Chapter 118 Second Household Affairs
Although Xu Qingying did not blame her, Lian still felt uneasy.
What if Xu Qingying thinks she is unreliable and doesn't take her with her in anything in the future?
"Xu Lezhi, let's be frank. Don't use the excuse of standing up for your father as an excuse. You're just jealous. From childhood to adulthood, you absolutely cannot tolerate any of your sisters in the family overshadowing you. Aren't you just jealous of Xu Qingying being the center of attention? Let me tell you, Xu Qingying can control everyone. That's her ability! You've united with these brothers and sisters from the second house because you have more people, but so what? Does Xu Qingying take you seriously?"
"Mother, what you said is so strange. As a child, how can you just watch us being humiliated? She used to have no patience with Father. Not only did she never greet him when they met, but she also never brought anyone from our Second Branch with her when she did business. And today, she actually had the audacity to assault Father in public. Mother, wake up. You are my mother, not Xu Qingying's mother. How can you be so tactless and teach me a lesson instead of teaching her a lesson?!"
"You!" Lian was so angry that her heart ached. "You, you, you are so stubborn. You won't listen even if I tell you to stay away from Xu Qingying. You think I'm protecting her, idiot! I'm protecting you! You... don't think that bringing a few people to force Xu Qingying will really make her admit her mistakes?"
Xu Lezhi snorted coldly, "Why, could it be that Xu Qingying still dares to attack me? If Daddy hadn't stopped her just now, she would have already knelt down and admitted her mistake to our second branch!"
Now, Xu Deyuan was so angry that his face turned pale.
This couple has never been so united in their lives.
Xu Yinxi was also like this. She had never known Xu Lezhi to be so stubborn. Seeing Lian Shi so anxious and angry, she couldn't help but say, "Lezhi, Xu Qingying is far more terrifying than you think. I can tell you the truth, based on my understanding of her, there is absolutely no way she would apologize to our Second Branch."
"Why?!" Xu Lezhi's voice was hoarse, and he looked at the three people in the room with an angry look. "Just because we are a bunch of spineless people in the second branch, others can bully us and piss us off without saying a word. Naturally, we are bullied! Did Daddy's beatings go in vain?"
Xu Deyuan just wanted to get over this embarrassing incident as soon as possible, but Xu Lezhi kept bringing it up, which made Xu Deyuan furious. "You evil creature, I've broken this truth down to pieces and told you all the time, but you still won't listen, right?! Fine, since you're so opinionated, then go against her. Anyway, if something goes wrong and you lose your life, I can't protect you. You can make a fuss as much as you want, just don't drag the second wife into this! I'll pretend I never gave birth to such an evil child like you!"
These words were extremely serious, and Xu Lezhi's face turned pale, full of disbelief.
She didn't understand why her parents advised her to keep quiet, when it was obviously their second wife who was wronged!
Lian covered her chest with her hands, wishing she could pry open Xu Lezhi's brain to see what was inside.
She was really afraid that if Xu Lezhi continued to make trouble like this, the little friendship he had with Xu Qingying would be gone. Then who would their second branch rely on in the future?
Anyway, the Lian family has figured it out. There is no hope for Xu Deyuan. After injuring his hand, he can no longer pursue a career in politics.
They haven't arrived in Qianzhou yet. Once they settle down in Qianzhou, she will take her three daughters to join Xu Qingying.
But now the relationship between Xu Lezhi and Xu Qingying is so strained, how are they going to get along with Xu Qingying in the future?
Lian's heart hardened, and she quickly made a choice. "Xu Lezhi, do you really think Xu Qingying is good-tempered? Or do you think that even though your father and her are so upset, she hasn't taken action yet because she's afraid of us? No, it's because she doesn't have the time or the energy to deal with you!"
Xu Lezhi puffed out his chest, wiped away his tears, and spoke with pride, "My grandfather is a third-rank official in the court. Even if Xu Qingying earns a few hundred thousand taels, she is at most a merchant. How can she compare with us? Mother is too cowardly-"
"You're confused!" Xu Yinxi couldn't bear to listen any longer. "What status do we have now? We are all phoenixes in distress, worse than chickens. Grandfather alone has five children, and there are more than 30 of our generation. In two years, Grandfather might even forget our names! What's more, there is our legitimate grandmother in charge of our family. Haven't you seen the methods of that legitimate grandmother? As soon as we leave, she will probably cut off our contact with Grandfather, let alone come to help us. Qianzhou is far away, and it takes half a year or a year to send a letter back and forth. If there is really an emergency at home, can you still count on Grandfather's help from thousands of miles away?"
Xu Lezhi had never thought about this before, but when he suddenly heard Xu Yinxi talk about it, he felt a little dazed.
How could that be? She is the granddaughter of the Lian family!
How could it possibly end up like what Xu Yinxi said?!
"Impossible, Grandfather would never abandon us!" Xu Lezhi refused to accept the reality, gritting his teeth and speaking word by word, "Grandfather said that among all the younger generations, he loved me the most——"
Lian was so angry that her face turned pale. "Xu Lezhi, how can you be so confused? Instead of relying on someone far away, it's better to rely on Xu Qingying who is right in front of you!"
"I can never give in to her in this lifetime!" Xu Lezhi cried bitterly, "Dad, Mom, you don't love me at all. Xu Qingying treated me like this, and not only did you not help me get justice, you also forced me to keep quiet. I won't accept it, I won't accept it in my lifetime!"
"You!" Lian raised her hand to slap him, but she never hit him. Facing the pair of tearful eyes, Lian felt that she had to swallow the bitter fruit by herself.
It's all her fault. She knew clearly that Xu Lezhi had such a personality, but she still indulged him.
She thought that with the Xu family's prestige, it didn't matter if Xu Lezhi was a little arrogant.
But now that the Xu family has fallen, only Xu Lezhi refuses to face reality and is still dreaming of returning to Bianjing City to become a lady.
No, she couldn't let Xu Lezhi continue to be so spoiled.
It's time for her to grow up.
Lian didn't slap him in the end. She took a deep breath and put her hand on Xu Lezhi's shoulder. "Lezhi, Xu Qingying is not as simple as you think. She is different from all of us."
"How is it different?" Xu Lezhi racked her brains but couldn't figure it out. Seeing that Lian Shi was not going to hit her anymore, she suppressed her grievances and sobbed twice, "Dad and Mom always tell me not to provoke her, why are you all so afraid of her?"
"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. It was she who mediated your sister's marriage to Huang Yazi, and was able to preserve your sister's reputation. We owe her a big favor for this."
Xu Deyuan and Xu Lezhi were both shocked.
They only knew that Huang Yazi escaped that night and the marriage was called off. Although they vaguely guessed that Xu Qingying was involved, they were really surprised that Lian told them so bluntly.
Xu Deyuan slammed the table and said, "I knew she had something to do with that!"
Lian rolled her eyes at him and said bitterly, "Why, do you still want Yinxi to marry Huang Yazi?"
Xu Deyuan glanced at Xu Yinxi who was standing behind him.
He also knew that since that night, his eldest daughter had never shown any intimacy with him and was obviously deliberately distant. In the end, a gap had arisen between father and daughter.
He used to think that Xu Yinxi was the most well-behaved and obedient among the children, but he didn't expect that she was also a rebellious person.
Xu Deyuan changed the subject, "Third brother only said that Huang Yazi left on his own. I've always wanted to know why Huang Yazi suddenly showed kindness and even went out of his way to explain himself to everyone before leaving. Could it be that Xu Qingying forced him to do this?"
Lian didn't reply, but looked at Xu Deyuan and Xu Lezhi with a flickering gaze, "So... did you meet Huang Yazi later?"
"Nonsense, he's already run away, how can we see him?" Xu Deyuan had just finished saying this, but when he met Lian's meaningful eyes, his mind inexplicably recalled the night when Xu Qingying killed Liu Jieshi.
He was startled, as if someone had grabbed his neck instantly. His breathing quickened. "You mean... he was also killed by Xu Qingying..."
"Also?" Lian immediately caught on to the word and frowned slightly, but Xu Deyuan knew he had slipped up and immediately said, "I'm talking about the refugee who was killed that night. When I saw that girl Xu Qingying killing someone, I couldn't help but feel that this wasn't her first time."
"I heard from Anping that they saw Huang Yazi in Xingyuan Prefecture, but no one has seen him since then." Lian looked at Xu Lezhi and said earnestly, "Lezhi, how do you think Huang Yazi disappeared? Where did he end up?"
Xu Lezhi's face turned pale. Looking at Lian's solemn expression, he blurted out, "Did Xu Qingying kill Huang Yazi?"
Lian said nothing.
But Xu Lezhi's brows were covered with a layer of joy. "Mother, we have caught such a big handle on her, why don't we quickly report it to Zhao Bantou? If Zhao Bantou knew that Xu Qingying dared to kill even the bailiff, he would definitely not let her go! This way, our second branch would not have to do anything, Xu Qingying would be finished on her own!"
Lian shook her head and sighed, "Le Zhi, you think too simply."
Seeing Xu Yinxi and Xu Deyuan looking at her with disappointment, Xu Lezhi gritted her teeth and said, "Did I... say something wrong?"
Xu Yinxi then slowly said, "Why did you think Zhao Bantou didn't care when Huang Yazi went missing? Think about it again, was Zhao Bantou also with you when you entered Xingyuan Mansion that day? Do you really think Zhao Bantou didn't know about this?"
Xu Lezhi gasped, "You mean... Zhao Bantou and the others all know! But why..."
"Idiot, why do you say that?!" The more Xu Deyuan looked at Xu Lezhi, the more stupid she felt. He used to think she was just a cute and innocent little girl, but now she looked so stupid. Even with such a girl, she still wanted to fight with Xu Qingying. It was a joke. "Of course it's because Xu Qingying arranged everything so that Zhao Bantou turned a blind eye to this matter. Believe it or not, even if you go to report Xu Qingying, Zhao Bantou will just turn around and tell Xu Qingying about this! What will happen if you anger Xu Qingying? Think about it yourself!"
Xu Lezhi fell to the ground, his face full of disbelief, "How could this happen..."
"Xu Qingying and the escort are in cahoots. Zhao Qiaonian claims to be an escort, but in reality, he's become her personal guard. Not to mention Ming Xiaoshuang and the others, who follow Xu Qingying's orders. You want to fight Xu Qingying? Tell me, what do you have to fight her? Do you have money or connections? Or do you dare to kill? You've already offended her. Don't be fooled by her calm demeanor, she's a ruthless person!"
Xu Lezhi was in a state of dismay, his lips trembling, and he couldn't speak for a long time.
Lian continued, "Lezhi, there are always people better than you. Xu Qingying is more capable than us. She can make money, win people's hearts, and has the means. None of us can match her. You say you must compete with her, but what's the point? She has connections, money, and power now. If she wants to kill us, it would be as easy as crushing an ant. Do you have to make her your enemy and drag our entire family down with you?"
Xu Lezhi thought about it and realized that she was afraid. Her face was pale and she looked at Xu Deyuan helplessly, "Could it be that she really wants to kill the second wife? How can she be so cruel? We are her closest relatives after all."
"It's too late to know about our closest relatives now! I'm telling you, Xu Qingying is a ruthless person who will never let go of a grudge. If you anger her today, tomorrow morning she'll tell Li Datou that we're not truly submitting, or suggest that we be the vanguard in taking the city. Then you'll have harmed everyone in the Second House!"
Xu Lezhi opened his lips wide, this time he was afraid, "What...what should I do? I don't know...I don't know..."
Seeing Xu Lezhi's panicked face, Xu Yinxi felt sorry for him. "Sixth sister isn't the kind of person who won't let go even if she's right. Just be humble and admit your mistakes, and it will be over. We're all close family members. Even if she doesn't consider the Second House's face, she should still give grandmother's face. We shouldn't let the whole family quarrel like they have a blood feud."
Xu Lezhi was unwilling to bow to Xu Qingying in his heart.
But if she dared to say anything in rebuttal, not only Lian Qiuzhi who loved her, but even her father would probably not let her go.
The situation is stronger than people.
No matter how reluctant she was, she had no choice but to agree with tears in her eyes.
But Xu Qingying's side had already dispersed.
The snow has stopped, the sky and the earth are covered in silver white, and there is a chill in the air.
Xu Qingying, Feng'er, Qian Zhenniang and Xu Meixiao were practicing calligraphy under the fence.
Even after the commotion just now, Xu Qingying's expression remained unchanged. She still took a copy of "Spring and Autumn Annals" to practice calligraphy, while Feng'er and the others took a copy of "Hundred Family Names".
Feng'er had heard their quarrel a long time ago and wanted to rush over to help the girl calm down the situation, but Qian Zhenniang held her back and wouldn't let her move, saying that it was the Xu family's affair and it was not appropriate for them, two outsiders, to interfere, and Xu Qingying should be able to handle it.
When Feng'er heard them disperse, she thought Xu Qingying would not organize everyone to read and practice calligraphy tonight. However, after a while, Xu Meixiao came over to call people.
Feng'er was a little distracted tonight, and she glanced at Xu Qingying from time to time, but she saw that she looked calm, as if she was not affected by the turmoil just now. She felt relieved and admired her.
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