Ma was cursing as she went to the fields, cursing Lu Yancai, Old Man Lu, Madam Chen, Lu Yanzheng, and Jiang Qinyu all the way.
Chen Xiuer had just gone to help in the fields, but was chased back by several old men. On the way, she heard Ma's cursing and her eyes lit up as she went to meet them.
"Second cousin-in-law, where are you going?" Chen Xiuer smiled sweetly, her eyes clear as she looked at Madam Ma, her face showing no sign of dislike for her.
At this moment, Madam Ma wrapped her head and face with a dusty gray cloth, seemingly to block the wind, but in reality to cover the marks that Lu Yan had made on her earlier.
Upon hearing Chen Xiuer's question, Madam Ma retorted irritably, "What's it to you?"
"Second cousin-in-law, what are you saying? We're family too. You seem a little unwell. Is it any big deal to ask?" Chen Xiuer said with a wronged expression.
Mrs. Ma hated seeing her like this the most. She glared at her fiercely and said, "Don't try to act cute in front of me! I'm not buying it!"
This woman is clearly not someone to be trifled with; she wouldn't be foolish enough to get close to her!
Chen Xiuer, still injured, looked at her. "My second cousin's wife has really wronged me to death..." She cried a few times, covered her face, and said, "Just a few days ago, I even spoke a few words with my second cousin, and he was able to accept me living at my aunt's house. I never expected my second cousin's wife to look down on me like this..."
She cried pitifully, but Madam Ma noticed the unexpectedness in her words and asked fiercely, "What did you say to Lu Yancai?"
Could it be that this little brat said something to Lu Yancai that made him treat me like this?
Considering Chen Xiuer is an orphan, the simplest and most convenient way for her to gain a foothold in the Lu family is to marry Lu Yanzheng or Lu Yancai, so that Old Man Lu and Madam Chen can take care of her forever.
But what is Lu Yanzheng's status? How could he possibly be interested in her? So... Chen Xiuer's target is Lu Yancai?!
Thinking of this, Madam Ma was shocked, and looked at Chen Xiuer with a mixture of anger and wariness.
Chen Xiuer had no idea what Madam Ma was thinking about her; she just wanted to muddy the waters of the Lu family so that she could stay.
"Second cousin-in-law, you didn't know?" Chen Xiuer covered her mouth in feigned surprise. "Didn't your second cousin tell you?"
"Tell me what? What did you say to him that you don't want anyone to know?" Ma immediately put her hands on her hips and glared at her warily.
Chen Xiuer sighed softly, "That's true. How could my second cousin tell others something like this? Second cousin's wife, just pretend I didn't mention it. I have something to do, so I'll go back first."
She deliberately left things unsaid, then hurriedly ran away with her basket on her back.
Ma was completely confused, but she was certain that Lu Yancai had learned some secret from Chen Xiuer, and this secret was the source of Lu Yancai's recent aversion to her.
"Oh, you damned Lu Yancai, are you about to be seduced by that little vixen?" Ma Shi had no interest in working in the fields now. She turned around and went to find Lu Yancai.
But she stopped after taking a few steps.
Wait a minute, she can't just question Lu Yancai based on Chen Xiuer's few words, can she? What if it's not something serious? Wouldn't Lu Yancai then retaliate against her even more?
After thinking for a long time, Ma decided to spend the day in the fields and ask again when she got home in the evening.
On the other hand, when Chen Xiuer returned home, she told Chen Shi, "My uncle and aunt saw that I was thin and weak, and they couldn't bear to let me work with them. I had no choice but to come back."
Her obedient yet guilty appearance stirred a pang of pity in Chen's heart. She took her hand and said, "I told you a long time ago not to go with us. With your eldest cousin-in-law here, none of the women in our family have to work in the fields. Now it's all good. You can just stay home and do some light chores."
"Yes, thank you, Auntie! I will definitely help with the housework." Chen Xiuer smiled gently.
After saying that, she changed the subject and looked at the next room, "My cousin's wife agreed to let me go to learn to read with Shufan and Pan'er. I thought we were free at home right now, so why don't we go over now?"
“Alright, your eldest cousin’s wife didn’t go out today. She should be at home teaching Shufan and Pan’er. It would be good for you to go and learn a few words.” Madam Chen had no objection to this.
In her opinion, Chen Xiuer had just become an orphan, so as her aunt, she should take better care of her. Besides, since Chen Xiuer was learning to read next door, Jiang Qinyu didn't need to teach her specifically; it was just a side thing and not a burden on Jiang Qinyu.
Chen Xiuer said happily, "Then I'll go first!"
When she arrived in the morning, she knew that Lu Yanzheng had left, so she didn't want to stay there any longer. But after thinking about it carefully, she realized that if she wanted to gain Lu Yanzheng's favor, she had to get along well with Jiang Qinyu.
How can feelings develop without contact? So she has to frequently visit Jiang Qinyu and leave a good impression on her, so that Jiang Qinyu will speak up for her in front of Lu Yanzheng.
Jiang Qinyu was teaching Shufan and Pan'er when she heard a knock on the door and called out, "Come in, the door is open."
"Did you remember?" Jiang Qinyu asked, looking at the two children.
She was teaching the two to write, but when she was a child, her learning method was to first look at the character, memorize how to write it, and then write it out.
Shufan and Pan'er nodded.
Jiang Qinyu immediately used a bamboo strip to flatten the sand tray, and then let the two children write on their own small sand trays.
This is what Chen Xiuer saw when she came in. She greeted her with a smile, "Big Cousin, I've come to learn to read."
Upon hearing that it was her, Jiang Qinyu's expression became indifferent. She glanced at her and nodded, "Bring a stool over yourself."
Chen Xiuer did as she was told, and moved a stool to sit next to Shu Fan.
Jiang Qinyu did not give Chen Xiuer any special attention and continued to teach the children at her own pace.
In fact, Chan Sau-yee has learned to read and write; she recognizes simple and common characters, but she doesn't know how to write them very well.
However, she pretended not to know anything in front of Jiang Qinyu, and would occasionally ask how to write a certain character, or how to write it beautifully.
Jiang Qinyu didn't make things difficult for her. Instead, she carefully explained some key points of calligraphy to the two children in response to their questions.
"Auntie, did my father practice calligraphy like this before?" Shufan suddenly asked.
Jiang Qinyu paused, then quickly nodded, "Yes, my eldest brother started learning to write at the age of four, and by the age of five he could write very neatly."
"Then I will write carefully too, and I will write as beautifully as Daddy!" Pan'er clenched her fist and immediately buried herself in her sand table, continuing to write stroke by stroke.
Shu Fan remained silent for a moment and did not ask any more questions, but Jiang Qinyu could sense that he was writing more seriously than before.
Seeing that Jiang Qinyu didn't seem to be in a good mood, Chen Xiuer didn't dare to say what she had originally wanted to say "casually," and just thought she would find another opportunity next time.
...
At the entrance to Dingshui Village, Lu Wanqing frowned as she looked at the narrow path that even her carriage couldn't pass through. "Are you sure my cousin went to Dingshui Village?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
