Chapter 60: Shouldn't We Take Our New Father's Sur

o had been standing outside for a while: “Fifth sister, why don’t you go in first It’s too cold out here, you mustn’t catch a chill.” 。We, who are accustomed to being slaves, but you, with your golden...Seeing a group of women rushing out from the courtyard, straight towards the west wing, Mu Shi immediately became anxious — "What does Mother mean by this Is she going to raid our home again It's already the second day of the twelfth lunar month, and we haven't even replaced what was taken last time. What valuable things are left to take Isn't she going to take away all our bedding"

The old matriarch glared at her with fury, as though she were looking upon a mortal enemy.

A sense of deep unease washed over Mu Shi's heart. Why was the old lady so hostile towards their family This question echoed endlessly in her mind. Unfortunately, she had no clue.

Xiao started, taking the initiative to explain: "Sister-in-law misunderstood. It's not about copying your things. Mother just had people go to each courtyard to check and see if there were any places that violated taboos. After all, the family is still in mourning, one carelessness would be disrespectful to the deceased, so we can't be careless. Besides, Fourth Miss's grandmother also went to check yesterday, so there's even less reason not to let Mother check."

"Is that all you're looking into, just our West Courtyard"

"How is that possible" Xiao continued, "We need to search every household and courtyard, even Hongzhuang's place."

Ye Wen leaned against the chair, tilting his head to ask Xiao Shi, "Now that your elder sister is so esteemed, even using her title 'Sanjie' as if her status surpasses all the masters in this household. Has Second Aunt truly forgotten how she saved her life and avoided being thrown into a pig pen"

She crossed her arms and scanned the Xiao family with a sly look in her eyes, her gaze finally landing on the matriarch. "How you investigate me is your concern, but there's something I need to remind you all. The three-day deadline I gave you is approaching fast. By tomorrow at the latest, our house needs to be furnished, and all our lost belongings need to be returned. Especially my older brother's set of calligraphy brushes—if even a single one is missing, I will have no choice but to report it to the authorities."

The old madam took a deep breath, trying her best to regulate her emotions. After half a while, she said, "Rest assured, the house won't covet your things."

"That's good then." She smiled, stopped paying attention to the old woman, and turned to Ye Qingmei, "Is your forehead feeling better I see there are still some scars. You haven't invited a doctor these days, have you"

Ye Qingmei nodded, "It's impossible to invite a guest scholar from the mansion, and we can't afford a doctor outside. So be it, just cover your hair, it's not a big deal."

"Sigh." Yè Wēn Yán let out a heavy sigh, "Such thin familial ties. But it's alright, I can fix it. Tonight, I'll deliver medicine to my elder sister. My medicine, guaranteed that after one application, there won't be a single scar left. Don't worry about this little injury, even if your entire face was slashed open, I could heal you back to being beautiful as ever."

Xiao shi couldn't sit still anymore, and hurriedly called out: "Fourth Miss…"

She withdrew her smile directed at Ye Qingmei, leaned back into her chair, and picked up the tea placed on the side table by a maid. She blew it twice, took a sip, then shook her head. "Not good."

"I'll immediately send a message back to Yanhuagong and ask Lian Gonggong to send the finest tea leaves," the old woman said.

Now both the elder mistress and the second mistress were angry. Xiao was angry that Ye Wenyan completely ignored her, while the elder mistress was angry that Ye Wenyan could actually drink tea from Yanhuagong She hadn't even gotten to drink it!

Yesterday, the old lady's household bought her a cane, which she was now using just right. The elderly mistress concentrated all her indignation into her grip and pounded the cane on the ground repeatedly, cursing as she did: "Unfilial offspring! How could such a degenerate come out of the Ye family To be so disrespectful to elders, don't you fear being struck by lightning"

Mu became so angry she jumped to her feet, "Why should my daughter be struck by lightning She's already been stabbed, and you still want to curse her"

The old lady's cane thumped harder: "And you, you wicked woman! You don't deserve to be the daughter-in-law of my family!"

"Then shall we pack our bags and leave" Ye Wenyan leaned over Mu Shi and looked at the old lady.

It was only then that the old lady realized, she didn't know when, that Ye Wenyan had raised one of his legs and placed it on the chair where she was sitting, looking exactly like a street ruffian.

“Grandma, give me your word! My father is gone now, so logically, my mother and the General’s Manor have no connection anymore. Whether she lives on her own or remarries, the General’s Manor has no say in it. So Grandma, consider this: maybe we all move out with Mother and find our own way. In two years, follow Mother when she remarries, and then change our surname to that of our new father. What do you think”

As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Lianmiao, who had been sitting on the side, immediately became agitated: “Who wants to go with you Who wants to take your new father's surname Ye Wenyan, if you want to die, don’t drag me down! I would rather die than move out of here.”

Ye Wen ignored her, leisurely lifting his head to look.

The old lady was so angry that she actually had a seizure, screaming “Ahhh!” as she waved her walking stick around wildly, hitting the floor relentlessly until the tiles were almost smoking.

Just as this bout of wind finally died down and I was about to unleash my anger, Old Nanny silenced me with a single sentence: "Please, Mistress, be careful. Don't use too much force. Old Nanny thinks that what's on the ground is gold ingots crafted by the Imperial Kiln. Please don't smash them."

Ye Wen listened to this and looked at the floor. After a while, she pulled Mu Shi, "Mother, mother, this is really gold bricks! Daughter is ignorant and young, only knowing that our house is magnificent, but I didn't know it was paved with gold bricks. This must be a reward from the palace, right It looks like the one on the ground in Xuming Hall in the front yard."

Mrs. Mu calmed herself for a while and sat back to tell her, "It's true that it came from the palace. Because your grandfather and father were illustrious in battle, the previous emperor bestowed a batch of gold bricks several years ago. But the gold bricks weren't many, and they were extremely precious, so our family couldn't bear to pave the courtyard. The Nuxing Hall is the front hall, which serves as the face of our family, so it naturally had to be paved. After paving, there was some left over. It should have been paved in your grandfather's study, but somehow, it ended up being paved in Fulu Courtyard."

The old lady slammed the floor again, "Grandfather, what do you mean"

Mu shook her head, “It’s nothing important, Yan'er asked, and I just told the truth. Mother please stop knocking, what if you really break it, we would have to go to the palace to be punished, that would be embarrassing.”

The old lady was incredibly frustrated. She finally got her cane, but there was no place to use it. She just thought tapping it on the ground felt pretty good, but then the first wife and her family immediately told her to stop. Her heart was neither up nor down, it just hung in the middle, and that feeling of discomfort was indescribable, it could almost suffocate someone.

But what could she do The floor was indeed paved with gold bricks gifted by the emperor, and it certainly couldn't be damaged. If it were normal wear and tear, that would be one thing, but if she deliberately knocked it out with her cane, with Ye Wenyan's silver tongue, who knows what crime he could invent to accuse her of in front of the emperor

Now this emperor is not supported by her family. She has no standing in the palace.

The old woman endured it again and again, finally managing to swallow her anger.

Xiao's face was very grim. Hearing Ye Wen say that he could cure disfigurement again just felt like a knife twisting in her heart.

You know your daughter's face can be treated, but people won't treat it for you. What can you do about it

She was lost in thought, her eyes darting to the outside frequently.

"Ye Wenyan pondered for a moment before saying, "Second Aunt, what are you looking at Are you expecting something from those old women who went to search Why don't we guess what they'll find and whose courtyard they'll find it in"

Xiao looked at her, muttering, "Who knows!"

Ye Wen also hummed softly, "Second Aunt is indeed kind-hearted, and Grandmother is too."

Xiao wanted to ask what this thoughtful intention meant, but just then, there was movement outside the hall!

Everyone turned their heads and saw two old women escorting a maidservant back. The maidservant kept shouting as she walked, "Sister, save me! Sister, please save me!"

The night temperature was pleasant, a sign of spring.

As soon as the man entered, the two women pushed Hsi-Chun forward. One of them held up a handful of dried plum blossoms: “Sister Four’s maid was picking flowers in the plum garden and got caught by this old servant! We have both the person and the stolen goods!”

Xi Chun knelt and crawled, throwing herself at Ye Wen's feet, clutching at her skirt. "Sister, please plead for me! Sister, you must help me! I know I was wrong, I won't dare again!"

She asked Xichun, "What did you do"

Xīchūn replied, "The slave maid went to pick flowers for my sister."

"When did I let you pick the flowers"

“My lady didn’t tell me to pick them, but I saw Zhuier sneaking to the plum garden every day. My lady’s room is filled with fragrance too, and I even saw her take flower petals from her purse. So I guessed my lady must like flowers and wanted to use them, so I picked some for her. I didn’t expect to be caught. Please save me, my lady!”

Ye Wen shook his head, "It's a great mourning at our house, you go to pick flowers, this is disrespectful to the deceased. What's more, when did I ever ask Zhuai'er to pick flowers You can't just make up anything you want by moving your lips."

"Sister, you can't do this. You can't deny it! If you deny it, what will happen to the servant"

“Whatever the old madam wants to do with her, you just do it.” She moved her legs and shook off the skirt corner being held by Xichun, then said to the old madam, “I’m very sorry for what happened. As her mistress, I bear some responsibility. So let me make a statement, this maid is handed over to the grandmother to dispose of. Whether it's beating, punishing, or killing, I guarantee not a word will I say on her behalf, how about that”

The old matriarch frowned, "Is that all you have to say To not plead for her Si'er, this old woman heard it clearly just now. Your maidservant, not only does she use flowers in her room, but she also carries a pouch full of them! This could be a misunderstanding for you"

Ye Wen's face was full of surprise: "Of course it's a misunderstanding! How could there be flowers in my purse" As he spoke, he covered the pouch hanging from his waist with his hand and shrank back into his chair. Anyone looking at him would see that he was guilty as charged.

Mù's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Yán'er really had hidden the flowersortoise: "It seems you were quite annoying before! However, listening to you, it seems your master is a powerful figure. What do you want"The tortoise told her the terms: “Put out the fire on my shell...