"Fourth sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?" Third Mrs. Su was not happy, "We have so many girls in our family who have never stirred up such trouble. Today, our family has lost face, can't I say anything as the aunt?"
Fourth Mrs. Su replied, "If that's how you feel, Third sister-in-law, I'll make sure to learn from you when something happens to Jingmo in the future."
Su Jingmo was the daughter of Third Mrs. Su, who had always been fiercely loved and never allowed to suffer any grievances.
The face of Third Mrs. Su turned dark with anger, and she turned to ask the head wife, "Mother, you come to judge, am I right to say this?"
Only then did the head wife raise her head to look at Fourth Mrs. Su and Su Xinyi, and the Buddha beads in her hand stopped moving, "Although it was not Xinyi's fault, the fact that the eldest Miss of Duke An Mansion could take advantage of the situation shows that she was not cautious enough. She must bear this in mind in the future."
Fourth Mrs. Su didn't dare to contradict her mother-in-law and said, "You're right. Young Master Jiang just happened to lend a hand, and our Xinyi didn't know he would appear. There's no way to avoid this kind of thing. However, in the future, I will let Xinyi wear skirts more often and get used to it, so this kind of thing won't happen again."
At this point, Mrs. Su joined in with a smile, "Fourth sister-in-law, don't take it to heart. Third sister-in-law is just straightforward, and you know how our kind of family values its reputation. How about this - I invite an old nanny from the palace to teach Xinyi manners, so she won't suffer outside in the future."
Fourth Mrs. Su glanced at the head wife and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, eldest sister-in-law, but there's no need. My mother has already helped me find one."
Mrs. Su's smile faltered, but she immediately said, "Well, now that Xinyi has returned to our family, it's important for her to learn etiquette." She paused and looked at Fourth Mrs. Su, "After all, there are so many girls in our mansion, and they're all reaching the age for marriage. We need to be careful."
The slight sarcasm in these words would not have bothered Fourth Mrs. Su in the past, but remembering Xinyi's closeness and trust in her today, she felt the need to treat her even better, especially when Xinyi's eyes twinkled with laughter, she looked so much like her late husband that she couldn't help but want to be good to her.
A little better, even better, the feeling was hard to describe, like an addiction.
Seeing Xinyi smile at her was like seeing her husband smile at her.
It was like drinking poison to quench her thirst, but she willingly embraced this fire.
"Eldest sister-in-law, which of our girls was not taught manners since they could remember? After more than a decade, even a piece of wood would become enlightened. Xinyi has just returned, and you are too harsh on this child."
Upon hearing Fourth Mrs. Su's words, the whole room fell silent and even the head wife looked at her own daughter-in-law with more interest.
Fourth Mrs. Su had never been one to put up with grievances; she was the apple of her family's eye when she was at home and had a loving and harmonious marriage after her wedding. Because of her family background, even her mother-in-law had always treated her leniently. As a result, she didn't have to flatter the head wife like Second Mrs. Su and Third Mrs. Su did.
Mrs. Su's face turned red with anger. At first, she thought that Fourth Mrs. Su, being unhappy about the sudden emergence of a secret daughter, would treat the child coldly. But to her surprise, it was as if Fourth Mrs. Su had taken some kind of drug to protect her.
She must be sick!
Terribly sick!
The head wife glanced at Mrs. Su, who begrudgingly closed her mouth.
"As for the child of Fourth's household, Xinyi has been wronged, and our family can't tolerate such a loss from Duke An Mansion. We must seek justice." The head wife looked back at Fourth Mrs. Su.
Fourth Mrs. Su breathed a sigh of relief. With the head wife saying this, it meant she was supporting Xinyi, "Thank you, Mother, I knew you care about the younger generation the most."
Although she wasn't afraid, it still wasn't as powerful as having the head wife step in.
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Su almost rolled her eyes in anger - to pick a fight with Duke An Mansion over a country girl was something she couldn't fathom, and it enraged her!
She wanted to see how they would embarrass the Duke An Mansion.