"Oh my dear elder sister, what are you saying! I have full confidence in your work; how could it be unsuitable! I must say, even if all the servants in the manor disregard our family’s dignity, you definitely would not. No need for further checking, no need at all!" Mrs. Wang hurriedly said with a smile, while commanding Aunt Wu to apologize.
Aunt Wu found herself in a dilemma like a mouse caught between bellows, receiving flak from both sides. In her heart, she scolded Gu Fangzi to no end, but at this moment, what could she do except obediently apologize and admit her fault?
What didn’t Mrs. Li understand? Aunt Wu was by no means a troublemaker, and besides, she wasn’t foolish enough to jump out and point out her own faults! This repetitive occurrence must undoubtedly involve that vixen, Fangzi.
Yet she still refuses to settle down, insisting on slinging mud at both herself and the first wife. If she isn’t taught a harsh lesson, she really might think everyone else is a fool to be manipulated at her whim!
"Miss, we should bring that sedan chair in! Today in front of you, servant must make clear this matter, otherwise, one might believe servant deliberately caused mischief! Servant may not have always agreed with you fully, but servant can still distinguish priorities and would never dare to play with the reputation of the Shi family or your honor, miss!"
Mrs. Li’s words resounded with firmness, and Mrs. Wang found it inconvenient to retort, so she had to consent.
Aunt Wu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ordered people to carry in the modest green sedan chair. After all, she had said her piece and the chair had already been presented before the lady of the house; whatever happened next had nothing to do with her!
As the modest green sedan chair was brought in, Mrs. Li said, "Miss, please take a look, this sedan chair was specially made to order by craftsmen, and not a single material used is subpar! The cushions inside are soft and the curtains are also made of the finest green silk. If this is not satisfactory, what is?" Then sighing, "The cousin just finished the first seven days of funeral rites, how could the sedan chair not be plain? Should it be decked with red and joyous decorations? Master Gu from the heavens would be watching! If it was indeed garishly adorned, that would truly be causing shame and saying that our Shi Mansion doesn’t understand the rules!"
Mrs. Wang was preemptively influenced by Aunt Wu’s words and felt it was indeed too plain at first glance, but listening to Mrs. Li, she found her explanation convincing and nodded, "Elder sister, you are correct! This is indeed the proper reasoning! Aunt Wu, you’ve indeed caused a mess!"
"Yes, it is servant’s fault, it was servant who was rash, it is servant’s wrong!" Aunt Wu admitted her mistakes repeatedly, and hurriedly offered to go fetch Gu Fangzi back.
However, Mrs. Li stopped her again, with a laugh saying, "Aunt Wu, you really did have a moment of heat today! I’ve lived for half my life and have never seen a bride’s sedan chair going empty and then returning to pick up the bride! Since the sedan chair has come back, it cannot go out again; it would be ill-omened! Better to change to another one!"
Aunt Wu inwardly rejoiced, but outwardly she feigned difficulty: "Elder sister Li is right, but where do we find a new sedan chair at such short notice? The cousin is still waiting outside the city!"
"You’re asking me? I can’t conjure up a new one for you!" Mrs. Li said sarcastically.
Mrs. Wang thought for a moment and frowned, "Never mind, just use any sedan chair! Remember to change the curtains to plain ones, and remove all the decorations, that should do it! We can’t let Fangzi wait like that forever!" Mrs. Wang sighed as she spoke, silently wondering if she had encountered misfortune, as nothing seemed to be going right!
Aunt Wu quickly agreed and, with a forced smile, inquired, "Once servant has prepared the sedan chair, shall I bring it over for the lady to inspect?"
"No need! Hurry up and fetch the person!" Mrs. Wang impatiently replied, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance: "If you can’t even handle this little matter, then I think in the future you need not bother with any tasks at all!"
Scared, Aunt Wu didn’t dare to utter another word and scurried off.
Gu Fangzi waited restlessly in the small shop’s backyard, and as the sun began to set, she finally saw the belated Aunt Wu and her party arrive.
"What took you so long? The miss is still waiting! Hurry up!" Lan Xiang had already been peering out from the door countless times. Once she recognized the sedan chair they had brought back, her eyes widened and she pointed, asking Aunt Wu, "You took so long just to bring back such a sedan chair? It’s even worse than the previous one!"
The previous one was at least new, but this one was obviously a makeshift arrangement. The worn poles, the body of the sedan chair, and the not-so-new curtains all looked shabby. How could this be fitting for welcoming a bride? It’s hardly better than what an ordinary family would rent.
Aunt Wu inwardly thought: Ha, you’ve got good eyesight; it is indeed worse than the previous one! Otherwise, would I have run here for nothing and suffered in vain?
"I’ll explain myself to the cousin once I’m inside!" Aunt Wu showed no good face to Gu Fangzi’s maidservant and snorted, "If you can make decisions, then perhaps I should go back and get another one!"
Lan Xiang dared not take on that responsibility, and with the sun nearly set, she snorted discontentedly, gave Aunt Wu a fierce glare thinking to let Fangzi deal with her later, and turned around with an unhappy face: "Follow me!"
Gu Fangzi burst into a rage upon seeing the situation, her trembling finger pointing at Aunt Wu, and after a moment she said, "You took half a day to return and that was bad enough, but to come back with such a thing! What do you mean by this? Whose idea was this? Was it elder sister’s idea? She’s so cruel! She’s deliberately making things difficult for me, isn’t she!"
"Cousin, please calm down! Listen to servant explain slowly!" Aunt Wu said with a smile, "As soon as we entered the city, we hit a blockage, we had to take a detour, and only after a while did we reach the mansion! Servant didn’t even have time to sip tea before hurriedly visiting the madam..."
While speaking, Aunt Wu told Gu Fangzi the whole story from start to finish, and added, "If cousin doesn’t believe it, you can inquire in the mansion once you’re inside! The ladies who serve the madam were there! If cousin is not satisfied, shall servant go back and speak with the madam again?"