Lady Mu Bai’s smile was weirdly sarcastic, her face plastered with a disingenuous smile. It was hard to tell whether she was joking or mocking her own son.
Stepping forward, Cai Wei said with a laugh, "If you’re envious of those boys for having a few dozen wen, it’s not really worth anything. Let my mother give you a few dozen wen as a New Year’s gift. What do you think?"
Lady Mu Bai was taken aback, about to hurl abuse in fury at having been caught off guard, but then she remembered the old man’s words not to anger them. Getting the silver in her hands was the real deal, so she forcefully swallowed the profanity that was on the tip of her tongue.
Mu Zhongli heard the commotion outside and ran out from inside the room. Seeing the Second Brother and his family, he enthusiastically rushed over.
"Second Brother, we’ve been expecting you. Dad and Mom have been talking about it all morning. Come on, what are you standing there for? Hurry inside."
As he spoke, he raised his voice and called out, "Fu’er, Cai’er, come quickly. Your Second Uncle’s family is back. Come out and help with the bags."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the curtain of the main room was suddenly lifted. The Mu Chong brothers rushed out of the room like a whirlwind. Seeing their Second Uncle’s family, they bolted straight for the horse carriage without even greeting them.
The curtain of the horse carriage was lifted, revealing the bundles inside. When Lady Mu Bai and Mu Zhongli saw the bundles piled up like a small mountain, they immediately grinned from ear to ear.
"Ah! Such huge bundles!"
Lady Mu Bai, forgetting Cai Wei’s insolence, was so excited that her eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she stared at the bundles in the carriage.
Mu Zhongqing also broke into an all-teeth smile and said, "Hey, Cai’er, you stay careful. Be careful not to damage anything!"
Lady Li and Cai Ping also came out when they heard the noise. Cai Ping was wearing her best peach-red fine cotton blouse today. It was made two years ago, so it was a little short and small now. Due to long-term wear, the elbow parts were worn out. She had embroidered two large chrysanthemums on the worn-out parts, but the peach-red clothes adorned with two cow dung-sized chrysanthemums looked awkward and hard to accept.
Seeing Cai Wei standing there with elegance and luxury, wearing a brocade cloak adorned with fur that reached the ground, holding a gold-plated hand warmer inlaid with precious stones, she looked like a wealthy young mistress. Cai Ping instantly felt a murderous jealousy.
She was the eldest daughter of the main family, smart and clever since young, and deeply favored by her grandparents. Anything good at home was solely used by her. For instance, the only fine cotton cloth in the entire family was made into clothes for her.
Whereas, Mu Caiwei was just an unwelcome daughter of the second room whose home had long been split. From childhood to adulthood, she had always been on the receiving end of Cai Ping’s bullies and taunts. Cai Ping had always looked up to herself.
But now, Cai Wei was standing there in her silk and satin attire, her cool gaze exuding nothing but pride. It was as if she didn’t see Cai Ping at all. She wouldn’t even exchange the most basic greeting between sisters, let alone having a real conversation.
How dare she be so arrogant? Why did she, who was inferior to her, now wear silk and satin, while she was still wearing old patched-up cotton clothes that were too small and worn out? At this moment, Cai Ping was sure that Cai Wei was all proud, mocking her, looking down on her!
She had always been a very proud person. The feeling of being suddenly outshined by someone she considered far less than her fired up a nameless anger within her. She wanted to vent it out but didn’t find a way.
After Lady Li came over, she couldn’t help being surprised when she saw the grandiose family from the second room; especially when she saw Lady Du’s face, healed and as beautiful as ever. She was so jealous that she gritted her teeth and wished she could just kill that seductive fox.
However, she was indeed an adult, and she quickly suppressed her own emotions. She put on a friendly smile and greeted them politely, "My my! You’ve bought so much stuff! You’ve put my sister-in-law through a lot of trouble. Quickly, come inside, it’s warm in the house..."