At night, Zhaodi and Ding Panyu squeezed on the bed in the guest room on the second floor.
Ding Panyu fell asleep with his head resting on the pillow, and soon he began to snore softly.
Zhaodi, however, kept her eyes open, staring at the blurry light and shadows on the ceiling, tossing and turning like a pancake.
The scene she saw at the kitchen door during the day kept replaying in her mind like a root.
Lu Qingyang rolled up his sleeves. He was so tall, and when he spoke in a low voice, the tenderness in his eyes was enough to suck people in.
Why? Why is Chen Mo so lucky?
Zhaodi's fingers were unconsciously picking at the corner of the quilt, and the sour and hot feeling in her heart rose up again, making her feel uncomfortable all over.
I heard that the girl named Chen Mo was also a country girl. How could they have such different fates even though they were both from the countryside?
Besides, if I clean up myself, I won’t be any worse than that girl.
The more I thought about it, the more unbalanced I felt.
The next day at breakfast, Zhaodi seemed a little absent-minded.
She sat at the end of the table, lowering her head and sipping the rice porridge in the bowl, but her eyes couldn't help but glance towards Lu Qingyang.
Lu Qingyang was pushing a small plate of crispy pickled cucumbers that Aunt Liu had just pickled towards Shen Mo: "Try this, it's appetizing, Aunt Liu's craftsmanship."
Zhaodi tightened her grip on the chopsticks and quickly lowered her eyes, pretending to concentrate on drinking the porridge, but her ears perked up.
Ding Panyu was chatting with Ding Panyun about the shawl, "Sister, did you buy it for Mo? The material is really good!"
Ding Panyun raised her head and smiled: "Well, she's going to give birth soon. I'm afraid she'll get a cold if she's exposed to the wind."
"This is so expensive! Sister, you are so thoughtful. Mo girl is really in luck."
Zhaodi came out of the kitchen carrying washed fruits. She just heard the last sentence and saw the shawl in Ding Panyun's hand, which looked very valuable. She paused and looked away with a dim look in her eyes.
When Ding Panyu caught a glimpse of Zhaodi's expression, the thoughts in his mind became clearer.
The opportunity will come soon.
At noon, Ding Panyun was temporarily called away by the art troupe. Lu Qingyang was processing documents in the study, and Aunt Liu was drying the sheets.
The only people left in the living room were Ding Panyu and Zhaodi, who was wiping the coffee table.
Ding Panyu walked over, sat down on the sofa, picked up a bright red apple from the fruit bowl, and took a big bite without hesitation.
She watched Zhaodi wiping the table with her head lowered. She waved her hand and said, "Zhaodi, stop wiping. Come and sit for a while."
Zhaodi didn't understand what was going on, so she put down her clothes and sat half-way on the low stool beside her.
Ding Panyu chewed an apple, glanced at the closed door of the study, and lowered her voice even more: "Silly girl, you tossed and turned last night, what were you thinking about?"
Zhaodi's face suddenly turned red, as if blood was dripping out. She lowered her head and twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers: "No... I didn't think about anything, aunt."
"Are you still pretending with me?" Ding Panyu sneered and moved closer. "Your aunt has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice! Your little thoughts are all written on your face! Did you... see how Qingyang treated his wife?"
She nodded toward the study.
Zhaodi’s whole body stiffened and she buried her head even deeper, as if she agreed.
"Tsk," Ding Panyu smacked her lips, "Who wouldn't be confused? He's handsome, has a good temper, and is so caring at home... Tell me, what's the reason for that girl Shen Mo?"
This exactly hit the nail on the head for Ye Zhaodi.
"Look, didn't he have three wives and concubines a few decades ago? What's more, your family is so big and we are not short of money, so it's normal to have another child, right? Besides, Shen Mo has given birth to a child, so the couple must be..."
Ding Panyu's words were vague, but Zhaodi completely understood what she meant, and she also had some thoughts in her mind.
Little did they know that these words were heard by Aunt Liu who was hanging the sheets outside.
She thought to herself, what is going on? She must tell Chen Mo immediately.
After dinner in the evening, the couple lay in bed, and Shen Mo couldn't help but start telling them about the bad things her aunt had done in the past few days.
"Auntie... she didn't come to help, but seemed to be here to supervise. In the kitchen, Aunt Liu was clearly following the recipe and cooking well, but she insisted on making comments, complaining that there was not enough oil or ginger, and almost ruined the fish soup Aunt Liu made. Aunt Liu was soft-hearted, and because of her relatives' face, she could only endure it... I felt so aggrieved for Aunt Liu just by watching."
"And that Zhaodi, she looked quite honest and hardworking at first, but these past two days... I always felt that the way she looked at you was weird. You don't know what they said today."
As she spoke these words, Shen Mo became more and more annoyed.
Lu Qingyang also felt this, "You are the eldest in the family now, you can talk to mom about this matter when the time comes. Don't worry, just have a good rest."
We invited them here to help, not to cause trouble.
Lu Qingyang was also very efficient. He told Ding Panyun about this matter early the next morning.
"...Mom, I asked them to come because I hope they can help Xiaomo when she needs it most and lighten her burden, not to make things worse or disturb the peace of the family, especially my aunt. Her thoughts and actions have gone beyond the boundaries of helping.
Zhaodi is young and ignorant, she has been bewitched and has evil thoughts. If she continues like this, the family will only become more and more chaotic. What is Xiaomo's situation now? She can't stand this kind of filth."
"Qingyang, I know about this. It's my fault for not considering this matter carefully. Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I didn't take good care of Panyu."
She just didn't expect that her younger sister would grow so much after her sisters got married.
Ding Panyun turned around and looked for his sister.
Ding Panyu didn't understand what was going on, so she followed Ding Panyun into the study upstairs.
As soon as the door closed, the gentleness on Ding Panyun's face completely disappeared.
"Panyu, please sit down." Ding Panyun pointed to the chair opposite the desk.
Ding Panyu was a little nervous, but she sat down as she was told, forcing a smile on her face: "Sister, what's the matter? It's so formal?"
"I want to ask you," Ding Panyun went straight to the point, staring at her.
"When you were in the kitchen, were you always giving Aunt Liu instructions, complaining that she didn't use enough oil or that the ginger was not cut too thin? You almost ruined the soup that she had worked so hard to make according to the recipe?"
The smile on Ding Panyu's face froze, and his eyes dodged for a moment:
"That's for Mo's sake, isn't it? I'm worried that she won't get enough nutrition! Aunt Liu is just an old country woman, what does she know..."
"She doesn't understand, do you? The confinement diet that Qingyang found specifically has a scientific basis! The doctors all approve it! Do you really need to give orders blindly? Do you know how hard it is for Aunt Liu if you do this? How upset Momo must be when she sees this?!"
Ding Panyu was confused by her sister's sudden and harsh reprimand. She couldn't hold back her anger and said stubbornly:
"You... You have good intentions! Besides, a babysitter..."
"Aunt Liu is not a nanny!" Ding Panyun corrected sharply, "She is an elder that Qingyang and Momo respect, and a relative who came to help! How can you order her around?!"
Ding Panyu curled her lips and said nothing, but her face clearly showed her dissatisfaction.
Ding Panyun was even more furious when he saw her like this. "Okay, you meant well but ended up doing something bad in the kitchen. But what about Zhao Di?"
Ding Panyu didn't expect that what she said to Zhaodi in private was known by her sister!
"Who... who said that? That damn girl Zhaodi is talking nonsense! Sister, don't listen to her nonsense! How could it be possible..."
"Enough! Do you think I'm a fool?! Qingyang can see clearly what Zhaodi is thinking! The way she looks at Qingyang, she almost sticks to him! If you hadn't instigated and backed her up behind the scenes, how could a country girl like her have the guts to do this?! Ding Panyu, I really underestimated you! I asked you to come to help, but you deliberately made things difficult for me and brought disaster to this family!"
Ding Panyu was completely embarrassed, so he just threw it all out, stiffening his neck and yelling:
"How did you make things worse? How did you bring disaster upon yourself? Is it wrong for you to teach Zhaodi to plan for you? What is Qingyang's current status? Is Chen Mo a good match for him? Zhaodi is young, pretty, and obedient. What's wrong with her following Qingyang? She can even help the family in the future! Isn't this also for the good of your family and Zhaodi? You, on the other hand, don't know how to appreciate a good person!"
"Is it for the good of your family? Is it for the good of Zhaodi?" Ding Panyun was so angry that he was shaking all over and pointed at Ding Panyu.
"You are pushing her into the fire pit! Forcing her to death! Who is Qingyang? How could he be interested in such a dirty idea? Chen Mo is your legally married wife, the apple of your eye! You taught Zhaodi to do such a thing. Do you want Qingyang to be tarnished with a bad work style, or do you want to make Chen Mo angry?! You call this for your own good? You are deliberately destroying this family!"
Ding Panyun took a breath, his eyes cold and resolute: "This family temple is small, there is no room for a big Buddha like you. You and Zhaodi, pack up your things and go back today. I will pay for your tickets."
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