Chapter 57 The Arrogant Third Aunt
“What did my sister-in-law say? How could that be? She used to send me bird’s nest and ginseng every few days, but this time she asked for a few more bolts of brocade, so I won’t be stingy.”
The third aunt scolded angrily, "Useless thing! Can't you talk back to him? I'm not a proper mistress of the manor. Even if the whole manor is cutting expenses, how can you cut them off for a aunt who lives here? I've been feeling weak lately and want to eat some bird's nest to nourish myself, so why can't I? Besides, the water cloud satin I asked for is intended to buy winter clothes for the young masters. Can't you even say that?"
The old woman said cautiously, "I've already told you, but the steward said that even if the young lady wants something, if it's not within her allowance, she'll have to pay for it herself from now on, otherwise she won't get it."
"hateful!"
The third aunt slammed her hand on the table and stood up angrily: "I'm going to ask my sister-in-law why I'm not given what I want."
Third Aunt, accompanied by the old woman, stormed towards Songbai Hall. On the way, she encountered several servants carrying incense, candles, and fruit toward the front courtyard, and only then did she remember that today was the hundred-day memorial for her eldest brother and nephew.
I figured my sister-in-law and the others should be in the front yard by now. I went to Songbai Hall but couldn't find them, so I turned around and walked towards the front yard.
As soon as they arrived at the front yard, they were stopped by Granny Li and her men who were guarding the outer area.
Granny Li, an old servant who had served Madam Ning for a long time, bowed to the Third Aunt and said, "Please wait, Aunt. The ceremony has already begun, so it is inconvenient for you to go over. You might as well stand here and listen."
When the third aunt was blocked, her temper flared up again. She pointed at Li Mama's nose and started cursing: "You old hag, how dare you block my way? I'm not here to participate in the religious ceremony. I have something to ask my sister-in-law. Get out of my way!"
Standing upright and neither humble nor arrogant, Granny Li said, “This old servant dares not block the way for Third Miss, but the masters are performing a ritual right now, and the masters of the manor are chanting sutras and praying for the Great General and the Young General. It is really inappropriate for you to go over at this time. If you are not here to participate in the ritual to pay tribute to the two generals, then please excuse us for the time being.”
The commotion was quite loud, attracting the attention of the servants not far away and the younger generation kneeling at the back of the line. Seeing this, the Third Aunt could only suppress her anger and remain silent.
Fortunately, the ritual was already mostly completed when she arrived, and it ended shortly afterward.
Old Madam Ning was still kneeling there, grieving, when Third Aunt stepped forward.
"Sister-in-law."
While Madam Ning was grieving, she hesitated and turned around upon hearing the sound, only to see her third aunt standing beside her with a stern face.
Thinking she had come to offer incense and kowtow, Old Madam Ning said, "You've come. Quickly offer incense to your elder brother."
The third aunt suppressed her anger and said, "No rush. I came here to ask my sister-in-law why she hasn't sent the bird's nest and water cloud satin I ordered this time. I sent the servant to collect my allowance this morning, but I didn't see it."
Madam Ning was still heartbroken when she heard what she said and didn't react at all.
Yu Qingci heard everything clearly from the side, so she came over and called out to her aunt before saying, "Mother has mentioned this before. The mansion is not as well-off as it was when Father was alive. Each branch of the household has to cut back on expenses. Not to mention Aunt, even my mother rarely gets to use bird's nest these days."
As for the Shuiyun satin, we have it in our storeroom so we don't need to buy any extra. However, it's inappropriate to wear such luxurious clothing during the mourning period, so we didn't bring it out. We hope Aunt will understand.
The third aunt said impatiently, "Niece-in-law, your mother hasn't even spoken yet. What are you doing interrupting, you junior? You've only been in the family for a few days and you're already meddling in the elders' affairs."
"Stop giving me this nonsense. What's wrong with a widow who lives off her family wanting a few bites of bird's nest? In front of my elder brother's memorial tablet, you're just saying, 'Will you give me what I want, or not?'"
The third aunt had a rather loud voice, and her words attracted the attention of several masters nearby.
Only then did Madam Ning understand what her third aunt meant. It turned out that the woman hadn't come to pay respects to her own brother, but rather for a few bites of bird's nest.
Madam Ning was so angry that she almost couldn't stand up.
Yu Qingci's pretty face darkened: "I'll say the same thing in front of my father-in-law's memorial tablet. What my aunt wants is too precious; we can't afford it!"
"you?"
The third aunt was so angry that she couldn't speak, not expecting her niece-in-law to disrespect her in public.
Wei, who was watching the commotion from the side, grinned and said, "I say, auntie, it's not just that the good things in your yard have stopped, our two households have been without them for a long time. Now, our eldest sister-in-law and niece-in-law are the ones who call the shots in our household. If you can really get the eldest sister-in-law to agree to continue getting us bird's nest and shark fin to nourish our bodies, that would be great. We can all benefit from it with you, auntie."
Ma also chimed in happily, "Yes, yes, who can stand eating vegetarian food all the time for the past few months? We should get some good food to nourish ourselves."
Wang, the old lady's maid who was supporting her, couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Madam, please be kind with your words. What family in mourning is thinking about food all day long? The ceremony is only halfway through and it's not the time to talk about this. If you're here to pay respects to the General, please be patient and wait until the ceremony is over."
Standing behind Yu Qingci, Lu Yunchu couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "I thought my aunt was here to pay respects to my father and brother, but I didn't expect her to come to my mother to ask for favors for herself."
Lu Yun Chu's voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for the people around her to hear clearly.
The third aunt's face immediately turned ugly. She had always been domineering in this mansion. Even when her eldest brother was still alive, he never said a harsh word to her, let alone to a junior.
Now that he saw that the girl dared to talk back to him in public, he felt he had lost face. He opened his mouth to teach her a lesson, but his arms were tightly gripped by two hands from behind.
The third aunt turned around angrily, only to see that it was her eldest son, Yang Yong.
At this moment, Yang Yong's face turned bright red. He whispered to his third aunt, "Mother, today is the 100-day memorial for my eldest uncle and cousin Yunqi. There are so many people here, including the master from Taijue Temple. What are you doing? Stop talking and quickly offer incense to my eldest uncle."
Yang Yong had reminded his mother yesterday not to be late for the religious ceremony today, but his mother was late and even questioned his aunt about the distribution of offerings in public. He felt extremely embarrassed.
Before his third aunt could speak, Yang Yong awkwardly said to Madam Ning and the others, "Aunt, cousin and sister-in-law, please don't be offended. My mother didn't mean it that way. She did come to pay respects to my uncle, but she just asked casually when she thought of this matter."
Yu Qingci smiled sarcastically: "So, Third Aunt has come to pay respects, but her attire today seems rather inappropriate."
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