bad luck
"Third aunt, you are finally here. How can your niece-in-law make trouble? Isn't it because she is angry with the eldest wife? Please come and judge the situation." When Zou Shuangtong saw Cui Banqin coming, she didn't want her daughter anymore and ran outside the shed to get help.
But Cui Banqin was a person who just wanted to watch the fun and not mind the trouble.
How could I serve as her rescuer...
Cui Banqin raised an eyebrow and glanced at the two rooms facing each other under the shed. He sneered, "Judge? Your county mistress is sitting right there. Why don't you go ask her to judge for you? If you ask the county mistress to judge for you, I don't think anyone would dare to say you're wrong—"
Cui Banqin instigated things with both words and deeds, and had no good intentions at all.
She just wanted to see the younger generations of the first and second houses quarreling with each other, so that she could have some fun instead of having to stay alone in her empty room all day, which would be too boring.
Zou Shuangtong was a little embarrassed. "How could my niece-in-law dare to trouble the county lady with such a small matter..."
But her words were ambiguous. Cui Banqin rolled her eyes at her and said angrily, "Oh, you don't dare to bother your county lady, so you bother me? Bother the old lady? Mrs. Zhisong, you are really capable."
Cui Banqin looked down on Cang Yi and Song Mingyue, so naturally she would not look down on Zou Shuangtong, who was not even a prominent figure in her natal family.
But Zou Shuangtong is shrewd and mercenary, always treating herself as a dish, but looking at the second wife, she is the only one who can inherit Chu Fanghua's mantle.
Zou Shuangtong smiled apologetically upon hearing this, blaming herself for speaking too quickly. "Auntie, Auntie, you misunderstood. That's not what I meant. I meant that the elders are kindhearted and care about the younger generation, and will definitely handle things fairly. No matter how important our county lady is, we are still of the same generation. There are some things that the elders can clearly explain and understand—"
She has already said everything, what else can I say?
Cui Banqin ignored Zou Shuangtong and walked over to the table. The younger generations stood up politely. She looked everyone around, finally landing on Taishi Zheng. Then, smiling, she said, "Don't stand anymore. Sit down."
Song Mingyue pursed her lips. She thought that today was quite unusual. Why didn't this guy give her a lecture like he did before?
Those guys with high eyebrows and low eyes all have the same face.
Song Mingyue refused to accept it and dragged Taishi Zheng down to sit down. Zheng looked back at her, somewhat puzzled, but unable to ask.
After everyone had taken their seats, Cui Banqin spoke to Zou Shuangtong, "Wife Zhisong, you said the eldest wife was mad at you, and asked me to judge for you. But why do I see that everyone else is living in peace? Only you're jumping up and down like that? I don't believe it. With your temper, who could possibly piss you off?"
Cui Banqin really would not be Zou Shuangtong's savior. She was actually adding fuel to the fire and waiting for Zou Shuangtong to complain.
When Zou Shuangtong heard this, she immediately complained about her dissatisfaction and even mentioned how Taishi Zheng had tricked her that day.
But Zheng was unhappy when she heard this.
She looked up at Zou Shuangtong and couldn't help but refute him. "Cousin's wife, don't make up stories. You were the one who wanted to see the things, and you were the one who asked to exchange them. How come you got all the good things and the advantages, and then it's me who's at fault?"
"A good thing? A bargain? It's obvious that you tricked me into falling into the trap. I think you just want to help your sister-in-law bully me." Zou Shuangtong should have been guilty of the crime, but when it came to her, everything was someone else's fault, and she took the blame.
But Zheng was not to be outdone. She said, "There is a god above us. Mrs. Uematsu, you must have evidence for what you say. People should be responsible for what they say. Why don't you go get some evidence and see if what I said to you that day is true or not—"
"As for you saying I was helping my sister-in-law, isn't that just confessing yourself... I think you know the reason behind this. I won't say some things, and you should save some face for yourself."
Zou Shuangtong stared at Taishi Zheng speechlessly. She really didn't expect to be tricked by the person in front of her.
Such a tense situation was met with a pair of smiling eyes from Cui Banqin.
It seemed like she hadn't seen any excitement for a long time. However, this "excitement" was soon interrupted by the shouts of messengers in the distance: "Everyone, the old lady, the first lady, the second lady are here——"
When Cui Banqin heard the old lady had arrived, she immediately stood up from her seat, acting like a filial daughter. She turned around and admonished those around her, "Alright, alright, the old lady is here, don't argue with me. She hasn't been feeling well since the beginning of winter, and she finally found the interest to host a banquet. You younger generations, don't spoil her fun. If you cause her any more trouble, I won't forgive you."
The Third Auntie said this and left without looking back. Tai Shi Zheng had no intention of making a big deal out of this, so she nodded and said, "Yes."
But look at Zou Shuangtong, he was full of dissatisfaction, he reached out and grabbed Xiaoyu and wanted to move away from them.
Unexpectedly, Xiaoyu was happily playing with Cuo Cuo in Zheng's arms. She casually shook off her arms, buried her head in Zheng's chest and ignored her.
Zou Shuangtong almost fainted upon seeing this and started cursing, "Cui Heyu, are you itching for trouble again? Why are you just like your good-for-nothing father, causing me so much worry? Get up, get up right now."
Xiaoyu was so scared that she dodged repeatedly, "No, no. Mom is so fierce, I want the dog, I want my aunt."
Zheng couldn't bear to see Xiaoyu like this, so she said to Zou Shuangtong in a gentle voice, "Mrs. Zhisong, we have a grudge, and I can apologize to you. But you shouldn't make things difficult for the child. Since Xiaoyu wants to stay here, why not let her stay here for a while?"
"Are you thinking of apologizing now? It's too late - my daughter, I can do whatever I want, it's none of your business." Unexpectedly, as soon as Tai Shi Zheng showed weakness, Zou Shuangtong became even more excited and insisted on taking Xiaoyu away.
Song Mingyue didn't indulge her either. She reached out and picked up Xiaoyu, pulling her up with Zou Shuangtong, "Come here, Xiaoyu. Come here. Come to Fourth Auntie."
The three of them got into a fight over the child.
Cang Yi was about to intervene but was stopped by Cui Zhijian. He saw that the eldest son and his wife were actually standing together.
At that moment, someone arrived under the shed before the old lady and her group, and took Xiaoyu away from the quarrel between the three. Xiaoyu saw that this person was not shy, and her eyes even brightened. Zou Shuangtong was stunned and loosened her tightly held hand, saying in surprise, "Big sister..."
Zheng looked over and felt as if time was frozen.
Just look at the person in front of me in the vast snow and wind, emitting a compassionate light, and his lowered eyebrows are as gentle as the sitting Guanyin.
It was a look somewhat similar to that of a saint.
Cui Jianqing.
Such a warm name floated through Zheng's mind.
It was at this moment that the sunlight, which was obscured by haze in the sky, shone softly on her white fox fur.
Cui Jianqing held Xiaoyu in her arms, and slowly stroked her red, frozen face with her fingertips, asking, "Yu'er, do you miss me?"
Xiaoyu lay on her white fox fur and nodded. It seemed that the little girl could calm down quickly as long as she left Zou Shuangtong.
Cui Jianqing received a response, gently touched the back of her head, and said to Zou Shuangtong, "Alright, Mrs. Zhisong, stop arguing. It's not good if the old lady sees you. Since Xiaoyu likes to look after dogs, it won't delay us. Okay, I'll take care of Xiaoyu today. You can sit with me at the table next to Mrs. Zhijun."
For some reason, Zou Shuangtong did not refute Cui Jianqing's words. She just snorted and sat on the other side of the table.
Then, meeting Taishi Zheng's gaze, Cui Jianqing nodded and smiled, then turned around and sat down with Xiaoyu in his arms. He said nothing more.
At this time, the third aunt finally followed the old lady and came to sit under the shed opposite the younger generations.
In this way, the Kuaixue Banquet, which had been "lively" for half a while, finally began.
In front of the desk, Cang Yi had quietly moved to Cui Zhijian's side, so Song Mingyue had no choice but to sit in the first row where she least wanted to sit, drinking tea and chatting with Tai Shi Zheng.
Song Mingyue grabbed a handful of hazelnuts and placed them in front of her. She glanced around at the people who were pretending to greet her, and couldn't help but mutter, "Second sister-in-law, just look at this. This is why I don't like to get involved with them. Not only are they all troublesome, but they always can't stand seeing others get ahead. Take that Zhisong wife just now. I've disliked her for a long time, but she's the best at flattering. When the old lady is at home, besides our eldest brother, the eldest grandson, she's the one who's spoiled the most. The old lady really loves to hear nice things, and I can't learn that."
"That's her strength. I can't learn it." Zheng tied the dog leash to her wrist, and Cuo Cuo played around beside her.
She scooped up her hot tea and listened to the string music played by the Bo family, lost in thought. The elders in the pavilion across from her were quite boisterous, while the younger generations sitting around seemed rather dull.
Zheng watched the snow outside the tent begin to subside, and silently thought of Cui Zhijun. But after a few seconds, she shook her head again, and just told herself why she was thinking about him...
Song Mingyue was also bored.
She turned her head to look at Taishi Zheng and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, do you want to hear about the Zou couple?"
"You know that too!" Zheng was amazed and even burned her mouth with tea, but Song Mingyue smirked, "Of course!"
Zheng wanted to listen but felt uncomfortable.
But she still half-heartedly approached Song Mingyue. Song Mingyue quickly leaned close to her ear and spoke, "Let me tell you, before Zhisong became a military inspector in Kaifeng Prefecture, he worked as a police officer in the Jingji County Government Office in Bianjing. He was originally a playboy. Even though Zou was three years older than him, he saw that she was pretty and flirted with her quite a bit."
"At first, Zou didn't know that Zhisong was a servant of our uncle's mansion. She thought he was just a small servant. She didn't want to interact with him much, but she didn't refuse him either. So she kept him hanging. It wasn't until my second aunt brought people to visit him one day that Zou learned of Zhisong's identity."
"Guess what happened? They'd been in an ambiguous relationship for over half a year, and it all came together that very day. Uematsu even came back on the third day and insisted on marrying Zou. What do you think of Zou? Is she interesting..."
"Ah?" Zheng felt unbelievable as she listened to Song Mingyue's narration.
How could this Cui family have so many stories? It made her and Cui Zhijun seem ordinary, even incompatible.
After saying this, Song Mingyue slowly left Tai Shi Zheng's side, but as soon as they separated, she was frightened by Cui Jianqing.
"Big...Big sister, what's the matter?"
It was really funny to see Zheng and Song Mingyue looking so guilty.
But Cui Jianqing didn't say anything. She only asked the two of them, "Wife Zhijun, Wife Zhichou. Wife Zhisong and I are going to pay our respects to the old lady. If you have nothing to do, could you watch the child for us? We'll be here soon."
As soon as the words fell, Taishi Zheng immediately opened her arms, ready to welcome the sweet and soft little girl. The smile on her brows never faded from that moment on, "No problem, big sister. You go ahead. Come, Xiaoyu, let auntie hug you~"
Just like that, Xiaoyu went from one warm embrace to another. Zheng hugged Xiaoyu's neck tightly, watching Cui Jianqing and the others pass by, she was extremely happy, "Our Xiaoyu is so cute, white and tender, like a little rabbit! Come over here, let Xiaoyu touch her."
Just looking at her like that made Song Mingyue laugh repeatedly: "Second sister-in-law, how could I not see that you like children so much? Then why don't you and second brother have one? I think if the child you two have is born, no matter who it is, it will look good. Then I will have something to play with."
Zheng felt a little shy when she heard this. She turned her head to look at Song Mingyue and asked, "We've only been married for a month, so it's a little early to talk about this. But what about you, Mingyue? You don't seem to dislike children, so why don't you ask the third child for one?"
Upon hearing this, Song Mingyue immediately shook her head, "With Cui Lao San? Forget it. What would I do if I gave birth to another idiot exactly like him? Would I even be able to live? That idiot doesn't look like my second brother. If I had a husband as outstanding as my second brother, you don't need to tell me, I would definitely give birth to more children."
Song Mingyue was clearly being stubborn. At that time, Cui Zhichou cursed her to be childless, and she was the most anxious. But they had done that a lot, and she couldn't get pregnant.
Song Mingyue couldn't just go and seek medical help with a big announcement. After all, her sister-in-law and her husband weren't worried yet, so why would she be so anxious? It would make it seem like she really wanted to have a child with that idiot Cui Zhichou.
As they were talking, Cuo Cuo crawled into Xiao Yu's arms and lay down. The picture of a big dog, a small dog and a dog stacked together was really heartwarming.
Zheng gently rested her chin on Xiaoyu's head and replied to Song Mingyue, "Mingyue, you always say that the third brother is stupid, but I think among the brothers, the third brother is the most obedient and the most family-oriented. This is actually quite good. Besides, the third brother is not stupid at all, he is just a little naive."
Yes, it’s very good.
But Song Mingyue's words were harder than her life. She would not admit even a single thing about these things that she knew in her heart. "What's good about that? I wish he would stop bothering me all day so I could have some peace and quiet."
"Quiet? Song Laoliu, you are so quiet——"
Zheng saw that she was being hypocritical, but she smiled and didn't point it out. It seemed that Song Mingyue loved him more than Cui Zhichou.
Song Mingyue was afraid of revealing the truth if she said too much, so she didn't continue the conversation.
Zheng then turned her gaze to the shed across from her and said to Song Mingyue, "Should we go over and say hello as well?"
Song Mingyue followed and looked over, then immediately denied it, "Go over and say hello? What hello? If you go over now, they'll either ask you about this or urge you about that. At the end of the conversation, they'll suddenly remember your faults and start ridiculing you. I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong with not going over. Just sit back and relax. Look at the county lady. When has she ever moved?"
Zheng nodded and felt that what Song Mingyue said made sense. Since she had been the daughter-in-law of this family for a longer time, it would be right to listen to her.
But just as they were clinking their glasses in triumph, ready to enjoy the first break of the snow, Cui Jianqing's loud voice came from the shed opposite: "Wife Zhijun, Wife Zhichou. Come here, the old lady is calling you."
As soon as these words were spoken, the smiles of the two sisters-in-law froze instantly.
Song Mingyue's hand holding the cup trembled slightly. She gritted her teeth and said to Tai Shi Zheng, "Look, look, look, I told you not to sit too far forward..."
Zheng Yi gritted her teeth and replied, "What should we do now? We're not the only ones so unlucky..."
But while the two were stunned, Yu Yuelan urged them from the other end, "What are you two standing there for! Didn't you hear your eldest sister say that the old lady is calling you? Come here quickly."
The mother-in-law's voice was so urgent that it frightened the two unfortunate sisters-in-law. They quickly stood up and greeted her with a smile. They only said, "Hey, hey, we'll come right away--"
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