In front of Furong Village, the north wind whistled, bringing waves of chill.
Yet, Zhao Xiaohua seemed completely lost in her memories.
In her recollection, Shen Yun was a very gentle person.
Though his nature was indifferent, he always spoke to her softly, never losing his temper or reprimanding her.
But he was also a ruthless individual.
Anyone who stood in the way of his future, who hindered him from achieving his goals, he would spare no one.
Su Xiaoqi couldn't stand it and said, "It seems this Miss Zhao Xiaohua has fallen and hurt herself. You should have a doctor look at her quickly. Guo'er, ask the head of Yangliu Village's household to take her back to Yangliu Village."
Guo'er received the order, and coincidentally, Li Wangshi, the wife of the head of the village household, walked out.
She was looking at the scene before her with a bewildered expression. The young master and mistress of the house were standing on the steps, and a little beauty, dressed and adorned extremely provocatively, was lying on the ground.
No, no, she wasn't lying on the ground, but had fallen on it, her face bruised and swollen. A truly pitiful woman.
Upon hearing Su Xiaoqi's command, she stepped forward to help Zhao Xiaohua, but Zhao Xiaohua struggled violently and pushed her away.
"I, I don't need you to send me. Don't you lowly maids touch me." She had deliberately worn her newly made clothes today. These clothes were bought from Yuyi Workshop, and she had spent ten taels of silver on them, keeping it a secret from her family. Now, because of her fall, they were torn. Her face, a woman's most important feature, was also scraped and bleeding.
She hated him, and she suddenly hated Shen Yun. Why, he was clearly hers, but she hated Su Xiaoqi even more. She realized the main reason for all these changes. In her previous life, Su Xiaoqi had killed Shen Yun's relatives, so he hated her and had already cast her aside, paying her no attention. Back then, she had seized the perfect opportunity, gone to comfort him, helped him with chores, and managed everything for him. It was then that he discovered her worth. When she expressed her desire to stay with him, he had initially refused. But she had secretly followed him to the capital later. After enduring much hardship, she encountered him halfway, feigning pitifulness, which finally stirred his compassion, and he brought her along to the capital.
In this life, because of Su Xiaoqi, this variable, many things were no longer proceeding according to the previous trajectory. Perhaps, perhaps if Su Xiaoqi wasn't there, no, first Shen Yun's family wasn't there, Shen Yun would naturally hate Su Xiaoqi. Then, she could return to Shen Yun's side. Zhao Xiaohua's thoughts stretched far and wide. Her meticulously painted face was a riot of colors, and her almond-shaped eyes were filled with intense hatred.
Su Xiaoqi's heart trembled, and she could see Zhao Xiaohua's hatred for her at a glance. She frowned, rubbing her hands with some discomfort. For some reason, she felt Zhao Xiaohua was somewhat terrifying at this moment.
Shen Yun sensed her fear and gently squeezed her hand, reassuring her, "Don't worry, whatever she does will be in vain."
Su Xiaoqi appeared to relax, but her heart remained taut. Shen Yun didn't know, but she did. Zhao Xiaohua had lived another life. She knew many things that others didn't, and even because she had stayed by Shen Yun's side for over a decade in her past life, she knew everything about his subsequent affairs in the capital like the back of her hand. If she were to turn towards his enemies with hatred, it would be a great disaster for Shen Yun.
Su Xiaoqi felt a chill of dread. She pulled away from Shen Yun's hand and stepped forward, intending to persuade Zhao Xiaohua. But Zhao Xiaohua had already stood up, enduring the pain. She shot Su Xiaoqi a cold glare, and hatred surged out of her like a tide once more. Su Xiaoqi's outstretched hand remained stiffly suspended until Zhao Xiaohua left. The onlookers also dispersed.
Su Xiaoqi followed Zhao Xiaohua's departure. At the end of the small grove, she thought she vaguely saw Zhao Xiaohua getting into a carriage. That carriage was very low-key, made of black lacquered blue cloth, and unremarkable from the outside. But Su Xiaoqi, due to her innate sense of danger, felt a faint, inexpressible emotion welling up within her.
Meanwhile, inside the black lacquered blue cloth carriage, a stern-looking old woman was looking at Zhao Xiaohua's bruised face. She didn't mock her but merely instructed her accompanying young maid to clean her wound and apply medicine. The medicine stung as it was applied to her scraped face, and Zhao Xiaohua endured it with all her might. By the time it was done, her anger was irrepressible. Gritting her teeth, she said, "I've made up my mind. As long as you let me go to the capital, I will agree to your terms."
"Good," the stern old woman said nothing more, merely replying indifferently. Everything was as expected. "But you must promise me that after things are done, I can still return to his side."
A slight crack appeared on the old woman's stern face, and her narrowed eyes flickered, as if she were sizing up Zhao Xiaohua, wondering if she had been dazed by the fall or if a wire had crossed in her brain. Despite her rich internal thoughts, she said nothing, only telling her to go home and prepare, as they would depart early the next morning.
In Furong Village, Madam Zhao and Old Madam Yu had also heard about what happened at the entrance. Madam Zhao sighed, "Oh, this Miss Xiaohua... she seemed quite nice before, often coming to my home to do embroidery with me. Speaking of which, I taught her her embroidery skills, and she was quite talented, just didn't do much of it."
Old Madam Yu, however, had no kind words. She scolded with a cold face, "Hmph, such a shameless girl. You still taught her embroidery? If I were her parents, I would lock her up at home."
Seeing her old mother angered, Madam Zhao meekly chimed in, "Yes, yes, I didn't think that much about it before. Now that I think about it, it was indeed not very appropriate for an unmarried girl to come to our house so often." However, she hadn't paid much attention to it, thinking that in the countryside, people didn't pay much heed to such matters. Speaking further, Madam Zhao looked at Su Xiaoqi with an embarrassed expression, asking her to rest assured. "Our Yun Ge'er only likes you, and our entire family only recognizes you as our daughter-in-law. No one else will ever get in."
Madam Zhao's words elicited a rare good look from Old Madam Yu, who said she was right. A daughter-in-law as good as Su Xiaoqi was hard to find even with a lantern. It was precisely because of this that she should treat her even better.
Su Xiaoqi didn't think much of Madam Zhao's words. But when Old Madam Yu spoke like this, she found it hard to believe. However, she soon thought of something and looked at Yan Zhi, who was standing by, casting a doubtful glance at her. Yan Zhi nodded repeatedly. Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but feel excited. She looked at Old Madam Yu and said, "Grandmother, we are leaving tomorrow. Since we have time now, let me check your leg."
Old Madam Yu's expression stiffened slightly as she said there was no need to check, that her legs were already better. "Better?" Madam Zhao, her own daughter, didn't even know about this. "If they're better, they're better. I can move. You're not going to send this old woman back to the village, are you?" Old Madam Yu looked quite uncomfortable. Her legs, nourished by Su Xiaoqi's good medicine and diligently massaged by Yan Zhi at fixed times every day, had already begun to feel better around the time of the Spring Festival. But she remembered that the reason she could live in the manor with her daughter and enjoy her old age was entirely due to her inconvenient legs. Now that they were better, she had no reason to stay any longer. But she had already grown fond of this leisurely and comfortable life. There was no sound of her eldest daughter-in-law, no quarrels, only warmth and harmony. She liked this kind of family atmosphere.