Chapter 258 Utter Despair
The main gate of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion.
The door was opened just wide enough for one person to pass through. The rag that was stuffed in Sun's mouth was removed by one of the old women, and then she was unceremoniously pushed out by the other two. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, wincing in pain and hissing.
Seeing this, the two old women thought for a moment but decided not to help her up. The lord had said that there was no need to be polite to Madam Sun, and that if she did not cooperate, he would use force. They were just following orders.
Otherwise, if they fail to complete the task, they will be the ones punished.
Even if the young master and the second young lady cause them trouble, they can push the problem to the Earl, since they are just following the Earl's orders.
Sun stood up from the ground, pointed at the two old women, her eyes red and swollen from crying, and glared at them, too angry to utter a complete sentence: "You...you..."
One of the old women said, "Miss Sun, this is all the Lord's order. We are just following orders. If you have any questions, you can go and talk to the Lord."
Miss Sun?
Upon hearing this long-unheard address, Madam Sun was momentarily dazed, and images from more than a decade ago flashed through her mind. Back then, she was still a carefree daughter of the Sun family, her father was still alive, and the Sun family was doing well, unlike their current state of decline.
Because of her pretty appearance, she was admired by many young men back then, including the young man her father had chosen for her who had become the second-highest scholar in the imperial examinations. He was an ordinary-looking scholar from a poor family, but he had the scholarly air that a scholar should have, and his brows also revealed an upright and honest demeanor. He seemed destined to become an honest and upright official, and in fact, he did.
The young man had been invited to the Sun family home by his father. When he saw her, he was stunned for a moment. When he came to his senses, his face turned red. He quickly bowed to her and apologized, stammering, "Miss Sun, I... I was so rude."
What a fine young man!
She looked down on that kind of person back then, but now, when she recalls him, she feels even more that she was terribly wrong. If she had married that person, she would definitely have been happy, but there's no going back.
Seeing that she didn't speak, and not knowing what she was lost in thought about, but not being interested herself, the old woman said, "Miss Sun, we'll leave here. You can go now."
After saying that, the old woman told the gatekeeper to close the door.
Just as the door was about to close, before it was fully shut, another old woman said, "Pah! How old is she? An old woman who's lost her beauty, and you still call her Miss Sun? In my opinion, calling her Aunt Sun would be more appropriate."
The old woman laughed and said, "That's the mother of the second young lady and the young master. We have to give her some face."
The other old woman chuckled and didn't continue the conversation.
Sun stood at the door, staring blankly as the vermilion gate closed. She stood there for a while before turning around, her eyes wandering as she looked at the road ahead. After a moment, she stepped down the steps.
Sun had barely stepped down the stairs when it started to rain. The rain poured down, and in no time she was soaked to the bone.
The late autumn rain was a bit chilly, and her thin, coarse cloth clothes were already soaked through. Sun couldn't help but shiver and quickened her pace. Now, all she wanted was to get home as soon as possible and be her Sun family girl again.
Perhaps it was her strong will to go home that allowed her, despite her frail body, to walk back to the front gate of the Sun family home.
But by the time she gritted her teeth and made it back to the Sun family's door, it was already past midnight. The autumn rain had long since stopped, and only the bleak autumn wind was blowing. She was shivering with cold, and her face was as pale as paper.
Mrs. Sun hugged herself, rubbed her arms, and then went to knock on the door.
A moment later, the gatekeeper came out to check on the gate. When he saw the destitute Sun, he didn't recognize her at first and thought she was some down-on-her-luck refugee. He said irritably, "Who are you? If you're begging for food, get out of here. This isn't a place for beggars!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun immediately became enraged and shouted, "How dare you! Open your dog eyes and take a good look at me! I am the matriarch of the Sun family! Let me in!"
The gatekeeper was taken aback for a moment, then looked her over carefully and realized that she really seemed to be the young lady of the Sun family. He was immediately startled, but since the master had instructed that if the young lady returned, he should not let her in, but should inform the master and madam, he smiled apologetically and said, "It's dark, and my eyesight is not good, so I didn't recognize the young lady. It's really my fault. I apologize to the young lady. I will inform the master and madam. Please wait a moment, young lady."
As soon as he finished speaking, the doorman quickly closed the door and went to inform the gatekeeper.
Looking at the tightly closed gate, Sun was stunned for a moment. She cursed the gatekeeper in her heart for being so clueless. He hadn't even welcomed his aunt home, leaving her out in the cold wind.
Not long after, Sun Zhiyong and Yang came out. They were stunned when they saw Sun. They had seen her in the morning. Although she was not in good spirits, she was at least dressed decently. How come she looked like a refugee now?
When Sun saw her brother and sister-in-law, she couldn't help but shed tears again: "Brother, sister-in-law."
Sun Zhiyong frowned and asked suspiciously, "Why did you come back? And why did you get yourself into this state?"
Sun couldn't hold back her emotions any longer and choked up as she told her brother and sister-in-law how the Meng family had treated her, hoping to get comfort from them.
However, reality often goes against our expectations.
Upon hearing this, Sun Zhiyong and Yang's expressions immediately changed. The couple exchanged a glance and then nodded in tacit agreement. They would be crazy to let their sister, who had been divorced and sent home for committing numerous evils, into their home. The correct course of action would be to sever ties and stop the attacks and gossip.
Therefore, Sun Zhiyong immediately kicked Sun Shi, knocking her to the ground. Before she could react, he began to curse: "You vicious woman! You have done such a wicked thing, how dare you come back? You have disgraced our Sun family. From today onwards, you are no longer a daughter of our Sun family, and our Sun family has no daughter as vicious as you!"
Madam Yang also said angrily, "The girls in our Sun family are all gentle and kind. How could we have such an anomaly as you? With an aunt like you, the reputation of the girls in the family will be damaged. How could you be so vicious? Doing such heinous things."
Sun couldn't believe her ears. She never expected that her brother and sister-in-law, who had always been on good terms with her, would treat her like this, not even letting her into the house and threatening to sever ties with her.
Seeing her like this, Yang suddenly felt a pang of pity. She took out a dozen copper coins and a tael of silver from her purse and stuffed them into her hand, saying rather coldly, "Don't blame your elder brother and sister-in-law for being heartless. Take this and find a place to stay. From now on, we will no longer have any contact with each other. We are no longer your elder brother and sister-in-law. From now on, we are strangers."
The couple didn't want to waste any more words with her, lest the neighbors laugh at them, so they turned around and went inside, instructing the doorman to close the door.
With the gate closing, the Sun family's last lifeline was severed.
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