With guests present, she felt awkward asking her daughter directly what had happened at the temple. As the matriarch of the family, she couldn't afford to lose her composure, no matter how anxious she was; proper hospitality was the most basic principle.
“Mother, this is the younger sister I met at Huatuo Temple. Her name is Mo Lan. I’m so grateful to Mo Lan for escorting me all this way. Mother, please arrange a courtyard for her to wash up and rest.” Zhao Ziyun stepped forward, took her mother’s arm, and shook it gently.
"You child, never mind, you must be tired from the journey, you should rest first." Madam Zhao looked at Mo Lan, her mind stirring slightly. A girl who could be addressed as "sister" by her daughter must be someone she greatly admired.
"Miss Mo Lan, you must be tired from your journey. Please go to the guest room with me and rest. I'll make the arrangements and be there shortly." With that, she instructed her capable maid to personally attend to her.
"Thank you, Madam. I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Mo Lan didn't refuse. She knew that Madam Zhao must have a lot of questions to ask her daughter, and she was happy to have some peace and quiet.
Watching Mo Lan leave with the maid, Madam Zhao Er hurriedly pulled the woman back to her residence, Ziya Pavilion. "Explain to Mother what exactly happened. Why did you entrust an outsider to escort her? Where is your aunt?"
"Mother, don't worry, I'm back safely. Here's what happened..."
Sitting in her own room, Zhao Ziyun finally relaxed completely. She took her mother's hand and recounted everything that had happened at Huatuo Temple. Seeing her mother's increasingly dark face, she pouted, a hint of grievance on her face, and then picked up a cup of tea to moisten her throat.
"That's how things are. I'm afraid that if I stay any longer, there will be more trouble, and it will be impossible to guard against everything, so I asked Sister Molan to escort me back to my residence."
"You did the right thing. It's safest to go back to the manor. I'll thank that Miss Mo Lan properly later and ask her to stay a few more days to keep you company. It's rare for you to have such a kind friend."
Speaking of this, Madam Zhao suddenly thought of those indifferent eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. What a cold pair of eyes. Even without speaking, they were impossible to ignore. Such a person must dislike worldly constraints.
She misunderstood.
Zhao Ziyun listened to her mother's promise without thinking much of it. She was exhausted after a long day and ordered someone to bring her water so she could take a bath and rest.
Madam Zhao returned to her courtyard with her trusted maids and servants, her face immediately darkening. "Someone, bring those two useless servants here."
"Yes," the maid replied immediately, seeing that the lady was angry, and left.
Madam Zhao held her teacup, concealing the anger in her eyes. She knew the two old women had turned back halfway; she had originally planned to send two more to serve them in the afternoon, hoping they would arrive before dark. She never imagined it was all the eldest son's doing.
They sent Yun'er's people away, trying to scheme against her—you heartless bastards.
She had been quite tolerant of the first wife's family, always sending them gifts of good things. But since they were so ungrateful and didn't want to save face, she wouldn't hold back.
Since the old man and woman have entrusted the backyard to her, she should make good use of this power to manage the household.
A moment later, the two old women were forced into the hall. Seeing their cowering appearance, Madam Zhao was furious and threw her teacup in front of them.
With a snap, tea leaves and tea crumbs scattered all over the floor.
“How dare you do such a disloyal and ungrateful thing! Drag them away and give each of you forty strokes of the cane. If you die, throw them into a mass grave.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
