Chapter 740 - 382: Universally Despised

Chapter 740: Chapter 382: Universally Despised

Juhua said to He with a serious expression, "Mother, you can’t think like that. If you keep being soft-hearted, you might as well wait for them to force a bride on us, or for our reputation to be dragged through the mud. I’m not making a big deal out of nothing today. They’ve visited so many times before; have I ever said a single word? But now all these ’sisters’ are showing up at our door, and they aren’t even sisters from our branch of the Zhang family—if they were, that would be another matter. This connection is distant to begin with, and now they’re bringing relatives who have nothing to do with us. Aren’t their intentions obvious? Living under the same roof, who knows if Huai Zi or Yangzi might ’accidentally’ see something or walk in on someone? When that happens, even if you and Father are completely against it, could you really stand by and watch a girl jump into the river? Or would you rather pay to smooth things over and let the Zhang family take the blame for the setup? Who would I even turn to for justice then?"

He’s eyes flew open, her heart began to race, and her face flushed red. She was trembling with anger, and Juhua quickly took Cong from her to hold.

The matriarch of the Yang Family looked as if she’d just woken from a dream—she hadn’t even considered that point—and immediately clapped her hands. "Isn’t that the truth? Remember that mess Xiaonian’s wife stirred up that year? If the village chief’s father hadn’t been so reasonable, and if Jinling hadn’t been so sensible, my Qingmu would have been made the scapegoat! Even if he hadn’t been forced to take a concubine, his life would have been miserable. Who knows what other trouble would have come of it."

He choked back her anger and said nothing. She had felt incredibly wronged today, and now she was absolutely furious, but it wouldn’t be right to start shouting and cursing.

Juhua snorted coldly. "They’re pushing their luck right to our faces—the hard approach didn’t work, so now they’re trying a soft one. Mother, did you ever actually invite them to stay? I bet the Eldest Madam just announced she was staying all on her own and made it sound like you were desperate for them to visit."

He spat, "Who asked her to stay? I must have nothing better to do! I still don’t know how it happened. She came in, said she was bringing the children to pay their New Year’s respects, and before I knew it, she was talking about staying the night. She even told Aunt Liu to go cook while I sat here and kept them company. If you hadn’t come back, judging by the way she was running her mouth, that one night would have turned into several days."

Seeing He’s indignant expression, Juhua suddenly wanted to laugh. ’My mother-in-law is such a straightforward person; she can’t bring herself to be rude. She must have been completely bamboozled by the Eldest Madam’s bizarre maneuvering.’

Huai Zi and Yangzi had come over and been listening for a while. Yangzi said to He, "Mother, you can’t be soft-hearted. Otherwise, it won’t just be my brother who suffers, but me as well. And Juhua," he added, "my mother is a straightforward person who doesn’t understand all these twisted games. She was just trapped by the Eldest Madam’s words. From now on, you’ll have to watch these people closely and not give them any openings."

Juhua looked at him with amusement. "And how could I presume to speak over an elder? It was just a coincidence today. If she hadn’t brought all those girls with her, I wouldn’t have been able to treat her that way. It’s not right to kick people out when they’ve come to pay their New Year’s respects."

Yangzi grinned teasingly. "But didn’t you just kick them out?"

"That’s different," Juhua said firmly. "The Eldest Madam is welcome to visit. The granddaughters of the Zhang family are welcome to visit. But to bring outsiders? Her intentions are as clear as day. Her own motives are impure, so I have every right to act as I did. If we’re being honest, all of this is happening because you became a Scholar. You should have put on your airs and found an excuse to set them straight yourself."

Huai Zi nodded and said to Yangzi, "In a few days, we should go pay them a visit. They’re always the ones coming here; it’s time we paid a return visit. You’re a Scholar now, so you need to act the part. Some things need to be said forcefully, to prevent a bigger disaster down the road."

Zhang Yang thought for a moment. "Brother, you shouldn’t go. I’ll go alone."

Huai Zi raised an eyebrow. "Of course I’m going. Otherwise, they’ll think this family is easy to manipulate when you’re not around. Besides," he added with a grin, "don’t I get to ride your coattails?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

He had still been fuming, but she couldn’t help but laugh at his words. She shot Huai Zi a playful glare. "What a thing to say." Then she turned to the Yang Family matriarch. "Sister-in-law, did you call us over for dinner tonight? What should we do? Aunt Liu has already cooked for us. Why don’t we just let them eat by themselves?"

The matriarch of the Yang Family looked at her, at a loss. Her own pots and stove were cold—how could she have a meal ready? Since Juhua was back at her in-laws’ and her own son Qingmu and his wife hadn’t returned, she’d been planning to just whip up something simple for herself. But it was the New Year season, so there was plenty of food around, and it would be quick to prepare. She quickly recovered and said, "Yes, let them eat by themselves. You can come help me—I’m not quite finished cooking yet. I just popped over because I was worried Juhua was going to lose her temper."

Juhua burst out laughing. "Auntie, who are you kidding! When I saw you arrive, I just made that up on the spot, afraid they’d refuse to leave. I bet your stove is still cold, isn’t it? Don’t trouble yourself, just eat with us here."

He was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing and pulled the Yang Family matriarch into the kitchen.