Legend of Concubine's Daughter Minglan 知否知否 应是绿肥红瘦

53. The Occupational Quality of an Amateur Eavesdropper (2)

Li shi responded no more and stopped sobbing. Minglan supposed she was moved. First Old Madam sighed out a long breath, and spoke with tangible sorrow in her tone, "My daughter-in-law, you didn't experience what I went through at that time when everyone in the family was manipulated by a bitch. I had not a single person to help me. My firstborn daughter, who caught a cold and should have been recovered with one dose of medicine, was tortured to death! Thus, I made my decision and took your husband and Sheng Yun to countryside to hide from them. Luckily, your second aunt gave me a hand, stopping your father-in-law, my husband, from repudiating me. We three suffered all kinds of hardships in the countryside. It's not easy for us to get rid of those..."

She seemed to choke with sobs, which made Minglan really sad. She thought of the many over-aged wrinkles on First Old Madam's withering face. How many hardships and sufferings were hidden in every one of the wrinkles? Pinlan, next to Minglan, seemed to be biting her teeth slightly.

Li shi gently responded, "I know everything you said. Shulan is flesh from my own body, so seeing her suffer hurts me like being stabbed. But...but, I'm just afraid that Pinlan might be held up for marriage since she is no longer a little girl. What if no family want her for this?"

Suddenly, Minglan felt a blow of a wind next to her. It turned about Pinlan couldn't draw back anymore. She slightly pushed Minglan inside and rushed out, lifting the thick curtain and announcing loudly, "I don't fear! Let sister get a peaceful divorce! Even if I don't get married my whole life, I can't see her suffer in Sun family!"

Minglan squatted on the ground like a dog, only feeling that the hair on the back of her neck all stand up. Scared to death, she repeatedly called Pinlan a pig to herself, her hands and feet turning icy cold. If she was caught...Emm, there wouldn't be serious consequence. Minglan forced herself to calm down, still squatting there unmoved like a dog.

Fortunately, she cuddled up in the inner corner of the wooden compartment with a layer of curtain and a layer of tassels sheltering her. The two didn't noticed that there was another person inside and were just shocked by Pinlan who had jumped out all of a sudden. Then Li shi began to scold Pinlan out of rage while Pinlan talked back. Of course, she wouldn't say there was another person inside and Li shi and First Old Madam also wouldn't expect that.

Then Pinlan seemed to be slapped in the face, but she was a tough girl who didn't cry a bit but just decisively kneeled down, announcing out loud, "A person's fate is determined by heaven. If I'm blessed, my big sister's peaceful divorce won't affect me. If big sister suffers, I won't be happy even if to be a fairy!" Then she kept kowtowing to beg Li shi.

Minglan didn't get the rest clearly due to panic. It seemed that at last the mother and daughter cried in each other's arms.

When Minglan managed to calm down, Li shi had already left with Pinlan, deciding to wage war with Sun family. Minglan squatted there with sweat all over her body. It was very quiet outside, so she didn't dare to make any noise but only kept praying that First Old Madam wouldn't chant Buddhist scripts today and that she would go back to rest at once, so that she could sneak away.

To her surprise, after a while of tea-sipping, First Old Madam still didn't intend to leave. Minglan only heard the sound of prayer beads being thumbed and felt that her kneels were getting numb with sweat cooling down and quivering cold took over her. She was complaining to herself when Sheng Yun came in.

Both of them were straightforward people and hit right to the topic after greeting. Sheng Yun asked, "Mother, did you tell my sister-in-law?"

First Old Madam didn't speak. Minglan guessed that she should be nodding, then Minglan heard Sheng Yun continuing, "At the very beginning, sister-in-law got it wrong. She didn't want to depend on cousin's family just because sister-in-law Wang shi gave her a cold face several times! But so what? Wang shi even dared to treat her own mother-in-law with little care, let alone us businessmen. Besides, second aunt and cousin are nice people; they never hesitated when we need help. What's bad for us two families to connect with each other? Yet sister-in-law insisted to have an official in her family, so she tolerated Sun family to such an extent! .... Alright, forget it. Mother, when are you going to take action?"