"The Zhang family?"
Sun was focused on playing mahjong and didn't realize it at first. It was only after the maids reminded her that she realized it was Zhang Cuiya's Zhang family.
The old lady's face instantly showed displeasure, and she said with disdain, "Why is this never going to end? We haven't even held her accountable, and she still has the nerve to come to our door. Her shamelessness is unheard of!"
She sighed, then looked at Lu Baichuan, who was sitting behind He Jiuniang, with dissatisfaction and questioned, "Third brother, why are you causing trouble for the family during the New Year!"
Lu Baichuan: ...
He's innocent too!
But he didn't dare to argue back, knowing that if he spoke up, he would be attacked by the crowd.
In my mother's eyes, he's always the one who's wrong.
He Jiuniang didn't speak up for him either; this man really only caused her trouble.
"If you don't want to see them, let them go. It's so cold outside, seeing them will ruin your appetite."
Sun spoke nonchalantly. Back in her hometown, she was a notorious shrew. Now that she had a son who was an official, she wanted to act more like a sophisticated lady and didn't bother arguing with the Zhang family.
He Jiuniang, however, did not think so, and said lazily, "Since they're all here, we should naturally meet them, otherwise we'll miss a great show. But we can't let them see us so easily."
Then she asked the maid, "Did the other party say what they came for?"
"They said they came to apologize."
"Alright, let's see if they're sincere or not. Let them wait and see."
It was snowing outside, and He Jiuniang was deliberately making things difficult for the mother and son. They were almost frozen solid at the Lu family's doorstep.
The two women harbored resentment, knowing it was definitely that jealous woman from the Lu family targeting them, but they dared not say much. Zhang Li had already instructed Zhang Cuiya last night, and given the current unfavorable situation, they could only keep a low profile and prevent others from finding fault with them.
Zhang Cuiya thought her mother was right, and even though she was about to freeze into an icicle, she gritted her teeth and endured it.
After He Jiuniang patiently played five or six rounds with Sun Shi, she finally stretched, stood up, gave her seat to Lianhua, and said, "You guys play, I'm going to watch the show."
The group actually wanted to go, but they knew that if they went with them, the mother and daughter would definitely seize the opportunity to make their move, so they held back and let He Jiuniang go out to handle the situation alone.
Before the Zhang mother and daughter lost consciousness from the cold, the Lu family's gate finally opened. However, Zhang Cuiya did not see the figure she longed for; instead, it was He Jiuniang, that jealous woman, who came out.
Upon seeing He Jiuniang, her gaze darkened. This woman was too beautiful, which made her feel pressured. Although she thought she was not bad either, she always unconsciously felt that He Jiuniang overshadowed her.
Zhang Li was stunned when she saw He Jiu Niang. She thought He Jiu Niang was an ordinary peasant woman, but she didn't expect her to be so beautiful.
However, she quickly stopped worrying about it. She felt that her daughter's youth was her greatest asset. Men all like young and fresh women. Even if He Jiuniang was very beautiful, Lu Baichuan would definitely get tired of her. This was her daughter's chance.
"lady……"
As soon as Zhang Cuiya saw He Jiuniang, she immediately started to cry, looking extremely aggrieved.
She cried, and then she knelt down. She looked so pitiful.
If it were anyone else, they would have made them get up long ago. After all, this is outside, and if someone sees them, it will seriously damage their reputation.
But He Jiuniang didn't care about any of this. She didn't react when they knelt down, and even acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Speak, what business do you have with me?"
Her face was stern, her expression haughty, and her eyes glanced at the two kneeling figures with a hint of disdain.
“Having learned that my Cuiya offended you yesterday, I, your humble wife, have brought her here today to apologize. I beg you to forgive her, considering her young age.”
The moment she opened her mouth, she said that her Cuiya was too young. He Jiuniang twitched the corners of her mouth. She was only twenty years old this year, okay?
She said "Oh," and asked, "Since it's an apology, what gift did you bring?"
These words completely stunned the mother and daughter. The Lu family is so rich, why would they covet their meager possessions? How shameless!
Fortunately, Madam Zhang was quick-witted. She pushed Zhang Cuiya forward and said with a forced smile, "We are a poor family and don't have anything valuable to offer. This brat has caused trouble, so let her make up for it herself. Madam can keep her by her side to serve her, order her to serve tea and water, do laundry and cook, and let her pay the price for her mistakes!"
Her face was full of righteous indignation, as if she genuinely wanted to apologize.
He Jiuniang couldn't help but laugh, and said sarcastically, "Do I look stupid? In other words, do you think you're very smart?"
Zhang Li was stunned for a moment, realizing that He Jiuniang was not so easily fooled.
"Madam, you've misunderstood. We truly wish to apologize!"
She seemed a little anxious, afraid that He Jiuniang had wronged them.
If this charge is actually proven, they'll really look bad.
"Fine, since you refuse to admit it, why don't we invite others to judge and see if you really want to apologize or if you have ulterior motives?"
As He Jiuniang spoke, she looked around. It was snowing today, and there were hardly any people around. She thought she would knock on doors to invite people to come and eat melons.
Zhang Cuiya wanted to stop it, but Zhang Lishi held her back. She thought that having more people would be fine too. If things got out of hand, the Lu family wouldn't be able to refuse to take her daughter in. Maybe those people could even become her daughter's help.
Although Zhang Cuiya didn't guess what her mother was planning, she knew her mother would never harm her, so she remained silent.
Before long, a large crowd gathered around, mostly women, some of whom worked in the Lu family's workshop and others who did not.
To ensure they had a good experience eating melon seeds, He Jiuniang had several handfuls of various flavored melon seeds distributed to everyone, so they wouldn't be bored.
"Third Madam, who are these two, mother and daughter? Are they here to cause trouble?"
While some people were eating sunflower seeds and gossiping, He Jiuniang said, "Whether it's troublesome or not, I don't know. Let my Yuexue tell everyone the specifics first."
He Jiuniang glanced at Yuexue, who then told her about Zhang Cuiya's attempt to seduce Lu Baichuan, and also explained the purpose of the mother and daughter's visit.
Before He Jiuniang could say anything, a series of cold sneers erupted from the crowd.
"Wow, this mother and daughter are really shrewd! Aren't they obviously trying to get close to Third Master?"
"Yes, this person really has no self-awareness. Look at your pathetic appearance, and then look at the Third Madam. How much face do you think you have?"
"My God, this toad probably never looks in a mirror! Forget about Third Master, even my son might not be interested in you! Look at your face covered in pimples, it's disgusting!"
...
Hearing these words and seeing the mother and daughter's dark complexions, He Jiu Niang felt very pleased. These multi-flavored melon seeds were worth it!
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