Chapter 164 We're so close!
As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.
The third concubine didn't realize that she was being talked about and was still being affectionate with her youngest daughter until Mrs. Wei said, "Su Su, how could you say such things? It would make Zhen Zhen very sad."
She suddenly realized what was happening.
That sentence refers to her, that 'wild child,' referring to their family's Mao Mao.
The third concubine's eyelids twitched, and her eyebrows immediately stood up.
"Qin Susu, can't you speak properly? If you can't, you can donate your mouth." The third concubine glared angrily. "Our Maomao is the darling of the Marshal's mansion. I went through so much trouble to bring her out here. You spoke so rudely and hurt Maomao's feelings. What if she doesn't want to come out with me next time? Can you afford to compensate her?"
Hearing her own name, Mao Mao looked up in confusion: "Fourth Mama?"
The third concubine quickly covered her ears, saying, "Mao Mao, be good. She's saying nasty things. We won't listen to her. It'll only offend your ears."
Mao Mao obediently replied, "Okay."
Everyone: "..."
Is this the key point?
That was clearly a sarcastic jab at Qin Zhenzhen! What does it have to do with that child?
Even Qin Susu, who had just spoken, was momentarily speechless, unsure how to continue what she had prepared.
After a long pause, she finally said, "Where did you pick up your daughter from?"
"What does 'found' mean?"
The third concubine affectionately hugged her youngest daughter: "This is my own daughter, a gift from God."
Qin Susu: "Qin Zhenzhen, have you lost your mind? Where did you come from to have such a big daughter?"
"What's wrong?" Third Aunt said proudly, "Mao Mao calls me Mom, so she's my daughter."
Even if you gave birth yourself, you might not be able to have such a cute baby.
Qin Susu was astonished by her reaction, and then sneered repeatedly. She turned to the others and mocked, "Look at her, she's really gone mad. She treats any child she doesn't know as a treasure."
The others looked at each other but didn't say anything.
Someone advised, "Mrs. Qian, please stop talking."
"Yeah, isn't this hitting the nail on the head?"
Qin Susu insisted on speaking anyway.
She was used to competing with her cousin, always wanting to be better at everything. Having just lost so much money to the third wife, she couldn't swallow her anger until she got her revenge.
She turned around and, feigning concern, advised, "Qin Zhenzhen, I'm your cousin, so I'm just offering you some friendly advice. Since you like children so much, why don't you have one yourself? Look at my two children, how successful they are."
This is what makes Qin Susu so proud.
She married earlier than her cousin. Although her husband's family was not as prominent as the warlord's, she was the principal wife and had two children. Those two children were her pride and an advantage that her cousin, who was a concubine in the warlord's mansion, could never match.
Everyone knew that although the four young masters of the Lou family were all outstanding individuals, they were all born to the first wife. Of the four concubines, only the newly arrived fourth concubine brought a child from outside.
The third concubine, unfazed, looked on with astonishment: "Promising? Last time I went home for the New Year, I heard they made the schoolteacher sick with anger? The teacher would rather pay compensation than teach?"
Qin Susu: "..."
Others glanced over, seemingly casually.
"Worried about me?" The third concubine looked at her with a half-smile: "Qin Susu, I am your cousin, and I'd like to give you some advice. You can tell what a person will be like when they are three years old. If you are not taught well when they are young, they will only cause trouble when they grow up."
Not all children are as outstanding as the four young masters in their family. Most are mediocre, and the worst ones often cause trouble and give people headaches.
Like the eldest son of the Zhang family, the president of the Haicheng Chamber of Commerce.
She even dared to kidnap her own younger brother!
In the end, he still got shot.
“Unlike our Mao Mao.” Third Aunt affectionately cupped her little girl’s face and rubbed it. “Our Mao Mao is so well-behaved and obedient. When she eats something delicious, she knows to share it with her mother. How thoughtful she is.”
Mao Mao was tickled by the rubbing and giggled non-stop, reaching out her little hands to hug her affectionately: "Hello, Fourth Auntie."
"We're fine with Mao Mao too~"
Look at that mother and daughter, clinging to each other so affectionately, they couldn't be more intimate.
Qin Susu wanted to say something more, but Mrs. Wei interrupted her first: "It's getting late. I'll go tell the kitchen to make lunch. You all have to stay and eat."
"What are you doing?" The third concubine patted her heavy little handbag. "We agreed on Yuexian Restaurant, it's on me, let's go."
She won so much money that she didn't hold back with anyone.
The group headed from the Wei family home to the Yuexian Hotel. Mrs. Wei lagged behind and, after everyone else had left, pulled her aside and whispered to her, "Zhenzhen, don't take your sister's words to heart."
The third concubine said nonchalantly, "Who would care about what she says?"
Those words might have stung others, but to the Third Concubine, they were like a feather tickling her, and she didn't even blink.
Unlike the first wife, she didn't treat her nephews like sons.
The four young masters in their family were all well-cared for by the first wife; each one was outstanding and loyal. If anything were to happen to her, they would never abandon her. The warlord and his wife treated all the concubines well, and Old Madam Lou, though cold on the outside, was warm-hearted. These were the reasons for her confidence.
Everyone says that the Marshal's Mansion is a place of great power and hidden dangers, a place that devours people without spitting out their bones, and that life there must be difficult.
But only the family knows what's really going on inside. Now that they have Mao Mao, things are getting better and better.
She wouldn't tell outsiders about these benefits.
What if word gets out and people start eyeing her daughter? It's already difficult enough that she has to compete with Xia Xiaoxiang for Mao Mao's attention.
Having won money and achieved a great victory, the third concubine, holding her daughter's hand, swayed all the way to the Moon Fairy Restaurant.
Even Qin Susu was not left out when they entered the restaurant.
The third concubine ordered a private room and a table full of delicious dishes.
After ordering and returning to their seats, Qin Susu began to show off at the table.
She was showing off a gemstone necklace, the jewels at the bottom sparkling as they rested around her neck.
“This was a gift from my husband.” Qin Susu pretended to be annoyed, but a smile kept spreading across her face. “A few days ago, when he came home, he suddenly wanted to give me a surprise. I thought it was something else… but it turned out to be jewelry again. I already have several necklaces like this.”
Others complimented, "Mrs. Qian, you and your husband have such a good relationship."
"Yes, you're really generous."
The Qian family is in the medicinal herb business, with over a dozen pharmacies. Qin Susu married the second young master of the Qian family. Although the family business is managed by the eldest son's branch, they still live a comfortable life thanks to the family's legacy.
Qin Susu said modestly, "I don't expect him to be very ambitious. With my father supporting me, it's enough that he has the heart to treat me well."
Her gaze then drifted almost imperceptibly towards the third concubine: "Although our master is not very capable, at least he is honest and upright, unlike other families where there are too many people in the backyard and they can't live in peace."
How could the third concubine not notice her gaze?
The third concubine smoothed her curly hair, revealing sparkling gemstone earrings, and the pigeon-egg-sized gemstones on her fingers shone brightly.
It was a size bigger than the one on Qin Susu's neck.
She said with a forced smile, "Yes, some people are narrow-minded and treat every little thing like a treasure. But there's nothing we can do about it; they're just not capable enough to afford something bigger."
Qin Susu sneered: "You probably wouldn't understand this unique sentiment."
"Really? My husband always buys me several portions, saying that one portion is too little and too meager."
"..."
After the third concubine finished speaking, she turned around and saw Mao Mao standing on a chair, leaning against the window of the private room, her chubby chin resting on her little hand, looking out with great interest, her eyes glued to the view.
"Mao Mao, what are you looking at?"
Mao Mao turned around at the sound, "Fourth Auntie." She pointed to a spot not far away, "There, a few uncles are playing."
The third concubine asked in bewilderment, "What uncle?"
She looked in the direction her little finger was pointing and saw several men beating a man in an alley. The man on the ground was covering his head, his long robe covered in mud, looking quite disheveled.
Looking at the sign next door, it's a gambling den!
The third concubine quickly covered the little girl's eyes, saying, "You can't look."
"hold head high?"
"That's not playing around, it's... um?"
The third concubine rubbed her eyes and stared intently in that direction.
From between the legs of several men, the man who was holding his head revealed his disheveled appearance. He looked somewhat familiar, but his face was half-hidden and half-concealed, so it was not easy to see clearly.
The third concubine looked at her suspiciously several more times.
"this……"
The third concubine hesitated.
Those around her noticed her gaze as she looked out the window for quite a while, so they curiously came over and asked, "Zhenzhen, what are you looking at... Ah!"
She gasped, then suddenly covered her mouth, stared wide-eyed at Qin Susu, and then turned back to look at her in alarm.
Qin Susu was completely confused: "What's wrong?"
Third concubine: "...Why don't you come and see for yourself?"
Another person nearby blurted out, "Mrs. Qian, isn't that your husband, the one being beaten down there?"
"What?!"
"Who's getting beaten up?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly gathered around and went to the window to look.
Qin Susu, in particular, rushed to the front when she heard her husband's name.
Most of the people present had seen what Master Qian looked like before. Some didn't recognize him immediately, but they did see Mrs. Qian's expression.
She cried out in surprise, "Master!" and hurriedly pushed through the crowd, stumbling out of the private room.
Hearing the hurried footsteps fade into the distance, the group exchanged glances, considerately closed the window, and didn't look any further.
After a moment of silence, someone whispered, "Is that the second son of the Qian family?"
"How could it be fake?"
"Did he come from a gambling den?"
"Those guys do seem to be thugs from the gambling den."
"..."
The scene fell silent for a moment.
The silence in the room was broken only when a waiter brought in a tray and the aroma that followed.
"Come on, everyone, eat."
"The fish at Yuexian Restaurant is absolutely delicious. We're only here today because of Zhenzhen."
The third concubine pursed her lips and looked down at Mao Mao, whose mouth was glistening as she gazed at the dishes.
After watching the play, the little girl's attention was completely drawn to the big fish on the table, and she grabbed the spoon, eager to try it out.
Honestly, she was just showing off her daughter and trying to save face.
I absolutely did not intend to see other people's family affairs become a laughing stock.
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