Ji Huan walked back with a cold expression.
To be honest, she wasn't surprised by what had just happened.
She had expected Mrs. Meng wouldn't accept her.
So she couldn't blame anyone else. The fault was her own for clinging to a sliver of wishful thinking, always wondering if there was that one-in-a-million chance—'What if Mrs. Meng doesn't try to stop us?'
But reality, as it often did, sided with the overwhelming odds against her.
As the villagers would say, Mrs. Meng was every bit the woman who could raise a Scholar; she knew how to strike at a person's most vulnerable point.
She could have shown up at Ji Huan's door, shouting and causing a scene. Anyone with a shred of dignity would have backed down after such a public spectacle.
She could have also stayed out of sight and simply spread rumors. In that case, the one whose reputation would be ruined wouldn't be Song Jing, but Ji Huan.
But she hadn't. She chose a more discreet approach.
