Chapter 855 Loosening
Every time she entered and left Jia She's east wing, Xing Xiuyan felt uncomfortable.
This is partly because of Mrs. Xing's sarcastic face, and partly because the East Wing is not connected to the main body of the Rongguo Mansion.
Therefore, every time when going to the East Courtyard, one has to pass by the street in front of Rongguo Mansion.
All the female members of some status in the Rongguo Mansion had to take a car to travel these few steps to avoid being seen in public and losing their dignity.
But Mrs. Xing obviously had no intention of helping her niece to get such treatment.
So every time this happened, there would often be some curious eyes following Xing Xiuyan.
Although there were no other impolite behaviors, just this kind of peeping like a leech was enough to make people feel uncomfortable.
This time is no exception.
Xing Xiuyun led Zhuan'er, the little maidservant given by Baoyu, and had just walked a short distance out of the corner gate of Rongguo Mansion when she felt a pair of eyes combing her from head to toe.
Faced with such unscrupulous prying, Xing Xiuyan could only pretend not to know and secretly quickened her pace.
Fortunately, it was not very far away. In just a cup of tea, Xing Xiuyan arrived at the dark gate of the East Palace.
Since the east wing is nominally integrated with the Rongguo Mansion, there is no separate corner gate and people can enter and exit directly through the black lacquered gate.
Xing Xiuyan lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand and was about to step onto the stairs to completely get rid of the idle man's covetous gaze, when she suddenly heard a delicate cry from the side: "Is that Miss Xing in front?"
Xing Xiuyan looked back and saw three carriages approaching slowly. In the middle carriage, a pretty maid was squatting on the shaft, craning her neck to look over here.
As soon as the two of them looked at each other, Xing Xiuyan recognized the maid as Caixia who was beside You Erjie, and she felt surprised.
Last night, Sun Shaozong and You Erjie were staying in the Ningguo Mansion next door. Looking at the situation...
Could it be that my father also invited the second brother of the Sun family?
Just as they were feeling anxious, the three carriages stopped one after another. The coachman in the middle carriage set up the wooden platform for the women to get off. The two maids who got off the front and back carriages, under Caixia's command, helped You Erjie get off the carriages.
At the same time, the idle man who had been following Xing Xiuyan had already run away and disappeared - the whips in the hands of the coachmen were not only used to drive the carriages.
However, seeing You Erjie surrounded by so many people, Xing Xiuyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, because if Sun Shaozong was also in the car, it would definitely not be You Erjie's turn to show off.
Since Sun Shaozong was not there, she felt less cautious and nervous. She took the initiative to step forward and exchanged greetings with You Erjie with a smile.
You Erjie glanced at the east wing and said with a smile, "Miss Xing, are you going to visit the master? It just so happens that I have something to report to our eldest mistress. How about we keep each other company?"
She had already taken the initiative to invite him, so how could Xing Xiuyan refuse?
They walked into the dark gate side by side, and, led by the doorman, went straight to the flower hall in the backyard.
We just chatted along the way.
After they passed the second gate, the gatekeeper bowed and retreated to the side. Then You Erjie suddenly changed the subject and whispered, "Miss, you must be careful today. Someone stole the chicken but lost the rice, and is thinking of making up for it from other places."
Xing Xiuyun knew that this "stealing a chicken but losing a handful of rice" referred to the scandal of Jia She trying to steal someone's wife but ended up losing an ear.
But what does it mean to make up for it from other places?
You Erjie seemed to see through her doubts . She covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and said with disdain, "The eldest master is still thinking about other things, but your aunt is obsessed with money. This time, she didn't get any benefits from the second wife. It's like a piece of her heart has been cut out. How can she live in peace if she doesn't make up for the loss?"
"But Second Mistress also pointed out that the business was a partnership with our family, so your aunt naturally set her sights on my Second Master."
After hearing this, how could Xing Xiuyan not understand?
When the Rongguo Mansion was checking the accounts, the eldest master Jia She had sold his daughter once, and this time it was Madam Xing's turn to sell her niece!
but……
Xing Xiuyan glanced at You Erjie quietly, thinking to herself, this Aunt You has never been a very smart person, could it be that the second brother of the Sun family asked her to relay these words?
But why did the second brother of the Sun family ask her to tell him these words?
Is it intentional or unintentional?
She felt mixed emotions and couldn't help but ask, "Where is the second brother of the Sun family?"
"Before dawn, I was invited to the government office to discuss matters." You Erjie answered without thinking, and then asked in surprise: "Miss Xing, what does my second master have to ask?"
"Nothing... nothing."
Xing Xiuyan hurriedly shook her head to deny it, but a warm feeling arose in her heart for no reason - Sun Shaozong left before dawn, and these words must have been said long ago, which shows that she is still quite special in his heart.
That's all~
If you really can't resist your parents' orders, being the concubine of the second brother of the Sun family is better than marrying someone else blindly.
Thinking of this, she felt much more relieved and her face flushed unconsciously.
While seeing her remaining silent and not seeming to react to her reminder, You Erjie, who was standing by, couldn't help but wonder in her heart: Could it be that my sister's method of showing goodwill in advance is ineffective?
It turned out that the words just now did not come from Sun Shaozong's mouth, but were randomly deduced by Youshi when the two sisters were free.
…
However, after this coincidence, the two of them never had any further communication.
When they arrived at the backyard, You Erjie went to look for Jia Yingchun without saying anything, while Xing Xiuyun was led by a maid to a warm room.
No one knew how the warm room was designed. There was no brazier lit, but the moment she entered the room, it dispelled all the coldness Xing Xiuyan felt.
Madam Xing and Xing Zhong, brother and sister, were sitting on the armchair facing the door. Their postures and looks were somewhat similar.
The difference is that Xing Zhong's face is full of joy, while Mrs. Xing's face is full of gloom.
"What's wrong with you girl?"
She had been holding it in for a long time. Before Xing Xiuyan could even come forward to pay her respects, Madam Xing spoke up first, "I clearly gave you two fine woolen coats before, but you insisted on dressing so shabby. Do you want people to think that I, your aunt, am abusing you?!"
Those two fox fur coats were clearly gifts from Sun Shaozong, and they were also named after Jia Yingchun.
Xing Xiuyan has been deliberately not wearing any clothes recently in order to avoid suspicion.
However, she never expected Mrs. Xing to be so shameless. Not only did she take the blame on herself, but she also used it to attack Xing Xiuyan.
However, the most embarrassed person at this moment was Xing Zhong who was standing next to him.
His old face turned the color of liver, and there was no smile on his face anymore. He puffed up his cheeks several times and wanted to say something but stopped himself. However, he did not dare to offend the sister who had sentenced Gao Zhier.
So he could only swallow his embarrassment and forced a smile, "Don't blame me, sister. She is..."
Xing Xiuyan suddenly interrupted her father's flattering words and bowed in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Aunt, please don't be angry. Originally, because the Ningguo Mansion next door was holding a funeral and my uncle was now ill, I changed into some plainer clothes. Now it seems that my niece was not thoughtful enough."
As he said this, he bowed to Mrs. Xing again.
This time it was Mrs. Xing's turn to be embarrassed.
She just wanted to find an excuse to give Xing Xiuyan a warning, so that this young girl wouldn't be ungrateful and reject her kindness.
But he never expected that Xing Xiuyan would see through his flaw and use the advantage to defeat him.
What made Mrs. Xing even more angry was that Xing Xiuyan used Jia She as an excuse, leaving her with no way to refute at all.
In fact, it was just a coincidence.
If Xing Xiuyun had not been convinced by what she said yesterday, she would have no place to stay except in the Rongguo Mansion, so it would be a pity to offend Madam Xing.
But as luck would have it, Xing Xiuyan's resistance to this marriage was not as strong as before.
Now that she had a way out, she naturally had no good face for this sarcastic aunt who was trying to use her lifelong affairs as a bargaining chip.
For a moment, Mrs. Xing gritted her teeth, glared, and took a deep breath, but she could not find a way to vent.
Fortunately, Xing Zhong was there.
Although he was secretly happy when he saw his sister being choked speechless by his daughter, he knew that if he wanted to successfully complete the marriage he had planned, Mrs. Xing's help was indispensable.
So after watching the excitement for a while, he quickly gave Madam Xing a way out: "Sister, why are you arguing with her? Let's talk about business first!"
Mrs. Xing agreed and decided that no matter how angry she was, she couldn't just push the money away.
So he suppressed his annoyance and said with a stern face: "Originally, letting you stay in this house for food and shelter is not a big deal - but you should never, ever, use my mercy to disobey your parents' good intentions!"
"What kind of person is the second son of the Sun family? He took you as his concubine, which was not an injustice to you. But you hid here without telling your parents, as if the elders wanted to harm you!"
"Your willful behavior will be tolerated by your parents, but I will never tolerate it here!"
"I have just discussed this with your father. Let's choose a good day and let your second sister decide on this matter first. "
"As for when to get married and how to arrange it, your second sister will take care of it. There is absolutely no reason for you to be wronged!"
Although Xing Zhong had pressed his daughter in every way before, he still managed to save some dignity for her. However, Mrs. Xing's words were so sudden and fierce that there was no room for negotiation at all. It was full of the flavor of an ultimatum.
Although Xing Xiuyan had expected this, she still couldn't help but feel a little sad at this moment.
She sighed secretly in her heart and said respectfully, "Since Auntie has said this, I, your niece, naturally dare not have any objection..."
"You...you agreed? You really agreed?!" Xing Zhong jumped up from his chair, so happy that he didn't know what to do.
In fact, he had been on edge just now, fearing that his daughter, who appeared gentle on the outside but was actually strong on the inside, would do something drastic.
Who would have thought that my daughter would agree so easily!
When Mrs. Xing heard her agreement, her expression eased a little.
Unexpectedly, Xing Xiuyan continued, "There is only one thing. After all, my niece is the daughter of a good family, not a prostitute. What I want is respect from my husband's family, not some adulterous thing!"
After a pause, she said firmly: "If he wants to buy me with money, I would rather die than suffer such humiliation!"
