her murderous intent, but from then on, she had no sincerity towards Aunt Yang at all.

However, his family built a shrine for his second wife, Zheng Jin, and they prayed and worshipped there every day.

Second Madam Zheng Jin was naturally unaware of these matters. However, she did summon Yang Mei several more times afterward and also met with Sister Yang once.

This year during the Spring Festival, Sister Yang brought a large embroidered "Good Fortune for All Things" to kneel and thank Zheng Jin.

Zheng Jin, hearing that this was an educated man, was curious and invited him in for a brief meeting. Observing his words and actions, he concluded that this was an upright person!

She chatted happily with Sister Yang, and seeing that Sister Yang's situation at home was somewhat similar to her own, she felt a pang of sympathy for her.

So, on Zheng Jin's advice, Yang Mei was kept in the sewing room. Although it was tiring, with Zheng Jin's word, no one else would deliberately make things difficult for her. The work was fairly pleasant.

She worked steadily in the mansion, bringing home some money each month. Yang Mei's brother was getting older and could help Jiang Lanling fight against their father and manage the household affairs.

Life got better and better, and Jiang Lanling felt that her bitterness had finally turned into happiness. Her husband was a disgrace, causing trouble outside the home, but once he entered the house, she was happy with her upright son.

But that bitch Yang! That bitch! She's got another wicked idea, and she's ruining their Yangmei.

She won't let her get away with this, she absolutely won't!