Old Lady Zhou waited for Madam Zhou’s appearance, but she only encountered Madam Zhou’s maid Qiu Xiang, and then she was escorted to a guest room.
"Miss, your Madam..." Old Lady Zhou anxiously asked about Madam Zhou’s whereabouts.
Qiu Xiang gave a faint smile and said, "Madam asked you to rest here, it won’t be too late to leave after the rain stops."
As she spoke, she quietly sized up the two people in front of her.
Being selected to serve at the Wu Residence was fortunate for Qiu Xiang because her new masters were straightforward and the person she served was especially kind. As for the young lady, although she looked intimidating, as long as Qiu Xiang made no mistakes, she would not be punished or scolded.
Finding herself in such a household was much better than landing in some dreadful place, and so Qiu Xiang was very grateful.
As Hongyu often learned from her on the job, Qiu Xiang cleverly managed to hear about the matters of her masters and gained some understanding of the origins of Mother and daughter Wufu.
With sharp eyes and a mind full of calculations, Qiu Xiang had naturally figured out from her speculations that the two individuals before her were Madam’s family from her maternal home.
The old lady’s eyes were earnest, as if she had something urgent to discuss, and the daughter-in-law’s eyes wandered restlessly, clearly a scheming and restless sort – Qiu Xiang had seen plenty of such people.
"Miss, I have an urgent matter to discuss with your Madam, please pass on a message," said Old Lady Zhou.
Qiu Xiang replied, "Please rest assured, I’ll report to her right away, but as to whether Madam will see you..."
"How can she not see us, do you know who we are? I am your Madam’s own elder sister-in-law, and this old lady is her own mother," Madam Lu said hurriedly. "How could she refuse to meet her own family? Wouldn’t that be unfilial?"
Qiu Xiang’s lips curled into a smile, but her eyes held not a trace of humor, instead showing a hint of ridicule, as if she did not take her words seriously.
What relatives coming to visit – this was merely a chance encounter. Had it been a pre-arranged visit, the scene would have been different.
Old Lady Zhou saw this clearly and her expression subtly changed. She turned to her daughter-in-law and scolded, "Shut your mouth." Then she said to Qiu Xiang, "Miss, my daughter-in-law is a bit confused, please don’t mind her. This old woman apologizes on her behalf. I truly have something urgent, please trouble you to inform Madam."
Qiu Xiang nodded and exited the room.
Upon seeing this, Madam Lu called out, only to be silenced by a slap from Old Lady Zhou: "Will you ever stop?"
"Mother?" Madam Lu was stupefied by the slap.
"Is this a place for you to make a scene? We’re not in a position of strength here; why can’t you restrain yourself, do you think this is the Lu Family?" Old Lady Zhou scolded.
Madam Lu’s face burned with shame: "Mother, I... How can Ying Mei treat us ? We are her family, and she sends a maid? What an attitude to take, why?"
"Family?" Old Lady Zhou scoffed. "Don’t forget, it was her so-called family that drove her and her daughter out of their home of more than a decade."
On hearing this, Madam Lu’s face went through a series of changes.
"And Dajun, have you completely forgotten what he has done?" Old Lady Zhou spoke coldly. "If you want to save your husband, you’d better keep yourself in check, be as submissive as necessary, and even if she humiliates you, you must endure it."
With Madam Zhou just sending a maid, it was clear she harbored resentment. At this time, it was not wise to provoke her, especially not to let her feelings of grievance grow stronger, otherwise, how could they plead for help?
Now all they could hope for was that Madam Zhou harbored just a bit of affection, enough to assist them this one time.