Chapter 258
Chapter 258: Chapter 249 Trembling with Fear_1 Chapter 258: Chapter 249 Trembling with Fear_1 “Madam Qin, you shut your mouth. If you utter half a word more, I will have Han Qi divorce you immediately! Our family cannot afford to have a daughter-in-law like you who disrespects her in-laws, dishonors her husband, and lacks any upbringing,” Madam Han could no longer tolerate it. Even if her son had been dissatisfied with his wife and spoken such words before, she had always calmed the situation. But now, Madam Qin was going too far, causing such trouble even at her daughter’s home—this was surely looking for a fight.
Madam Qin wanted to speak again, but seeing her mother-in-law’s authority, she resentfully shut her mouth. However, her discontent was plain to see on her face for all to observe, and she gave Lin Yue several fierce glares. Lin Yue found this woman utterly baffling—did she think Lin Yue was just some country bumpkin to be bullied? This was truly Lin Yue’s first encounter with such a top-grade annoyance.
Lin Yue lingered in the room for a while longer, but because of Madam Qin’s recent actions, Madam Han and her own mother became more awkward and apologetic. The conversation was no longer as easygoing as before. Lin Yue found it pointless to stay any longer, so she went outside to look for Zhao Erhu and the children.
When Zhao Erhu saw Lin Yue come out of the room so soon, he asked, “What happened? Aren’t you and your cousin-in-law close? You haven’t seen each other for some time and should have plenty to talk about. Why did you come out so quickly? Is your cousin-in-law busy with something?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s my cousin-in-law’s annoying older sister, Madam Qin. You know what she’s like. My cousin-in-law even quarreled with her, and I felt suffocated staying in the room, so I just came out.” Mentioning Madam Qin, a look of discomfort appeared on Lin Yue’s face. Zhao Erhu guessed that whatever happened inside must have been quite unpleasant—a fact he was aware of, since Madam Qin always looked down on country folks like them. Madam Qin must have been targeting his wife inside.
Zhao Erhu patted Lin Yue’s head and comforted her, saying, “Don’t bother with her, that woman is just out of her mind. It’s not worth upsetting yourself over her.”
“Exactly, a woman like her is not worth my anger. I just didn’t want to be around someone like that. I hadn’t seen my cousin-in-law for so long and really wanted to have a good chat, but then this whole mess happened and spoiled the mood!”
After lunch, Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue took their leave from Zhao Xinglin and his wife. It seemed that Madam Han had already told Zhao Xinglin about the incident that occurred earlier. Zhao Xinglin appeared quite apologetic towards Zhao Erhu and Lin Yue, “Sister-in-law, I’m so sorry, my wife’s older sister is just that kind of person. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“It’s nothing, just a few harsh words. I’m not taking it to heart. Brother Xinglin, you shouldn’t be upset over this with your wife either. She didn’t want it to be like this. Dealing with such an older sister must be even harder for her than for us.” With those words, Lin Yue could tell that there seemed to be a bit of awkwardness between Zhao Xinglin and Madam Han. Whether it was because of that issue or not, it was no trouble for her to offer an explanation.
“You don’t need to worry, sister-in-law. My wife and I are on good terms. Now that you have put it this way, how could I possibly blame her?” Zhao Xinglin indeed felt a bit angry with his wife at first, but he knew it wasn’t her fault. Since Madam Qin was Madam Han’s relative, hearing Lin Yue put it this way made sense to him, so he replied with a cheerful agreement.
Seeing that Lin Yue not only held no grudge about Madam Qin’s actions but also considered her point of view, Madam Han felt greatly relieved. She quickly handed over the basket, “Sister-in-law, thank you for being so understanding. I don’t know what to say. Here are some grapes and other fruits for you to take home and enjoy.”
“Alright, thank you so much, sister-in-law. I was wondering if you’d remember. These grapes are really tasty; they’re my favorite.” Lin Yue accepted the gift cheerfully while Madam Han breathed a sigh of relief. She had feared that Erhu’s wife would refuse to accept it after Madam Qin’s words. Now, it seemed that Erhu’s wife was truly broad-minded and had taken no offense at all.
Lin Yue hadn’t been out on the streets for some days, and now that the rare chance for the whole family to come to the city had come, naturally, they couldn’t return so quickly. The family of six strolled together through the main street, laughing and chatting as they shopped, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Meanwhile, inside the Wei Residence, Wei Xingye, in a fit of anger, had smashed things around the room into a chaotic mess. It took him a long time before he finally slumped into a chair, utterly deflated.
Ever since that incident in the Capital City, nothing had gone his way. Even returning to Xin’an City hadn’t shaken his streak of bad luck. This time, after an ordeal, he had managed to bribe someone in the Government Office who seemed the most likely candidate to become the next arrest officer, a cousin of the Magistrate’s favored concubine. This connection promised to be a solid support for his business in Xin’an City and a source for insider intelligence. Yet the position of arrest officer went to someone else, none other than Zhao Xinglin, who had once refused a meeting with him.
Although Wei Xingye was furious, he was not the type to give up easily. After sitting and pondering for a while, he changed his approach and summoned Auntie Zhao over.
Zhao Lingxiang was at that moment in the main house, trembling with fear as she meticulously served the young master in front of the lady of the house. She dared not relax for even a moment, knowing any slip could result in a punishment of kneeling in the courtyard by the lady.
Since returning from her parents’ home with the master’s goals unachieved, he had been in an unpleasant mood and took it out on her with a cold demeanor. When her attempt to win over Zhao Xinglin also failed, his disfavor towards her grew. The lady of the house, witnessing this, tormented her without restraint. In her heart, Zhao Lingxiang felt wronged, but she could only suffer in silence. After all, she was just an unfavored concubine. Anger festered within her against Zhao Erhu and Zhao Xinglin for not showing any familial care. If it weren’t for their refusal to help, her master wouldn’t have vented his anger on her, and she would be living in comfort by now, spared from such treatment.
“Auntie Zhao, the master is calling for you,” said the young servant by Wei Xingye’s side, who knew to call for Zhao Lingxiang from the main house.
“What! The master is looking for me, do you know why?” Zhao Lingxiang tried to conceal her immediate delight upon hearing Wei Xingye had sent for her. She quickly asked, looking up to see the expressionless face of the lady and the disdain and resentment of the other servants, her heart skipped a beat, and she reverted to her meek demeanor, timidly regarding the messenger.
“This servant doesn’t know, the master simply ordered me to find you. If Auntie Zhao has any questions, it’s best to ask the master. But you should know, the master was in a fury just before, and he’s waiting for you now, so you’d better hurry. Otherwise, if the master’s anger is directed at you, even I will suffer the consequences.”
At first elated, Zhao Lingxiang’s mood sank at the news of the master’s great outrage, and she hesitantly glanced toward the lady of the house, “My lady, this…”“Since it is the master’s orders, you had better hurry over, Auntie Zhao. Whatever it is, it can’t be more important than the master’s business,” the lady replied.