This greatly worried Meng Junyao. She had clearly promised to help her get back Su Mama, but now she was suddenly showing 'motherly affection'. In her anxiety, she hurriedly let out two soft sobs.
The Third Madam then came to her senses and remembered the purpose of Meng Junyao's trip. She then grasped Meng Wan's hand and said, "Oh right, I almost forgot. I heard that you dealt with Granny Su because she accidentally pushed you?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Wan raised an eyebrow and suddenly looked at Meng Junyao.
As she had guessed, seeing that there was no room for negotiation with Meng Wan, she turned her attention to her aunt. She had prepared the Third Madam's soft heart; as long as Meng Junyao smiled pitifully, her aunt would take pity on her.
But how could Meng Wan let her have her way? She had finally managed to get rid of that cunning Su Mama from Meng Junyao's side, so how could she let her come back now?
She lowered her eyes immediately: "If that were all, I wouldn't have sent her to the storeroom. After all, she's my second sister's closest person, and even for her sake, I wouldn't want to punish her. But a few days ago, I went to the rouge shop in the west of the city, and the owner there mentioned that Granny Su has been frequently taking valuable jewelry to the pawnshop next door to exchange for money in the past year or two. Second sister, I don't know how much you have, but I recognize a few things, like the pair of jade bracelets Father gave you for your birthday last year. Didn't you say you lost them? I saw them at that pawnshop. I originally wanted to redeem them, but I was afraid of hurting your relationship with Granny Su, so I had to give up. And if you hadn't come to your aunt's place to say this, I wouldn't have brought it up."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned. The Third Madam was somewhat astonished, and even Meng Junyao was filled with disbelief.
Meng Wan felt perfectly at peace.
It is true that Granny Su would steal things from the mansion to sell for money; it was not something Meng Wan made up. She had been worried about how to sow discord between Granny Su and Meng Junyao, and now she had a good idea to use. After all, she knew Meng Junyao's personality very well; she couldn't tolerate betrayal, especially from Granny Su, whom she trusted the most.
Sure enough, after a brief moment of shock, Meng Junyao's tears flowed even more freely. This time, she was sobbing to save face and find a way to back down: "Mother, how could Granny Su do this? I wasted my time and face, considering our past relationship, to plead with you and my sister, but she..."
She couldn't help but offer another round of comforting words. The Third Madam kept whispering words of solace in her ear, and finally instructed Meng Wan to send someone to redeem the pair of bracelets another day, and to severely punish Granny Su.
Seeing her aunt treat Meng Junyao so gently, Meng Wan felt a little stifled, but she tried her best to endure it. Before tearing off Meng Junyao's mask, she had to endure it, she absolutely had to endure it.
Goodbye, Scumbag (Part 1)
The mother and her two daughters talked for a while longer before leaving together.
Meng Junyao was still sobbing, and it was unclear whether she was truly heartbroken or feigning sadness. Meng Wan ignored her, offering only a few words of comfort before leaving. In any case, she knew that Meng Junyao was heartbroken over Su Mama, so she didn't need to worry about her anymore.
Sure enough, early the next morning, news came that Granny Su had been expelled from the Prime Minister's residence.
When Huan Yan arrived, Meng Wan was resting on the soft couch, quietly listening to the little maid Huan Yan chatter on and on about how miserable Granny Su was. Meng Wan couldn't help but want to laugh.
That really suits Meng Junyao's personality. She kicks away those who betray her without hesitation, and the past affection crumbles instantly.
He curled his lips into a smile and said, "Find a reliable person to settle Granny Su in a house in the south of the city. Remember, don't make a fuss about it, and don't let anyone else know."
Huan Yan was still overjoyed that Granny Su had been driven away. After all, she had been bullied by that old woman quite often. Taking advantage of her age and the length of time she had been in the mansion, she didn't even respect the young lady.
But now that she heard that she was to be settled, Huan Yan couldn't help but feel puzzled: "Miss, she is the Second Miss's person. The Second Miss doesn't care about her anymore. Why do you still want to be a good person?"
A good person? No, Meng Wan disdained to be such a good person; it was just that Su Mama was still useful to her!
Seeing Meng Wan's solemn expression, Huan Yan knew that she must have her own plans. Although she didn't like it, she didn't ask any more questions. After accepting the order, she quietly left the room.
After Huanyan left, Meng Wan lay down on the carved sandalwood couch and continued to doze off.
It was late autumn, and the weather was quite chilly. Lying there, I could hear the rustling of the wind.
In a daze, she seemed to hear someone pushing the door open. Thinking it was Huanyan, she didn't pay attention until the footsteps stopped in front of the bed and there was no movement for a long time. Only then did she suddenly open her eyes.
What came into view was Meng Junyao's stunningly beautiful face, which was now filled with surprise. She had clearly not expected Meng Wan to suddenly open her eyes. However, her surprise was only momentary, and she walked to the bedside with a smile.
"Seeing that no one was outside, I came in by myself, but I didn't mean to disturb my sister's good sleep. It was really Junyao's fault."
She spoke softly, her expression utterly pitiful. Meng Wan glanced at her, and involuntarily, the vicious faces of Meng Junyao from her previous life floated into her mind, overlapping with the weak and helpless face before her. Meng Wan felt a tightness in her chest, and a surge of hatred welled up inside her. She could hardly contain herself and clutched her chest, coughing violently.
"Ah, sister, what's wrong?" Meng Junyao exclaimed upon seeing this and hurriedly stepped forward to check on her. Meng Wan instinctively wanted to dodge, but suddenly stopped, her fingertips clenching tightly in her palms to maintain a calm demeanor, and even managed a faint smile at the corner of her lips: "I'm fine, I was just startled by you just now."
As she spoke, she sat up, her gaze sweeping over Meng Junyao's stunning face. Suddenly, a distant memory surfaced in her mind. She lowered her eyes, casually patting Meng Junyao's hand, a faint smile playing on her lips: "By the way, Second Sister, you haven't redeemed your pair of bracelets yet, have you? I think the weather's nice today, why don't we go together?"
Goodbye, Scumbag (Part 2)
Although she always felt that Meng Wan had become somewhat different from before after falling from the attic, she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different. She seemed less warm towards her than before, but it also seemed to be just her own illusion.
Meng Junyao visibly relaxed and nodded, "Okay."
It was already late autumn, and the weather outside was chilly. The lotus pond, which was full of flowers and leaves in the summer, was now just withered stems and broken leaves, and had long lost its charm of holding dew and pearls.
A cold wind swept across her face, and even though she was dressed in thick clothes, she couldn't keep out the chill. However, Meng Wan didn't feel cold at all. Just thinking about the person she was about to meet made her feel like she was surrounded by countless fireballs, raging flames that seemed to want to burn her to ashes.
If she remembered correctly, the fifteenth day of the eleventh month of the twenty-first year of the Hongguang reign was the day she met Huangfu Qian in her previous life.
That year, on her way back from visiting her second uncle's house at Dongbailou, the largest teahouse in the city, she happened to run into Huangfu Qian, who was pretending to be an ordinary scholar and engaging in literary pursuits.
At first glance, Huangfu Qian's refined demeanor and gentle smile, coupled with his unparalleled talent, captivated Meng Wan, a young girl in her prime. She couldn't help but fall for him. Later, after several chance encounters, they eventually fell in love.
At the time, she thought it was a beautiful encounter, but now she thinks it was all a scheme by Huangfuqian, deliberately appearing in front of her to lure her in.
She was lost in her thoughts when, without realizing it, she arrived at the place, and a commotion came from upstairs.
Meng Wan looked up and saw a group of people, men and women, gathered in a private room on the second floor facing outwards, chatting about everything under the sun.
A scholar in blue robes stood in the center of the crowd and announced in a loud voice, "Today, we will guess the names of these flowers. Whoever cannot answer correctly will be the winner."
The crowd responded, and the scholar raised his hand in a gesture of approval, then said, "Alright, I'll go first." His gaze swept over the flowers, and he raised an eyebrow: "A blush of wine inexplicably rises on her jade-like skin."
The riddle was rather explicit, and everyone burst into laughter. The scholar, neither impatient nor annoyed, laughed along with everyone. Finally, he asked, "Well, can anyone guess the answer?"
The laughter subsided, and an older man stepped forward. He shook his head and thought for a while before saying, "What's so difficult about that? Poinsettia, isn't it?"
The scholar in blue cupped his hands and smiled, "Brother Zhang, you have great talent. Now it's your turn to pose the question."
The man behind him smiled and did not refuse. After a moment's thought, he said, "Everywhere, the sound of scissors and rulers urges the coming of winter clothes; guess the name of a flower."
This stumped everyone, and they looked at each other in bewilderment. The scholar, seeing this, was quite pleased with himself, raising his neck and looking at everyone.
At this moment, Meng Wan also curled her lips and glanced around the crowd. Sure enough, she saw Huangfu Qian, dressed in white with a calm expression, standing in the crowd.