Chapter 84 Do good deeds and don't worry about the future.
"What!" Xue Baochai exclaimed in surprise, her mother had actually come up with such a thought.
No wonder, no wonder I was humiliated like this today.
Xue Baochai, her face streaked with tears, looked at her mother, who remained stubbornly unrepentant, and felt utterly exhausted.
"I don't mind that she's so much older than Pan'er. I think she's talented and capable, and even though she's older, she can still manage Pan'er. Even if she's too old to have children, it doesn't matter. We can just let Pan'er take a few more concubines in the future, and let her raise their children. Although my Xue family isn't what it used to be, we're still imperial merchants with immense wealth. How could she be so ungrateful..."
Aunt Xue continued to grumble on and on, feeling extremely resentful.
Xue Baochai couldn't believe that this was her mother's true intention.
Even if Xue Baochai thought about it, she would never have considered pairing Yuan Mama, a person of such high moral character, with her brother. Her mother really dared to think that way.
Fortunately, Granny Yuan didn't let her mother say it out loud, otherwise, the humiliation she suffered today would probably be more than ten times greater.
If my mother had spoken out, this matter would certainly not have been so easily resolved today.
Baochai felt a wave of fear wash over her.
Aunt Xue was still saying something when Baochai quickly went up and covered her mouth, then looked around to make sure no one was there.
I wonder how much Ying'er and Xiangling outside overheard; I'll have to warn them soon enough.
"Mother, please stop talking. That Granny Yuan is not someone we can covet. If you don't want to cause any more trouble for our family, don't even think about it in the future. When you see Granny Yuan, just be respectful and act as if nothing happened today. Granny Yuan seems to be of noble character, so she certainly won't try to take advantage of us because of this," Xue Baochai said seriously.
“If my brother were a good person, no one would blame you for doing this or saying this. But we know what kind of person my brother is. Judging from her expression today, if you really bring things up, she would dare to report my brother immediately.”
Xue Baochai patted her chest, "Luckily you didn't say you were coming."
After hearing Baochai's words, Aunt Xue was stunned for a moment before she realized what a stupid thing she had done that had caused Baochai to suffer such humiliation!
"Mother, let's take the purple pearl jewelry we brought to Granny Yuan as an apology," Xue Baochai said after thinking for a moment.
“That was meant to be your brother’s betrothal gift. It was hard-earned; it cost over ten thousand taels of silver!” Aunt Xue said with heartache.
"Compared to my brother's life, what is a set of clothes worth?" Xue Baochai said with a pained expression. It was her brother again; sooner or later, he would ruin the family.
Aunt Xue steeled her heart and comforted herself, saying that compared to Xue Pan's life, a mere headdress was nothing!
In the main hall of Rongyue Courtyard, Yuan Hongqu was preparing to lead Daiyu and the three sisters out to give the place to Grandmother Jia and the others, when she heard Grandmother Jia say...
"Granny Yuan, please stay. I have something to ask you."
Yuan Hongqu smiled slightly.
"Grandma, I'm an outsider, and I shouldn't be listening to your family's affairs. Besides, don't you know what really happened?"
“I’m old and useless, my hearing and eyesight are failing, and they’ve fooled me year after year. I’m afraid I won’t live to see the children grow up, and then this family will…”
"Grandma, in my opinion, your health is good enough to last until Baoyu gets married and starts his own family. If the family does more good deeds, you might be able to live a few more years. As the old saying goes, a family that does good deeds will have good fortune, while a family that does evil will have misfortune."
The original meaning of "red lotus" is deliberate.
"Second Madam observes vegetarianism on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, copies numerous scriptures, and donates incense money to temples, which adds up to a considerable amount each year. Isn't this also accumulating merit and doing good deeds?" Wang Xifeng suddenly spoke up.
“Feng-ge’er, don’t be disrespectful to Buddha and Bodhisattva.” Yuan Hongqu did not answer Wang Xifeng’s question, which made Madam Wang feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Teacher Yuan, in your opinion, what constitutes accumulating virtue and doing good deeds?" Grandmother Jia ignored the two of them and continued to ask Yuan Hongqu.
Yuan Hongqu felt somewhat helpless. Did Grandmother Jia need to know what kind of good deeds could be considered virtuous and thus be noticed by those in power?
"Grandma, there's more to say: Just do good deeds and don't worry about the future. Accumulate blessings through good deeds and don't go against your conscience. As long as you do good deeds that don't violate your conscience, they will all be recorded in Heaven's Book of Merits!"
Grandmother Jia felt she understood and stopped stopping Yuan Hongqu.
Yuan Hongqu led Daiyu and the others to the swing set in the courtyard. The group played around, pushing each other on the swings. Everything that had just happened inside seemed to have no effect on them.
"What exactly happened to the Xue family! You two from the Wang family, tell me!" Grandmother Jia said, her voice sharp but her voice weak.
"Grandmother, I know nothing about the Xue family. Although I also share the surname Wang, I am still a distant relative of Madam Xue. Madam has always handled the Xue family's affairs personally." Wang Xifeng quickly distanced herself. She was no longer afraid of offending Madam Wang. After all, Madam Wang wasn't her mother-in-law, and even if she were her aunt, she had never given her any favors. Why should she get involved in the Xue family's troubles for her sake?
That tyrant from the Xue family committed a murder, and Xiangling, the person involved, is still at Pear Fragrance Courtyard! I dare not provoke such trouble!
Madam Wang secretly resented Wang Xifeng for not only refusing to help her but also distancing herself from her. What an ingrate! Who was backing you up when you first married into the family!
Wang Xifeng quickly stepped aside, afraid that Madam Wang would say something else that would drag her into the mess.
"Then you speak," Grandmother Jia gestured for Lady Wang to answer.
"Reporting to our ancestors, it's just that we sisters haven't seen each other for many years, and we felt very close when we met again, so we let him stay and make it more lively."
"Wasn't the Xue family's daughter here for the selection? Why hasn't anyone come to teach her manners and etiquette yet?" asked Grandmother Jia.
"Baochai did not want to leave her mother, so she did not participate in the selection."
"Is that really the case? If you're so reluctant to part with it, then you shouldn't have signed up for the selection when you were in Jinling. You shouldn't have wasted a spot." If Grandmother Jia were to be serious, these things really wouldn't escape her notice.
“After Baochai went to the capital, she saw that I missed Yuanchun day and night because of her going to the palace. This child is filial, and at that time she had the idea of not going to the selection.” Lady Wang explained.
Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia became even more skeptical.
Madam Wang's words seemed flawless and perfectly reasonable. But what kind of words could perfectly answer these questions?
Only lies.
Seeing that Lady Wang was so smooth and cunning, Grandmother Jia suspected that she had already gone through these questions in her mind hundreds of times and had already prepared her answers, just waiting for her to make her move!
Seeing that further questioning would be futile, Grandmother Jia wearily waved her hand, dismissing them all.
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