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"That's right!" At this moment, Wang Yingxue also nodded and said, "Your in-law and I are old acquaintances, but she is not acquainted with the Marquis! Master Fan and his family seeking forgiveness, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong person. You should go find Lady Li Niang!"
"Yes, yes! Madam is right!" Master Fan quickly nodded and said, "Our family will also go to apologize to Lady Li Niang later! As for that wicked servant who made things difficult for our in-law, we will definitely severely punish them, so our in-law can feel relieved!"
"Right! We will immediately invite our in-law back to the Fan Residence and entertain her well; we will absolutely not neglect them again!" Madam Fan also nodded repeatedly, promising.
The Fan family wasn't foolish. Although Wei Tingyu verbally said that Lady Li Niang's family had no relation to the Marquis's Residence, just seeing Wang Yingxue seated in the place of honor in the main hall of the Marquis's Residence, they knew her relationship with the Marquis's Residence was anything but shallow. Furthermore, her willingness to stand up for Lady Li Niang in public clearly showed that she would certainly intervene in Lady Li Niang's affairs! At this moment, the Fan family members were all inwardly celebrating, feeling that they had indeed come to the right place! Especially Master Fan, who inwardly thought that his earlier decision to first come to the Marquis's Residence to beg for forgiveness before finding Lady Li Niang was indeed the correct one!
"Good! Since that's the case, then take Lady Li back to the Fan Residence!" Wang Yingxue nodded. At this moment, she was like the fox in the fable, borrowing the tiger's might, with Wei Tingyu being the tiger, only needing to sit there and remain silent. "If I ever find out your family dares to mistreat Lady Li again, I will personally go to the Fan Residence to demand an explanation!" Of course, at the end, Wang Yingxue added a warning laced with a threat.
"Yes, yes, yes! Madam, please rest assured! We absolutely wouldn't dare, absolutely wouldn't dare!" Master Fan repeatedly nodded and shook his head, promising.
"Sister Fu Hui!" Just as the Fan family members were about to leave, Dou Ming suddenly called out, then darted to Fu Hui's side.
"Young lady, this is...?" Fu Hui was startled, as she didn't know Dou Ming at all and hadn't expected her to suddenly call out to her!
"I will also be marrying in a few days!" However, Dou Ming blinked, directly took hold of Fu Hui's soft hand, then glanced shyly at Wei Tingyu and said, "I have some private words to say to sister!"
"Alright..." Fu Hui blinked blankly. She understood that Dou Ming was to marry Marquis Jining in a few days, but what did that have to do with her? What private words did the other party have to say to her?
"Although a woman marries and follows her husband, the bond between mother and daughter can never be severed!" Dou Ming bravely looked at Fu Hui and said word by word, "No matter how the husband's family demands it, there are some things we should insist on to the end! If one doesn't even care about the affection between mother and daughter, then what is the difference between a person and a beast?"
As soon as Dou Ming uttered these words, everyone present was astonished! Wei Tingyu hadn't expected this little girl to have such courage to lecture her elder married sister. As for Wang Yingxue, there was no need to mention it; seeing her daughter so sensible at this moment, her eyes were almost red with emotion. Of course, she certainly wasn't worried that Dou Ming would sever their mother-daughter relationship after marrying Wei Tingyu; she was merely relieved that her daughter was so sensible and cared for her mother!
As for the faces of the Fan family members, they immediately turned ugly! Because Dou Ming's words were ostensibly spoken for Fu Hui, but in reality, they were almost like pointing fingers and scolding them, weren't they? However, there was nothing they could do! Such a ridiculous thing as forbidding their daughter-in-law from seeing her maternal mother and sisters was indeed something their Fan Residence had done before! Thinking of this, the Fan father and son simultaneously glared at Madam Fan! If it weren't for her constantly causing trouble and insisting on tormenting Fu Hui, their daughter-in-law, where would all these problems be today? In the end, they could only accept being ridiculed by others!
And Madam Fan bowed her head, not daring to meet her husband's and son's gazes. She didn't know if she was truly ashamed or genuinely reflecting, but all of this had nothing to do with Wei Tingyu. The prerequisite was not to provoke him! After all, those who dared to seek death around him never had a good end!
"Sister is right!" Fu Hui blinked, then her expression turned a little sheepish. She also felt guilty about the previous events. In fact, there was no need for Dou Ming to say anything; she would personally go to apologize to her mother and sisters!
"I grew up by my mother's side, but Sister Zhao spent her time at our grandmother's estate! Our sisterly bond wasn't very deep before, and I was practically like an only child!" Dou Ming didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a strong sense of kinship with Fu Hui, this elder sister. She spoke directly, "Sister Fu Hui wouldn't find me meddlesome, would she?"
"No, no, what you said is right!" Fu Hui was originally a very well-mannered person. Seeing a girl as adorable as Dou Ming, she felt nothing but affection. Now, thinking of herself living alone in the Fan Residence and having not seen her sisters and mother for a long time, her eyes reddened. The two women inexplicably and suddenly empathized with each other. This scene made Wei Tingyu inwardly roll his eyes. One has to say, female friendships sometimes blossom so suddenly! Two women who hadn't spoken a word before inexplicably became as close as good sisters!
"Since younger sister Ming and I hit it off so well, why don't you come to our residence to play tomorrow?" Fu Hui smiled at this moment, looking at Dou Ming and saying, "A woman doesn't have as much freedom after she marries!"
"Good!" Dou Ming nodded repeatedly, agreeing. Although she knew Wei Tingyu wasn't the kind of man who would lock his wives and concubines behind closed doors and forbid them from leaving, as a married woman in the future, she still needed to be sensible! It was certainly fine to go out on the streets with her sisters from the household, to buy cosmetics or fine silks and satins! But if she wanted to frolic with girls from other families, opportunities would probably be truly scarce! Thinking of this, she naturally agreed immediately.
"Ming'er..." Wang Yingxue, upon hearing this, became a little worried. After all, Dou Ming was to formally enter the Marquis's Residence in a few days! She didn't want any mishaps to occur at this critical juncture, or even cause any trouble. After all, the Fan family also had men! Wouldn't a young girl like her be afraid of rumors?
"I want brother-in-law to accompany me!" However, Dou Ming's next sentence immediately choked back all of Wang Yingxue's prepared reasons to stop her. Wang Yingxue turned to look at Wei Tingyu, and seeing him smile and gently nod, she said no more! Since the Marquis was willing to accompany Dou Ming, then he certainly wouldn't believe any so-called rumors! Naturally, there would be no more problems!
And upon hearing these words, the Fan family members' eyes immediately lit up. Especially Madam Fan, who nodded excitedly at Fu Hui, her eyes clearly conveying that she had done a splendid job! After all, what an honor it would be to invite the Marquis to their residence as a guest? Putting everything else aside, which of their Fan family business partners wouldn't look up to them?
Of course, Fu Hui was the most bewildered! Her original intention was simply to invite Dou Ming, this little sister whom she felt very close to, to their residence as a guest. After all, in her opinion, after today, her in-laws would definitely welcome her maternal mother and sisters to the Fan Residence. At that time, the courtyard would be much livelier with all the sisters! And Wang Yingxue and her maternal mother were such good confidantes! If her five sisters and Dou Ming established a good relationship, they could also inherit the friendship between their mothers in the future. Moreover, with the Marquis's Residence backing them, her standing in her maternal family would also become much stronger!
But she hadn't expected that Dou Ming would actually invite Marquis Jining to their home as a guest? And most importantly, Marquis Jining had actually agreed? This was also an unexpected pleasant surprise for Fu Hui! After all, establishing a connection with the Marquis through Wang Yingxue or Dou Ming was certainly not as close as her own Li family directly establishing a connection with the Marquis! This Marquis was so young and handsome, yet possessed the dignity of a superior! It made Fu Hui's heart utterly revere him. At the same time, she also thought that she still had three unmarried younger sisters! If one of her sisters were lucky enough to be favored by the Marquis, perhaps she could also enter the Marquis's Residence? Looking at the Marquis's favor towards Dou Ming, one knew he wasn't a cold-hearted person. Wouldn't such a double benefit be wonderful?
"Since that's the case, the entire Fan family will respectfully await the Marquis and younger sister Ming's esteemed presence tomorrow!" Thinking of this, Fu Hui, fearing that Wei Tingyu might change his mind, quickly stepped forward a few paces and gently bowed to him, then spoke.
"Yes, yes, yes! Our Fan family will respectfully await the Marquis's esteemed presence tomorrow!" And seeing Fu Hui's actions, the other Fan family members then reacted and repeatedly flattered Wei Tingyu.
Wei Tingyu was originally feeling a little restless, watching Fu Hui's graceful figure bowing to him. But then, hearing the clamor from the other three Fan family members, he immediately grew impatient. He waved his hand, signaling that they could leave.
And as Fu Hui slowly straightened up, her eyes met Wei Tingyu's. In that instant, she completely lost herself. Because she saw an incredibly profound world in his gaze! It was as if her soul had been instantly drawn from her body! The next second, her little heart began to pound violently! If she had to use a word to describe her feeling at that moment, it was infatuation!
"Please rest, Marquis! We shall take our leave now!" The other Fan family members naturally didn't notice their daughter-in-law's sudden abnormality. They continued to bow shamelessly to Wei Tingyu, then slowly retreated out of the main hall. It was only then that Fu Hui also reacted, and she furtively glanced at Wei Tingyu again. However, at this moment, she saw that his expression was completely normal, and her heart immediately filled with doubt. What was that incredibly powerful attraction during the instant their eyes met? Was it just my imagination? Fu Hui walked out, following the Fan family members, occasionally turning back to look at Wei Tingyu again, her eyes full of confusion.
And only after Fu Hui's figure had completely disappeared from sight did Wei Tingyu slowly smile. Indeed, his earlier probing had been very useful! This Fu Hui, though appearing to be a young mistress already married, was actually just like He Weifang before her – a young girl who was completely inexperienced in both emotional and physical intimacy! She had never tasted what love was, nor did she understand what intimate relations between men and women truly entailed! Since that was the case, rescuing this lost young mistress wasn't another important task for him, was it?
"Kneel down!" As night fell, in the inn where Lady Li Niang and her party were staying, she sat impassively in the main seat and spoke to her daughter, Fu Hui. She had just seen off the Fan family, who had come to apologize! Of course, these Fan family members shamelessly pushed all the blame onto the old servant woman who guarded the gate. At the same time, they also sent a large pile of gifts, merely saying that they had already apologized to Marquis Jining and received his forgiveness, and were now here to invite Lady Li Niang and her party back to the Fan Residence to stay temporarily.
Lady Li Niang was a person of strong self-respect! She did not accept these gifts and also stated that they had already settled into the inn for the day, and the room fees would not be refunded, so they would not return to the Fan Residence with them. Finally, under the earnest pleas of the Fan family, it was eventually agreed that the Fan family would hire two large carriages to pick up Lady Li Niang and her daughters early the next morning, and that the Fan family would definitely open the central gate to welcome their arrival. After this, the Fan family members left! Of course, their daughter-in-law, Second Daughter Fu Hui, was naturally left behind to stay at the inn for a night with her maternal mother and sisters. Strictly speaking, this was against custom, but the Fan family at this point would agree to any conditions to persuade Lady Li Niang to return. So, after the Fan family left, the scene of Lady Li Niang reprimanding her daughter unfolded before their eyes.
Fu Hui pursed her lips, then without a word, respectfully knelt before her mother.
"Speak clearly what needs to be said, in front of your sisters!" Lady Li Niang averted her gaze, deliberately not looking at Fu Hui kneeling before her, and spoke. And Fu Hui gently pursed her lips and bowed her head, not saying a word.
After a few seconds of deadlock, the maid behind Fu Hui knelt and stepped forward, saying to Lady Li Niang, "Madam! Second Mistress is feeling wronged!" Upon hearing this, Lady Li Niang and her other daughters immediately frowned, looking at Fu Hui with bewildered expressions. In their eyes, Fu Hui should be the most fortunate among the five sisters! Although the Fan family couldn't be considered a prominent noble household, it was still a wealthy family, where they never had to worry about food or clothing. Although her son-in-law wasn't ambitious, he also didn't go around leaving affairs and taking concubines; he lived his life with Fu Hui alone. If she still felt wronged, then the other women in this house might as well not live!
"Since daughter entered the Fan Residence, though husband and I bear the name of a loving couple, we have no marital intimacy!"
"On our wedding night, he drank himself into a stupor with his fox friends, and since then, he has spent every night outside, occasionally returning late at night, drunk!"
"Daughter originally thought that my husband looked down on me. Although I despaired and suppressed myself, I intended to just make do with this life."
"However, after spending more time together, I realized that Fan Dalang is naturally soft-hearted!"
"Whether it's the companions at the Fanzhi Tower, or the street performers playing their flutes and lutes, there isn't one he doesn't pity!"
"Whoever cried to him about their misfortunes, he would cry along with them."
"He often returns with red and swollen eyes and an empty purse!"
"The elders also dote on their son. After telling him off twice and seeing him not change, they simply threw their hands up and stopped caring."
"I don't want to be known far and wide for my fierce scolding and beatings! But I truly... have no other way!"
Upon hearing Fu Hui's words, all the women present immediately fell silent. Especially Lady Li Niang, she had never dreamed that her second daughter, whom she had always considered to be the most successfully married, was actually in a worse predicament than her other four sisters. This Fan Dalang was simply not like a fine young man! He was more like an immature child! Fu Hui married him and ended up not as the Head Lady but as a mother figure!
The most frustrating thing was Fan's mother. Lady Li Niang knew her very well! With her character, she would certainly blame all her son's faults on her daughter-in-law and would never say anything good about Fu Hui to outsiders! Perhaps the accusation of being fierce and jealous was also spread by this mother-in-law!
"Fu Hui!" Lady Li Niang's heart immediately ached at this thought. She looked at Fu Hui with a frustrated gaze and asked, "Why didn't you tell me these things?"
"Second sister was also afraid of burdening the Li family! Burdening us!" At this moment, her elder sister Shou Hua frowned and said, "That's why she didn't wish to meet us during the day..." Among all the sisters, only she, the eldest sister who had also married, could understand the bitterness in Fu Hui's heart.
"What kind of talk is that?" Fifth Daughter Le Shan tilted her small head, somewhat puzzled by her elder sister's words.
"Serious talk!" Fourth Daughter Hao De said to her fifth sister beside her, "The Li clan has six tigers! Frightening everyone in the Eastern Capital so much that no one dares to visit!"
"If another jealous woman appears in the capital... wouldn't that be dreadful?"
As Fourth Daughter's words fell, everyone in the room once again fell silent. If things continued like this, it would truly be almost impossible for the Li family's daughters to marry again!
"Heh heh!" However, Lady Li Niang soon let out a cold laugh and said, "I caused such a big fuss back then! As if the sky was falling!" After saying these two sentences, she looked at her second daughter, Fu Hui, who was kneeling before her, and said, "Among the five daughters in the family, you are the most like your muddled and weak father!"