Chapter 401: Chapter 208 Lady Chiang’s Secret_1
At the second watch, request for help in pink.
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Caught off-guard by the explosive topic, Lian Manman choked on a mouthful of food.
Zhang Caiyun immediately started patting her back.
Lian Manman struggled to swallow the food, and because of the choking, her face had turned red.
"What made you choke?" Lady Zhang, sitting across from Lian Manman, quickly scooped up a bowl of soup and handed it over, "Drink some soup to wash it down."
"Mother, I’m fine." Lian Manman took the soup and assured Lady Zhang she was good.
Even if she kept her voice as low as possible, and despite the surrounding laughter and chatter, some topics were still not suitable for the setting. Lian Manman gave Zhang Caiyun a warning look, telling her to hold off on speaking. Then, Lian Manman quickly finished the rice in her bowl, said she was full, and pulled Zhang Caiyun out of the room.
Once they found a secluded spot where they wouldn’t be overheard, Lian Manman finally stopped.
"What’s going on, Sister Caiyun, tell me in detail."
"...Halfway through the meal, my mother worried my father would drink too much, so she sent me to find him and give him a reminder.... And then, I didn’t rush back to the table, just wandered around in the courtyard. That’s when I saw your eldest sister-in-law. She was standing in a shadowy spot with a man, muttering to each other." Zhang Caiyun said and stopped to take a few glances at Lian Manman.
"And then what?" Lian Manman urged her to continue.
"Then, I saw they didn’t want to be seen. I thought that wasn’t a good sign, so I came back." As bold as Zhang Caiyun was, she was still a young girl by nature and instinctively knew to avoid certain issues.
"Did you hear what they said?" Lian Manman asked.
"No." Zhang Caiyun said, "I didn’t dare get too close, afraid they’d see me."
"Just the two of them, no one else? Niuniu should have been there." Lian Manman said.
"Your eldest sister-in-law didn’t bring Niuniu, it was just the two of them." Zhang Caiyun glanced at Lian Manman and said.
"What did the man look like?" Lian Manman thought for a moment and asked, "Today Erlang is getting married, and my eldest aunt’s family from her mother’s side came too. That man could be someone from the Gu family, or maybe a brother from your eldest sister-in-law’s family."
"I’ve seen those relatives from your eldest aunt’s family, and I have a good memory. That man is definitely not one of them." Zhang Caiyun said, "You’re asking what he looked like. He was dressed nicely, not too tall, just a bit taller than your eldest sister-in-law. He was quite slim, with a fair face, and handsome."
Lian Manman slightly furrowed her brow.
"Forget it, I’ll tell you everything." Zhang Caiyun suddenly said, looking around to make sure nobody was there, then she lowered her voice further. "You know why I found those two suspicious? That man, he was holding your eldest sister-in-law’s hand."
Lian Manman’s eyes widened. In this era, strict propriety was observed between men and women, and hand-holding between one who was married and another who was not her husband was a serious matter. No wonder even the usually insensitive Zhang Caiyun immediately sensed something was off.
"Then, your eldest sister-in-law..."
"Your eldest sister-in-law shook his hand off," Zhang Caiyun said, "but she didn’t run, didn’t scold, and didn’t hit the man. She, she also seemed to have secretly given the man something."
With such behavior, it was impossible not to suspect something amiss.
Lady Chiang, could she actually have... a lover?
Lian Manman remembered when she and Zhang Caiyun went to the bridal chamber, Lady Chiang, who was supposed to accompany the newlyweds, was not there. Afterwards, for quite a long time, she did not see Lady Chiang until Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law was outsmarted, and Lady Chiang appeared, walking in from the courtyard gate with Niuniu and Lian Duoduo.
"When did this happen?" Lian Manman asked Zhang Caiyun.
"I came back before them. At the peak of the banquet, your family’s kids were grabbing food with Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law. It was quite a while before your eldest sister-in-law came back.... Oh, my mother was praising you for being clever, letting Zhao Xiue’s sister-in-law lose out." Zhang Caiyun laughed.
"Didn’t you see whether Lian Duoduo and Niuniu were nearby?"
"Oh, when I came back into the courtyard, I saw Lian Duoduo playing under that wood frame by the gate with Niuniu." Zhang Caiyun thought for a moment and said.
"Sister Caiyun, you saw them, but they didn’t see you, right?" Lian Manman asked again.
"No, I have sharp eyes and can see far, and I walk quietly." Zhang Caiyun said, then coughed twice, "Cough cough, I was on top of a wall when I saw them. They definitely didn’t see me."
Lian Manman held her forehead, imagining the scene. Zhang Caiyun, accustomed to walking in the hills and untamed by nature, climbing over walls was easy to envision.
