Chapter Fifty-Nine: Encountering a Twist
Seeing that she remained silent, Meng Jinyao did not intend to let her off the hook and asked in a low voice, "If you don't speak, does that mean you admit that she is not your biological mother, so you don't have to be filial to her?"
Gu Xuanyi had never been questioned like this before.
Being questioned, especially with such sharp language, and being in the wrong, made her tears fall even harder. She shook her head vigorously, replying, "No, it's only natural for juniors to be filial to their elders. Whether or not they are one's biological mother, one should be filial to them. Otherwise, it's unfilial."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly, then asked slowly, "By the way, you just said that the old lady wouldn't truly love younger generations who aren't related to her by blood. So you mean the old lady didn't truly love your father and your second uncle either?"
Gu Xuanyi hurriedly shook her head, her voice choked with sobs, "No, no, Grandmother has always been very kind. I spoke without thinking. Third Aunt, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things."
After saying this, her eyes were filled with panic, guilt, and embarrassment. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed softly. She felt that her aunt, who was only a year older than her, was just as frightening as her uncle.
Gu Xuanling looked at Meng Jinyao with eyes full of admiration. Her third aunt was really amazing. As expected of someone who dared to change grooms on the spot after her fiancé ran away from the wedding.
She and Gu Xuanyi had been sisters for over ten years, and this was the first time she had ever seen this older sister cry so sincerely, unlike before when she would pretend to shed a few tears to fool the elders, which would then become her fault. She rarely won when she clashed with this older sister, so she always avoided conflict and private interactions, lest she accidentally suffer the consequences and implicate her stepmother.
Just then, Madam Zhang and Madam Chen, the first wife, were walking over. When they saw them, they were immediately taken aback.
The next moment, when Zhang saw her daughter crying uncontrollably, her face immediately darkened. She strode over and, without even asking what had happened, questioned her without any explanation: "Xuanling, why are you bullying your eldest sister again?" As she spoke, she turned to Chen, who had just arrived, and said irritably, "Second sister-in-law, I've said it before: you, a concubine's daughter, are young but don't know how to behave properly. All you do is bully your sisters. If you don't teach her a lesson this time, she won't just be bullying her own sisters in the future."
Hearing her rebuke, Madam Chen's expression darkened, and she said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, you haven't even found out the truth yet, how do you know it must be Xuanling's fault? What if it's Xuanyi's fault?" After she finished speaking, she gave Gu Xuanyi a sharp look.
Gu Xuanyi felt extremely guilty and hurriedly lowered her head to hide her panic.
“How could it be Xuanyi?” Madam Zhang retorted, then suddenly noticed that her daughter’s palm was broken. She felt a pang of heartache, grabbed her daughter’s hand, and showed her the palm. “Second sister-in-law, look at this. If it were Xuanyi’s fault, would she be injured? She really is a illegitimate daughter who can’t be presented in public. She’s very wild.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen's expression darkened further. As she was also a concubine's daughter, she scoffed, "What do you mean by that, sister-in-law? Does being born out of wedlock mean you're wild and can't be respectable? My elder brother and my husband are both born out of wedlock. Are you implying that they're also unrespectable and wild?"
Zhang paused, then belatedly realized that her husband was born out of wedlock. If she called her niece a daughter who was not worthy of respect, what difference was there between that and calling her husband a son who was not worthy of respect?
Chen, however, refused to let her off the hook and pressed her advantage: "Sister-in-law is an elder, after all. How can you say such things in front of a junior? Aren't you afraid of setting a bad example for the junior?"
Zhang felt a little embarrassed and replied, "I was just anxious. Look at Xuan Yi's hand. Xuan Ling is just wild and bullies Xuan Yi. She's bullied Xuan Yi before, but this time she went too far and drew blood."
Madam Chen glanced at her illegitimate daughter beside her. This illegitimate daughter was usually timid and cowardly, and it was impossible for her to do such a thing. Her sister-in-law was just using this as an excuse to say that she, as a mother, had not disciplined her children well. She shielded her illegitimate daughter behind her and asked, "Are you so sure that Xuanling did it? Maybe Xuanyi fell by herself? Xuanling would never hurt an ant, how could she possibly hurt someone?"
Before she could finish speaking, Gu Xuanling's voice rang out: "Mother, it was...it was me who pushed my older sister."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was struck dumb. Her face stiffened as she turned to look at her illegitimate daughter in disbelief. She had been protecting her, and the girl was actually undermining her? How could there be such a foolish girl? No wonder she was bullied by Gu Xuanyi.
Zhang straightened her back immediately, feeling that she had finally gotten her revenge. She slightly raised her chin, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said righteously, "Second sister-in-law, listen to this. She herself admitted it, proving that I didn't wrong her. I have to say, you really are something. A concubine's daughter is still your child. Don't just focus on educating your own son, Xiu Hong. A concubine's daughter is also a child who calls you 'Mother.' You have really neglected to educate her. This time, she must be severely punished."
Seeing her smug expression, Chen was so angry that she gritted her teeth.
Watching the two women argue, Meng Jinyao realized that like mother, like daughter. Gu Xuanyi's temperament was similar to Zhang's. She said, "Sister-in-law, you don't need to argue about this anymore. I happened to witness the whole thing. Xuanling pushed Xuanyi, but Xuanyi's behavior was bad and her words were rude first."
Only after she finished speaking did Zhang notice her presence. Thinking of what she had said, she hesitated and said, "Xuanyi, how could she possibly be..."
"Sister-in-law, why don't you hear the whole story first?" Meng Jinyao looked at Chunliu and instructed, "Chunliu, tell the First Madam and the Second Madam what just happened."
Chunliu didn't embellish the story; she simply recounted what had just happened, including the conversation between Gu Xuanyi and Gu Xuanling.
The truth of who is right and who is wrong is now clear.
Madam Chen felt a surge of triumph, never expecting such a turn of events. A hint of mockery flashed in her eyes as she chuckled, "Sister-in-law, it seems the one who failed in raising her daughter isn't me, but you. Our Xuanling is filial, personally making pastries for her grandmother and mother. But your Xuanyi not only behaves badly but also speaks rudely, even slandering her grandmother. This child is already fifteen; if she's not disciplined, what will become of her after she marries into another family?"
She paused for a moment, then added, "I think you have to punish her severely this time, sister-in-law. Otherwise, she won't learn her lesson. Mother is getting old. What if she says something like that to her next time and makes her sick? Sigh, what does it mean that you can't truly love someone who isn't your own child? What does it mean that you don't have to be filial to someone who isn't your biological mother? What kind of talk is that?"
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