YM778.TV Chapter 185
The ladies were like chrysanthemums in flower pots, vying for beauty, unable to speak.
The wind blew the chrysanthemum petals, making them sway, while it jingled the ornaments in the ladies\' hair.
The prefect\'s wife arrived just in time.
She was a slightly plump woman, not tall, and not particularly good-looking.
Surprisingly, when Jiang Mianmian saw the prefect\'s wife, her first thought was that this prefect must be a good man, not abandoning his wife from humble beginnings. The plump wife looked like she was living a very comfortable life.
And this was probably what most normal people looked like.
How could one see one stunning beauty after another?
There weren\'t that many countries and cities to be captivated.
Everyone was worried that Zheng\'er would make a scene and refuse to let it go.
Mrs. Jiang\'s actions were satisfying, but they were concerned about how it would end.
Zheng\'er was no pushover.
Having suffered such a great insult, she would surely seek revenge.
But Mrs. Jiang\'s slap had knocked her out cold.
It must have been genuine unconsciousness, otherwise, given Zheng\'er\'s temperament, she wouldn\'t have been too embarrassed to fake it.
Seeing the prefect\'s wife, Qin Luoxia felt a bit embarrassed and said, "I\'m sorry, I damaged a few of your flower pots."
The prefect\'s wife looked at the human-shaped impression in the flowers and wanted to laugh.
She pursed her lips, holding it back hard.
She put on a solemn expression and waved her hand, "It\'s fine."
She was also sick of these favored concubines, but for the sake of appearances, she still had to entertain them.
Watching Zheng\'er being carried away, Qin Luoxia kept the three girls behind.
"Xiu\'er, Mian\'er, Mi\'er, come here. Stay with Aunt Qin, I\'ll take you to play."
The three girls were amazed that this lady dared to hit Madam Zheng and even knew their names.
This must be the Mrs. Jiang their mother had mentioned, the formidable Mrs. Jiang.
If they went back with Madam Zheng, they would surely be punished.
The girls were timid but not stupid. Instinctively following the powerful one, they obediently called out, "Hello, Aunt Qin."
Jiang Mianmian reached out to hold the hand of the youngest girl.
"Hello, Sister Mi\'er, I\'m Mianmian."
Mi\'er\'s palm was sweaty with nervousness as she carefully grasped the other\'s hand.
The other girl was dressed too beautifully and exquisitely, and was too pretty, a hundred times more beautiful than Madam Zheng.
Father had said Madam Zheng was a celestial beauty, so what would you call someone a hundred times more beautiful than a celestial being?
After apologizing, Qin Luoxia asked Pangya to give what she was holding to the prefect\'s wife.
The prefect\'s wife, though feeling that Mrs. Jiang\'s actions were satisfying, also thought they were a bit reckless and too fierce.
Seeing her offering a gift, she smiled politely.
But then she saw the chubby maid lift the black cloth, revealing a pot of black chrysanthemums underneath. They were blooming extraordinarily beautifully, with distinct petals and vigorous growth.
The prefect\'s wife stepped forward in delight, examining them closely.
"Is this a mutation that was then cultivated?"
Qin Luoxia nodded.
"It\'s grown so well. I\'ve seen mutated plants before, but they\'re very difficult to raise."
Qin Luoxia smiled and said, "Mutated plants are out of place among other plants, but with careful nurturing, they can grow into their most beautiful form."
The prefect\'s wife truly loved chrysanthemums.
She was absolutely enamored with this pot of flowers.
"Such a fine flower, probably one of a kind, I feel unworthy to accept it."
"If you like it, it becomes precious. If no one cares for it, it\'s like wild grass by the roadside."
The prefect\'s wife nodded happily.
The more she looked at Mrs. Jiang, the more she liked her. Not only were her actions grand, but her words were also interesting and profound the more one pondered them.
Just with one pot of flowers, Mrs. Jiang, who had knocked out Lord Yu\'s favored concubine, became an honored guest of the prefect\'s wife.
The other ladies naturally greeted her with smiles as well.
Some praised the beauty of the chrysanthemums.
Some complimented Mrs. Jiang\'s beautiful clothes.
Some praised Miss Jiang\'s beauty.
All around were words of praise.
Even Madam Yu\'s three daughters received smiles and compliments.
It was completely different from the cold, mocking looks they usually received. It turned out these ladies\' knife-like mouths could also speak words as sweet as honey.
For a moment, everyone was harmonious.
No one mentioned the fainted Zheng\'er.
No one dared to bring up the recent rumors in the Provincial Capital about incompatible destinies and such.
Even Madam Liu, known for her straightforward personality, kept her mouth tightly shut today.
After all, no one wanted to be knocked out and carried away.
This Mrs. Jiang was truly fierce.
When they beat a lowly maid at home, their hands would hurt, and the maid could still cover her face, half-hiding behind a pipa, crying and whining coquettishly to the master.
Mrs. Jiang directly knocked someone unconscious, there was no room for coquettish behavior.
Mrs. Jiang\'s temperament was truly enviable.
Whenever they felt murderous at home, thinking of a hundred ways to kill those lowly maids, they still had to say, "Sister, you\'ve worked hard, thank you for taking care of the master for me..."
It was said that the Jiang family had no concubines.
Mrs. Jiang could subdue ten with one blow. With her demeanor, no matter how devastatingly handsome Mr. Jiang might be, he wouldn\'t dare to have wandering eyes.
The hosts and guests were all in good spirits.
The ladies also put aside their prejudices.
Although they were all from families of pardoned rebels, this Mrs. Jiang seemed very worth associating with.
Everyone looked down on Madam Yu, firstly because she didn\'t understand proper behavior, and secondly because they despised her for being controlled by a concubine.
If you don\'t establish yourself, letting a concubine set rules for your daughters, it\'s ridiculous and laughable. Who could help you? No one could interfere in your family affairs.
Looking at how the girls had been taught to be quiet and reserved, at least their eyes seemed right. If they had really been taught the ways of a concubine, with an air of sensuality about them, who would dare to marry them as proper wives in the future? They would likely end up as concubines.
"Mrs. Jiang, your skin is so good, you don\'t look like someone who\'s had three children at all. Do you have any secret methods? The cleansing cream you sent is also very good," one lady praised.
Another lady also felt her face was a bit loose, while Mrs. Jiang\'s face was tight like a young girl\'s.
Qin Luoxia smiled and said, "I do have some secrets. My little daughter naturally loves to tinker with these things. The cleansing cream was her creation. It can make people whiter when used for washing. She also made face masks, essences, and other complicated things. You just put them on your face. I used to do a lot of farm work and wasn\'t fair-skinned, but she forcibly turned me into this."
Jiang Mianmian put on a sweet, silly smile.
Mother, you know how to show off, complaining while showing off is still showing off.
"I don\'t know if someone found out these secret formulas were created by my little daughter. Some people with ulterior motives want them, after all, the desire to become beautiful is universal. But spreading those ridiculous rumors is hateful. If the ladies have time, next time come to our manor, and I\'ll let you try them," Qin Luoxia said naturally.
"Yes, it\'s too despicable."
"Their intentions are condemnable."
"Then we\'ll wait for Mrs. Jiang\'s invitation. I\'ll bring my daughter too when the time comes."
The ladies were extremely enthusiastic.
When it was time to leave, the prefect\'s wife still held onto Qin Luoxia and said, "Sister Luoxia, next time I\'ll invite you to my home. There were too many people this time, we couldn\'t chat properly. Don\'t worry, my old Zhou doesn\'t like that Yu fellow either. If your Mr. Jiang punishes you when you get home, feel free to come find me. Say I told you to hit her."
Hearing these words, Jiang Mianmian really liked this prefect\'s wife.
She couldn\'t help but go forward, hugging the prefect\'s wife\'s leg and saying, "Aunt, come play at our house, we have yummy food."
The prefect\'s wife\'s children were all grown up, and even her grandchildren couldn\'t act as adorably as this.
She was extremely fond of this pretty little girl who could hug her leg so charmingly.
Even as she left, she was reluctant to part. She gave the little girl another string of glass and jade beads to wear around her neck, which was extremely beautiful.
"Thank you, Aunt." Jiang Mianmian rubbed her head against the prefect\'s wife\'s plump belly.
It was very soft.
Qin Luoxia personally took the three girls home in a carriage.
In the carriage, the eldest girl Xiu\'er suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Qin Luoxia, saying, "Aunt, please save my mother. My father said that if Madam Zheng gets even a little hurt, he would beat my mother."
"Mother can\'t fight back against Father. This time Madam Zheng is so badly hurt, my mother will be beaten to death."
"Can you help us take our mother away and send us back to the countryside? We used to live in the countryside before, we had a farm, we could do whatever we wanted. Mother would plant crops, the beans were delicious," Mian\'er also knelt down and said.
"That Madam Zheng always punishes us, saying we say the wrong things, making us kneel. Father doesn\'t care, Father is very fierce."
"Father says he wants a son, we are all money-losing goods. Madam Zheng says once she gives birth to a son, she\'ll drive us out."
"Aunt Qin, my father is truly terrifying. You must be careful. Madam Zheng will surely claim she\'s pregnant when she returns, and might even accuse you of causing her to miscarry. Last time, she falsely accused Mi\'er of pushing her, and my father kicked Mi\'er so hard he flew across the room. Mi\'er\'s stomach still hurts to this day."
Mi\'er, the five or six-year-old girl sitting next to Jiang Mianmian, naively lifted her shirt, revealing a bruise on her stomach.
The young girls, as if in a group therapy session, hurriedly shared their woes with Qin Luoxia.
They feared being sent back home and getting beaten again.
They also worried about their mothers being beaten.
Hearing this, Jiang Mianmian was shocked.
She felt grateful for having transmigrated into a normal family. This father they spoke of was truly terrifying.
Qin Luoxia pulled the three children close and said, "Don\'t worry. I\'ll take you back, and I promise you won\'t be beaten. Your mothers will be safe too."
The girls remained skeptical.
Especially Xiu\'er, the oldest.
When she was sent into the Yu manor, her struggling gaze and constant looking back resembled a small deer being thrown to the tigers – confused, frightened, and somewhat unwilling.
Even as the door closed, that look in her eyes was still heart-wrenching.
Jiang Mianmian couldn\'t help but cling to the carriage curtain.
She turned to ask her mother, "Will they really be okay?"
Qin Luoxia pulled her little daughter into her arms, gently stroking her head as she said, "They\'ll be fine. When mother says it\'s okay, it definitely will be. Don\'t worry."
...
That night, Lord Yu didn\'t return home. He went to investigate a case and accidentally fell off a cliff, dying from the fall.