Chapter 42: Miss Fang, the Teacher
Not long after Lian Qiuzhi left, an unexpected guest arrived. Xu Lezhi found her and said arrogantly, "Xu Qingying, the eldest daughter of the Fang family wants to see you. Come with me."
"No." Xu Zhenying ignored Xu Lezhi and sat under the tree, glancing at him sideways. "Also, according to seniority, you should call me Sixth Sister."
"You're only a few days older than me!" Xu Lezhi huffed, somewhat surprised. "The eldest daughter of the Fang family invited you, and you dared not go? Do you believe I'll tell father?"
What's the difference between this damn girl and the little gangster girls in later generations?
Xu Lezhi suddenly called her to go to Fang Ruyu, and she always felt that something was strange.
Xu Lezhi usually liked to contradict her and always said something sarcastic, so why was he suddenly so enthusiastic about asking her to meet the Fang family today?
Xu Zhenying sneered, "The eldest lady of the Fang family invited me, so I have to go. Is that what you mean?"
Xu Lezhi didn't know why, but nodded anyway.
"Why?"
"Why?! The eldest daughter of the Fang family is of noble status. She was personally chosen by the late emperor as the consort of the Second Prince. You are just an exiled criminal. How can you refuse when Miss Fang summons you?"
"Since you're the Second Prince's consort, why are you hanging out with a bunch of criminals like us?" Xu Zhenying asked with a smile, "Do you really want to be Fang Ruyu's maid?"
Xu Lezhi choked up for a moment, then said viciously, "You idiot, don't blame me for not reminding you. The old master of the Fang family has reached the position of a third-rank official, and he has many disciples in the court. He might be reinstated one day. If you don't rush to curry favor with him now, you will never be able to curry favor with him in the future!"
Xu Zhenying smiled faintly. "What good can I get from currying favor with him? Will it help my second uncle get reinstated, or prevent me from going into exile?"
Xu Lezhi snorted coldly, "Didn't you also try to curry favor with Old Madam Fang before? Why are you pretending to be so noble now? So, when Old Madam Fang calls you, you go, but Miss Fang can't call you?"
"Old Madam Fang is old. As a junior, is there anything wrong with me respecting the elders and loving the young?" Xu Zhenying waved her hand impatiently. "Get lost now. If you want to be a maid, go ahead and do it. Don't drag me along."
"You!" Xu Lezhi was so angry that her eyelids twitched. She clutched her chest and said delicately, "Okay, okay, Miss Renfang is kind enough to teach you how to read and learn etiquette, but you are so ungrateful. You are so stubborn! Just be a merchant girl for the rest of your life!"
Xu Lezhi turned around and was about to leave.
Xu Zhenying tilted her head and thought for a moment. She didn't know what she had thought of, but her eyes lit up. She immediately stood up, pulled Xu Lezhi, and put on an eager face. "No, it's just a joke between sisters. I'll go."
Xu Lezhi tried hard to break free from her shackles, but unexpectedly, the girl looked skinny, but in fact she had a lot of strength. She couldn't break free and said angrily: "Let me go - what are you going to do now? Didn't you say you didn't want to go?"
"I've changed my mind. Let's go! I don't dare keep Miss Fang waiting for me."
What's going on here?
Xu Lezhi was panicking, feeling that Xu Qingying was acting strangely, but he couldn't resist her strength and was quickly dragged to Fang Ruyu's room on the second floor of the inn.
Fang Ruyu looked at the two sisters of the Xu family, and Xu Zhenying was also looking at Fang Ruyu.
After a few days of recuperation, Fang Ruyu seemed much better. Although she still couldn't touch the ground, the Fang family had taken care of everything along the way, so she'd rarely suffered any hardship. Even the sisters, Fang Ruyu and Fang Ningmo, who had been kept in seclusion, had broadened their horizons and were no longer confined to their small attic, but now had smiles on their faces.
"Is the Xu family's sister here?" Fang Ruyu greeted her warmly and sat up from the bed.
Seeing that the person had been brought here, Xu Lezhi wished he could go find the young master of the Fang family right away. He bowed and said, "Miss Fang, the person has been brought here. I will leave first."
Fang Ruyu asked, "Sister, aren't you going to stay?"
Xu Lezhi was a little embarrassed. She didn't want to learn anything about women's training or rules anymore. She cursed Fang Ruyu in her heart for being such a know-it-all. She wanted to show off after learning a little bit of knowledge, as if their Xu family had never had a female teacher before.
She forced a smile and said, "Why would I bother Miss Fang? It's late at night and the dew is heavy. I want to quickly collect some firewood to keep Grandma and Mother warm."
"That's very kind." Fang Ruyu seemed to be filled with emotion. "It's hard for Miss Xu Qi to be so filial under such circumstances. You go first... I'll talk to your sixth sister..."
Xu Lezhi couldn't wait to leave.
As I went downstairs, I just saw the figure of the young master of the Fang family passing by the corner of the stairs.
She gestured with her hand and thought with some disgust that the man was indeed a little short and not good-looking enough, and was really not worthy of her.
However, considering that the old man of the Fang family is likely to be reinstated, she is not unwilling to force herself.
Thinking of this, she coughed softly, making her voice a little sharper, "Second Master Fang——"
Unexpectedly, the young master of the Fang family seemed not to hear and walked out. Xu Lezhi stamped his feet, wondering why this man was so dull, and had to chase after him.
"Miss Xu Liu, please take a seat."
Fang Ruyu is worthy of being a girl from aristocratic family. Even when she was in exile, her hair and makeup were still meticulous, and her every frown and smile was very appropriate, neither appearing enthusiastic nor distant.
Xu Qingying sat down without hesitation. Fang Ruyu frowned and thought for a moment, "Miss Xu Liu, every woman must first learn to conduct herself. The only way to conduct herself is to be pure and chaste. Don't move your knees when sitting, and don't shake your skirt when standing. When a girl sits, she should only sit at the front of the seat to appear dignified."
"Oh." Xu Qingying remained unmoved, not even willing to move. "I heard from Seventh Sister that Miss Fang was looking for me?"
Fang Ruyu's beautiful brows frowned slightly.
Most of the girls she had met before were well-educated, and people listened to or acted upon what she said. No one had ever ignored her so blatantly.
She stood there for a moment, staring at Xu Qingying at a loss.
Fortunately, Fang Ningmo stepped forward to help, winked at Fang Ruyu, and said, "Didn't Sister say that she wanted to talk to Miss Xu Liu about that backpack?"
Fang Ningmo knew that her sister was nosy, so she liked to act as a nanny and was even stricter with her sisters than her mother.
She just thought that since Miss Xu Liu could do things like leggings and backpacks, she must be a carefree person who didn't care about worldly matters. If her sister continued to nag those dogmas to her, it would probably make Miss Xu Liu unhappy.
Her original intention was to ask Fang Ruyu not to start by saying something dogmatic, which would only annoy Miss Xu Liu. Only by throwing out some appropriate suggestions could she achieve the desired effect.
Pian Fang Ruyu didn't seem to understand what she meant. Instead, she corrected her sternly, "I'm not talking about the backpack. I'm talking about why Miss Xu Liu insisted on splitting up the family business."
Xu Zhenying was unhappy and frowned, "When did it become the Fang family's turn to make decisions about our Xu family's affairs? Why do we need Miss Fang's consent to split up our Xu family?"
Fang Ruyu was stunned for a moment, then her face turned as red as a cooked shrimp. She bit her teeth lightly and mustered up the courage to speak: "I shouldn't ask about the Xu family's affairs, but Miss Xu Liu is so tactless that I can't stand it, so I want to talk to you. Miss Xu Liu's parents are still alive, and she is a woman. How can she be so rebellious as to ask for a separation? Moreover, Miss Xu Liu's engagement was just broken off not long ago. How can she show off like this? How will you get married in the future, and how will your sisters in the Xu family get married?"
Xu Zhenying was furious when he heard this. He waved his sleeves and instantly knocked the teacup on the table to the ground.
There was a crisp sound, startling the two sisters of the Fang family and making them scream.
Xu Zhenying stood up and said angrily, "What business is it of yours, Miss Fang, whether my daughter from the Xu family gets married or not? If you're so nosy, why don't you go to the village entrance and pick up the manure? You keep talking about getting married, and if you don't know me, you'd think you hate getting married."
Seeing a teapot on the table, Xu Zhenying simply raised her hand and slammed it to the ground, the crackling sound incessant. "It's not your place to lecture me on what I, Xu Qingying, do! I advise Miss Fang to be on her own!"
"You, you, you..." Fang Ruyu was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her fingers trembled. "Are you crazy? I'm trying to teach you with good intentions, but Miss Xu Qi is right. People like you have no respect for the inferior and don't know what's good for you. You're not worth my trouble to teach you! Ning Mo, go and tell Grandmother to come and see who the Sixth Miss she likes is!"
Fang Ningmo saw Xu Zhenying turn around and leave, and he was unable to pull him back. He looked around and could only go to comfort the frightened Fang Ruyu.
Xu Zhenying walked to the door and saw the Fang family's grandmother climbing the stairs, panting and anxious. As soon as she saw her, she grabbed her hand and examined her carefully. "Oh my God, what happened? Why did she throw things? But my eldest granddaughter is being stubborn again? Miss Xu Liu, please bear with me. I will teach her a lesson for you!"
As Old Lady Fang spoke, she pulled her inside. Xu Zhenying finally stopped herself, a smile on her face, completely without any trace of her previous anger. She smiled sheepishly, "Excuse me, Old Lady Fang. I was the one who threw things just now. Miss Fang was kind enough to teach me a lesson, but I didn't know what was good for me and made Miss Fang angry."
But Old Lady Fang wasn't buying it at all. "Don't cover up for her. I know my eldest granddaughter's temper. She used to be like a nun with hair, always preaching. All her brothers and sisters avoided her. It must be her. Now she even dared to throw a cup. Just wait and see how I deal with her today to vent your anger!"
Xu Zhenying hadn't expected Old Lady Fang to defend her so much. She couldn't help but feel a touch of emotion and guilt. She could only pull Old Lady Fang in, coughed softly, and held her down meaningfully, saying, "Don't worry, Old Lady. I was definitely wrong about this. I just lost control of my temper. Please also tell Miss Fang that I was too impatient today and that none of this was my intention. I'll come back tomorrow to apologize."
Old Lady Fang looked into those quiet eyes, as if she suddenly understood something. She let go of her hand, paused for a moment, then waved her hand and said, "It's not a big deal. Although my girl has a rather dull temperament, she doesn't hold grudges. I'll talk to her, and maybe you two can be together happily again tomorrow."
Xu Zhenying's scalp tingled slightly. She felt that she and Fang Ruyu could not get along.
What she hated most in her life was being preached to, especially by Fang Ruyu, a pedantic spokesperson for the dad style who was dedicated to spreading patriarchal ideas into every woman's heart. She was really unable to accept it.
She was patient enough to listen to a few words, which showed that she had a good temper.
Xu Zhenying hurried down the stairs, and sure enough, Lian Qiuzhi was waiting for her there. When Xu Zhenying raised her eyes, she saw that most of the people in the camp were looking at her with curiosity.
Someone asked, "What happened to you two? Why did you start arguing?"
"But did the eldest daughter of the Fang family make you angry?"
"Girl, you should avoid interacting with people like them. They are all spoiled. They even refused to get out of their carriages while on their way to exile. Do they really think they are still some rich lady—"
Xu Zhenying was stunned. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces around her, she was stunned for a moment: How come her popularity has become so good without her realizing it?
Someone else said, "Girl, your leg wrap is really useful. I heard from Han Ruqing in the team that this is a good method. It can protect your legs and prevent mosquito bites. Come and give us some personal guidance later."
Han Ruqing, the Han family member who was expelled?
I don’t see that he has much prestige in the team. Could it be because his surname is Han?
Xu Zhenying responded to a few words one by one, but Lian Qiuzhi couldn't wait to pull her over, and the two of them walked forward all the way until they reached the shadow in the distance.
Lian Qiuzhi barked, "Xu Qingying, are you crazy? Why are you arguing with Miss Fang? Do you know that she's the Fang family's eldest daughter? Old Master Fang has served three generations and has many disciples. She might return to Bianjing City one day. Why would you offend someone like that at this moment?"
Xu Qingying sneered, "What does the reinstatement of his Fang family have to do with our Xu family? Could it be that Old Master Fang can also help our Xu family and get Second Uncle reinstated?"
"You!" Lian Qiuzhi was furious, then looked around with a cautious look, "Don't provoke the Fang family again. If you don't get along with Fang Ruyu, don't meet her--"
"Why? She's bullying me like this, why should I just swallow my anger?"
"You—" Lian Qiuzhi shook her head repeatedly, then warned, "To tell you the truth, your second uncle will be reinstated soon, and we will be back in Bianjing soon. By then, your second uncle and the Fang family's grandfather will serve in the same court. You and Fang Ruyu are having trouble. If you cause trouble for your sisters, I will make sure you don't get away with it!"
"Will Second Uncle be reinstated?!" Xu Zhenying deliberately shouted, but Lian Qiuzhi immediately covered his mouth. "My dear, please keep your voice down. What if someone hears us?"
Xu Zhenying asked happily, "Is what Second Aunt said true? Are we really going back?"
"I'm warning you, don't tell anyone about this." Lian Qiuzhi glared at her. "The night before the incident, I accidentally saw Zhu Guojiu's people coming to see your second uncle. I went in under the guise of serving tea, and I heard them talking about something like the timber case, temporarily avoiding the limelight, and asking our Xu family to suffer for a while—"
"So... our Xu family's exile was fake, and it was deliberately done by Uncle Zhu? But why?"
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