Chapter 458 I'll Take Care of It for You
After resting for a while, Cheng Wanwan led everyone to the lotus pond.
As summer arrives, lotus flowers begin to bloom in large areas, their dark green leaves contrasting beautifully with the pink petals, making them especially lovely in the sunlight.
Several ladies sat down in the pavilion, while the six or seven young ladies went to the boardwalk to admire the lotus flowers up close. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.
At that moment, a red carp leaped out of the water.
The atmosphere was immediately brought to a climax.
"Oh, there are koi in this lake."
"The red koi fish are so beautiful!"
It is said that seeing a koi fish brings good luck. The ladies standing by admiring the lotus flowers were overjoyed, their eyes following the koi fish until it disappeared into the depths of the lotus pond.
Madam Ge glanced up and suddenly said, "No wonder Lady Sui has been promoted one after another; it turns out she keeps koi at home."
These words made Cheng Wanwan feel uncomfortable again.
This seems to imply that her promotion was entirely due to luck, not ability.
Madam Zheng spoke with a hearty smile: "I see there are four or five koi in this lake. Madam Sui, could you share some of your luck with us?"
Cheng Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "Seeing a koi fish is already a sign of good luck. If you forcibly take it away, you might break this good fortune."
This was a polite but firm refusal of Madam Zheng's request.
Although she had plenty of lucky koi fish in her shop, she just didn't want to give them to Madam Zheng, nor did she want to give them to this always sarcastic Madam Ge.
She just wanted to get rid of these two powerful figures as soon as possible.
"Hehehe, Madam Sui is joking." Madam Zheng chuckled dryly. "I didn't say I wanted to catch koi. It's a misunderstanding. This tea tastes really good."
She took a big gulp of tea from the cup.
Madam Ge, however, looked displeased: "I heard that Madam Sui's lotus pond was only dug up last winter, and it's only been half a year. How could such large koi have grown there? In other words, Madam Sui obtained these koi from elsewhere. Why can you catch them, but we can't? What, is Madam Sui unwilling to let us share in her good fortune?"
The atmosphere in the pavilion instantly soured after those words were spoken.
Madam Zheng held her teacup, a hint of contempt flashing in her eyes. So what if she was a seventh-rank lady? She was still crushed without any power to resist.
Cheng Wanwan raised her eyes and met Madam Ge's gaze. Her voice was already very calm: "So, Madam Ge, are you forcibly taking away the koi from the lake?"
"What do you mean by forcing it?" Madam Ge smiled. "I was just asking for Madam Sui's opinion. If I wanted to force it, I would have sent people to fish in the lake long ago."
Their eyes met, neither willing to back down.
One was a seventh-rank lady named Sui, personally appointed by the Emperor, and the other was the wife of a sixth-rank official. To some extent, the seventh-rank lady Sui had a higher status and position, but offending Madam Ge was tantamount to offending a sixth-rank cavalry captain. Although he was a minor official, he had some troops under his command, which was why Madam Ge had the confidence to say such things on Sui's territory.
As the atmosphere became tense, Cheng Wanwan smiled and raised her hand in a gesture of invitation: "Then Madam Ge, please send someone down to the lake to retrieve it. If you find it, I will present it to you with both hands."
Although the other party was rude, she was still willing to back down and didn't want things to get ugly.
But if Madam Ge goes too far, don't blame her for turning on her.
Madam Zheng smiled insincerely and said, "Madam Sui is so generous. In that case, Madam Ge, please don't refuse."
Cheng Wanwan's lips twitched. She was still trying to refuse? When had Madam Ge ever refused? She was always so aggressive. Sigh, it's true that a higher-ranking official can crush you.
I used to think that the seventh rank was pretty good, but now I realize that the official position is still too low. I can't even make decisions in my own territory.
Madam Ge pointed at Wei Hongying and Wei Hongyan and instructed them, "You two girls should know the habits of koi, so hurry up and go into the water to catch the fish."
The two sisters lowered their heads and did not move. They had been serving by her side the whole time, and they could tell that Aunt Zhao was reluctant to give away the koi. They were servants of the Zhao family, so how could they help outsiders to forcibly take things from the Zhao family?
"What, are you trying to disobey my orders?" Madam Ge's face darkened. "I'll say it again, you two, go into the water to catch fish!"
Cheng Wanwan stood up coldly: "When Madam Ge orders my maid to do something, shouldn't she also ask for my opinion first?"
“Madam Sui, your two girls are clearly unruly. You are a peasant woman and don’t know how to discipline girls. Why don’t I take charge of them for you!”
Madam Ge suddenly stood up, walked up to Wei Hongying, raised her hand, and slapped her hard across the face.
Ever since she arrived in Dahe Village, she had been constantly provoked by this Lady Sui, both openly and secretly. No matter what she said, Lady Sui would secretly retort.
Two years ago, after her husband was promoted to a sixth-rank official, she was fawned over by the wives of county magistrates at every banquet she attended. She had never suffered such cold treatment before.
She always felt that this Lady Sui looked down on her.
They looked down on her husband for not getting a promotion in years, and they looked down on her for her dark skin and unremarkable appearance...
Ha, so what if Lady Sui was promoted two ranks? She's still one rank lower than her husband, so she can really step on her.
Madam Ge's eyes were sharp, and she slapped her hand out, creating a gust of wind.
But in mid-air, someone grabbed her wrist.
Cheng Wanwan used all her strength to stop Madam Ge from slapping her.
"Mrs. Ge has gone too far!"
She forcefully shook off Madam Ge's hand.
That usually gentle face was now filled with an icy chill.
"You're just the wife of a sixth-rank official. What right do you have to act so arrogantly in front of me? If you dare to slap me like that, don't blame me for slapping you in the face back. Then it will be your Ge family that loses face!"
"you!"
Madam Ge's face darkened with anger, and she pointed her finger at Cheng Wanwan's nose, her fingertips trembling.
She had never been humiliated like this before.
Cheng Wanwan raised her hand and pressed Madam Ge's finger back down, a smile playing on her lips: "Even if Lord Ge were here, I would still protect those I should protect. Next time, Madam Ge, you should think things through before you act."
Madam Ge clenched her fists tightly.
If it weren't for the last shred of reason holding her back, she would have scratched the face in front of her to pieces.
Cheng Wanwan stopped looking at Madam Ge's furious expression and instead looked at Madam Zheng standing to the side.
Ha, she pretends to be straightforward and generous on the surface, but in reality she's full of schemes and tricks. She's also a master at stirring up trouble. If it weren't for Madam Zheng, things wouldn't have turned out like this today.
"Why is Lady Sui looking at me like that?"
Feeling guilty, Madam Zheng turned her gaze away and quickly walked to Madam Ge's side.
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "You must all be hungry. I'll go check on how lunch is being prepared."
Just as she was about to turn and leave, she saw Lord Wu rushing towards the Lotus Appreciation Pavilion: "Lady Sui, hurry, there's no time left."
Cheng Wanwan asked in surprise, "Lord Wu, what happened?"
Lord Wu always wore casual clothes in the village, but this time he was wearing the court robes of a sixth-rank official and an official hat, looking very imposing.
She pondered for a moment, vaguely understanding what was going on, and nodded as she followed Lord Wu back.
"Is this Lord Wu from the Ministry of Works?" Madam Ge sneered. "No wonder a mere seventh-rank Lady Sui dares to act like this; it turns out she has a sixth-rank official backing her up. Lord Wu lives alone in Dahe Village, while Lady Sui is a widow. These two..."
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