Chapter 556: Chapter 509, From Others to Oneself_1
Zhuang Family’s young master did not lose consciousness immediately after hitting his head and falling to the ground. He struggled to crawl towards the girl in white, and only after he managed to take her hand did he close his eyes with a faint smile on his face.
Everyone was left agape by this sudden turn of events.
Watching his son lying on the ground with his head covered in blood, looking as though he were dead, Old Master Zhuang clutched his chest in anguish and fell backwards rigidly. Fortunately, the butler managed to catch him in time; otherwise, there would have been three people lying on the ground.
Dexi, who was closest, quickly stepped forward to check the young master’s breathing and pulse. Feeling that both were still present, he sighed in relief and said, “This young master is still alive.”
After saying that, he hurriedly turned to check on the girl in white. It took a while before he said, “This young lady is also still breathing, but her breaths are very weak. She needs immediate medical attention.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua said to Xiao Yeyang, “I have some hemostatic medicine here. I’ll go take a look.” In any case, stopping the bleeding for the two of them was the first priority.
Xiao Yeyang didn’t say anything and accompanied Daohua as she walked over.
Seeing the two of them, the crowd involuntarily stepped aside, making way for them.
Wang Manman, along with Bi Shi and Dexi, followed closely behind.
When they reached the stone steps, Daohua first inspected the girl in white’s condition. Seeing that there was still fresh blood flowing from her forehead, she immediately applied the hemostatic medicine. Once the bleeding stopped, she turned her attention to the young master of the Zhuang Family.
Although he looked frightening, Xiao Yeyang’s Jade Pendant had absorbed much of the impact. Thus, although his injuries were serious, as long as the bleeding was stopped, his life would not be in danger.
After swiftly administering hemostatic medicine to both of them, Daohua turned to the still dazed Old Master Zhuang and reminded him, “Your son and this young lady are both still alive. If you don’t want anything bad to happen to them, you should hurry and call a doctor.”
Only then did Old Master Zhuang return to his senses, exclaiming, “Quick, go fetch a doctor!” After saying this, he took large strides to his son’s side, knelt down, and, with a mixture of heartache and anger, said, “Congcong, for a woman, have you forgotten all about your parents?”
As soon as these words were uttered, the people around began to whisper among themselves.
Xiao Yeyang ignored all this and, seeing that Daohua’s hands got dirty while she was applying the medicine, his expression turned instantly displeased. He took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands, “Let Wang Manman and the others handle such matters in the future; why should you have to do it yourself?”
Daohua explained, “The wound was too large, and I was afraid that Manman and the others would not handle it well.”
“If the young lady does not mind, why not come with me into the residence to wash up?”
Suddenly, a gentle female voice rang out.
Daohua and Xiao Yeyang followed the voice and realized it was the bride.
At this moment, the Zhuang Family was busy moving both the young master and the girl in white to the residence. The bride, unable to lend a hand, had noticed Daohua and Xiao Yeyang.
The bride stepped forward and bowed to the two of them, “We’re deeply grateful to both of you for stepping in to help just now.”
Daohua saw that she was both graceful and knew etiquette, and even though she was beautiful and dignified, she couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for her.
Her husband’s attempted suicide out of unrequited love on their wedding day was truly a terrible event to endure.
If it had been any other girl, she might have been in a state of panic, crying and inconsolable by now, but the bride was still poised enough to receive them – her mentality was exceptionally strong.
“There’s no need to go into the residence. If it’s no trouble, could you please bring me a basin of water to wash my hands?”
Considering the chaos at the Zhuang Residence at the moment, the bride did not press the issue further and instead turned to call a maid and gave her a couple of instructions.
Xiao Yeyang interjected, “Remember, we need warm water.” After all, it was still January, and the weather was quite cold.
The bride smiled and nodded, “Of course.”
Daohua said, “Madam, you should go attend to your duties; there’s no need to trouble yourself with us.”
The new bride glanced at the gate of the Zhuang Residence with a bittersweet smile, “Since I haven’t gone through the wedding ceremony, I’m not yet a member of the Zhuang Family. I don’t understand their domestic affairs, so I shouldn’t add to the chaos.”
Upon hearing this, Daohua immediately shut her mouth.
Shortly after, a maid came over with hot water.
Seeing that the new bride had also thoughtfully prepared soap and hand cream, Daohua took another look at her and thought to herself, ‘What a pity.’
The new bride glanced at the crowd still gathered in front of the gate and then said, “It’s inconvenient at the gate. Miss, please come with me to the porter’s lodge. Don’t worry, I’ve already had the maids disperse the young men.”
Seeing Xiao Yeyang looking over, she added, “If the young master is worried, you can come along too?”
Daohua quickly said, “No need, it’s just by the gate, I’ll be out soon after washing.”
Xiao Yeyang didn’t say anything, but he glanced at Dexi and Dexi, signaling both to follow.
Only after Daohua had gone in to wash her hands did Xiao Yeyang look around at the people who were still not leaving.
“If you ask me, the young master Zhuang is too unfilial. His parents raised him with such difficulty, and he just threw his life away for a woman. All the books he’s read have been wasted.”
“That girl is clearly no good, just one look and you know it. First, she had a secret affair with young master Zhuang, and now, on the day of his grand wedding, she shows up in mourning clothes to commit suicide at their doorstep. Such malice this woman has.”
“What do you know? Don’t talk nonsense. That girl comes from a decent family, she’s not some loose woman. You know Scholar Dong from Taohua Village, right? She’s his daughter.”
“What? The scholar’s daughter? You’re not lying, are you?”
“Why would I lie to you? I’m from Taohua Village. If you trace it back, it’s really because the Zhuang Family went too far. Why did the girl dress in mourning clothes? It’s because Scholar Dong was angered to death.”
“Quick, tell us what exactly happened?”
“Actually, young master Zhuang was Scholar Dong’s student, and because he came and went from the Dong Family’s house, it was inevitable that he’d come into contact with Scholar Dong’s daughter. Over time, the two fell for each other.”
“Originally, no one knew about this, but last year old master Zhuang planned to matchmake for his son, whom adamantly refused. In desperation, he revealed the affair, hoping that his father and Madam Zhuang would consent.”
“That was like stirring up a hornet’s nest. Although Scholar Dong was a scholar, when compared to the wealth of the Zhuang Family, he was nothing. How could old master Zhuang and Madam Zhuang approve?”
“Considering Scholar Dong’s reputation and that he had taught their son, old master Zhuang privately went to the Dong Family to express his unwillingness to form a marital alliance.”
“After hearing about this, Scholar Dong was filled with anger and shame. He severely chastised his daughter. When the girl learned of old master Zhuang’s attitude, she also swore never to see young master Zhuang again.”
“Things should have ended there, but young master Zhuang couldn’t let her go. He repeatedly visited her in Taohua Village, and after so many visits, people inevitably started to notice. Gradually, there were gossips and whispers in our village.”
“This pushed the Dong Family into the eye of the storm.”
“Fortunately, Scholar Dong was always strict with rules. From then on, he strictly forbade his daughter from leaving the house and banned young master Zhuang from visiting, thus cutting off much of the gossip.”
“Just when the matter was about to settle down, suddenly there were rumors spreading in our village, accusing the girl of seducing young master Zhuang, making him lose his appetite. They said she was a reincarnated vixen.”
“The rumor grew more and more vicious, and by the time Scholar Dong heard of it, the whole village and the neighboring villages were aware. Scholar Dong was so furious and distressed that he fell ill and never recovered, passing away before even the first day of the new year.”
Everyone listened in silence, emitting a sigh.
“What a pity. If the girl had only known to avoid suspicion, how could all these troubles have arisen? A good family just fell apart like that.”
“If you ask me, it’s young master Zhuang who’s most to blame. Unable to persuade his own parents, why did he have to bother with that girl?”
Listening to the crowd’s discussion, Xiao Yeyang was somewhat lost in thought and did not even notice when Daohua finished washing her hands and came out.
Source: NovelFull.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co