Chapter 146 Luo’s Family was abnormal
Dong Xinlan gritted his teeth. Hell, weren’t you talking about hot springs? Why were you talking about this again! What a hypocritical person Sun Meiniang was. When you talked about other people, you just pulled out a lot of reasons. Did you think I don’t know something about you? Third Aunt told me a long time ago. You showed your magnanimity by taking six beautiful concubines for your husband. But you secretly sent each of them a bowl of sterilization soup, damaging their bodies and making them be unable to conceive! Hum, as the Second Branch, if you could conceive, it wouldn’t lead to the absence of a successor here. Sun, what qualifications did you have to be wife in charge of the family of Luo’s Mansion!
After a long silence, Madam Luo suddenly looked at Dong Xinlan and said kindly, “You are Qian’s wife. I think you are the same as Ying. You should have used the same hot spring with them together. But you think, at present, he often goes to the whorehouse. In such a place, even one mosquito or one grass is blemished, let alone those prostitutes. You’ve only just got married, so you will often be intimate. If you get in touch with him, it’s not appropriate to go to that hot spring for bathing. If you think about it, Qiong and her are pure little girls. They cannot be defiled…”
Hearing this, Dong Xinlan still smiled stiffly and pulled the corners of her mouth to her ears, but she was extremely angry.
Ah, Madam Luo thought she was blemished and worried about contaminating her two granddaughters. From birth to marriage, Dong Xinlan had not suffered such a great insult during 18 years! Originally, Madam Luo, who had been nice to her since she married into Luo’s Family and rewarded her with a thousand liang of silver and gold head-ornaments when she kowtowed to her for the first time, became the most hateful and shameless old woman in the world immediately! Hum, it was obvious that a woman who had cursed her husband and was now forcing her sister to die was not easy to deal with.
As soon as Madam Luo saw Dong Xinlan was still smiling, she continued to said kindly, “I know you all have own thoughts, hoping to monopolize a man by yourself. But I tell you, it is not the right. Men are born with wide perspective and consider more than us–we only see one bed, one room, one yard and one bath room, but men are not satisfied with these. As far as a man’s attitude towards women is concerned, no matter how much he likes you, there will always be other women in his heart. Do you want him to focus on you alone? Ha-ha, I’ve lived so long, but I’ve never knew a rich playboy who doesn’t make contact with other women except his wife! It’s appropriate to be like your Second Aunt. She helped Second Uncle to pick out some women who were beautiful and obedient. Finally, she not only did not lose the Second Uncle’s concern, but also made him be compliant, agreeing with all her ideas!”
“That’s not right!” Dong Xinlan sneered. Madam Luo’s second son was more than 30 years old, but he still had no son. Was it different from a man without offspring?
But Madam Luo didn’t hear her unspoken criticism. She still sincerely expressed with her, “No one could break the ancient truth that one teapot needs more than one bowl. When those people who used to be low status suddenly become prominent, they always abandon their first wife and then remarry the beautiful woman. I don’t know if you heard from your Third Aunt that I have a granddaughter, Qingyi. When her father married her mother, her father had no waiting-maid (maid in name, concubine in reality) and concubines. Others thought that He Jingxian, who was struck by thunder, was an infatuated man. They also said that it was suitable for Chuanxiong to marry him, and there would be no worries in her life. Bah! That short-lived man has implicated my Chuanxiong. He and his mother are vicious. They won’t get a lucky end!”
Dong Xinlan saw Madam Luo, who always spoke slowly and gently, was so excited to say rough words for the first time. She couldn’t help but be surprised to cover her mouth with a handkerchief. The matter was really puzzling. She also heard about Luo Chuanxiong, the little aunt of Luo Baiqian, who was sent back to her mother’s house after divorcing with negotiation. Now that the woman had remarried other man and moved out to live. Why did Madam Luo get so angry when she mentioned the past, just liked He Jingxian and his mother killed her family and pried her ancestral tomb? Wasn’t Luo Chuanxiong the daughter of Madam Luo’s rival in love? Why was she angry? She should be happy.
Sun Meiniang fixed on the plaque in the hall by shining eyes with a flickering smile. Luo Baiying found that Madam Luo was far away from the topic, so she gave a low cough to remind her.
Madam Luo calmed down and concluded that, “My granddaughter-in-law, you are from a family of scholars. You should be more reasonable than ordinary women naturally. I know that you are sensible. I care about you as much as I care about others. As for what you want to use hot spring water for skin care... In principle, you can also get part of the hot springs in the mansion. If Qian doesn’t go to those brothels, I’ll ask people to send the hot spring water to your Liu Li Tang every day, OK?
Hearing this, Dong Xinlan was so angry that she shivered secretly. Sent hot spring water to Liu Li Tang? Hum, she couldn’t take a bath in the hot spring finally. Madam Luo was afraid that her lovely granddaughters might be infected! What was the meaning of “when Luo Baiqian doesn’t go to those brothels”? After all, Madam Luo still asked her to take a concubine for Luo Baiqian! Was she going to take a concubine for her husband for a few buckets of bath water?!
At this time, Luo Baiying seemed to understand Dong Xinlan’s thought. She stared at the top of her nose and told Dong Xinlan that she had no choice. Whether she could wash or not, Qian would be with other women. Either she complained that she was not lucky enough and could reincarnate when having a chance, or she annoyed herself by taking concubines for him. We were women with no other choices.
Sun Meiniang covered her mouth and laughed. Ying’s words were brilliant and unique. Ha-ha, sometimes Dong Xinlan felt younger when she looked at juniors who were jealous of concubines…
The 17-year-old Deng Cao, who was massaging legs for Madam Luo, immediately said with a flattering smile that Second Madam was not old now and looked much younger than her.
After that, Madam Luo drove away three people because she was tired. Out of the Fu Shou Yard, Sun Meiniang and Luo Baiying went far away. And Dong Xinlan went alone to a corner of the garden where there was no one else. She grabbed the blooming begonias and crumpled them to pieces. She was crazy. She thought, “Third Aunt, you told me that Luo’s Mansion was very good, but you never told me that the people living here all confused right and wrong, liked devils!
Have their eyes and hearts been blinded together? Luo Baiqian ran out to do something improper. However, they didn’t stop him from going out; they didn’t take him back to sermon him from the brothel; they didn’t ask him to make amends and beg her for forgiveness. Instead, they all blamed her and thought that she was so closefisted that she did not give him concubines! Ha-ha, it was ridiculous that they could say such unkind words as women!
The annoying old woman said, since ancient times, no one could break the rule that one teapot needed more than one tea bowl. But like this, who was happy when allowing concubines married her husband? Ah, half a year ago in Fuzhou City, if Third Aunt had not promised that no concubine would marry Luo Baiqian, Dong Xinlan would not have come to Luo’s Mansion with her mother for a blind date. If so, she would not meet Luo Baiqian, the bane her in life; she would not have to stay alone in this disgusting Luo’s Mansion to get along with these women in a hypocritical way!
Even though the living conditions here were many times better than at home in Fuzhou City; even if there were people calling her “First Younger Mistress Luo” respectfully everywhere; even if Luo Baiqian was the best looking man she had ever met in her life; even if she realized her wish and got the marriage she wanted, since she lived in the disgusting East Yard of Luo’s Mansion, she hadn’t had a real happy life. Her smiling was not pure anymore. When she was sad and wanted to cry, she had no tears. She felt more and more uncomfortable staying in Luo’s Mansion!
Luo Baiying had dead fish eyes; Sun Meiniang was an old vixen; Luo Baiqiong and Luo Baishao were a pair of coquettes; Chai Dan was an old ogre, who pretended to be loyal and kind but was treacherous actually; Luo Baiqian was always like a runaway train that couldn’t be tied down. All the people living in Luo’s Mansion were abnormal people!
“Hah-hah, Third Miss, don’t worry. Sometimes Second Madam was just like a child losing her temper. She was not malevolent and didn’t look down on you...” Mammy Tang picked up the Distilled Osmanthus Drink on the table. And after drinking it, she praised ceaselessly. She even praised Third Miss for her dexterity. Whoever she married in the future would be blessed.
When He Danggui hid her face shyly with her sleeve and yawned at the back of the sleeve, she thought that she had just said, “Life is quiet and peaceful, and there is no one who she doesn’t want to see”, but a large number of noisy people rushed in at once; she just said that today there was no need to “Devote all the efforts and energy”, but Mammy Tang closed the door mysteriously, meaning that something happened again obviously. If she hadn’t found a little master who was willing to teach her the Cultivation Methods for Internal Energy, she would have been really upset to deal with these things today.
Jiugu also nodded and smiled, “Yes, I have lived in Luo’s Mansion for many years, and I think Second Madam is excellent!”
She Danggui put down her sleeves and said with surprise, “What are you talking about, Mammy? What’s wrong with Second Aunt? Why did you mention the Second Aunt at the beginning?” She said as she picked up the scissors to trim her hair.
Mammy Tang and Jiugu looked at each other for a moment, and then they suddenly thought that Third Miss just said casually, “I have no time to burn hot water this morning, so I can’t serve you with hot tea. Please just take some Distilled Osmanthus Drink.” That didn’t mention Second Madam. Because Third Miss had not lived there for a long time, and she had never experienced autumn and winter there, she didn’t know that Second Madam administered the hot water room directly. She might not even know that there was a hot water room in Luo’s Mansion. Originally, they thought about it secretly. When they heard something about it, they couldn’t help saying it and revealed what they knew.
In fact, a few days ago, Mammy Tang heard that from maids’ whispering. Here was the thing. Second Madam heard from others that Third Miss took advantage of the Fourth Miss’s absence and occupied the Fourth Miss’s Tao Yao Yard with Young Master Zhu. It was threatening the Madam Luo with Young Master Zhu.
Maid A said, “We all know that Second Madam is smart and capable, and she can’t tolerate inappropriate things. The Third Miss overstepped the line of Second Madam and will face reprimand. It’s said that Second Madam decides to let Third Miss learn the rules.”
Maid B agreed, “Yes, it’s said that Second Madam has told all administrators who had the pass. She wants to take charge of Third Miss who is indelicate. Therefore, first of all, Second Madam will take care of the little things in daily life. She wants to change Third Miss’s frivolous attitude and suppress her malevolent ideas… According to what the person hearing that news said, Second Madam’s words were not friendly. In a word, the monthly allowance, hot water, charcoal, maids and Miss’s outfits in Tao Yao Yard have been seized.”
Maid C asked, “What about the meal? It’s said that the former kitchen steward in Wang Qi’s Family withheld the amount of regular meals of Third Miss for half a year and was exposed, but then an accident happened. How can Housekeeper Yang manage this troublesome business again?”
Maid A replied that there were one master and five servants in Tao Yao Yard. It was said that Second Madam asked the kitchen to provide six maids’ type food for Tao Yao Yard. As for the extra silvers, Second Madam thought that no one wanted Third Miss’s silvers. Therefore, the silvers of regular meals and monthly allowance should be written down on the public account temporarily. Later, Third Miss would receive them back to her as dowry before she got married.
Ha-ha. Maid D laughed. Second Madam was so divided between business and private. She was serious for everything.
After overhearing it, Mammy Tang was worried that Third Miss wouldn’t be able to bear the grievance. Third Miss would reveal where Fourth Miss was and the real reason why she lived in Tao Yao Yard. She didn’t expect that several days later, Third Miss was surprisingly calm. Every time when Mammy Tang went to see Zhu, she often saw Third Miss sleep in the house or bask in the sun in the yard. She had never complained or showed melancholy about food, deducting monthly allowance or other things. She lived more comfortably than Fourth Miss who used to live here. Was it true that Tao Yao Yard was suitable for people to live?
In fact, as long as Madam Luo said something about monthly allowance, even if Second Madam Luo was dissatisfied, Third Miss would also get it. But as the saying went, “If you doubt a person, it is unnecessary to use him.” Since Madam Luo had delegated her power to Second Madam, Madam Luo couldn’t easily interfere with Second Madam’s decisions and refute Second Madam’s prestige and face. In addition, Madam Luo just tied Second Madam’s daughter into the Taoist temple. Although it was mere for the sake of Fourth Miss, Madam Luo still felt guilty when she saw Second Madam. So, what Second Madam wanted to do was up to her.
After a few days, the original animate Tao Yao Yard turned lifeless. Yesterday afternoon, Mammy Tang could not stand and made the decision to arrange twelve maids for sweeping and cleaning. And she decorated the whole yard with chrysanthemum. Then, Tao Yao Yard became vital again.
However, a surprising change occurred at the banquet last night. People of the whole family almost lost the most respectful, the most reliable and the pillar of the family!
At that time, Mammy Tang was very clear about the situation. When Madam Luo asked First Miss to serve tea, she was refused. When she asked the Second Miss to serve tea, she was prevaricated. Although Madam Luo didn’t scold in public and show too much emotion, Mammy Tang was really heartbroken for her master who had been with her for decades and wished she could replace her master.
So, when Madam Luo opened her mouth for the third time and asked Third Miss to make tea for her, the Third Miss agreed in a generous manner, which made Mammy Tang be so grateful that she would almost like to kowtow to her. She thanked Third Miss for sending Madam Luo the last time. But she didn’t expect Madam Luo did not die. Shizi Duan took Madam Luo back. In addition to a shock, it could be said to be unharmed. It was heard that Third Miss was taken for hostage, so Mammy Tang was worried. Then when she heard that Third Miss was saved by Nie Chun, she was also sincerely happy.
As the old saying went, “As distance tests a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart.” Usually, several Misses liked to play the woman around Madam Luo, and all of them were good children or good granddaughters. When they encountered great difficulties, the person who stood out was the soft and weak Third Miss. It was amazing that a Miss who was brought up outside the mansion and was not very close to Madam Luo stood out!
So, last night, after Mammy Tang helped Madam Luo come back to the bedroom of Fu Shou Yard, when Mammy Tang was massaging Madam Luo, Mammy Tang couldn’t help but say that Third Miss was a good girl. Her mother almost didn’t stay in the Mansion all the year, so Third Miss was too poor and alone. People all said, “A child with mother is a treasure, while a child without mother is a grass”. It would be better to find an adopted mother for Third Miss.
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