Madam Xiao had carefully prepared gifts, and Duan Yu brought his two younger brothers along. Mingxi led the way as they visited the Duan family.
Duan Pingchang and his wife hadn’t received any advance notice, only that their daughter had told them to stay home. They never expected that the three young masters of the Marquis Household would come to visit.
Madam Xu was overjoyed and held onto Mingxi’s hand as she led her into the inner room, her eyes turning red with emotion.
“Mother.” Mingxi reached out and patted her shoulder.
Madam Xu quickly wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. “I’m just happy, Mingxi. I truly am.”
She had always worried that Mingxi would be isolated and unsupported in the Marquis Household. But seeing the three young masters personally acknowledge their kinship today, she finally felt reassured—her daughter would now have true family backing her.
Mingxi herself hadn’t expected Duan Yu to bring Duan Ning and Duan Qi along. Deep down, she realized she was genuinely happy.
Once, she had longed for this. Later, she convinced herself she was unwanted and cast aside. But now she understood—she had never truly been indifferent.
She had only told herself she didn’t care because she had never received it.
Yet, when one day, everything fell into place naturally, she realized that she had always wanted it.
People are good at deceiving themselves.
She was no exception.
“Mother, things will only get better from now on.”
Madam Xu smiled. “Yes, things will get better.”
Her past resentment toward the Marquis Household faded away.
So what if the Marquis Madam didn’t come? As long as Mingxi’s brothers were willing to support her, she and her husband could finally feel at ease.
One day, they would grow old and pass away. When that time came, she hoped Mingxi would have people by her side to protect her.
Duan Pingchang prepared a banquet to entertain the visitors, and as they drank, he spoke of Mingxi’s childhood. Only then did Duan Yu and the others learn how mischievous she had been.
“When she was little, someone told her she was adopted and that her birth parents didn’t want her. She beat them so badly they had to search the ground for their teeth. Her mother and I paid compensation more than once.”
Duan Mingxi: …
There was no need to mention that!
With the liquor taking effect, Duan Pingchang continued talking nonstop, eager for them to know just how many hardships Mingxi had endured.
“Practicing martial arts is tough, and many boys can’t even persist. When others had to squat in a horse stance for fifteen minutes, she did it for half an hour. She’s always been so stubborn.”
“She’s clever. While others had to recite a text ten times to memorize it, she would overhear it once and recite it perfectly, making them cry from frustration—and she was quite proud of herself.”
Mingxi covered her face. Everyone has their moments of youthful arrogance.
“I was just a merchant. Even though we had some money, to officials, we were nothing. Some noble young ladies were jealous of her wealth and deliberately called her an abandoned girl to wound her. She secretly shed so many tears.”
Mingxi: …
That only happened once or twice when she was a child. No need to exaggerate!
Duan Yu and his brothers sat in silence, their gazes on Mingxi making her feel slightly creeped out.
No, she wasn’t some pitiful little cabbage in a field—whenever someone bullied her, she got revenge immediately!
“Uncle Duan, rest assured. From now on, the three of us will protect our sister well,” Duan Yu said solemnly.
Duan Ning and Duan Qi both nodded.
Seeing their flushed faces from drinking, Mingxi lowered her head and smiled.
Madam Xu was even happier than Mingxi. In her heart, noble households like the Marquis family were far beyond their reach. Seeing Mingxi’s brothers genuinely care for her and stand by her side filled her with joy.
They hadn’t grown up together, so there was no childhood bond. Madam Xu had felt helpless knowing the suffering her daughter had endured in the Marquis Household.
Looking at the scene before her now, how could she not be pleased?
Mingxi watched as her mother held her hand, tears streaming down her face while she smiled, a mixture of relief and contentment. It made everything she had done feel worthwhile.
In her past life, even when her mother was gravely ill and near death, she had still worried about Mingxi being bullied and living poorly.
But back then, Mingxi had been too preoccupied with her own struggles to care for her.
Now, her mother was still alive and well. So what if she had to compromise a little?
The Marquis Household might be keeping this from Madam Jiang, but Duan Yu knew he couldn’t hide it from his grandfather. The next day, after sobering up, he went to see him.
Later, the old master spoke to the old madam, “Look at this—Yu Er handled this matter well. That’s why it’s so important to work with the right people. Mingxi is open-hearted, and because of that, even her brothers have changed the way they do things.”
The old madam had been married to the old master for decades and naturally understood what pleased him most. He wasn’t just happy that his grandsons had changed; he was reassured that the Marquis Household would be in good hands in the future.
“If not for Madam Jiang…” The old madam trailed off, stopping herself from openly criticizing her daughter-in-law. With a sigh, she simply said, “Mingxi is proud and independent. Even if we are willing to maintain relations with the Duan family, she would never want them to bow and scrape before us.”
The old master knew that at the root of it all, the current tension was caused by their own family’s past disdain toward the Duan family. There was nothing more to say—it was a mess of their own making.
“Let a few of the children start interacting more with them. With regular visits, people on the outside will take notice and get the idea,” the old master said slowly. “Keep an eye on Madam Jiang. If she hears something and tries to act on it, stop her.”
“At most, she’ll sulk in silence. She wouldn’t dare yell at Mingxi now. Look around the household—even her own sons don’t take her side anymore. What could she possibly stir up?”
The Old Madam’s words were on point. If this were the old days, back when the Jiang family was still influential, it would be hard to say what might’ve happened. But things were different now.
Speaking of this, the Old Madam looked at the old master, her husband, and said, “With how things have turned between the Jiang family and Mingxi, we need to carefully think about how we’ll handle the wedding invitations when Mingxi gets married.”
“You don’t want to invite the Jiang family? That won’t do—they’re still official in-laws,” the old master shook his head. “Talk it over with Mingxi. That child has her own thoughts.”
“You’re suggesting we ask her, but that feels like forcing her to give in,” the Old Madam said. These days, she was especially fond of her granddaughter Mingxi. Mingxi had supported both her sons and several grandsons—none were more important in her eyes.
“So what do you want to do?” the old master asked.
“The Jiang family tried to marry their eldest daughter off as a side consort to Duan Wang. We can’t let that slide.”
The old master frowned. “Didn’t our eldest daughter-in-law already block that from happening? It’s rare for her to be this clear-headed—don’t stir up more trouble.”
The old master had been angry about what the Jiang family tried to do, but since their eldest daughter-in-law had already stopped it, and she herself was against it, he felt the matter was settled.
“What do you know?” the Old Madam snapped. “The inner courtyard isn’t as simple as you men think. If they have the intention, they’ll always find a way.”
The old master wasn’t offended by his wife’s rebuke. “Then what do you want to do?”
“I’ll go visit the Jiang family personally. If they still don’t know their place, then they can’t blame us for cutting ties,” the Old Madam said through gritted teeth.
She would be the one to play the villain—Mingxi must remain untarnished.
She was already old and didn’t care about her reputation anymore. But Mingxi was different—she needed to be protected and cherished.
