Volume 1 Chapter 24 Emotional Turmoil

  What outsiders said was purely speculative, but he couldn't tell himself. It's all because of the Xie family being too ruthless, beating him up and then abandoning him at the back door of Lichun Courtyard.

  This account will be settled by itself when it comes back from Old Lady Xie's house, otherwise, her vicious act of poisoning her stepson will be exposed.

  Jia Dafu, who thought he had grasped the handle of the old lady of the Xie family, was not in a hurry at the moment and took good care of his injuries. As long as he didn't go to the Xie's house for a while, someone would be more anxious than him.

  Indeed, someone is more anxious than him.

  Xie Wenjing's grandmother was also worried about the bamboo garden while she was recuperating in the countryside. She sent her own maid back to fetch some things and, at the same time, to gather some news.

  "What? Master Jia was beaten and injured in the head? Bedridden with illness?" The old lady's face was filled with incredulity upon hearing the maid's report.

  How did Master Jia end up being beaten with a black brick and stuffed into a sack made of hemp cloth for not paying the bill after visiting Li Chunyuan's brothel?

  The old lady's first thought was whether it was her own family's crazy old man who had done this recklessly.

  As soon as she thought of the secret between herself and Jia Daifu, Old Madame couldn't sit still. If it were to be exposed, her reputation would suffer again.

  Although I had long made up my mind that if one day the medicine formula was exposed to have problems, I would push it onto Dr. Jia's head. Who let him be a mediocre doctor, prescribing medicine indiscriminately, not only killing his own son but also causing his family to lose a lot of money.

  But this is also a time when one can't help but do so to protect oneself, especially now that my reputation has just been ruined once, and it's not easy for my son to force that scoundrel to kneel at our doorstep and apologize. At this juncture, I absolutely cannot afford to have another incident.

  The old lady thought about it and decided to let Li Ayi go back, asking her own son to come over and pick her up. Since she was driven out by herself, she naturally had to be picked up to save the face that had been lost. As for that ruthless old man, there was no hope of him coming to pick her up.

  When Li Niang returned to Yangzhou Xie's house, Xie Chengju was not there, so Li Niang told the matter to Xie Chengju's wife first.

  Xie Chengju's wife was unhappy as soon as she heard it. The power of the steward had just been obtained, and that mother-in-law would return, wouldn't it have to be handed back?

  In just over half a month, I have embezzled nearly 5,000 taels of silver from the bamboo garden's medicinal herb collection funds.

  But she wouldn't openly disobey her mother-in-law either, so she smiled and said: "Auntie Li, you go back first. When the second master returns, I'll make sure to tell him to go pick up his mother as soon as possible."

  Madam Li really believed it and hurried back to Guangling early.

  Then, the old lady began to wait for her son to come and take her back home.

  Xie Wenjing went to serve her father medicine that night, and now the medicine can be taken in front of others, especially in front of Liu Lingling.

  What left Xie Wenjing speechless was that after Er Shu took over the household, she bought several months' worth of expensive medicine for her father. Only after careful examination did she discover that Er Shu had also purchased counterfeit and inferior expensive medicine from Qing Shi Alley for her father.

  This is a good thing! However, Second Aunt has made a pretty penny from this deal. This loss can be blamed on Dad.

  Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are good at using father's body to settle accounts, fortunately, the method of second aunt is beneficial to father.

  Liu Lingling watched as the old lady personally decocted those medicines, which were drunk by the old master. His mood was steady and unworried. The old lady had once said that as long as he took this medicine on time, he would spend the rest of his life lying in bed, living a life worse than death.

  "Aunt Liu, you go back first! I'll take care of Master for now, and you come over to replace me in the second half of the night!"

  Xie Wenjing's mother watched Xie Chengyu finish taking his medicine, then leaned back and looked at herself and her daughter before telling Liu Lingling to leave first.

  Liu Yiniang now likes to sleep in the first half of the night and take care of things in the second half, but the first half is always her own good time with Wang Yi!

  The current Liu Lingling has just realized the taste of men and women, and is even more infatuated with it. Every day, she eagerly awaits the arrival of nightfall.

  Xie Wenjing watched Liu Lingling leave, then quietly got up to close the door. After exchanging a glance with her father, she sat down beside her mother, held her mother's hand, and waited for her father to speak up.

  "Juan'er, you've been through a lot with me these past two years." Xie Chengyu looked at his wife gently, himself much recovered after more than twenty days.

  Not only was I no longer breathing rapidly, but I could also get out of bed. However, because I didn't want to expose myself too early, I didn't get out of bed.

  Now is the time to tell your wife the truth. As long as you stand in front of her properly, she will definitely believe that the hypocritical stepmother is so vicious.

  While hiding from her daughter these days, she will also recognize her awakening. In this family amidst turmoil and upheaval, how important is a calm and steady mind!

  "Old master?" Xie Wenjing's mother suddenly widened her eyes, looking at her husband, lifted the quilt, slowly got out of bed, step by step, walked closer to him.

  Xie Wenjing's mother was so excited that she wanted to rush up, but was pulled back by Xie Wenjing.

  "Juan'er, I'm much better now! But the reason I can recover is all because of our daughter!"

  It's been over two years since my daughter passed away, and I just started to feel sad, caught a cold, but kept lingering on the sickbed. At first, I thought I had contracted a very serious illness.

  "It's been over two years now, if it were a serious illness, wouldn't he have died by now?"

  "Old man!" Xie Wenjing's mother suddenly heard her husband mention death and was startled, interrupting his words with a thumping heart.

  "Don't be in a hurry, listen to me finish. Later on, I discovered that this prescription should have problems, and that Doctor Jia also had problems, even Liu Lingling was problematic."

  "With so many problematic people gathered together, it means that someone is behind them. The one who can manipulate them and arrange for such precious medicinal materials is none other than the mistress of the house, their mother."

  Xie Chengyu's eyes spewed out resentment when he mentioned the word "mother". The past two years had been a miserable existence, like counting down to his own death. If it weren't for thinking about his children and wife, he wouldn't have been able to hold on any longer.

  Who would have thought, all of this was brought about by that vicious woman.

  "What? How could Mother harm us?" Xie Wenyin's mother suddenly stood up, apparently shocked.

  Don't be afraid, I'm much better now. Twenty-something days ago, when Wenjing came over, she also discovered that someone was poisoning me. She was afraid you would show abnormal behavior and be discovered by Liu Lingling, and even more so by that person.

  So I didn't tell you with my daughter for the time being, just secretly changed the medicine, those precious medicines, the more I took, the weaker I became.

  "For these twenty or so days, I stopped taking that medicine and my daughter taught me some breathing exercises to improve my health. While you weren't paying attention, I secretly recovered to how I am now, and I've gotten a lot better."

  "Old master? Wuuu... Wenjing? Wuuu..." Madam Xie, Wenjing's mother, was overcome with grief and couldn't stop crying out loud.

  "Daughter, you can't cry. The reason Father and I didn't tell you was that we were worried you wouldn't be able to control your emotions. Now Father is much better. That old woman has been sent to the countryside in Guangling, and that Officer Jia was also beaten up. This is exactly the right time for Father to recover."

  Xie Wenjing hugged her mother and comforted her excited emotions.

  "I'm useless! Waaahhh... I'm not even as good as my daughter, waaahhh!" Xie Wenjing's mother was a bit out of control.

  Xie Wenjing's mother remembered what her daughter had said to her more than 20 days ago, and at that time she didn't realize that her daughter was hinting at her.

  Looking back now, the old master had also hinted to me several times before, but I was so convinced that my mother was a good mother and Liu Niang was a kind and patient good sister, and I never suspected their sinister intentions.

  Accompanying the old master, almost inseparable, the old master can discover abnormalities that I haven't even noticed, and even the daughter who doesn't live with me can carefully discover abnormalities that I haven't even noticed. I am really useless!

  "Juan'er, don't cry. If you keep crying, people will find out. Let's talk about it together and figure out what to do next, that's the most important thing."

  In this world, filial piety is more important than the heavens. Let alone without solid evidence to prove that the mother poisoned her son, even if it were proven that the mother poisoned her son, our family would still have to bear the shame of being unfilial for generations to come.

  I no longer expect to take any imperial examinations, but our son is still young and has a long way to go. We cannot harm the reputation of our son.

  And our daughter, who has not yet married into the Zhao family, if her reputation is ruined, her whole life will be destroyed.

  "If this matter is not handled properly, it will end in mutual destruction."

  Xie Chengyu also walked over and gently held his wife's hand.

  "Old master, what should we do? Should we tell father?" Xie Wenjing's mother heard her husband say this and didn't dare to cry again. Immediately afterwards, she became worried.

  "Mother, I don't agree. How many times has Grandfather seen Father in the past two years? If Grandfather had any concern for Father, given that Doctor Jia has been unable to cure Father after such a long time, wouldn't most fathers ask several other doctors to take a look and see if the first doctor made a mistake?"

  But Grandfather didn't ask for another doctor, as long as Grandfather had a little concern for Father, that old woman wouldn't have been able to collude with Dr. Jia to harm Father for so long.

  Besides, Second Uncle's future looks the brightest, Grandfather only has eyes for this son.

  Father, mother, I've always had an idea, which is to leave this Xie family. Father, don't be anxious, I'm not saying that I want to abandon myself from the Xie family, but rather find opportunities to force our ancestors to give up on us voluntarily.

  After the separation, we may look very hard up, but we can get rid of that old woman.

  Besides, I also want to get rid of the engagement with the Zhao family. Last time when Mrs. Zhao came to see me, she was sarcastic and mocking towards me. When she left, she gave her sheep fat jade bangle on her wrist to my cousin Pei Yezhu in front of me, saying that she was lovely and cute.

  And my daughter also noticed that Zhao Qiusheng was nice to her cousin, but very cold to me.

  "Girl, in a family like this, can you have a good life after marrying into it?"

  Xie Wenjing only dared to say her true intentions now. This ruthless Xie family, the sooner they fall, the better, as long as that old woman and the two sons left by their ancestors, Father and Third Uncle, are still around, they can never truly be safe.

  Xie Wenjing's parents were shocked by their daughter's true thoughts, especially the insult from the Zhao family, which made Xie Wenjing's parents feel indignant.

  "Wenjing, someone from the Zhao family came looking for you. What's going on? Why didn't you tell me?" Wenjing's mother was worried."

  "Mother, I'll tell you about this in detail. The other day after I recovered from my illness, when Wenting came to visit me, she revealed to me that the Zhao family would come to see me the next day."

  At that time, I thought that since the Zhao family was going to see me, they should have sent someone to formally notify me to make preparations. So I pretended not to know. Moreover, my grandmother should also have notified my mother to make preparations for the reception, which is basic etiquette.

  The next morning I paid respects to my grandmother and even had breakfast with her, but she didn't tell me that someone from the Zhao family was coming.

  Later, I deliberately said that I wanted to come over and see my father. My grandmother not only didn't stop me but also gave me two hundred-year-old ginsengs to bring to my father to eat. Now my mother also knows that it was these precious medicines that harmed my father's body.

  The next day, I was delayed in welcoming the Zhao family. Li Ayi hurried to my side, loudly urging me to quickly tidy myself up and go welcome the Zhao family.

  As I returned to my own courtyard, I happened to see my cousin bringing Zhao Qiusheng out of my courtyard.

  At that time, Zhao Qiusheng was very cold when he saw me. In his eyes, I should be rude and arrogant, while my cousin was lovely and cute.

  I think it's all thanks to my grandmother, and it's what she had hoped to see. So when Mrs. Zhao looked down on me and mocked me, my grandmother's words were hinting at them that I'm not good, our whole family is not good.

  Maybe it's me who is wrong and doesn't understand etiquette. I'm only twelve years old, but Mrs. Zhao is the mistress of a big family, shouldn't she know more about etiquette?

  My daughter thinks she is extremely stingy and doesn't care about others' feelings. She actually gave her sheep fat bracelet to my niece in front of her future daughter-in-law, it can only be said that she wants me to feel embarrassed, she wants me to die of shame.

  "This thing, if it were to happen to an ordinary person, they would probably feel that they couldn't live with their head held high anymore. Father, mother, a family as ruthless and heartless as this, how can I still marry into it?"

  Xie Wenjing said with a hint of indignation and disdain.

  "But Wenjing, this marriage was arranged by your grandmother when she was still alive, and even if your future mother-in-law doesn't like you, you'll still have to marry him."

  If you're really jilted by the Zhao family, you'll never be able to marry into a good family in the future! In general, aristocratic families won't marry a girl who's been jilted.

  "You'd better get along with them well from now on, and there will be a time when they'll like you!"

  Xie Wenjing's mother still has the classic thoughts of a woman from that era, if Xie Wenjing hadn't died once, she would have thought so too. But now that she has died once, Xie Wenjing will never again hope that a good heart can warm up someone who is heartless and inhumane.

  "Daughter, do you think kindness can change the heart of a cruel and ruthless person? If so, why did grandmother harm father? Wasn't father filial to her? Aren't you being unfilial to her?"

  Xie Wenjing stared straight at her mother. She had to face the fact that when dealing with heartless people, she couldn't foolishly pay with her true feelings.

  "My good daughter, what can be done? Waaahhh!" As Xie Wenjing pressed for an answer, her mother was overcome with grief and burst into tears while hugging her daughter.

  "Mother, don't cry. Although I'm still young, I've long been aware of things. Living in such a wealthy family, outsiders see only the splendor, but inside it's actually very dirty."

  It's better than ordinary people living a carefree and happy life, with a harmonious family, even if it's hard or tiring, there won't be these dirty things.

  Daughter is very happy, married a good husband who loves her like father, unfortunately not all men in the family are like father, they are more like grandfather, only caring about benefits, no affection, what's so great about such men from noble families!

  Is it worth spending a lifetime in loneliness and pain, as if walking on thin ice until death, all for the sake of a noble family's reputation?

  "If that's the case, Mother, then I'd rather die than live. I'd rather not get married and spend my whole life with Father and you, where I can laugh when I want to laugh and cry when I want to cry, than live a life worse than death."

  Xie Wenjing's attitude was extremely firm, and there was no room for discussion when it came to dissolving her marriage with the Zhao family.