Chapter Ten: A Show of Force Yunxiu looked at Hua Ling in shock and said emotionally, “How can this be? These are all of Madam’s jewelry. Yunxiu cannot accept them.”
Hua Ling looked at Yunxiu and sighed. “Silly girl, which is more important—things or a human life? Hurry and take them. Once your mother’s illness is cured, it won’t be too late to thank me then.” Without allowing any argument, Hua Ling stuffed the items into Yunxiu’s arms.
Then she helped her up and said, “We are all people with bitter fates. If I can help, then I will. Hurry and go, or else I’ll get angry.” Hua Ling pretended to be angry as she spoke.
Tears of gratitude streamed down Yunxiu’s face. She bent at the waist and said, “Madam’s great kindness to this servant—this servant will never forget it for as long as she lives. In this lifetime, this servant will serve you like an ox or a horse to repay you.”
“Stop rambling and hurry along. Your mother must be terribly lonely all by herself right now. From now on, stay by your mother’s side. Come back after she recovers. I’ll grant you leave, so put your mind at ease and serve your mother at home!” Hua Ling simply decided to be kind to the end. An old woman, alone and helpless at home, and sick on top of it—just thinking about it made her heart ache.
“Thank you, Madam.” Yunxiu no longer knew what else to say. After bidding farewell to Hua Ling, she turned and left.
Hua Ling sighed. Every family had its own troubles. Looking at the table full of dishes, she suddenly lost her appetite. Yunxiu had asked for leave, so naturally there was no one to attend to her. Hua Ling was too lazy to move either and simply let the food remain there on the table.
Just then, Hua Ling suddenly heard footsteps, and it seemed there was more than one person. The corners of her lips curved slightly. Had they finally come? The door was pushed open abruptly, and Mu Yelei appeared at the entrance, still wearing that coffin-like expression. Behind him followed several maidservants.
Hua Ling froze. Why didn’t she see that young miss cousin? Logically speaking, this was exactly the time when she should make her entrance. Unable to help herself, she craned her neck to look around and see whether she was standing outside.
“What are you looking at?” Mu Yelei could never figure out what she was thinking. He could not help frowning as he asked coldly.
“I’m looking for your cousin. Why didn’t she come with you to denounce me?” Hua Ling said casually, without the slightest concern. She stuck her head out but still did not see her figure, and could not help feeling a little disappointed.
“What Suwan did today was very reckless. Don’t lower yourself to her level. I’ve already sent her back to reflect behind closed doors.” Mu Yelei was still expressionless, and his tone remained cold.
Even so, Hua Ling was still startled. She raised her head and looked at Mu Yelei. Didn’t this man hate her very much? This was a perfect excuse to deal with her, so why wasn’t he doing so? Instead, he had confined that woman. She couldn’t understand it!
“To be honest, I’m very surprised you handled it this way. I thought you would come to denounce me,” Hua Ling said. She truly was surprised, and she also wanted to know why.
“She did something wrong, so naturally she should be punished. Don’t talk about this anymore.” Mu Yelei spoke with his brows tightly knitted. He glanced at Hua Ling, then continued, “These are the maidservants added for you.” As he spoke, he handed Hua Ling a very pretty cloth pouch, embroidered with plain, elegant narcissus flowers.
Hua Ling took it doubtfully. Oh my, it was rather heavy. “What is this?” Hua Ling blurted out.
“Silver. Spending money for you,” Mu Yelei said indifferently.
“Ah?” Hua Ling had not expected Mu Yelei to give her money and was greatly shocked. According to common sense, he shouldn’t be doing this, right? Had something provoked him? “Your brain isn’t broken, is it? You’re actually giving me money to spend?”
When Mu Yelei heard this, his face could not help darkening. He had known that even if he came here, she would not say anything pleasant. If not for Jin Junchi issuing an imperial decree ordering him to personally come and add some people and daily necessities for her, he would never have come here. With a cold snort, he turned and left.
That’s right, that was more like him! Hua Ling thought disdainfully. He had neglected his own wife for more than a year, never asking after her at all. Now he was suddenly showing attentiveness—there definitely couldn’t be anything good behind it. It was best that he had been driven away. She glanced at the maidservants standing by the door and said, “Since you’ve come here, use your own judgment on what should be done. You’ve been doing this for so many years; you should all know what you ought to do, right?”
What a grand show of force. Only this way could she keep them under control. Hua Ling was no pushover; what should be done and how it should be done—she understood it all very well.
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Dear darlings, Xiangxiang kneels and begs for favorites. Don’t read and then ignore me!!