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

74. Those Who Bullied Me Must Be Bullied by Me

Returning back home, Minglan immediately confessed to Old Madam Sheng about the mud incident. Old Madam was lying on the Luohan bed, silent. Minglan was a little worried, asking, "Grandma, do you think I was wrong?"

Old Madam shook her head, stroked Minglan's soft hair, and said slowly, "You didn't do wrong and your fourth sister won't report to your father with a fanfare, yet..." Minglan held her breath, waiting for Old Madam to continue, "I'm afraid it's easy to fight an open war but difficult to escape from backstabbing."

Minglan understood what Old Madam meant after thinking for a while. She looked up, "Daddy will take a rest the day after tomorrow and I'll send him the new shoes I made for him. Grandmother, please pretend that you don't know this incident."

Old Madam nodded.

On this day, it was Sheng Hong's off-day. After urging Changfeng and Changdong to work hard in the morning, Sheng Hong, in casual clothing, started to practice calligraphy and read a few lines in the study room of inner mansion in order to demonstrate his maintenance of scholarly cultivation regardless of years of being an official.

At this time, Minglan came in wearing a lovely smile on her face. Sheng Hong frowned a bit, his face looked somewhat icy, yet Minglan seemed to not notice that at all and took out the new shoes she had made to hand over to her father while ordering servants to help him put them on. Then, she stood to one side, smiling and waiting for praise.

The moment Sheng Hong slipped his feet into these thick-fur shoes, he felt soft and comfortable. Stretching his feet to fit in the shoes well, he couldn't help feeling warm mentally and was reminded of all the staff that Minglan had made for him and how filial she had been since she was a little girl. He praised, "My daughter is so sweet."

Little Minglan ran over, elated, and pulled Sheng Hong's sleeve to tell him this and that, chirping about funny things happened to her. Minglan was eloquent and when she told a story in a funny way, even Sheng Hong couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.

Minglan said with a bitter face, "...Needle is no easier thing than writing brush. When I hold it well, it's never obedient, but if I put a hard thimble against it, it turns nice! Hem, I finally get to know that a needle can also be a bully!"

Then she spread out a pair of pair chubby hands to show to Sheng Hong the many needle holes on a few fingers.

Sheng Hong felt both amused and moved and pointed to Minglan to laugh at her. Minglan looked really adorable when she played cute. Looking at the lovable look of his little daughter, Sheng Hong pulled his lips and finally asked, "A few days ago when you went to Guangji Temple, why threw mud at your fourth sister?"

Minglan lost her breath for a second. Finally!

Then she stretched her eyes wide open, looking at loss and staring at Sheng Hong with shock, "This is...what fourth elder sister said?"

Sheng Hong couldn't answer for a time. That night when he went to Concubine Lin's place for rest, Molan showed up crying to accuse of Minglan's deed. Concubine Lin also cried heartbrokenly, so Sheng Hong hit the roof and just as he was about to reprimand Minglan, he was stopped by Concubine Lin with seemingly good intention for him, "...My master, sixth young lady is the apple of Old Madam's eyes. If you punished her for Molan, then Molan would be disliked by Old Madam! Then how could my daughter and I live a peaceful life here in the future? My master, as long as you're pitiful to us for what we've suffered, I'm gratified. Just let the incident stop here."

As she spoke, she even kept kowtowing, begging Sheng Hong not to mention this again and continuously emphasizing how Minglan took advantage of Old Madam's love to look down upon Molan and bullied her and so on, offering Sheng Hong more than enough to be irritated. At that time Sheng Hong, though furious, promised Concubine Lin, but he got really dissatisfied with Minglan and the anger got greater the longer he held it back. However, today what Minglan impressed him was an innocent filial girl who he liked very much, so he spat it out naturally.