lcionline Chapter 7: Let's also experience the taste of being burned.
Chapter 7: Let's also experience the taste of being burned.
After a long while, he took a sip of tea and said, "My Gu family is a prominent family with many rules. Now that you've married into the family, you'd better learn them well and not do anything wrong."
Although Gu's mother's tone was gentle, it concealed a sharp edge, and the warning in her words was self-evident.
"I will keep my mother-in-law's teachings in mind and will study them diligently and follow the rules of the Marquis's family without daring to disobey them."
Chu Ruohan kept her eyes downcast and her attitude humble, leaving no room for criticism.
Afterwards, Chu Ruohan offered tea to the other elders in turn.
"Auntie, please have some tea."
The Countess smiled broadly, took the teacup, sipped it, and praised, "This niece-in-law is not only beautiful, but also so well-mannered. It's truly a rare find."
After speaking, he ordered his maid to present the prepared gift: a pair of mutton-fat jade ruyi scepters, warm and translucent, clearly of considerable value.
Seeing this, Gu's mother was furious. What did she mean?
This is the Marquis of Anyang's residence. She, as the mother-in-law, has not yet made any move, but the Countess has taken the lead and is so openly showing goodwill to Chu Ruohan. Isn't this a slap in her face?
She was still bothered by the fact that Chu Ruohan had served tea to Princess Anyang first, so she didn't plan to give her a gift.
Gu's mother's face darkened slightly, but she couldn't lash out on the spot.
With a forced smile, he said, "Sister-in-law, you love this child so much; she is truly blessed."
The Countess seemed oblivious to the deeper meaning in Gu's mother's words, and continued to smile and say, "My niece-in-law is so well-behaved and charming, I naturally like her very much."
Chu Ruohan knew that Gu's mother was unhappy. She and the Countess had always been outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds and disliked each other.
"Thank you for your kind gift, Auntie. I will cherish it."
After thanking the Countess, Chu Ruohan approached Gu Sifu, still curtsying politely, and steadily offered the teacup with both hands, saying, "Aunt, please have some tea."
The fourth wife did not rush to accept the tea, but deliberately raised her voice and said, "Oh dear, this new bride has not learned the etiquette of serving tea very well. She can't even hold the teacup steadily. If she spills it, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the elders' good fortune?"
The scalding heat reached her fingertips. In her previous life, her mother tormented her every day, and this Fourth Madam Gu had given her no shortage of advice. Her hands were covered in blisters from the burns, but she dared not utter a sound.
Now, she would no longer allow herself to be bullied as she had in her previous life.
On the surface, however, she still pretended to be frightened, saying, "Aunt, please forgive me. I was just too nervous and afraid of being impolite, that's why I acted this way."
The fourth wife persisted, saying, "This merchant's daughter doesn't know any manners. She doesn't even know how to serve tea. Second sister-in-law, you should teach her a lesson."
Gu's mother, standing to the side, had a look of schadenfreude on her face and made no attempt to stop them.
Just as the Fourth Madam reached out to take the tea, Chu Ruohan pretended to scald her hand and flinched, causing the teacup to tilt and the hot tea to splash straight at the Fourth Madam.
The fourth wife couldn't dodge in time and was splashed all over herself, immediately screaming.
Madam Gu scolded, "Such recklessness! Quickly apologize to the Fourth Madam!"
Chu Ruohan quickly knelt down, tears welling in her eyes, "Aunt, please forgive me. I really didn't mean it. The tea was too hot, and I held it for too long, so I burned my hand and lost control."
"The teacup is so hot, someone must have been secretly plotting something, trying to make my niece-in-law commit a serious mistake as soon as she entered the house." Her words were laced with barbs, leaving Madam Gu and the Fourth Madam speechless for a moment.
"You..." The fourth lady's chest heaved violently, and she was about to launch another attack when she was abruptly cut off by the countess's words.
"Alright, this is the Marquis of Anyang's residence. Why are you, an elder, making things difficult for a junior?" The count's eyes were full of warning. "We've gone through the proper etiquette and given the gifts. It's time for us to go back."
After speaking, he got up and left.
The fourth branch of the Gu family had already separated. If it weren't for the fourth madam coming to find her early in the morning, she would never have come.
The Countess couldn't stand it; the two of them were behaving in a vulgar and petty way.
Although the fourth wife was unwilling, she could only swallow her anger under the intimidation of the Countess.
She glared fiercely at Chu Ruohan, her eyes seeming to want to devour her.
Chu Ruohan lowered her head slightly, seemingly frightened, but a subtle, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
After everyone had left, Chu Ruohan returned to her residence.
The wet nurse looked worried: "Miss, you were too sharp today. You may have offended the Fourth Madam, but the Lady of the Marquis is your mother-in-law. You will have to live under her in the future."
Chu Ruohan smiled gently, sat on the couch, picked up her teacup and took a sip: "Granny, please don't worry. My husband is not the Lady of the Marquis's biological son. If I keep tolerating him, others will think I am easy to bully and will take advantage of me."
The wet nurse sighed, "This old servant is not as insightful as the young lady."
The wet nurse sighed inwardly. Only two days after marrying into the Marquis's mansion, her young mistress was no longer the weak woman who needed constant protection.
Baoling lifted the curtain and hurried closer, "Miss, Miss..."
The wet nurse's brows immediately furrowed into a deep frown, and she sternly reprimanded, "This is the Marquis's residence! You're all so flustered and don't know any manners!"
Baoling was startled by the wet nurse's shout and quickly stopped in her tracks.
"From now on, you shall call me Young Madam." Chu Ruohan's expression was aloof, but her eyes were as cold as icy stars as she stared straight at Baoling.
"Yes, young mistress." Baoling quickly lowered her head. She didn't know what she had done wrong, but her mistress was not as kind to her as before.
"What happened?"
"Young Madam, there's been another disturbance at Suijinxuan."
Baoling secretly glanced at Chu Ruohan's expression. Seeing that Chu Ruohan gestured for her to continue, she continued, "That Du Ruoling, I don't know what she was thinking, went to serve tea to the Lady of the Marquis, and was mocked by the maids of Tingxue Pavilion. So she ran to the Second Young Master to complain."
"I don't know what kind of seductive tricks she used, but the second young master was completely bewitched by her. Even though he was burning up with fever, he was still clamoring for the Lady of the Marquis to punish those maids."
Chu Ruohan frowned slightly. This Du Ruoling was truly unpredictable. She was pregnant, but instead of taking good care of herself, she insisted on making herself miserable.
Baoling continued, "The Lady of the Marquis was not willing to accept this. During the argument, the Second Young Master fainted and developed a fever. Doctors came and went, all with solemn expressions."
The wet nurse said, "Young mistress, someone from my hometown was also burned in the fire. That very night, they developed a fever that wouldn't go down. Every doctor we called shook their head and sighed, trying every possible method, but nothing worked. They died within two days."
“The Second Young Master’s condition…” the wet nurse said, shaking her head.
Fortunately, the young lady was arranged to marry the eldest son. If she had become a widow early on, how would she have survived the rest of her life?
Chu Ruohan looked out the window with a calm expression. She hoped Gu Cheng'an wouldn't die so easily…
The next day, as dawn broke...
Chu Ruohan got up early to do her makeup. In her previous life, her mother hated her and forcibly deprived her of the right to return to her parents' home. She was unable to see her parents one last time before they died.
Now that she has been reborn, she is eager to return home and reunite with her parents.
"Is the carriage ready?"
“It’s all ready, but… but the Marquis’s residence hasn’t prepared any return gifts.”
Yu Ling looked troubled. The young lady was the one who took the initiative to marry into the Marquis's family. This behavior was too much of a bullying.