"Stop making a fuss, go outside with them."
"Sister, it was clearly Hongji’s step-brother’s fault, why did you hit my daughter?" the woman’s father also said.
The first one to obstruct wasn’t the family members following Mrs. Lai, but Hongji’s father, who had just woken up in bed. At that moment, his face flushed, he desperately wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
Mrs. Lai’s argumentative nature was known to him, and since he had already slept with this girl, he had to take responsibility.
Even if the girl was at fault, as an old man, he had picked up a great bargain.
He had long harbored thoughts of taking a concubine, and this seemed like the perfect moment. In his panic, he had already decided to make the best of a bad situation, feeling not the slightest bit of shame!
When Mrs. Lai mentioned taking a concubine for their son, he disagreed, but he wouldn’t refuse to take one for himself. The deed was done, and it would be good to add to the family.
"Old Master, don’t stop me, I’m going to beat this temptress to death! How could she seduce you too! You are his uncle, how can you be so shameless!"
Mrs. Lai’s plump body could not withstand her husband’s strength, and the hand she grabbed could not move at all.
"Woo woo woo woo woo woo, I can’t get married anymore, my honor, even jumping into the Yellow River won’t clean it!"
The girl then pretended to cry for real at that moment, using some medicated oil in her eyes to make the tears flow!
Hongji’s father had no awareness of his actions in his dreams, nor did he feel any different physically.
But what he now saw was being in a girl’s boudoir, on the bed in a girl’s boudoir, which was the best evidence.
Regardless of whether he had touched her or not, being caught sleeping in her bed meant he was responsible for her honor.
"Mrs. Lai, stop talking!" Hongji’s father, ever the gallant, intervened.
Upon hearing her husband defending this woman, Mrs. Lai unheedingly pointed her chubby forefinger at the girl and scolded:
"Go die, you’d better die, don’t defile someone else’s place."
The woman’s relatives... this is our place, okay?
Hongji’s father scolded, "Keep it down, don’t you see where we are? Do you want me to be so embarrassed that the whole county knows?"
Mrs. Lai, eyes filled with rage, looked at the pitiful figure of the temptress and was so angry she almost fainted.
She was normally the one causing trouble and never losing!
This time, being manipulated by her own kin, she had to suffer in silence, but she still couldn’t swallow her anger.
"Old Master, let go, you’re hurting me."
In her rage, Mrs. Lai imitated the temptress’s demeanor, softening her tone a bit, pretending to be pitiful wasn’t hard.
But with her plump, aged face and poorly maintained skin, exacerbated by the cold weather, even though she too had bought rouge to apply on her face, her skin had dark spots and was peeling.
As Hongji’s father had grown tired of that face, no performance could change this man’s mind right now!
"I’ll let go, stop causing trouble!"
Hongji’s father released his wife’s hand, also preventing her from lunging again. It was cold, and he had only his underwear on inside the warm bed; facing the battle before him, he quickly started searching for clothes to put on.
His reputation was already damaged, but to salvage some dignity, he was prepared for the negotiations ahead.
This method of taking a concubine might require paying more than usual, as the other party might leverage their advantage to demand a higher price.
But he was no fool; if the demanded price was excessively high, more than the cost of marrying a legitimate wife and involved parting with a portion of his family’s estate, he would rather break off relations than comply.
Mrs. Lai rolled up her sleeves, looked at her slightly bruised hand, and felt like cursing again.
At this moment, her anger was directed not at her husband but at the girl’s family, as a woman’s intuition told her that they were plotting against her.
"You shameless temptress, despicable wretch!"
"Woo woo woo woo woo," the girl just cried, not daring to talk back, after all, it was her first time in such a situation and she was a bit panicky!
The woman’s relatives... also kept causing a commotion, claiming Hongji’s father had abused their family member, and they wouldn’t let this matter rest.
Hongji’s father... didn’t want it to end either, he also tenderly looked at the girl, gently comforting her.
The girl cried pitifully, secretly delighted, still playing the victim, not yet receiving this man’s promise, the act wasn’t over yet.
Mrs. Lai’s malicious gaze watched the wretched woman perform, her husband’s tenderness provided to this wretch, something he had never shown her.
Facing this pair of adulterers showing off their affection before her, she not only hated the girl but also grew to hate her husband who was supporting the girl.
No wonder he had said that morning not to take a concubine for their son; they had been involved long before, and she had foolishly been sold out and was helping them count the money, how infuriating!
The girl’s relatives were secretly laughing... it seems things were moving according to their plans.
The little maid stood next to Mrs. Lai with her head down, supporting her, hoping no one noticed she was here.