Chapter 188: Pulling Up the Pants
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Mommy, Chao Chao wanna go too,” Chao Chao whispered, her tiny voice barely audible as she tugged at her mother’s sleeve. “I wanna be nice to Granny…”
[But really, I’m eager to catch all the juicy gossip! I need to be right in the thick of things…] Looking up with wide, innocent eyes, Chao Chao gazed at her mother.
Madam Xu hesitated, her brow furrowed with concern. She knew well that leaving Chao Chao behind could mean endless mischief, especially with her brothers around.
“Alright, you can come with me,” she conceded with a gentle stroke of Chao Chao’s hair.
“You boys continue your studies. I’ll go see your grandmother,” Madam Xu said dismissively, waving her hand as her three sons left the courtyard.
In a quiet tone, Lu Zheng Yue remarked, “Mother has changed.”
“She used to keep to herself, avoiding any scandal to protect her image. Now? She seems drawn to them, almost reveling in the chaos.”
“A divorce can change a person,” Lu Yan Shu added with a calm nod. “She’s beginning to remind me of Chao Chao, wouldn’t you say?”
The brothers paused, reflecting on their mother’s transformation.
“Perhaps it’s for the best.”
“After being deceived for eighteen years, anyone would change. The so-called true love was merely a facade. To be discarded along with her children, it’s remarkable she’s kept her composure,” Lu Yuan Xiao said, his voice tinged with resolve.
“That’s the spirit, Yuan Xiao,” Lu Zheng Yue affirmed, clapping him on the shoulder.
Lu Yan Shu gave a supportive smile to his younger brother. “I’ve sent you some books, complete with notes. If anything is unclear, just ask me.”
Yuan Xiao looked up with admiration. His eldest brother was a respected scholar, often sought after for guidance.
“I’d be embarrassed to let you down,” Yuan Xiao confessed, his cheeks reddening.
Unbeknownst to him, his future held recognition as a great scholar.
“I am the least intelligent of my family,” he would humbly claim throughout his life.
Meanwhile, Chao Chao, cozy in a bear fur coat—a gift from the king—settled into the carriage, eager for the drama to unfold.
“Don’t kick me,” she warned Xuan Jichuan, the hostage prince, sternly.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his head bowed. Last year, he had mistaken her for a bear and kicked her into a snowbank, leading to a disastrous month that nearly cost him his life.
With respect, Xuan Jichuan assisted her down from the carriage, staying close. Even the prince of Dongling didn’t enjoy such privileges as he did in her presence, provided he remained respectful to Chao Chao.
Deng Zhi knocked on the door, which swung open to reveal a servant’s bright face. “Sister Deng Zhi, you’re back?”
Behind her, Madam Xu’s presence brought tears to the servant’s eyes. “Madam, it’s been difficult without you.”
“Cut the drama. I’ve heard the old lady suffered a stroke. Madam has graciously come to visit on behalf of her sons,” Deng Zhi explained, handing over some silver coins.
“The young masters are indeed thoughtful. Please, Madam, come inside…”
They were led into the mansion. As they passed through, Madam Xu noted the marquis estate’s rapid decline, a shadow of its former grandeur. Servants greeted her with tearful eyes and longing looks.
Before they fully entered, soft sobs filled the air.
“Mother, I’ve failed in my filial duties. How could you have suffered a stroke?” Lu Yuan Ze wept.
“The old lady suffered a severe shock. The stroke has caused irreversible damage. All we can do now is make her comfortable,” the doctor explained before departing with his apprentice.
“What troubled you so, Mother?” Lu Yuan Ze was utterly perplexed while Madam Pei clutched her clothes tightly from the rear.
As Madam Xu stepped through the door, bathed in moonlight, all eyes turned toward her. Eighteen years had matured her from a young girl into a woman marked by hardships, yet she carried an air of lively grace. Her complexion was as fair as snow, and her eyes sparkled like stars. A simple green hairpin adorned her hair, enhancing her natural beauty and making her appear even more enchanting than in her youth.
Lu Yuan Ze glanced at Madam Pei, who was dressed in gaudy luxury despite her claims of poverty. It was in poor taste. He realized that those lacking often try their hardest to appear affluent.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
“You came to mock us?” Madam Pei sneered.
[Ha, she’s right on the mark.] Chao Chao giggled silently as Lu Yuan Ze’s attention stayed fixed on Madam Xu, igniting Madam Pei’s jealousy.
Holding a handkerchief, Madam Xu replied with a gentle smile. “I’m not as petty as you. I served as a daughter-in-law for eighteen years without a single quarrel with the old lady. I’m here to see her; what’s wrong with that?”
Pretending to wipe tears, Madam Xu continued, “How have you been looking after her? I devoted eighteen years to her, tirelessly and without complaint. You’ve been here a year, and she’s suffered a stroke?”
“I managed without a word of complaint. You must do the same wholeheartedly,” she advised earnestly.
Madam Pei clenched her teeth as Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes welled up with tears.
“Do as Shi Yun advises,” he murmured softly.
Approaching the bed where the old lady lay, her condition was pitiable, paralyzed, with a twisted mouth as drool trickling down from the side.
“Don’t you dare slander me! I treated the old lady as my own mother. I stayed at the temple for half a month, praying and copying scriptures for her,” Madam Pei declared, dabbing at her tears.
The old lady’s eyes widened, her face flushed with anger, unable to move but clearly objecting.
“Ah ah, huh huh huh…” She struggled to speak, managing only hoarse sounds, and even started crying, glaring at Madam Pei with deep resentment.
Madam Xu casually remarked, “It seems the old lady disagrees? I heard she had a stroke after your temple visit. What exactly were you doing there?”
Madam Pei clutched her handkerchief tighter, yelling, “I was copying scriptures, of course!”
[Oh my, copying scriptures? She must’ve been up to something else!] Chao Chao pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and squatted in a corner, munching earnestly.
“It was dark, and the wind was blowing. The old lady might have been frightened by the trees outside the window. I was copying scriptures. Is that so wrong?”
The old lady glared at Madam Pei with venomous eyes. She looked at Lu Yuan Ze, then back at Madam Pei. But Lu Yuan Ze understood nothing. The old lady burst into tears, trembling, unable to speak with even more drool spilling out.
[Pei Jiao Jiao, how dare you!! I arranged for you to be cared for, to plot against Madam Xu for you, and you… You deceived me!]
The old lady stared at Lu Yuan Ze with extreme agitation, crying out in despair, unable to warn her son.
“Oh my, why does it smell so bad in here?” Madam Xu lifted her handkerchief, covering her nose, frowning in disgust.
Chao Chao pointed at the old lady and announced in her clear, childish voice, “She wet her pants! She wet her pants!”
[Perfect timing!]