Chapter 54: Chapter 47, Slap in the Face_l
Seeing Aunt Lin and Yan Yishuang walk into the main courtyard, Daohua instinctively furrowed her brows.
Ever since the first day she saw her father’s concubine at the entrance of the County Governor’s Office, she had felt an innate dislike for her.
Whether it was her rushing to meet the old Madam Yan ahead of Madam Li, or her subsequent actions in the backyard, everything showed that beneath her frail appearance, she harbored restless ambitions.
Moreover, this woman had a penchant for playing the weakling, much like the white lotus and green tea characters in novels from her previous life.
When Aunt Lin noticed that Daohua and the others were present, her eyes flickered briefly before she came to the door with Yan Yishuang, smiled at Yan Wenxiu, acquired several rolls of cloth from the maid’s hands, and quickly stepped into the main room.
Daohua noted how her eldest brother casually nodded in response to Aunt Lin’s greeting, and her eyebrows twitched slightly.
Yan Yile, standing to the side, saw that Aunt Lin had even more cloth in her hands than they did, and immediately raised her eyes to look at Yan Yishuang, who was obediently standing beside Yan Wenxiu, her lips twitching.
Logically, if the eldest uncle were distributing based on the number of female family members, then they should have received the most cloth.
Indeed, the eldest uncle was blatantly biased towards Aunt Lin and her daughter.
Thinking of this, Yan Yile suddenly raised her eyes and looked at Daohua, sneering internally.
So what if her big sister was the eldest daughter of the Yan Family? Without the favor of their eldest uncle, she couldn’t even get her share of cloth for clothing.
Daohua, detecting the schadenfreude mixed with a hint of sympathy in Yan Yile’s gaze, sighed inwardly; children matured early in ancient times. Yan Yile was not yet eight years old, but her mind was already quite active.
Daohua no longer paid them any attention, focusing her attention inside the house.
After Aunt Lin had entered, everything seemed fine at first, but then, for some reason, Yan Zhigao suddenly emerged from the main room, furiously dragging a tearful Aunt Lin behind him.
Seeing this, all the younger persons waiting outside were startled.
However, Daohua had no particular reaction; she calmly watched her cheap father drag the fragile-looking Aunt Lin, thinking to herself that that woman certainly stirred up trouble.
While crying, Aunt Lin said, “My lord, I misspoke. I am but a lowly concubine, and Yishuang, who was born to me, is a mere concubine’s daughter and not fit to be compared to the eldest young miss.”
Yan Zhigao replied angrily, “Legitimate or not, in my eyes, they’re all the same. Don’t belittle yourself. Yishuang is inferior to no one. I’ll make myself clear today, whatever Daohua has in this house, Yishuang will have too.”
Madam Li, just stepping out of the room, stumbled upon hearing this. Had it not been for the support from the Sun Family and the Wu Family, who were right behind her, she would have nearly fallen to the ground.
When Daohua saw this, she quickly stepped forward, grabbing Madam Li’s exceptionally cold hand.
Looking at her mother, whose anger had turned her face pale, Daohua gazed indifferently at the father who was protecting his mistress in the courtyard.
Legitimate daughters and concubines’ daughters are the same, he said; where does that leave his lawful wife, who manages the household affairs painstakingly and brought a considerable dowry?
Yan Zhigao noticed Madam Li’s pallor and immediately realized that his words might have been too harsh. He moved his lips, wanting to say something, but his proud self-respect wouldn’t allow him to bow to his own wife, so he just stood there in a deadlock.
Seeing Yan Zhigao appear somewhat guilty, Aunt Lin bowed her head and continued to cry, “My lord, please don’t say such things. I am well aware of my low status and dare not harbor any extravagant hopes. Precious items like Fuguang Brocade are only fit for the eldest young miss to wear,
Yishuang…Yishuang is not worthy.”
Upon hearing this, any trace of guilt on Yan Zhigao’s face vanished instantly. Just as he was about to assert something again, Daohua spoke up.
“Aunt Lin, as a concubine of my father, I, as his daughter, should not be entitled to critique you. However, the way you repeatedly invoke ‘the eldest young miss’ in front of so many people, I’m quite curious to ask you where I have wronged you that you feel the need to take veiled digs at me at every turn?”
Aunt Lin’s lips moved, as if to explain something, but Daohua didn’t give her the chance.
“Also, I’m rather puzzled by what you just said. People say there is no mother who doesn’t love her children. Although the mother of my fourth sister is my own, you are her birth mother, and she has been raised by your side. How heartless must you be to disregard her feelings completely, to demean her so vociferously and relentlessly?”
Daohua glanced at Yan Yishuang, who stood there dumbfounded, and continued, “The father of my fourth sister is the County Magistrate of Linyi County; how is she not entitled to wear Fuguang Brocade?” Turning to Yan Yishuang, she asked, “These past years, has mother neglected your food and clothing?”
Because of Daohua’s question, everyone in the courtyard turned to look at Yan Yishuang.
Feeling nervous with so many eyes suddenly upon her, Yan Yishuang, without glancing at Aunt Lin, simply nodded.
Seeing this, Daohua sneered as she looked at Aunt Lin, “Aunt Lin, look, even the fourth sister herself admits it. My mother never mistreated her; from beginning to end, it was you, it was you who belittled your own daughter.”
“No, I didn’t…”
Daohua interrupted, “Aunt Lin, when I was at my old home, I heard people say that some who fear poverty like to covet others’ possessions, and even wish to claim them for themselves.”
“But how could someone’s belongings possibly be given to outsiders? They aren’t fools, after all. Good things should naturally be kept within one’s own family. Hence, those people begin to resort to unscrupulous methods, and there is one method that they love to use the most.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“Feigning weakness while dominating.”
“They use their pitiful appearance to gain the sympathy of others, so as to achieve their unspeakable goals in their hearts.”
“Aunt Lin, don’t you think such people are extremely disgusting?”
Silence!
A deathly silence in the main courtyard!
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at Daohua standing beside Madam Li, seemingly not expecting her to so bluntly and mercilessly reveal Aunt Lin’s disguised facade.
Yan Zhiyuan, who had just heard the news and arrived, looked at Daohua with undisguised admiration, feeling that in this moment, he truly recognized his great-niece for the first time.
Impressive!
Back when he saw her generously donating money and materials to help the refugees, he had thought this niece of his was extraordinary. Now, seeing her leave the always-disguising Lin Family trembling with not a leg to stand on, he was indeed convinced.
Yan Zhigao, the person involved, was also full of shock, not even noticing that Aunt Lin at his side was about to fall apart.
“Bang!”
In the end, Aunt Lin, so ashamed that she couldn’t show her face, had no choice but to resort to the last-resort tactic of feigning fainting to escape.
However, just before she collapsed to the ground, Daohua’s voice rang out again, “Oh, and I forgot to say, when things go wrong, such people will feign fainting.”
The ‘fainted’ Aunt Lin’s tightly closed eyelids twitched uncontrollably for a moment.
At that moment, Yan Zhigao finally snapped back to reality, immediately knelt down to support Aunt Lin, and glared at Daohua with dissatisfaction, “You, a sheltered girl, where did you hear such nonsense?”
Daohua smiled, “It was Great-Uncle who told me. He said that the world is hard for women, and that watching more, listening more, would be beneficial. For example, when encountering a betrayer, or someone who can’t discern right from wrong, one won’t be completely at their mercy without even realizing it.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhigao felt his cheeks and the roots of his ears inexplicably heat up, and he could sense the other people in the courtyard stealing glances at him, which made him angry and embarrassed. He fiercely turned to Madam Li, “Look at the good daughter you have raised. Now she doesn’t even regard me, her father, with any respect.”
Madam Li wanted to retort, but Daohua squeezed her hand and smiled at Yan Zhigao, “Father, aren’t you mistaken? It has always been said that if a child is unfilial, it’s the father’s fault. I’ve never heard of a child’s lack of filial piety being the mother’s fault. Father, you should reflect on yourself.”
‘You…”
Yan Zhigao stared at Daohua, speechless and in disbelief.
“Enough, all of you shut up!”
Grandma Yan, supported by Nanny Sun, walked out and gave Daohua a fierce glare.
Seeing that her grandmother’s expression wasn’t very pleasant, Daohua quickly shrank her neck and quickly hid behind Madam Li.
Grandma Yan rolled her eyes at her in a rather unladylike manner, and then looked disdainfully at Yan Zhigao in the courtyard, who was unable to win an argument even with his own daughter, and angrily said, “Are the servants you raise just here to eat for free? A concubine has collapsed, do you really need to stoop down and help her personally?”
She then turned to the others in the courtyard, “And you all, what are you doing just standing around here? Are you waiting for this old lady to invite you for a meal? Scram, you’re making me irritable just by looking at you.”
Instantly, the people in the courtyard scattered like birds and beasts..