newbobooks Chapter 53 Apology
Chapter 53 Apology
He hurriedly cupped his hands to offer Xu Biyun a seat and pulled her to sit down on the kang (a heated brick bed).
Aunt Chen rolled her eyes at Xu Biyun and corrected Lu Guifen,
"Mother, you've made a fool of yourself! You're still calling her Aunt Xu? You should call her Madam Xu now!"
Aunt Chen was deliberately trying to humiliate her.
Xu Biyun suppressed her displeasure and repeated the words her daughter had taught her.
"Aunt Chen, what happened before was my fault. But I had no choice. I've lived under someone else's roof in the Marquis's mansion for many years. The Second Master took a liking to me, how could I refuse? If I hadn't, I'm afraid I would have been kicked out of the mansion, leaving us, a widow and her child..."
As she spoke, she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, shook it out, and began to sob softly.
Aunt Chen gave her a disdainful look.
"What does it have to do with me that you're living under someone else's roof? Aren't I more pitiful than you? You eat and dress much better than me, and you're still putting on airs!"
Seeing this, Lu Guifen quickly began to educate her daughter.
"How can you talk like that! We're all family now, Xiangyu, you shouldn't be so petty! Aunt Xu has her own difficulties too."
Xu Biyun seemed to have found a kindred spirit, grasping Lu Guifen's hand and nodding repeatedly.
"Aunt Lu has more experience and knows my suffering."
Lu Guifen nodded in agreement, but in her heart she thought to herself, "That little slut dares to come to me and cry. Today I'll let her cry her heart out."
Lu Guifen's eyes slid silently down to Xu Biyun's stomach.
Her belly isn't showing too much yet, which makes it the perfect time to strike.
Then she caught a glimpse of a maidservant named Amber standing outside the house.
Xu Biyun only brought this one maid with her, so it must be easy for her to take action.
She busily and enthusiastically brought over her two sacks, proudly pulling out some fruits and vegetables as if presenting a treasure.
“Aunt Xu, look! These are the freshest things I brought from home, picked this morning! One bag is for my Xiangyu, and this whole bag is for you!”
Seeing Lu Guifen's flattering attitude, Xu Biyun was very pleased and gladly accepted the gift.
Xu Biyun then remembered that she had also come to deliver something, so she quickly called Amber in.
Amber brought in a large black lacquered wooden box. Xu Biyun lifted the cloth covering the box and said triumphantly to Aunt Chen,
“Aunt Chen, I’ve come here today specifically to apologize to you. I know you’re upset, but the matter is settled now. We’re both concubines, and we’ll be seeing each other all the time in this manor. Why make things so irreconcilable? Besides, we’ve always been on good terms. Why ruin our friendship over such a small matter? It’s only right that we look out for each other in the future.”
Xu Biyun picked up the clothes from the wooden box and continued.
"I brought some nice things for you today. Dear sister, you must accept them. We sisters will still get along as before."
Xu Biyun then turned to Lu Guifen, seeking her approval.
"Aunt Lu, don't you agree?"
Lu Guifen nodded in agreement with a forced smile.
"Yes, Xiangyu, look how sincere Aunt Xu is. If you keep making a fuss, it will be outrageous."
Aunt Chen didn't say anything, but walked to the wooden box, picked it up, and immediately gave a crooked sneer.
Xu Biyun gave her only two new clothes, made of ordinary material, with outdated patterns. Judging from the creases, they had probably been pressed at the bottom of a trunk for a long time. She also received several pieces of jewelry, all of which were old styles from previous years.
Aunt Chen immediately thought of the two sets of clothes that Qiao Qingshu had given her. It's true that there's no harm without comparison!
The gifts the eldest daughter gave her were both valuable and presentable, showing Aunt Chen great respect and consideration.
Although the items Xu Biyu gave were not cheap, they conveyed a strong sense of perfunctory treatment and neglect.
At this moment, Aunt Chen felt an even greater hatred for Xu Biyun!
Knowing in his heart that Xu Biyun was not sincerely apologizing, he did not want to give her a kind look.
But seeing her mother constantly giving her meaningful glances, she could only pretend and smiled wryly.
"It really cost Aunt Xu a lot of money."
Upon hearing this, Xu Biyun assumed that Chen Xiangyu had reconciled with her.
He hurriedly stepped forward, took her hand, and said...
"Good sister, that's right. We two sisters should take care of and support each other and get along well in the future."
Despite saying that, Xu Biyun looked down on Aunt Chen even more.
She thought to herself with disdain, "You've been bought off with all this junk? You're such a country bumpkin who's never seen the world."
Xu Biyun glanced at Lu Guifen again and thought to herself, "An old village woman and a young village woman, they're not even qualified to lick my feet. If it weren't for my daughter telling me to befriend you for fear that you would expose what happened back then, I really wouldn't bother with you."
He forced a fake smile at Lu Guifen as well.
"Aunt Lu, don't leave at noon, come to my yard for lunch."
Lu Guifen smiled and waved her hand,
"No, no, I have a lot of things to do at home. I left early this morning and need to get back early so I can be home before dark."
Lu Guifen pointed to the pile of things on the ground and asked deliberately,
"My old woman is about to go back. Do you want me to help my aunt carry her things to your yard?"
Xu Biyun knew where to get guests to do hard labor for her, so she simply ordered Amber...
"Take this sack of stuff back to the yard."
Amber put down the wooden box, picked up the sack, and left Begonia Garden with Lu Guifen.
Lu Guifen chatted with Amber for a while on the way, and then they parted ways at the fork in the road.
Amber also asked with concern,
"Does the lady know the way? Would you like me to find a servant to take you out?"
Lu Guifen smiled and shook her head.
"Although we don't come to your residence often, we still remember the way. Miss, just go back. This old woman knows the way."
Amber nodded and carried the sack away.
Unaware that Lu Guifen had followed her all the way to Lanxiang Pavilion.
Lu Guifen took out a small bottle from her sleeve and poured all the pine nut oil onto the steps at the entrance of Lanxiang Pavilion.
She moved swiftly and nimbly, emptying the entire bottle, then stuffing it into her sleeve before quickly heading towards the door.
The pine nut oil has a clear and delicate texture. This morning, a layer of fog covered the area, so the steps looked like they had only a few water stains, which were hard to notice.
Upon reaching the gate, Lu Guifen slipped a string of coins to the gatekeeper and said...
"Young master, I left in a hurry. Could you please pass on a message to your Aunt Chen, telling her that I've already married and reminding her to eat the pancakes while they're hot?"
The servant, having received the money, beamed with joy and immediately stood up, saying...
"Don't worry, ma'am, I'll go in and tell her right away."
Qiao Qingshu was returning from the second gate with Wanqiu, and had just finished explaining some account book matters to Lai Da.
Then they saw a servant kneeling outside the second gate, begging a maid to pass on a message.
Qiao Qingshu raised an eyebrow, having heard those words clearly.