Zhao Mingzhu saw it but refused to take it. What her mother called good material was just silk, which was considered a low-grade material in the Duke of England's mansion.
"If this is what you're looking for me for, then I'm going back..."
Upon hearing this, Zheng quickly grabbed her and said, "Mingzhu, your father lost all the family money gambling... I, I'm too embarrassed to ask the old lady anymore. She gave me five thousand taels at the beginning of the year. Mingzhu! If mother wasn't desperate, she wouldn't come to you. Your aunts were willing to lend us money before, but now they won't lend us any more... Your grandmother's illness is still lingering!"
Zhao Mingzhu sneered upon hearing this: "Desperate? Then why don't you just take a knife and fight my gambling father? How much money do you think I can have in the Duke of Ying's mansion?" She approached Zheng step by step, "If you gave me a good birth, I would be like the second daughter of the Xie family, admired and respected by everyone wherever I go. I have so much money to give you..."
She remembered Cheng Lang's rejection of her marriage proposal and Xie Yun's contempt for her, and she felt very uncomfortable.
Zheng was bewildered and embarrassed. Seeing Zhao Mingzhu's red eyes, she murmured, "Mingzhu, you...if you're not happy here, I'll go talk to the old lady and ask her to take you back home to stay for a few days." When Mingzhu was first taken away from home, she cried and begged to be taken back. Later, she became increasingly cold towards her family, but became more affectionate with Old Lady Wei.
Zhao Mingzhu couldn't help but yell, "I don't want to go back!"
She didn't want to go back to that dilapidated home in Tongzhou, share a courtyard with her illegitimate sister, or wait until a festival to make a single piece of clothing. She was sickened by the sight of her three worthless brothers, and compared to the elite like Cheng Lang and Luo Shenyuan, she simply couldn't bear to see them for a moment. She accepted the allure of vanity, but she wouldn't let herself be ruined in that kind of place!
Didn't she understand? She didn't want to go back because she didn't want to see that useless family. Her mother was useless too, if she hadn't been so docile. How could her father dare to gamble with the money? He had four concubines at home, and none of his three brothers were worth anything! He was simply living off the land.
She immediately took off the jade bracelet on her wrist, the gold hairpin and earrings on her head, and gave them all to Zheng. "Take them away, don't let grandma see them!"
Zheng held these in her hands and said with trembling lips: "Mingzhu, I am sorry for you..."
Zhao Mingzhu was most annoyed by her timid attitude. She said, "If you really feel sorry for me, don't come to me again!"
Zheng was stunned as she looked at her daughter. She suddenly felt that she didn't know this child at all. She was someone else's child. She must have remembered her wrongly.
Zhao Mingzhu turned and left.
Not far away, Mother Song was helping Old Mrs. Wei out for a walk. They were standing on the veranda and saw all of this.
Mother Song gasped as she watched and said, "You've always been worried that Miss Mingzhu wouldn't be close to her family, so you've always told her to treat them well. You've even sent them gifts during festivals. But they're really clueless... It's just Miss Mingzhu's attitude..."
Old Mrs. Wei stared at Zheng for a long moment. Only after her daughter disappeared did Zheng reluctantly withdraw her gaze. Her figure was slender. She must have worn her newest and finest clothes, as fresh creases still marked her sleeves. She staggered back, clutching the bundle in her arms.
Old Mrs. Wei seemed to think that she had seen it wrong. She had never seen Mingzhu so ferocious. She always thought that she was just a little delicate flower who was kept in front of her and acted coquettishly.
After a long while, she said, "Her family is not well off, and I have spoiled her since she was a child. It's normal for her not to want to go back..."
Mother Song added, "That's true, but being so rude to your own biological mother..." He is indeed not a kind person.
Mrs. Wei was silent for a while, then she said, "Take another three thousand taels of silver and give it to Zheng, and say that Mingzhu gave it to her."
Mother Song bowed and nodded, then went to ask the little maid to pack some money for Zheng.
It is the beginning of April, the time when all the beautiful flowers in the world are gone.
The Duke of England's mansion was also an old one, its courtyard brimming with greenery. Yi Ning was playing with a cockatoo Wei Ling had given her. It was incredibly clumsy, and even after years of teaching it, it still wouldn't speak. It would just tilt its head and look at you, or raise its crest. After several days of teaching, it still couldn't utter a single word. She put the bird feed in a small porcelain dish when the maid announced that her fourth cousin had arrived.
She patted the crumbs off her hands and asked, "Didn't you stay for lunch before leaving?"
The maid shook her head: "I came to report to you, but I left soon..."
Since they didn't stay, there was no need to entertain them. Yi Ning didn't ask any more questions. Seeing Ting'er coming back not far away, she asked Ting'er to come into the house.
I don't know what he was doing outside, his hands were covered in mud. Tingge'er was very reluctant, but Yining held him down and washed his hands. Seeing that his nails were long, she wanted to help him cut them. But he made a face and ran out. Yining was so angry that she called him: "Tingge'er, come back and cut your nails before you leave!"
This child was indeed naughty, and with Wei Ling often staying at the garrison lately, busy with military training, no one had to discipline him. He became even more mischievous. Yi Ning's beatings didn't hurt him, so he wasn't afraid. Furthermore, he was incredibly strong at such a young age, so no one in the mansion dared to mess with him; he was like a little bully.
Yi Ning felt a bit of a headache. Little Cheng Lang was much more well-behaved than him back then! So children are spoiled.
It was even more impossible to count on Old Lady Wei, as she had always been good-tempered and especially kind to her grandchildren. When she saw Ting'er, she would only dote on him.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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