Zhan Chun

Kapitel 16

Sun thanked Xiaoyuan. After getting up, she said, "Zhang Langzhong has been very kind to our family. But I am unwilling to become a concubine. How can my son hold his head high in front of others in the future?"

This Mrs. Sun has much more backbone than Cai Mei. Xiao Yuan admired her. She said, "This is not difficult. Since you are from my village, what can Doctor Zhao do if I don't agree?" After saying that, she asked someone to take her down to rest.

A-Yun came in and asked her if she should send Madam Sun back first thing tomorrow morning. Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "No rush. There are other people coming tomorrow."

Sure enough, early the next morning, Physician Zhao hurriedly went down the mountain to see the lady. A-Yun praised the lady for her brilliant strategy and led him into the hall. Then, as Xiao Yuan had instructed, she pulled Cai Mei and Madam Sun behind the screen.

Doctor Zhao, being the first to inquire about the well-being of the young master and his wife, saw Xiao Yuan's gentle expression and then said, "Madam, I have come to beg you to grant me the hand of Mrs. Sun."

Xiao Yuan's face lit up with joy: "It's really not easy for Madam Sun to raise the child alone. It would be good to have someone to rely on. Go and find a matchmaker. I approve of this."

Dr. Zhao hurriedly said, "Madam, I came here first to ask for confirmation. Cai Mei is the principal wife and should be the first to enter the household. Besides, Sun is being taken as a concubine, so there is no need for a matchmaker to come."

Xiao Yuan tapped the lid of her teacup and frowned, saying, "I agreed to Sun's request, but when did I agree to Cai Mei's? Don't ruin my girl's reputation."

Seeing that Xiao Yuan and Cheng Mutian spoke almost identically, Zhao Langzhong became anxious and didn't know what to say next. At this moment, Madam Sun came out from behind the screen, knelt down in front of Xiao Yuan, repeated what she had said the day before, and then said to Zhao Langzhong, "Sir Zhao, I am just a widow, why should you bother? Besides, it is not proper for someone to ask for a concubine before even marrying a wife. You should ask your wife to marry Cai Mei to you."

Yesterday, Madam Sun had already refused Zhao Langzhong in person, so as soon as Zhao Langzhong saw her coming down the mountain, he followed her. Now, seeing her say such heartless words in front of the madam again, he felt a little embarrassed, so he bowed to Xiao Yuan and took his leave.

Pian Xiaoyuan saw the resentment in his eyes clearly. As soon as he left, she called Cailian over and whispered a few words in her ear.

At this moment, Ayun pushed Caimei out and pointed at Sun Shi, saying, "Sister Caimei, Doctor Zhao is good to her wholeheartedly, and people know that it is wrong for him to put his concubine before his wife; Doctor Zhao has accepted so many needles and thread from you, but when has he ever given you anything? You still treat him like a treasure, and you don't even care that he wants to take a concubine before he has even married you."

Cailian saw that Ayun's words were too harsh and quickly rebuked her, but Xiaoyuan said, "A confused person should be woken up with a stick, otherwise she will continue to make the same mistake."

Cai Mei was already lying on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Seeing this, Madam Sun said to Xiao Yuan, "Madam, why don't you let me go and persuade Miss Cai Mei?"

Sun was reasonable and principled, which Xiao Yuan was thinking of, so she asked A Yun to escort the two of them back to their room.

Chapter Forty: Third Sister is troubled

Last time, we talked about how Madam Sun went to persuade Cai Mei. She sat in Cai Mei's room for half a day and came out to tell Xiao Yuan, "Miss Cai Mei is even happier now that she is the only one left to enter the Zhao family." Xiao Yuan sighed, "Everyone else looks down on that person, but she has taken a liking to him. I have tried my best to persuade her, and I have done my best. Since she insists on getting married, I can't force her to stop. I will ask someone to prepare her dowry."

Last time, we mentioned that when Doctor Zhao left, he was unwilling. Xiao Yuan had already anticipated that he would come looking for Madam Sun again, so she secretly told Cai Lian to keep an eye on the door, as there's always gossip around a widow's house, and she didn't want to tarnish her reputation. Sure enough, when it got dark, someone saw Doctor Zhao lingering around the door a few times. Seeing that he couldn't get his hands on Madam Sun, he thought of Cai Mei and sent the matchmaker Huang Beizi the next day to propose marriage.

The night before, Cai Mei had already learned that the madam had relented, and she was so happy that she couldn't sleep all night. When she heard the madam calling her from the front, she ran to the main room without waiting for anyone to call her. She stood in front of Xiao Yuan with a smile and a shy look on her face. Xiao Yuan didn't look at her and said, "The matchmaker has already come. We'll wait for the betrothal gifts to be exchanged. I don't have much to say. Just don't embarrass the Cheng family when you get to their house."

Cai Mei happily agreed, kowtowed, and went out, but Cai Lian pulled her aside. "Madam may seem indifferent, but she really loves you. She's already had someone prepare your dowry, and she'll even return your indenture." Cai Mei was grateful and forgot her earlier resentment. But then she remembered that she had gone against Madam's wishes, so she went back to her room and cried bitterly.

Seeing that Zhao Langzhong had given up on her, Madam Sun came to bid farewell to Xiaoyuan. Xiaoyuan said, "You are a scholar's wife, how could you do farm work? Why don't you stay? Your son, the young master, likes you very much and wants to teach him to read. Have someone take him away." Madam Sun had already heard that the young master and his wife had sent someone to teach their son to read. Now that she saw that Xiaoyuan wanted to take her down the mountain, she was overjoyed. She knelt down and kowtowed several times. She then followed Ayun to get clothes, see the house, and learn etiquette.

Hearing that Xiaoyuan was going to marry off another maid, Axiu, heavily pregnant, came to see her. Upon seeing her, Xiaoyuan remembered the false bad news someone had spread on the mountain and asked if she had had any conflicts with her family. Axiu replied, "Madam, how did you find out? It's nothing serious. I just saw Aunt Ding trying to replace the head maid you chose with one of her relatives, so I said a few words to her." Xiaoyuan was secretly shocked: "How dare you speak ill of Master's concubine! Aren't you afraid he'll kick you out?" Axiu put her hands on her hips, quite boldly: "I'm a free woman. Let her kick me out if she wants. What's there to be afraid of? Even if she kicks me out, it won't make her happy. Besides, Third Miss warned me; she would never dare tell Master about this. No matter how much Master dotes on her, he wouldn't let a concubine's relative manage the household."

Ah Xiu was a fiery woman, so Xiao Yuan didn't tell her about the false bad news. She only said gratefully, "I'm so grateful to you all while I was away. When your child is born, I will not only give him a proper marriage certificate, but also send him to a private school." Ah Xiu smiled and thanked her, then pulled her aside to ask about the situation on the mountain. The two chatted happily until lunchtime when Ah Xiu finally took her leave.

Xiao Yuan, still thinking about what A Xiu had just said, sent someone to invite Cheng San Niang over for lunch. When Cheng San Niang entered, she saw the table laden with food and asked with a smile, "What day is it today that you're inviting me to lunch, sister-in-law?" Seeing that she was much more cheerful than before, Xiao Yuan teased her, "We brought a lot of fir wood from the mountains, but I didn't know what kind of dowry you'd like, so I asked you to ask." Cheng San Niang immediately blushed, wanting to run away, but she couldn't bear to part with the fir wood Xiao Yuan mentioned. Xiao Yuan quickly pulled her down to sit, "What's there to be ashamed of? Which girl doesn't go through this? The furniture and things will be yours to use in the future, so naturally they should suit your taste."

Cheng San Niang already felt that her sister-in-law was the best in the family, and now she felt even closer to her. She served her rice wine to toast her. Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "I should be toasting you. Thank you for reminding A Xiu, otherwise I would have been very busy when I got home." Cheng San Niang said, "It's what I should do. My sister-in-law treats me so well, I can't let others bully you. Even with my eldest sister's temper, everyone says my sister-in-law is good now." Xiao Yuan was even happier to hear this. After eating with her, she asked someone to bring her a booklet with pictures of various dollops.

After reviewing the register and overhearing her sister-in-law order someone to invite a craftsman, Cheng San Niang felt hopeful for her future and returned to her room with a smile on her face. However, her maid, Cui Zhu, said, "San Niang, no matter how good Madam is, she can only help you this far. As for choosing a husband, it's up to Master Cheng." These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her. Master Cheng disliked her the most; what good husband could he possibly choose for her? The more Cheng San Niang thought about it, the more frightened she became. She got up to seek advice from Xiao Yuan, but Cui Zhu stopped her, saying, "Madam is your daughter-in-law, so there's a distance between you. Eldest Sister Cheng, on the other hand, has always been favored by Master Cheng and is close to you. It would be better to ask her for help." Cheng San Niang thought her words made sense, so she ordered someone to invite Eldest Sister Cheng.

After Xiao Yuan's advice last time, Sister Cheng stopped visiting her parents' home unless necessary. This time, however, it was her beloved younger sister who invited her, so she brought many gifts to visit her. After Third Sister Cheng poured out her heart, Sister Cheng slapped the table and laughed, "Third Sister, you're only twelve! In Lin'an, it's not considered late for a girl to marry at seventeen or eighteen. Why are you in such a hurry?" Third Sister Cheng asked in confusion, "Then why did you marry at fifteen, sister-in-law?" Sister Cheng smiled and said, "That's because Erlang was getting old, and he pitied your sister-in-law for suffering at home, so he married you early."

Only then did Cheng San Niang understand the reason, realizing that she had indeed worried too much. Overwhelmed with shame, she lay face down on the table, too embarrassed to look up. Seeing her embarrassment, Cheng Da Jie smiled, left the gifts behind, and went to talk to Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan had already received the news and knew she was coming from Third Sister's place, so she took out the dowry book again and waved to her with a smile, saying, "Come and see the furniture I picked out for Third Sister." Sister Cheng took the book and glanced at it briefly, then smiled and said, "What do I have to worry about with Fourth Sister's work? Everything is good. Look at our younger sister, she's still a long way from marriageable age, and she's already worrying about her wedding." Xiao Yuan sighed, "Third Sister is a pitiful person, no one knows her well, she has to worry about everything herself, it's really hard on her. I can help with the dowry, but when it comes to choosing a husband, it's up to Master to worry about it."

Sister Cheng sighed, "Father has never liked her, so we'll have to help her out." Xiao Yuan nodded, "Of course, but she is Father's own daughter after all. How could Father wrong her?"

As the two were talking, a maid came to report that Master Cheng had invited Sister Cheng.

Chapter 41 Not Making Sandwich Cookies

When Sister Cheng heard that Master Cheng had sent someone to summon her, she thought he wanted to talk to her about what happened that day, so she hesitated and didn't dare to go. Xiao Yuan nudged her and said, "Father knows you were joking that day. You didn't do anything, so what are you afraid of?" Sister Cheng called over the maid who had come to announce her arrival and asked her. Sure enough, it was just that Master Cheng missed his daughter. Only then did she feel relieved and go to Master Cheng's courtyard.

When Cheng Mutian returned at dinner time, Xiaoyuan told him about picking plums. Although Cheng Mutian also thought she was confused, she was just a maid after all, so he let it go after listening. He then said, "When I came back, I went to pay my respects to Father. He said that he had arranged a marriage for Third Sister in Quanzhou, but Eldest Sister was very unwilling."

Xiao Yuan asked in surprise, "What a coincidence! Eldest sister was just teasing Third Sister this afternoon about how she was worrying about her marriage at such a young age, and before we could finish talking, Father called her away. So that's what it was about. What kind of family did Father introduce to Third Sister? Why go all the way to Quanzhou to marry her off?" Cheng Mutian glanced at her and said, "Why do you think the same way as Eldest sister? Is Quanzhou far away? That's where our roots are. All the Cheng family relatives are there. I heard that family is Father's old friend, but I didn't ask about the details. At least we have Father. Third Sister's marriage is none of our business." Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement. Her sister-in-law was not like her own maid; it was best for her to say as little as possible.

After the couple finished eating, before they even fetched water to wash themselves, Cheng Mutian started to get handsy. Suddenly, a voice called out "Sister-in-law!" from outside, which startled him so much that he jumped into bed and hid. Xiao Yuan suppressed a laugh, retied her skirt, and came out. She saw Cheng San Niang waiting anxiously in the room. She guessed what was going on but pretended not to know and only asked her what was wrong.

Cheng San Niang pulled her down to sit, blushing as she whispered, "Sister-in-law, this is an emergency, and I can't care about being ashamed anymore. I hope you can help me. Father arranged a marriage for me with the son of a close friend in Quanzhou, but this afternoon my eldest sister rejected it."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "It must be because you're worried that Quanzhou is too far away and we won't be able to take care of you after you marry into it. This is just a kind gesture."

Cheng San Niang's face turned even redder: "The son of Father's family friend is sixteen years old this year. I heard that he has an excellent temperament and is also ambitious. I'm afraid he will pass the imperial examination next year."

Cheng San Niang only spoke half of her sentence, hoping that Xiao Yuan would take the initiative to continue, but Xiao Yuan just lowered her head and blew on her tea. After a while, she looked up and asked, "Why did you stop talking, San Niang?"

Cheng San Niang couldn't beat Xiao Yuan in Tai Chi push hands, so she had to speak again: "I know that my elder sister means well, but I have never been favored by my father. It's not easy to have such an opportunity. If I miss it, I'm afraid I will never have another one."

The words were not yet fully spoken. Xiaoyuan was getting anxious, but she couldn't hold back. Her sister-in-law was not like her own maid; if she wasn't careful, she would end up pleasing neither side.

Seeing that Xiaoyuan was still silent with her head down, Cheng Sanniang became anxious, knelt down next to her legs, and cried, "Sister-in-law, you have always been the one who loves me the most. Please go to Father and speak on my behalf."

This kneeling and crying put Xiaoyuan in a difficult position. She wanted to refuse, but she remembered how much her third sister had helped her and her husband; if she agreed, she knew nothing about that family, whether they were good or bad. If her third sister married into the family and things didn't go well, then it would all be her fault as the mediator.

She was caught in a dilemma. Just as she was about to burst into tears with her third sister-in-law, Cheng Mutian stepped in to save the day. He scolded Cheng San Niang, "What time is it that you're bothering your sister-in-law? Do you think she's as idle as you are? Even if you have something to do, your father will take care of it for you. It's not your sister-in-law's place."

These words were truly insightful, leaving no room for sentimentality. Cheng San Niang couldn't stay any longer. She covered her face and ran away. Cheng Mutian then said to Xiao Yuan, "Luckily, you're sensible. Even if she helped us by passing messages on the mountain, you shouldn't get involved in this."

Xiao Yuan sensed something amiss in his words. She patted him lightly: "Don't be angry, gossip dad—is there something hidden about this?"

Cheng Mutian refused to speak ill of his father. He coughed a few times, feigning concern. He then pulled her into his arms and led her to the bed, saying, "Life is short, don't miss it." Xiao Yuan laughed so hard that a hairpin fell out of her hair. "Second Brother, it's already autumn."

As the mistress of the house, it would be dereliction of duty for her to be unaware of anything happening in the household. The next day, Xiao Yuan lay comfortably on the soft couch, listening to gossip: "Master wants to arrange a marriage with Third Mistress in Quanzhou. He wants to save on the dowry. Nowadays, when a daughter marries in Lin'an, if she doesn't include several estates and shops, the dowry list is not presentable. But Quanzhou is far away, and our family's properties are in Lin'an. Master wants to take this opportunity to send only a shipload of furniture over."

Xiao Yuan was speechless for a long time after hearing this. Could such an excuse be convincing? Not to mention that the Cheng family relatives were all in Quanzhou, even if they had no relatives there, wouldn't they be able to afford the dowry land with the money? "No wonder Erlang told me not to agree to San Niang's request. She'll suffer if she marries into that family. Nowadays, families without much wealth go bankrupt when their daughters marry. She's only taking a boatload of furniture with her. Do you think they won't treat her like dirt?"

Cailian draped a thin blanket over her and said with a smile, "Anyway, the master hasn't agreed to this matter yet because of the eldest sister, so let's pretend we don't know. It's proper for Madam to take another nap."

"So what if I agreed? With Cai Mei's example, I'm not going to concern myself with other people's marriages anymore—everyone has their own destiny, let them be." She lifted the blanket and sat up, saying, "I don't have time to take a nap, the housekeepers are about to come and cause trouble."

As they spoke, the stewardesses arrived outside. Dozens of them entered the house to pay their respects, but not a single cough was heard. Nowadays, they all had a set routine, and soon most of them had finished their business and left, leaving only the stewardesses from the accounting department and the garden.

The head of the accounting department asked Xiao Yuan, "Madam, I heard that Third Miss is about to be betrothed. Should we hurry up and prepare her dowry?"

Xiao Yuan frowned and asked, "Who spread this message?"

Seeing Xiao Yuan's unpleasant expression, the head of the accounting department quickly said, "Madam, this matter was told by Cui Zhu from Third Sister's room, so I took it as fact."

Xiao Yuan sighed and laughed at the same time. Could it be that someone as clever as Third Sister couldn't guess her father's thoughts? "If Master doesn't say it, we should all pretend we don't know. It concerns Third Sister's reputation."

The head of the accounting department was a sensible woman, and she immediately nodded in agreement before going to instruct her subordinates.

The garden manager came with good news: "Madam, our garden has produced quite a lot. We still have plenty of lotus roots, jasmine, and all kinds of fresh fruits and flowers that we can't use up. These things won't last long, so I've come to ask for your instructions."

Xiao Yuan said happily, "This is all thanks to you. You had everyone sell everything. The money will be split 20/20 among those of you who manage the garden, and the rest will go into the account."

When the stewardess heard that there was money to be made, she went out and spoke highly of the lady's kindness. From then on, she devoted herself even more diligently to managing every plant and tree in the garden.

Chapter 42 Aunt Ding's Scheme (Part 1)

Those who managed the garden received a 20% share of the produce, and they were all on high alert, even taking turns to eat, for fear that someone would steal the fruit. One day, they actually caught dozens of pounds of crabs in the large pond. Not daring to sell them right away, they specially brought them to Xiaoyuan. Autumn is the season for eating crabs and admiring chrysanthemums. Xiaoyuan was very happy to see that the crabs were large and had many round navels. She quickly ordered someone to take them to the kitchen to prepare them, so that the whole family could enjoy the moon that evening.

Just as she was about to send someone to inquire whether the eighteen items for eating crabs were complete, Cailian hurried in: "Madam, Master requests your presence." She then whispered in her ear: "I heard that Master was furious and smashed a room full of porcelain again."

Seeing Cailian's worried expression, Xiaoyuan smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, the master is going to call me over and scold me in front of others. What's the rush? Quickly tell the person in charge of the utensils to prepare the new porcelain."

Sure enough, as soon as she stepped across the threshold of Master Cheng's hall, he gave her a good scolding: "How can you be the mistress of the house? Those servants are all talking about how I have already betrothed Third Sister to Quanzhou. This matter has not been decided at all, so how can people start spreading rumors?"

Xiao Yuan lowered her voice and stood quietly below, waiting for Master Cheng to finish scolding before personally taking the tea from the maid and serving it to him. She said softly, "It's my fault for not managing the household properly. I will definitely investigate this carefully when we get back."

Master Cheng already knew that those words came from Third Sister Cheng's room, so how could he let Xiao Yuan investigate? He coughed a few times and said, "Those words have spread all over the backyard. What good will it do to find out? Why not just settle this matter and establish the facts? That way, Third Sister's reputation will not be affected. What do you think of this approach?"

Xiao Yuan looked even more frightened: "Father is still in the hall, how can a daughter-in-law have the right to speak?"

Master Cheng was very pleased with Xiaoyuan's submissive manner. Not only did he not pursue her "lax management of the household," but he also praised her a few times. Just as Xiaoyuan was about to leave, Aunt Ding rushed in, her pregnant belly protruding, and knelt down in front of her with a thud. Startled, Xiaoyuan took several steps back before remembering to call for someone to help her up. Master Cheng was worried about the child in her womb and said with concern, "You're heavily pregnant, you need to be careful. If you have anything to say, just have a maid tell you. Why did you have to come here in person?"

Seeing that Master Cheng didn't mean to blame her, Xiao Yuan realized that she was worthy of Aunt Ding kneeling, but she still had to show respect to Master Cheng. So she immediately curtsied to Aunt Ding and said, "I am a junior, how can I accept Aunt's bow? It's too much of a burden for me."

Master Cheng coughed again: "You are the mistress of the house, what is there that you can't kneel for? You shouldn't do this kind of ceremony anymore, she can't accept it."

Aunt Ding knelt before Xiao Yuan hoping to anger Master Cheng first, but unexpectedly, Xiao Yuan came out on top after a few rounds. She was very unwilling, so she bent her knees and knelt down again, this time kneeling before Master Cheng: "Master, the young mistress treats me very well, but the manager of the garden is too much. She won't even let me eat a piece of fruit. I know that as a rented concubine, I have no right to pick fruit in the master's garden, but the baby in my belly is craving it, and I can't help it."

The head maid was chosen by Xiao Yuan. If she bullied Aunt Ding, wouldn't that be the same as Xiao Yuan bullying Aunt Ding? But Aunt Ding's wishful thinking was thwarted again—Master Cheng had just praised Xiao Yuan. To scold her now would be slapping herself in the face. Therefore, she could only speak lightly: "She's just a servant. Have a slave trader sell her." Xiao Yuan didn't utter a single word of objection. She bowed and said, "It's my fault for not disciplining her properly. Aunt Ding has been wronged. Have her apologize to Aunt Ding first, then drag her out and sell her."

Aunt Ding was just a concubine who had been rented. So what if Xiao Yuan wanted to bully her? It was rare for her to be so obedient and give face to her father-in-law. Master Cheng felt a little bad about it. So he pointed to a seat and asked her to sit down.

When Aunt Ding saw that Xiao Yuan had sat down, she remained standing. She felt truly wronged and cried even harder. Xiao Yuan, determined to see this through, suggested to Master Cheng, "Although there's no place for an aunt to sit here, she's pregnant and belongs to the Cheng family. Why don't we have someone bring a stool?"

Several armchairs were still empty. Why was I given a stool? Aunt Ding, unaware of the proper etiquette, was somewhat dumbfounded. But Master Cheng praised Xiao Yuan a few more times and happily ordered someone to fetch a stool. She could only force a smile and thank Master Cheng, and also thank Xiao Yuan.

Before long, the housekeeper's wife was brought over. Xiao Yuan told her what Master Cheng meant. She said, "Hurry up and apologize to Aunt Ding. She's kind-hearted. If you beg her properly, she might forgive you this time."

The stewardess knelt down but only kowtowed to Master Cheng: "Master, it's not that I want to make things difficult for Concubine Ding. I only risked my life to offend you because I am so loyal to you."

Aunt Ding shrieked, "What a sharp-tongued maid! She's clearly bullying people on purpose, yet she still insists on bringing up the master."

Xiao Yuan glanced at Master Cheng seemingly casually, and Master Cheng became restless: "She is a servant just like you, not a mistress. Don't call her that."

The stewardess said, "I don't know whether Aunt Ding is a servant or a mistress, but she is carrying my mistress's child. How can I let her harm her?"

If it weren't for the fact that Aunt Ding was pregnant, Master Cheng wouldn't have paid her any attention. So when she heard this, she panicked and said, "Nonsense! This is my own child. Would I harm him?"

The stewardess stared intently at her and said defiantly, "Everyone knows that eating crabs can cause miscarriage. Do you think I don't know that, Madam? I was trying to protect the young master by not letting anyone give them to you, but you're accusing me of bullying you. Since the master wants to sell me, I'll have someone bring a few baskets of crabs to you right now."

Master Cheng glared at Aunt Ding and said, "Didn't you say you were picking fruit? How did it turn into crabs? Are those even fit for your consumption?"

Aunt Ding stubbornly insisted, "It is fruit."

The stewardess, fearing that Master Cheng would believe her, hurriedly said, "Madam, if you want to eat fruit, you can pay for it yourself. The fruit in the garden has long been harvested and sold. Where can you find any more? If you don't believe me, Master, you can send someone to walk through the garden and you'll know."

Xiao Yuan sat to the side and drank half a cup of tea. She finally got the gist of the matter. Aunt Ding knew to use picking fruit as a cover. It seemed that she had deliberately gone to ask for crabs. If it was just to criticize the steward's wife, it was too much of a fuss. She could tell Master Cheng about such a small matter in private. Would Master Cheng really disobey her for the sake of a servant?

So it seems the person she really wants to get rid of is me. Xiao Yuan rubbed her throbbing temples, somewhat puzzled as to why Aunt Ding was targeting her. Did she think that by overthrowing the mistress of the house, she could take over? That was ridiculous. And that head housekeeper was really shrewd. If she had been careless and given the crab to her, she could have easily pretended to have a miscarriage and told Master Cheng, "I was just picking fruit, but the young mistress gave me the crab." Then she would have been in deep trouble.

Chapter 43 Aunt Ding's Scheme (Part 2)

The stewardess's words were all reasonable, making Concubine Ding appear weak and powerless. Master Cheng smashed the only remaining piece of porcelain on the table, pointed at Concubine Ding, and scolded, "It's clearly your greed! You knew you couldn't eat crabs, yet you still went to ask for them. When you were refused, you used fruit as an excuse to turn the tables!" The stewardess concealed the joy on her face, prostrated herself on the ground, and kowtowed several times to Master Cheng: "Master, Concubine Ding was just confused for a moment. She's young, and it's understandable that she's greedy. As long as the young master is alright, I'm relieved."

After calming down, Master Cheng praised her for her loyalty to her master, then yelled at Aunt Ding: "Even the servants know to put the child in your belly first, how can you not understand this? Get back to your room now and don't come out unless necessary. If anything happens to the child, I will definitely not forgive you."

Aunt Ding had seriously underestimated this stewardess, so her attempt to steal a chicken backfired. She reluctantly helped the little maid past Master Cheng, deliberately sticking out her belly high while holding her waist. Xiao Yuan noticed that Master Cheng's expression softened, and he seemed to want to follow. She sneered inwardly, but not wanting to displease her father-in-law, she quickly got up to say goodbye and took a few steps ahead of Aunt Ding.

Xiao Yuan returned to her room full of doubts and deliberately blamed the woman in charge of the garden, saying, "Sister Qin, you've become so proud of yourselves after getting a 20% share. You won't even let people eat fruit?"

Aunt Qin cried out that she was wronged: "Madam, it is true that all the fruit has been harvested, but we kept enough for the family to eat before selling it. When Aunt Ding came to ask me for crabs, she didn't mention fruit at all. I guess she was unwilling to give up because she didn't get the crabs, so she made up the lie about fruit to harm me."

Xiao Yuan threw the teacup lid on the table: "Are you saying that Aunt Ding went straight for the crab? Doesn't she know that pregnant women can't eat that?"

Aunt Qin said anxiously, "How could she not know? She came to ask for crabs just to make a show, to let everyone know that the crabs were given to her by us, and then she'll go back and pretend to have a miscarriage—she wouldn't actually eat them; the flesh in her belly is her life."

Seeing her anxious, Xiao Yuan couldn't bear to provoke her any further. She asked Cai Lian to bring over a few hundred coins and handed them to her, saying, "It's not that I don't believe you, but Aunt Ding's behavior is too strange. She's just a lowly concubine, and she's even rented. What good would it do her to bring me down?"

This question stumped Aunt Qin. She was too embarrassed to accept the reward, saying that guarding the crabs was her duty.

After listening for a long time, Madam Sun said, "Madam, this servant has a humble opinion, but I don't know if I should say it." Xiao Yuan leaned forward and said, "I would like to hear the details." Madam Sun said, "It is naturally impossible for Concubine Ding to become the master's second wife, but it is rumored outside that Third Sister is about to marry far away. If Madam is overthrown, she can take over the household again even as a concubine."