Not only was Duan Huirou feeling embarrassed, but even the Second and Third Madams’ faces were burning with shame.
They hadn’t visited Duan Mingxi either. After all, to them, she was just a girl raised by a merchant family, of little importance.
Now, it felt like a slap to their faces.
Fortunately, as Aunts from a separate branch of the family, they could save a bit of face.
In front of her two Aunts, Duan Huirou couldn’t say certain things directly. She felt humiliated and covered her face as she fled the scene.
With a pale face, Duan Mingxi looked at the two madams, her expression showing sadness and weakness as she began to speak, “I had thought that returning to my birth parents would mean being treated as I missed them, but it seems I…”
Her eyes reddened.
The Second Madam hurried to console her, “Mingxi, don’t think too much about it. Over time, things will improve. Come and visit me often; I’ll have your Rong Meimei* keep you company. How about that?”
* little sister
“Yes, yes, and you can bring along your Min Meimei. Things will be lively for you here,” added the Third Madam, eagerly offering her own daughter as well. Who knew what other benefits Mingxi might have in hand? It was better to forge a good relationship early on.
It appeared she was the type of soft-hearted girl who could be won over, as she’d been touched enough to help Yang Yiniang and her son today.
The main wife was really losing control this time.
As soon as the two Madams left, Madam Jiang entered with a dark expression.
“You’re such a good daughter of mine. Being raised away from me, of course, your loyalties would lie elsewhere.”
Madam Jiang was furious. After all, she’d been competing with Yang Yiniang for over ten years. If her son really achieved high honors, could she still keep her under control?
“You’re absolutely right, Madam. I wasn’t raised by your side. And as I lay here ill, you were busying yourself, taking the daughter you raised out on outings. Clearly, you didn’t think of me at all.”
Duan Mingxi didn’t hold back at all. In front of others, she had to pretend, but not here.
This would tear away the facade between them and spare her from enduring the pretense of a mother-daughter relationship that only disgusted her.
“What did you say?” Madam Jiang, accustomed to a life of luxury and deference, had never been spoken to like this. “How dare you!”
“Precedent sets the example; I’m merely learning from you,” Duan Mingxi replied, her tone sharp. “You don’t care about me—that’s fine. But why can’t others care about me?
“My own flesh and blood has never regarded me as family. I fall ill, and not a shadow of concern appears. Yet, my older brother, born of a concubine, remembers me. How could I not be moved? Whoever treats me well, I will naturally treat well in return.”
Madam Jiang trembled with rage at these words, her voice rising in fury. “If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have brought you back at all! I should have left you with that merchant family, living out your days as a merchant’s daughter. Let’s see what kind of future you’d have had then!”
“Xiangxiang, Qiancao, pack our things—we’re returning to Jiangcheng!”
Duan Mingxi abruptly stood, her piercing gaze fixed on Madam Jiang. “Since this household cannot tolerate me, I’ll leave. My adoptive parents may have been merchants, but they treated me like a treasure from the moment I was born. What’s so wrong with being a merchant’s daughter? If you looked down on me so much, you should never have brought me back!”
The commotion quickly escalated. Li Mama, her eyes darting around, pinched herself hard and ran toward the study at the front of the residence. As she ran, she cried out loudly, “Marquis, come quickly! Madam is about to throw the Eldest Miss out of the house!”
The cry quickly spread throughout the estate, even alerting the Old Master and Old Madam, who called the entire family to the main hall.
Duan Mingxi held a handkerchief with ginger juice, given to her by Qiancao. She dabbed it lightly at the corners of her eyes, and tears flowed down, her face a picture of sorrow that tugged at the heartstrings of anyone watching.
“Grandfather, Grandmother, since Madam cannot accept me, please allow me to return to Jiangcheng. I only wanted to think of Second Brother as my own brother. Since he’s so accomplished and has already passed the scholar’s exam, wouldn’t it be an honor for our family if he were to succeed further in the future?
That’s why I took the bold step of writing a letter to Uncle Chen, hoping he would give Second Brother a chance. But it’s just a chance; whether he passes Uncle Chen’s standards depends on his own skills.
Besides, while I was sick, alone in my room, Father was busy with his duties, which I understand. But not even Madam, my siblings, or sisters-in-law came to visit me once. Only my Second Brother thought to send bird’s nest to me through Yang Yiniang. How could I not be moved? After all, it’s just a recommendation letter; how could that compare to the genuine care Second Brother showed me?”
Duan Mingxi’s words were a public reprimand, exposing the First Branch’s negligence for all to see.
The faces of Duan Yu and his wife turned even grimmer. While Duan Yu, being a man, maintained a semblance of composure, Madam Xiao, as the eldest sister-in-law, found herself uncomfortably thrust into the spotlight.
She was a clever woman. Noticing her husband’s displeased expression, she quickly stepped forward, her face filled with guilt, and said, “I only thought that since our eldest meimei had just returned to the family and wasn’t yet familiar with us, it wouldn’t be appropriate to disturb her while she was recovering. I didn’t expect her to overthink things.”
Duan Mingxi knew that Madam Xiao was adept at speaking diplomatically. Listen to her words—they sounded reasonable on the surface but subtly accused Mingxi of being overly sensitive.
“By that reasoning, it seems I, the one who’s ill, should have taken the initiative to visit you instead,” Duan Mingxi replied coldly. “Oh, I see—it’s because I grew up in a merchant family as a merchant’s daughter. It’s no surprise that Eldest Sister-in-law looks down on me.”
Madam Xiao’s face froze, clearly not expecting Duan Mingxi to retaliate with such sharp words. Her expression turned as red as a monkey’s backside.
But Duan Mingxi wasn’t focused on Madam Xiao today. After delivering that one jab, she ignored her entirely. Before Madam Xiao could defend herself, Mingxi turned her firepower on Madam Jiang.
“Madam said earlier that if she’d known I would side with my second brother, she wouldn’t have brought me back, leaving me instead to live as a merchant’s daughter in Jiangcheng. She said she wanted to see what kind of future I could possibly have in that life.
“But in Jiangcheng, I was the apple of my parents’ eye. I never suffered such grievances there. If Madam despises me so much, how could Eldest Sister-in-law possibly see me as worthy of notice?
“I’m merely ill, not dead, and yet they couldn’t care less. Even if I were to die, I doubt they’d mourn. I beg Grandfather and Grandmother to let me return to Jiangcheng. No one cares for me here, but in Jiangcheng, I have people who cherish and protect me.”
At that moment, Duan Mingxi truly longed to return. What was so wrong with being a merchant’s daughter? She would rather stay by the side of her parents and younger brother than continue living as the nominally distinguished but hollow eldest daughter of a marquis’s household.
Thinking of the tragic fate her parents and brother faced in her previous life, a wave of sorrow surged in her chest, and her tears flowed all the more earnestly.
The old master hadn’t managed household affairs for years, and though he was displeased at the disturbance caused by the recently acknowledged granddaughter, he still harshly scolded his eldest son and daughter-in-law.
The old madam pulled Duan Mingxi close, holding her gently and saying softly, “Good child, in a family, it’s inevitable that there’ll be conflicts. Grandmother is here to care for you.”
Leaning against the old madam’s chest, Duan Mingxi inwardly sneered. In her past life, it was the matriarch and Madam Jiang who teamed up to coax her into giving up the private assets left by her adoptive father.
They weren’t being kind; they had their eyes on the money left by her family in Jiangcheng!
This time, she wouldn’t part with a single coin!
The entire household of the eldest branch had been scolded, even the favored Duan Huirou. Clenching her handkerchief, Duan Huirou had never felt so humiliated.
After everyone dispersed, the old madam spoke to the elderly lord, “This girl is no pushover. If she stays here, I’m afraid the household won’t be at peace.”
The old master frowned, “The future of our second son is what’s important. Everything’s in place, only missing a bit of money to pave the way. You should coax her into bringing out her funds from Jiangcheng. She’s just a young girl — what would she know?”
