Xin He smiled and shook her head: "Let’s go see the farmland over there first."
"Yes." The two replied, and immediately followed along.
However, Xin He had only taken a few steps when her facial expression changed abruptly, and she quickly pulled Shulan and Xiaoyu to the side to evade something.
They barely managed to dodge a horse carriage which rushed towards them. Shulan was so frightened that her face turned instantly pale. She looked at the rapidly passing carriage and felt a sudden chill, thinking that if they hadn’t stepped aside just then, they would have either been struck dead or trampled by the horse’s hooves!
The carriage came to a sudden halt. The coachman was the first to hop down from the carriage in a hurry to get the footstool. After that, two maids also descended from the carriage – one respectfully raised the carriage curtain, while the other assisted the person inside the carriage to descend. They seemed to be very well disciplined.
A woman, lavishly dressed in gold and silver, strutted out from the carriage. She provocatively curled her lips into a derisive smile. Despite putting on airs, she had lost much of her former rustic demeanor. Yet, once she started speaking, her shrill and piercing voice was just like before – grating and scathing.
"Oh! I was careless and almost had someone run over by this carriage. Who would have thought it was you? When did you return? Didn’t you go chasing after the husband who abandoned you?" Ji Xiulan said, feigning laughter behind her handkerchief.
Xin He’s expression quickly turned cold: "What a coincidence, Ji Xiulan. It’s been a while, and you seem to have grown quite audacious."
Ji Xiulan’s eyes flickered. She was reminded of Xin He’s past tactics which instilled a trace of fear in her heart. However, considering her current status, she couldn’t help feeling haughty. Furthermore, she had always harbored resentment towards Xin He. Now that the tables had turned, how could she let Xin He off easily?
"What do you mean by audacious? My carriage almost collided with you by accident, and you’re being ridiculously petty. Are you going to hold a grudge against me for this?" Ji Xiulan coldly huffed.
One of her little maids immediately came to her defense in a bullying manner: "Do you know who she is? This is the Ninth Madam of the Sun Family! How audacious of you to be so disrespectful!"
Xin He raised an eyebrow: "Even if I am disrespectful, what can a servant like you do to me?"
The little maid had initially thought that Yangluo Bay was a remote and uncivilized countryside region inhabited mostly by farmers and countryside bumpkins. So what was there to fear? Couldn’t she scold at will?
This was her first time following Ji Xiulan back to her rural maternal home. Along the way, she had thrown her weight around quite a bit and everyone seemed to fear her. After a while, she became complacent and let her guard down. She was not prepared for Xin He’s unorthodox response and her face instantly changed color.
"You..." The little maid originally wanted to retort, but under the intimidating aura of Xin He, her words were stifled. She looked towards Ji Xiulan in fear.
Ji Xiulan glared at her fiercely and reprimanded: "Useless creature!"
Xin He’s brows furrowed slightly. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun: "The sun is especially harsh today. By noon, I fear it will become even more unbearable."
Shulan quickly took out an umbrella to shade her: "Madam."
Ji Xiulan initially wanted to flaunt her current prestige and superiority to Xin He. However, she suddenly remembered that Xin He was also quite well-off. Whatever she had, Xin He was not lacking!
This made Ji Xiulan feel increasingly uneasy.
Xin He had no interest in wasting time with a character like Ji Xiulan. After all, Ji Xiulan was just a clown, and such a woman was certainly not worthy of her attention.
As Shulan held up the umbrella, Xin He turned to leave.
Ji Xiulan mockingly said: "Don’t think that just because you opened a small shop, you’re something special. In the eyes of our Sun family, your little business is insignificant."
Her little maid immediately chimed in to flatter her: "That’s right! Our Sun family is one of the wealthiest families in Lian’an Town. We own an entire street worth of shops! Ordinary merchants will never be able to compare with us!"
Xin He gave a soft chuckle: "So powerful?"
Ji Xiulan, unable to detect the irony in Xin He’s tone, became even more smug: "Of course, I’ve seen plenty of small businessmen like you. Every one of them eagerly seeks our Sun family’s aid. Do you really think you amount to something?"
The irony in Xin He’s smile deepened: "Seeking the Sun family’s aid is not the same as seeking help from a concubine like you. What do you have to gloat about?"
Ji Xiulan’s face suddenly darkened. She glared at Xin He: "You!"
Xin He shook her head: "Ji Xiulan, I don’t have the time to waste on you right now. You’d better know your place and avoid provoking me, or else the consequences will be dire – don’t blame me in the end."
As Xin He spoke, a cold gleam flickered in her eyes. She bared her sharp little teeth: "I seem to recall that about half a year ago, before I left this place, I taught your mother a lesson. At that time, I forgot about you... Perhaps now is a good opportunity."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiulan shivered. She remembered how Xin He, dressed in a stunning bridal dress, had throttled Lady Ding. Despite being incredibly beautiful, her eyes showed the coldest of intents. She was indeed a venomous beauty.
She had witnessed Xin He’s tactics before; a taste she definitely didn’t want to experience in her lifetime! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Ji Xiulan glared at her spineless maids who stood behind her, filled with rage. After giving them a fierce glance, she turned to leave in annoyance: "Let’s go."
Seeing Ji Xiulan’s hasty retreat, her figure disappearing into the carriage accompanied by her maids – Shulan couldn’t help saying: "I thought she was so formidable from the way she was putting on airs. She scolded her maids for being useless, but after being rebuked by Madam, she herself turned so worse off. Does she really differ from her maids?"
Xin He curled the corners of her mouth, a trace of sarcasm visible: "She’s no different from those maids."
A concubine, when addressed politely, is called ’Ninth Madam’. But bluntly put, she’s simply a servant with a slightly higher status. Even if she gives birth to a child, the child cannot call her mother.
This is why even the impoverished families in the rural areas, who value integrity, would rather stay poor than allow their daughters to become concubines. After all, it’s quite disgraceful.
Only someone like Ji Xiulan would treasure such a role.
Xin He watched as Ji Xiulan climbed into the carriage, and as the coachman cracked his whip, the carriage prepared to speed away.
But Xin He remained standing in the same spot, her gaze fixed on the carriage.
Xiaoyu asked, "Madam, why are we not leaving? The sun is getting stronger. If we stay here much longer, I’m afraid you might suffer from a heatstroke."
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