Chapter 164: A Matter of Debt
Chapter 164: A Matter of Debt
He Er stubbornly stuck out her neck and pulled Su Su's hand.
Feeling the goodwill from her older sister, Su Su obediently allowed herself to be led, even shifting her bottom slightly closer to He Er.
Feeling the little girl's proximity, He Er couldn't suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
She, too, scooted closer to Su Su and whispered, "Little sister, my name is Shu Ran. You can call me Sister Shu Ran."
After introducing herself, He Shu Ran curiously asked, "Little sister, what's your name?"
Su Su quietly noted her sister's name and replied in a soft voice, "Nice to meet you, Sister Shu Ran. My name is Su Su, as in the passing of years. Isn't it such a lovely name?"
Her brother had told her that her name was the most beautiful name in all of Jingcheng!
Su Su trusted her brother implicitly.
Aside from her own sisters, He Shu Ran rarely had any friends and seldom went out.
Without any prior interactions, it was only natural that she didn't know much.
Children also wouldn't understand what constituted a beautiful name.
However, if Su Su said her name was beautiful, then it probably was.
He Shu Ran nodded in agreement, "It's a beautiful name."
But then, fearing that Su Su might not find her praise sincere enough, He Shu Ran thought for a moment before adding, "Especially beautiful."
He Shu Ran's expression was one of utmost sincerity as she spoke these words.
Su Su didn't need to scrutinize her sister's face to know that she was being truthful.
In the past, she hadn't thought much of her name; it had simply been a label for others to identify her.
However, ever since gaining a brother, Su Su felt that her name had taken on a new significance.
And now, hearing these words of affirmation from a beautiful older sister, Su Su couldn't help but feel proud.
She wanted to nod her head vigorously, but remembering that they were in the middle of a scripture reading, she refrained from acting out too exuberantly.
The two girls whispered to each other, and it didn't take long for them to become fast friends.
Tang Youqing had always been fidgety, and now, hearing the soft, fragmented voices of the children, she felt even more irritated.
She couldn't help but glare at the two children.
Su Su was startled and instinctively shrunk back, pressing herself closer to He Shu Ran.
Although He Shu Ran was younger, she was still older than Tang Youqing, and with the Tang family's prominent status, He Shu Ran didn't want to cause any trouble for her family.
So, she pressed her lips together and focused on protecting Su Su, not daring to glare back.
The Princess Consort of Qi, sitting beside He Shu Ran, noticed the children's movements and turned her head to look. She saw that the distance between herself and the children was growing.
It was her fault; she had been so engrossed in the scripture reading that she hadn't paid attention to the children.
Thinking that Su Su was still within her peripheral vision and thus safe from getting lost, the Princess Consort of Qi didn't worry too much.
However, the children had wandered off to play with other little friends.
But now was obviously not the time to be concerned about such trivial matters.
The Princess Consort of Qi clearly noticed the unnatural expression on Tang Youqing's face.
The other woman probably hadn't acted out, but her countenance certainly didn't seem pleasant.
This displeased the Princess Consort of Qi.
She shifted her position, moving closer to Su Su.
Sensing her mother's movement, Su Su whispered to He Shu Ran, "My mother is coming over."
He Furen, the mother of the two girls, naturally noticed the children's actions as well.
In fact, she had even witnessed Tang Youqing glaring at the children.
However...
Sometimes, when one found themselves in such an environment, there were things that one simply had to endure despite feeling displeased or dissatisfied.
He Furen even regretted choosing this day to come and offer incense and listen to the scripture reading.
But this was the usual time they came, and they hadn't encountered the Tang family in previous years.
Why did it have to be this year that they met?
She couldn't voice her anger, nor could she release her frustration.
He Furen felt suffocated by her own emotions.
The Princess Consort of Qi gave Tang Youqing a calm glance, her expression devoid of any emotion. Nonetheless, one could sense her displeasure.
Tang Furen, keenly aware of her surroundings, had been too distracted to pay attention to the scripture. How could she have missed this? She clenched her teeth in anger and glared at Tang Youqing, wanting to offer apologetic smiles to the two ladies.
Unfortunately, the Princess Consort of Qi gently patted Su Su's back, her attention focused on comforting the little girl.
He Furen also lightly embraced He Shu Ran, keeping her head down without saying a word.
Tang Furen: "...!" All of this was because of her debt! It was all her fault!
In the end, Tang Furen could only glare at Tang Youqing with pent-up frustration.
However, Tang Youqing was also feeling annoyed and turned her head away.
This only served to infuriate Tang Furen even more.
The lecture lasted for about half a hour.
After it concluded, everyone began to leave.
Some of the pilgrims who had gone up the mountain to pick wild vegetables returned, tired from their excursion.
The monks hadn't come back yet, but they could be seen in the distance, seemingly on their way down.
Tang Furen, still thinking about the earlier incident, forced a smile as everyone dispersed, her words filled with hidden meanings. "The fourth young miss is still a child and doesn't understand these things. I apologize if the two young ladies were wronged in any way."
No matter how much trouble the children caused, Tang Furen's attitude was impeccable, leaving no room for rebuttal.
It was like punching cotton only to find hidden needles that pricked your hand.
A mix of annoyance and frustration.
He Furen's smile was much fainter than when she arrived, and with He family's background being less prestigious than the Tang family's, she couldn't afford to argue at this point and could only reply with words of dismissal.
The Princess Consort of Qi, on the other hand, didn't even bother to smile.
Just because she had a good temperament didn't mean she could be taken advantage of.
Moreover, she had to consider the reputation of the Qi Wang Manor.
Although it was just a minor squabble between children, the Princess Consort of Qi's displeasure had resulted in a loss of face.
Tang Furen's smile almost froze on her face, and everyone barely maintained their composure, parting ways for the time being.
Once they returned, Tang Furen raised her hand and struck Tang Youqing twice. "Who was I doing that for?"
"For me, of course."
"Do you think being a concubine or a successor is that easy?"
"You've never been pushed around, so you don't know the bitterness!"
"Your mother is only thinking of what's best for you. Why can't you understand her good intentions?"
"It's comfortable to be the main wife, making decisions without anyone's interference. Isn't that nice?"
"When the time comes that you can't call the shots anymore and have to yield to others, don't come crying to us!"
...
Tang Furen was genuinely infuriated.
She had put on a smiling face earlier, hoping to improve relations with the Qi Wang Manor and marry Tang Youqing off to their young master as the young lord's wife.
Wasn't it better to be married openly and enter the manor through the main door as the young lord's wife, rather than becoming a concubine in the Eastern Palace? But now, Tang Youqing was completely ungrateful! Tang Furen felt like all her sincerity and plans had been fed to a dog.
The problem was that these were her children, and this was her debt. Even if she was angry, she had to grit her teeth and endure it, swallowing her anger.
She would still have to put on a smile later and help her children plan for these matters!
Just as Tang Youqing was about to retort, Tang Lingheng rushed in and threw a short green snake at Tang Youqing.
"Ahhhhh!" A piercing scream shattered the tranquility of the scripture room.
Su Su had just entered the room with her mother and hadn't even started on the tea and snacks when she heard the scream.
Startled, she instinctively huddled closer to her mother, clinging to her mother's leg in fear, too scared to make a sound.
The second update will be at 7 PM.
(End of Chapter)
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