Seeing Lin Yuan , Lady Jin was not pleased. Lin Siyu usually neglected etiquette around her, which was tolerable, but now that they had guests, she dared to shout at someone else so disrespectfully, not considering her own status at all!
"Maternal Aunt Lin, who allowed you to shout at my niece?" Lady Jin said sternly, "Yuanyuan is my guest today. By failing to show the proper manners of a host, are you discontented with me?"
After yelling out that sentence, Lin Siyu immediately regretted it, but it was too late to take it back.
Li Chang was not in the mansion at the moment. If she let Lady Jin discipline her, she would have no one to support her. Where there’s life, there’s hope. Lin Siyu quickly stood up and took the initiative to bow her head and admit her mistake, "Madam, it was the fault of this unworthy concubine. Please forgive me."
Lady Jin snorted, "What use is your apology to me? After all, you didn’t offend me, you offended Yuanyuan."
Lin Siyu was stunned, feeling her neck stiffen. What did Lady Jin mean by that? She wanted her to apologize to Lin Yuan? In her dreams!
Seeing Lin Siyu’s lack of response, Lady Jin’s expression soured. This was willful defiance, wasn’t it?
Lin Yuan said, "Aunt, Yuanyuan and Maternal Aunt Lin used to play all the time, it’s no big deal. Maternal Aunt Lin, I was only kindly going to talk to you about your family affairs, but I didn’t expect you to dislike hearing it so much. I won’t mention it in the future then. Please don’t be angry."
Compared to Lin Siyu’s childish behavior, Lin Yuan’s words were obviously very magnanimous. Lady Jin’s satisfaction with Lin Yuan grew, and her annoyance with Lin Siyu intensified.
"Alright, go sit over there and stop bothering me!" Lady Jin shooed Lin Siyu aside like an annoying fly.
Lin Siyu gave Lin Yuan a resentful glance, reluctantly returning to her chair. Her little face was so pale with anger, and her handkerchief was nearly torn apart by her nails.
Lady Jin never took her eyes off Lin Siyu for a moment, and watching her was exceedingly satisfying. When Lady Jin first entered the mansion, Lin Siyu had been very submissive to her as if she owed her something. Now? With Li Chang’s affection, she no longer cared for Lady Jin and even dared to speak behind her back about wanting to replace her!
What a joke, a mere village girl thinking she could become the Madam County Magistrate just because of her beauty? She must have her head in the clouds.
But what Lady Jin found even more laughable was that Lin Siyu actually had her maid go to the pharmacy to buy medicine to help with conception. Hmph, that foolish maid! With so many pharmacies in Zhuma Town, why choose Shande Hall? And to naively say it was for a Maternal Aunt of Li Mansion to get a discount at that.
Fool! If she hadn’t said that, the clerks at Shande Hall wouldn’t have recognized her and secretly come to report to Lady Jin.
Lady Jin glanced at the maid standing behind Lin Siyu, who she vaguely remembered was called Panpan. She looked quite clever but turned out to be an idiot!
Lady Jin then looked at Mrs. Liu, quite pleased with her behavior these past days, "Maternal Aunt Liu, is your health much improved?"
Mrs. Liu, with downcast eyes, respectfully replied, "According to Madam, this unworthy concubine is much better now, it’s no trouble at all."
Lady Jin nodded, "If you’re better, you should think about relieving the master’s worries. The last incident was an accident that no one wanted. You’re still young; you’ll have plenty of chances to have children."
Mrs. Liu gently nodded without saying a word.
Across the way, Lin Siyu snorted and said to Mrs. Liu, "That’s right, Sister Liu, you’re still young. You can certainly have another child. But there’s something I’m really curious about, and I’d like to ask Sister Liu, although I’m afraid you might get angry. Sister Liu, I’m younger, so please don’t be mad at me, okay?"
Mrs. Liu usually didn’t take Lin Siyu’s provocations to heart. Now in front of Lady Jin, she had not planned to engage with her, but Lin Siyu’s words pushed the issue to this point, so she had no choice but to nod, "If sister has something to say, just speak. I won’t get angry."
Lin Siyu smiled, tilted her head innocently, and asked, "I heard that women who enter a brothel are fed a bowl of contraceptive soup by the madam in advance. I don’t know if it’s true. Sister Liu, you came from there, didn’t you? You must know the truth about this, right?"
Hearing the words "brothel," Mrs. Liu’s complexion changed dramatically, and her already furrowed brows tightened even further.
Before Mrs. Liu could speak, Lin Siyu clapped her hands as if she had an epiphany and said, "Ah, right, the thing I heard must not be true. Otherwise, how did Sister Liu have her last child, right?"
Mrs. Liu was even more silent. She pursed her lips, unable to utter a word, but judging by her tightly clenched fists and the veins popping on her hands, she was infuriated to the extreme.
Lin Yuan just watched from the side, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. It was clear that Lin Siyu, having been upset by her and Lady Jin, was now taking it out on Mrs. Liu.
Lin Yuan chuckled lightly, though the sound was soft, Lin Siyu still noticed and rolled her eyes silently. Considering Lady Jin’s protection of this little wretch, she forced a slight smile and said, "What is Yuanyuan laughing at? Do you also think what I said makes perfect sense?"
Makes sense? With a brain like yours, could you ever make a sensible remark?
Lin Yuan’s disdain was unconcealed in her eyes, "Yuanyuan laughs because today I have indeed seen the world. I never expected Maternal Aunt Lin to be so knowledgeable about the affairs of a brothel. Those unaware might think you frequent such places."
Lin Siyu choked on her retort, the discomfort causing her face to turn red.