Old Mrs. Ye extended her withered right hand, raised her index finger, and directly pointed at Shen Chen: "Oh, the insult to your friend you mentioned, are you referring to the servant behind you?"
The tone was aggressive.
The word ’servant’ was uttered with ease.
The little girl in a long gown with peony patterns earnestly corrected, "Grandmother, he’s not a servant, he’s my good friend, his name is Shen Chen."
The Little Traitor’s heart pounded as he looked at the little girl, finding her extraordinarily lovely.
"Enough." Old Mrs. Ye, who is sixty this year, still showed vigorous energy when angry. "It’s one thing to be close to that servant, but now for his sake, you even dare to drive out your cousins? Do you still regard family ties?"
She turned her gaze towards Ye Yuan and his wife, scolding, "Look at the fine daughter you’ve raised, even daring to contradict me. Isn’t this rebellious?"
Usually, the old lady liked to meditate, but her current anger bore no resemblance to her usual demeanor.
Ye Zhi also remained stubborn, feeling she was not in the wrong, and boldly spoke up: "Grandmother, first, his indenture is not with our Ye Mansion, so he is not a servant. Second, my cousins insulted my friend and even got physical. It was right to drive them out; this is also my home, and I am at least a little master here."
She paused and continued:
"Third, I am now having a proper conversation with you out of respect for you as an elder. I hope you can also respect me, and seriously consider my words. If it weren’t my friend being insulted, but your friend, would you let them off because of family ties? Often one cannot empathize because the matter did not happen to them."
Old Mrs. Ye glared fiercely but was helpless against her granddaughter.
After a while, she sternly asked, "Do you respect me as your grandmother?"
The little girl nodded, "I certainly do."
"Then I order you to leave the mansion now, bring Haoming and Qingqing back, and apologize to them in front of everyone. If you respect me as your grandmother, you will listen to me. I do not tolerate disobedient and willful granddaughters."
These words, stern and authoritative,
also struck the hearts of everyone present!
Ye Family looked at the angry Old Mrs. Ye, the daughter standing in between, and after some thought, calmly replied: "Mother, I see that Haoming and Qingqing lack understanding as well. They insult others in the mansion and even tried to harm Ah Zhi’s friend. How about I take them to a side room, so they’re not in the hall, as a small lesson, which should prevent them from repeating the mistake."
This arrangement was sensible and reasonable!
She would bring them back and put them in a side room, out of sight and out of mind, giving the old lady face without requiring the little daughter to personally bring them back or apologize, serving dual purposes.
The acerbic Second Aunt made sarcastic remarks from the side, her tone filled with mockery, "How could this be, we came for Xiao Ah Zhi’s sake, bringing people to her birthday feast, only to be driven out by the host."
Upon hearing this~
Old Mrs. Ye glared angrily at her eldest daughter-in-law, "See the great idea you come up with, bringing people to a side room, what propriety is this? These are your niece and nephew; is this how you manage the Ye Mansion after all these years?"
Looking at Ye Zhi, who was persistent, she spoke again, "Grandmother asks you to bring them back, are you not going?"
"I am not going."
The little girl’s clear and distinct voice spoke out, reaching everyone’s ears.
Her tender face remained calm.
Old Mrs. Ye laughed instead of getting angry, "Haha, you really are my good granddaughter, defying your elders. Don’t blame me for bringing out the family laws. Today I must establish house rules. Qiu Yu, go get the cane used for family law."