Chapter 9: The Baby’s Fury
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
Madam Xu’s face mirrored the turmoil within her heart.
“Madam Xu, our families hold esteemed positions, and our husbands wield significant influence in government. Regardless of how our discussions on this marital alliance unfold, we must maintain cordial relations between our families,” Madam Jiang said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Her smirk barely concealed her contempt.
Why would Madam Xu take pride in her situation? Her eldest son was disabled, her second son notorious for his extravagant spending, and her youngest son mocked for his lack of education. Even her daughter struggled to win favor with the Marquis, making them frequent subjects of ridicule among the elite.
Madam Xu, perceptive as always, noticed the disdain in Madam Jiang’s polished words. Madam Jiang’s children were a stark contrast: her daughter, Jiang Yun Jin, was celebrated city-wide for her beauty, and her son, Jiang Yun Mo, was an academic prodigy, having passed difficult exams at a young age and now preparing for national examinations.
Amid this tension, Chao Chao, Madam Xu’s infant daughter, bit her gums until they bled, fantasizing about biting Madam Jiang if she could.
Her brother, a scholarly prodigy who achieved high status by age eight, outshone everyone in the Jiang family by a significant margin.
With composed resolve, Madam Xu signaled her maid to conclude the engagement talks.
“Very well, let us terminate this engagement. But make no mistake, it is not our family rejecting your daughter; it is my son, Yan Shu, who rejects Jiang Yun Jin! Yan Shu has always behaved honorably, even risking his life for your daughter. Your disdain and disparaging remarks only underscore your lack of worthiness. We, the Lu family, are the ones severing ties with Jiang Yun Jin,” Madam Xu declared boldly. Her voice resonated through the room as she forcefully shattered the engagement jade pendant on the floor, symbolizing the dissolution of the alliance.
As the pendant broke, a shard flew off, striking Madam Jiang on the forehead and drawing blood.
[Magnificent, Mother! The Jiang family will face their consequences someday!] Chao Chao, a mix of pride and fervor stirring within her, almost jumped out of her swaddle in excitement, startling her caregiver.
Caught off guard by Madam Xu’s firm stance, Madam Jiang internally acknowledged her family’s faults and feared any scandal that might jeopardize her daughter’s future marital prospects.
“Bring me the marriage contract,” she demanded with icy authority.
They shredded the document together. With a haughty demeanor, Madam Jiang gathered her family’s token.
“Madam Xu, you are left with nothing but your disabled son! My daughter far surpasses Yan Shu,” Madam Jiang sneered derisively as she left, her pride intact.
At that moment, a servant approached Madam Xu, hesitantly delivering a message from the head of their house following the day’s events. “Madam, the Marquis has been informed of the incident and has sent me with a message…” He looked around nervously, searching for the right words. “The Marquis mentioned that while it’s admirable that the young master saved Miss Yun Jin, this heroic act shouldn’t be held over her. He sees Yan Shu’s current situation as an unfortunate twist of fate, for which no one should be blamed.”
After delivering the Marquis’s message, Madam Xu’s reaction was a tumultuous mix of laughter and tears, reflecting her inner turmoil and conflicting emotions.
[I can’t believe my father is using my brother’s unfortunate situation to his advantage! Why doesn’t lightning just strike him down… I’m so filled with rage…] Little Chao Chao’s expression was deeply troubled as she gnawed on her gums until they reddened, silently harboring thoughts of vengeance against those who wronged her family.
As if the universe responded to her silent plea, the sky above darkened with menacing clouds, and a fierce wind began to whip up dust and leaves.
Then, breaking through the day’s tranquility, a loud thunderclap sounded, followed by a lightning bolt that struck a specific courtyard within the capital.
Boom!
The impact seemed to resonate with Madam Xu’s internal strife, as if the heavens were acting in line with her daughter’s intense desire for revenge.
“Madam, there’s been a fire in the northern part of the city. It appears someone was struck by lightning,” a maid reported hastily, her voice filled with urgency.
Temporarily lifted from her deep sadness, Madam Xu wiped the blood from her mouth, finding an odd sense of comfort. It was as if the thunderclap had magically eased her pain. She looked over at her daughter, wondering if her own intense anger had somehow summoned the lightning. Could it be possible that the lightning had struck the person they despised?
“Quietly investigate which house the lightning struck,” Madam Xu commanded, suspecting that this was not merely a chance occurrence.
It felt almost as if her daughter had controlled the lightning. Was it possible that the lightning had intentionally targeted their adversary?
“The Jiang family is incredibly ungrateful,” Jue Xia complained as she cuddled Chao Chao. “Our young master risked his life to save Jiang Yun Jin, and yet they have the nerve to break off the engagement! Without his heroics, she would have perished in the water! They’re now disrespecting us at a time when we’re already facing difficulties,” she continued, her voice filled with bitterness.
Despite the discomfort of coughing up blood, Madam Xu found a peculiar comfort but was also tormented by serious worries. “It seems everyone is looking out for themselves,” she thought, disheartened by Lu Yuan Ze’s harsh comment that Yan Shu’s trouble was just a twist of fate.
“Huh? Why has the little miss fallen back to sleep so quickly after waking up?” Jue Xia remarked in surprise, noting the child’s sudden return to deep sleep.
Exhausted from her intense emotional outbreak and her silent longing for justice, Lu Chao Chao gave in to her weariness, falling into a deep sleep.
That evening, Deng Zhi returned home, weary from her duties. “Madam, I’ve resolved the issues at the prison. Your mother was initially worried, but she has settled down after taking her medication. There’s no need to worry. The elder master thinks that a brief time in jail might even benefit the Xu family. Upon hearing about your endeavors, the old madam and your sisters-in-law were moved to tears,” she reported.
Madam Xu, who had been distant from her own family for over ten years due to her marriage, felt a wave of peace. She decided it was time to reconnect with her family after this ordeal, regardless of her husband’s opinion.
For the first time in a long while, Madam Xu went to sleep that night feeling peaceful.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao fell into a remarkably long sleep, lasting from one evening well into the afternoon of the next day, which caused quite a concern among the household, prompting several doctors to be called.
“The little miss is in excellent health; she’s merely in a deep state of rest,” one doctor confirmed after a thorough examination, agreeing with previous medical opinions.
“Why hasn’t she woken up yet? She usually wakes every few hours, but now she’s slept through an entire day and night,” Madam Xu worried aloud, the stress causing blisters to form in her mouth.
The attending physician speculated, “Could she be overtired?” but then immediately questioned his own theory, puzzled. “But how could a forty-day-old infant, who hasn’t even started to crawl, accumulate so much fatigue that she falls into such a prolonged slumber?”
Reflecting on the doctor’s comments, Madam Xu recalled the storm from the previous day and fell silent in thought.
[Ah, I’m so hungry… incredibly hungry…]
“Chao Chao is awake. Please, someone bring the milk right away!” Madam Xu exclaimed, her heart lightening as she heard her daughter’s voice, which lessened the heavy burden of concern she had been carrying. She wondered if the effort from the previous day’s supernatural event had sapped her daughter’s energy, entertaining the thought that her child might have some extraordinary abilities.
Now awake, Lu Chao Chao eagerly began to drink her milk, showing a voracious appetite.
“It’s a relief to see the little miss awake after such a long period of sleep. It almost felt like she had been asleep for an eternity,” Jue Xia remarked with a smile, glad to see Chao Chao’s return to wakefulness after her unusually lengthy slumber.
Fully alert now, Lu Chao Chao thought about her fatigue, attributing it to a significant hunger. She hadn’t anticipated that the potential use of mystical powers could deplete her physical energy so thoroughly.
[Wuuu, I was so hungry I ended up fainting.]
With a heart overflowing with affection, Madam Xu gently lifted her daughter, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. Her daughter’s presence brought a burst of pure joy, piercing through the layers of deceit and sorrow that had enveloped them.
Just then, Jue Xia entered the room, her face bright with eagerness to share an update: “Madam, about the lightning strike we were curious about. It indeed hit someone!” Her announcement hinted at a tale filled with intrigue and significant consequences.
Man this is fucking funny