Blessing of The Unwanted Affair Chapter 3

Lila sat upright on the left side of the back. She raised her eyes, without moving her head, and her gaze quietly slid across everyone's faces.

The middle-aged man sitting on the first large armchair on the same side was her father. He was wearing a beautiful round-necked home robe and sat like an old pine tree, motionless and very serious. Can she rely on him? In the past fifteen years, her mother often said two things: the first was that her father was cruel, and the second was that her father was unreliable.

She shook her head secretly, and looked to the tiger-foot couch in the center of the uppermost room. In this midsummer weather, the old lady was still wearing a thick dark red quilted vest, which made her face look even more sallow, like a piece of yellow paper soaked in water, and her whole body was half a dead firewood sticking on the couch. Her mother said that the old lady had always been in poor health. When the old marquis was around, she didn't meddle in other people's business, and Madam Xu was the one who took care of the backyard. She was just a ba5tard granddaughter who suddenly rolled back from the farm. Would the old lady pay attention to her?

Who else? Mrs. Xu?

She turned her eyes and looked in front of the Marquis. She saw Madam Xu with eight-treasure flower ornaments in her hair and a Danxia brocade dress on her body, her whole body looked brilliant with colorful embroidery.

In terms of facial features, she had almond eyes and rosy cheeks, and was very pretty, except for two vertical lines between her eyebrows. Her skin was fair but a little loose, making her look haggard. She looked ten years older than her mother.

According to her mother, Madam Xu came from a family of scholars. Her grandfather had passed the imperial examination and served in the imperial court. Her father was also a Jinshi in the imperial examinations and was now the Minister of Rites. Madam Xu was in charge of the household affairs and could not find fault with the c0ncubines, c0ncubines and sons. The backyard of the Marquis's mansion was quiet and peaceful, so not only did the old lady and the Marquis often praise her, but she was also well-known in the capital.

But no matter how virtuous Madam Xu was, there was no reason for her to help her mother get rid of her status. Unless, after her mother got rid of her status, she left the Marquis' Mansion... This would be of some benefit to Madam Xu and c0ncubine Lou and c0ncubine Du.

Thinking of this, she looked behind Mrs. Xu.

Aunt Lou half lowered her head, and her gentle posture made her look like a blooming jasmine flower, making people want to get closer and smell it. However, a closer look revealed that her appearance was just pretty, of average appearance.

Aunt Du was no more than twenty years old, with bright features, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a high nose and thick lips, and a bit of a Hu Ji vibe. But her eyes were a little far apart, with the corners of her eyes drooping, making her look a bit dull.

Her mother stood at the back, with only half of her snow-white face exposed.

She is obviously almost forty years old, but maybe because she lives a comfortable life on the farm, her skin is white with a rosy glow, making her look like a young girl in her prime.

In terms of talent, her mother has single-handedly supported Luoyang Manor and raised her well over the years, which is not something an ordinary person can do.

But her blind father had the heart to drive her mother away to the village. Her father had never seen them since they came back. From today till now, he had never even looked at her mother.

But things are in our hands. After returning home for a long time, who knows what will happen in the future?

It would be better if her mother could leave the mansion after being released from the officialdom. Even if she couldn't return to Luoyang Manor, the money they saved would be enough to buy a small manor, live a stable life, and become a real mistress of the house. Isn't that better than not even having a seat in this mansion?

Her gaze slowly returned to Mrs. Xu's face.

I don't want to meet Mrs. Xu's gaze.

The two gazes collided in the air, and there seemed to be a flash of tiny silver light.

It’s hard to say whether it’s disgust or fear, but it’s definitely not welcome.

*

On the second day after the recognition, Wang Mama sent four maids to Qianqiuyuan. One of the older girls, named Yu Gou, was given to her mother, and the other three were given to her.

After that, no one paid any attention to them. Although she wanted to go out and look for Aunt Lou and Aunt Du, her mother stopped her, saying that this was different from the farm, and chastity was more important, so she came back just now, so as not to spread a bad reputation and ruin her future marriage. She thought about it, and just let Serena go around everywhere, no matter what gossip she had.

She would get up at noon every day without fail, and walk for half an hour with her mother to pay her respects to Madam Xu.

Her mother wanted to curry favor with Madam Xu and get her a good marriage. She wanted to find an opportunity to release her mother.

The two men had their own thoughts and were both very respectful and flattering to Mrs. Xu.

Although Madam Xu did not make things difficult for them, she was indifferent. Madam Xu took the fourth and sixth girls out twice. Her mother wanted to ask Madam Xu to take her with her. Madam Xu just smiled and asked her to learn more rules. Her mother asked Madam Xu to find a nanny to teach her. Madam Xu said that it was difficult to find a good nanny, and she had to wait for the opportunity. They were all soft nails and there was nothing wrong with them. Her mother could only be careful in front of her, and she secretly sulked and wiped her tears when she returned to Qianqiu Courtyard.

She didn't want to get married, and she wasn't in a hurry, but seeing her mother like this made her feel uncomfortable. She became more determined to free her mother from slavery, so that she wouldn't have to be humble to Madam Xu anymore.

In the blink of an eye, it was early July.

Early that morning, Lila and her daughter finished washing up, had breakfast, and went to pay their respects to Mrs. Xu as usual.

When I entered the side room, I saw Madam Xu wearing a moon-white gauze shirt, sitting on a bamboo couch, with the fourth girl Hazel sitting next to her.

Hazel had her hair tied up with two hanging rings and a pearl hoop, each pearl was as big as a lotus seed. She was wearing a purple crystal tulle half-sleeve and a matching crepe skirt, fresh and beautiful like a half-opened lotus in the morning mist.

There was a little maid standing on each side behind them, fanning the mother and daughter gently with a silk fan.

The mother and daughter of the Lou family had already been sitting at the lower table, one on each side, smiling cautiously. When they saw them coming, they only greeted them verbally, not bothering to stand up and greet them.

This was not the first time they were so rude. She and her mother did not want to cause trouble, so they just ignored it, went in to greet them, and sat down at a lower position than the Lou mother and daughter.

After the greetings were over, Hazel said, "Because the old lady is not in good health, it is our family's custom that on July 15th, the whole family must go to the Wuzhang River to release river lanterns. We must help the lonely souls, watch the flames of death, mourn the ancestors, and pray for the old lady. I just discussed with my mother that every year our family can't fit in two boats. If we add fifth sister this year, I'm afraid we won't be able to move around." After saying that, she looked at Lila with her bright almond eyes.

Lila looked at Hazel silently. She and her mother were driven out of the family because of this fourth sister.

At that time, her mother and the wife of Marquis Jingyang became pregnant at the same time.

As a result, Marquis Jingyang's wife gave birth to Hazel three days earlier.

When she was born, everyone in the mansion was busy preparing for Hazel's third day of mourning. Her mother only had an inexperienced little maidservant by her side, Aunt Mei.

Her mother and Aunt Mei hugged each other and cried, panicking, thinking they could not get through this hell.

Fortunately, she was a filial and blessed child. She did not cause any trouble to her mother and was born smoothly and healthily.

It was a few days later that her father found out he had a new daughter and came to see her mother.

Her mother was naturally filled with grievances and bitterness, and couldn't help complaining, saying that although she was born out of wedlock, she was still the daughter of the Marquis. When she was born, there was no one around her, and she didn't even have a third-day baptism ceremony. She asked her father to hold a hundred-day ceremony as lively as Hazel's as compensation.

But her father's face turned black on the spot, and he said that her mother did not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children and had high aspirations.

The two started arguing, and in a rage, her father kicked her mother and her out of the house.

But Hazel was Madam Xu's youngest daughter, the most distinguished girl in the mansion. According to the gossip Serena had heard, Madam Xu, not to mention the old lady and the Marquis, also treated Hazel like the apple of their eye.

After she came back, Hazel's attitude towards her had always been arrogant and cold, but she was talking and laughing with Nora. She never took it to heart.

But I don't want to take her with me on an occasion like the Mid-Autumn Festival when the whole family is out together. It seems a bit too much.

But if she was alone, she would not bother to join them, it was not like she had not been there before. But when she turned her eyes to her mother, she saw that her mother had her head slightly lowered, her face was pale, and there was a slight sparkle in her eyes.

She couldn't help but say, "How difficult is this? I can pay for it myself and rent a boat to follow behind your ship."

"How can this be possible? If people knew that the young lady of the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion was riding on a shabby boat, wouldn't it become a laughing stock in our family?" Before Hazel could say anything, Nora interrupted.

Lila's red lips curled slightly: "Only the flag of Luoyang Manor is hung on my boat. Who knows that I am from Jingyang Marquis Mansion?"

Luoyang Manor was actually called Sanfu Manor, but because the peony was famous, and the peony was also called Luoyang flower, people in Beijing just called it Luoyang Manor. Few people knew the real name of Zhuangzi, let alone the relationship between Luoyang Manor and Jingyang Marquis Mansion.

Mrs. Xu's lips curled slightly: "You are quite capable."

Hazel's eyes turned and she said, "Since we are praying for the old lady to ward off disasters, it would be inappropriate to leave you alone at home if the old lady asks about it. Let's just leave it like this."

Neither the mother nor the daughter said a word about who would pay for the boat hire.

Lila didn't bother to worry about such details. Besides, she would be more comfortable on her own boat.

After chatting for a few more words, they went their separate ways.

But as soon as she left the house, her mother covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. Lila quickly put her arm around Qin's shoulders and asked, "Mother, is it because of the river lanterns? Didn't I also..."

Qin stopped and cried loudly: "The boat is so big! Will it sink if you are on it? We won't let you get on the boat! It's obvious that we don't want you to see anyone! What hope do we have if we stay in this mansion? It's all because of you..."

Lila didn't think about it that way. After hearing what her mother said, she thought that Madam Xu was probably afraid that if she went with Hazel, she would lose the dignity of a young lady in a marquis's mansion and hinder Hazel's progress. So as long as she acted alone, she didn't bother to care whether it was appropriate for a little girl to rent a boat and travel alone.

She looked around and saw a maid looking over there. She hurriedly pushed her mother back, whispering, "Mother, the blessed don't have to worry, but the unlucky are too busy to be happy. I'm such a lucky person, maybe tomorrow I'll meet a young man who's so beautiful that he's out of this world. Don't be reluctant to let me get married when that happens!"

Qin Shi was so amused that she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She slapped her in anger and said, "If you were lucky, how could you be reborn in my belly?"

Lila turned around and came close to her mother, and said with a smile: "What's wrong with mother's belly? Look, I look like mother, isn't it good-looking?!"

Qin was speechless. She took out her silk and wiped her tears fiercely. She gritted her teeth and said, "I am stupid. Today I finally see clearly that Madam is sweet-mouthed but bitter-hearted. Your marriage will not work out with her. From tomorrow on, let's go to the old lady. After all, you are her granddaughter."

Lila smiled and nodded. But in her heart she thought: Does Old Madam Wu need granddaughters? There are five in the eldest house of the legitimate family, four in the second house, not counting the c0ncubines' houses.

She didn't grow up in the mansion. Old Mrs. Wu had a hard time keeping herself alive, so how could she have the energy to meddle in her affairs? However, as long as her mother was happy, she would listen to her.

From the next day, Qin took the brocade fish to pay her respects to the old lady.

But the old lady was a hundred times more indifferent than Mrs. Xu. They couldn't even enter the courtyard, and could only pass on a message to the maid at the door.

In the blink of an eye, it was July 15th.

After dinner, Lila prepared everything early and was about to go out with Serena, but a chubby little girl came running over and said, "Madam said it's not appropriate for you to go out alone, so you should stay at home and pray for the old lady this year."

Qin couldn't bear it any longer, she smashed a celadon cup on the spot, and cried, "What kind of logic is this? Isn't the Fifth Miss a girl from the mansion?! I don't believe that there is no place for reason in this mansion!" Then she was about to rush out.

Lila was also furious, but she held her tightly and told the little girl, "I know. Go back quickly."

When the little girl saw Qin making a scene, she got scared and ran away.

After the little girl left, Lila hurriedly advised Qin: "Mother, you are making a fuss like this. You are right but it is not right. Don't worry, I will take Serena out right away. I don't believe that she has any reason not to let me get in the car and go out with her in front of the whole family!"

Qin stamped her feet and cried, "Do you think this is Luoyang Manor? Do you know where the second gate is? Even if you reach the second gate, who will let you out?"

However, Lila said confidently: "Mom, I don't know, but Serena knows!" Serena's wandering around these days was not in vain.

Qin thought for a long time, wiped her tears, and said resolutely: "You go. I won't go. I won't hold you back. I don't think they will really stop you from getting on the boat."

Lila raised the corner of his mouth and nodded.