From the servants' courtyard to the main courtyard of the Ji Family's ancestral residence, it was a long and winding road. By the time Yu Shu was led to Old Lady Ji, it was already dark outside.
Yu Shu stood at the door. The door was made of two opened mahogany doors. Two curtains hung at the top of the door. The curtains were made of thin bamboo strips. Half of the curtains were rolled up and the other half was down. The top was tied with layers of red silk ropes.
In the middle of the bamboo curtain hung a fan. The fan was made of jade and was about the size of two palms. The lines were clear and the design was very exquisite. The white jade had a bit of yellow flowing through it as if it was glowing. Such a feng shui ornament could be sold at a bazaar for around a hundred taels. It was hung on the curtain as an ornament, so Yu Shu couldn't help but look at it a few more times.
"Matriarch, Miss Yu is here. Sir Yu went out to play and didn't see her."
The servant was too lazy to save trouble and didn't even look for Yu Xiaoxiu. He automatically made up Yu Shu's words and reported it. Yu Shu stood at the door with her head lowered and her eyelids raised to look inside.
There were three people sitting in the room. There were two armchairs placed against the wall in the innermost part of the room. One of the armchairs was empty and was neatly covered with green stripes. One end was draped over the back of the chair and the other end was draped under the chair. On the other chair sat a wealthy old lady. She was thin and had a dignified appearance. Her gray hair was meticulously combed and densely decorated with gold and jade ornaments. Around her neck hung a long string of jade beads that hung down to her abdomen.
This was Old Lady Ji.
Not far from her sat a middle-aged woman. She had an imposing appearance and was dressed more vulgarly than the old lady, but it wasn't much worse. Under her collar was a pearl necklace with milky white pearls as thick as a thumb.
Next to the woman was a young man with a round waist and a fat belly. His face was pale and smooth. When he saw Yu Shu at the door, he widened his eyes in shock and lowered his head to hide behind the woman.
Recognizing Ma Weibo, he assumed that this woman must be the eldest grandaunt of the Ji family, Ji Pan, who was married to Yiyang City's County Magistrate Ma.
Looking at this formation, there was no need to ask what was going on.
After listening to the servant's report, Old Lady Ji did not utter a word. She coldly looked at Yu Shu who was standing outside the door.
Yu Shu didn't take the initiative to greet him and just stood outside the door obediently.
Ji Pan was the first to speak.
"You're Yu Shu?"
Aunt Cui didn't even have a chance to talk to Ji Pan, who was a high-ranking official's wife, let alone Yu Shu, who came from a humble background. After living in the Ji family for so long, it wasn't easy for her to know her name.
"Yes."
On the way here, Yu Shu had imagined that if her grandaunt saw her, she would definitely lose her temper first. After all, she had beaten Young Master Ma badly last night. She had hit him more than ten times with a shoulder pole. Even if he didn't break, there would be bruises.
Unexpectedly, Ji Pan neither got angry nor scolded her. Instead, she calmly asked,
"Did you hit Weibo last night?"
Yu Shu raised her head and glanced at Ma Weibo who was hiding behind Ji Pan. She couldn't guess what he would say to his family when he went back. Looking at Ji Pan's sensible look, she couldn't help but have a good impression of her. After thinking for a moment, she told the truth.
"I was the one who did it."
With a bang, Old Lady Ji patted the armrest, pointed at Yu Shu, and said angrily,
"You little girl, the Ji family provides you with food and drinks. Not only do you not know how to be grateful, but you also beat the young master like a madman. Who taught you to be like this? It's so hateful."
Yu Shu didn't want to talk back. Although the old lady's words were a little bitter, she was right. She was indeed living and eating from others now.
"Mother, calm down." Ji Pan called and persuaded in a gentle voice, "Let's listen to what this child has to say. Weibo is usually naughty and active. Maybe he bullied others first and got beaten."
Ma Weibo didn't tell them the cause and effect of their fight last night, which was within Yu Shu's expectations. Fatty was beaten up and warned by her, so he might not dare to tell his family. She was afraid that someone would find out about his injuries, so he told them.
However, Grandaunt Ji's attitude made Yu Shu feel strange. She didn't know whether she was pretending to be magnanimous or she was really magnanimous.
Old Lady Ji always had a little daughter, so she doted on her very much. She listened to Ji Pan's words and suppressed her anger. She asked Yu Shu,
"Tell me, why did you beat him?"
Since this matter had been discovered and there was more than one witness, sooner or later there would be evidence. There was no point in making up a lie. Yu Shu stood at the door and answered in detail, "Last night when I was eating dinner, my brother didn't come back, so I went out to look for him.
"Last night when I was eating, my younger brother didn't come back, so I went out to look for him. Coincidentally, in the small garden of the West Stride Courtyard, I saw Young Master bullying my younger brother. Three or four of them ganged up on him, tied him to a tree, and forced him to eat mud. At that time, I was angry, so I didn't care about anything and started fighting with them. I used too much force and injured Young Master. If you don't believe me, you can ask him.
Ji Pan frowned and pulled Ma Weibo in front of her. She asked, "Weibo, tell mother, is it like what she said?"
Ma Weibo turned his head to look at Yu Shu, and then quickly turned his head back.
Seeing that her son refused to speak, Ji Pan said with a serious expression, "Weibo, what did mother tell you last time? If you are naughty, mother will scold you a little. But if you lie, mother will let your father teach you a lesson."
Hearing this, Yu Shu secretly raised her eyebrows. This Grandaunt Ji was the most reliable one she had seen in the Ji family.
Ma Weibo's eyes turned red as if he was about to cry. He sniffled and finally answered in a low voice,
"Yes, it's like what she said."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
