Xu Mingye saw his sister's actions from a distance, and stood aside silently, watching Mingyu open the cage and let the mynah bird run away. He sneered and said, "What are you doing?" It was windy and rainy. A few days ago, he was so happy to see the mynah bird, treating the flat-haired beast with a mouth full of horse-drawn carriages as a treasure, hanging it under the eaves for fear of wind and rain, and putting it in the house for fear of suffocating it. Why is he throwing it away again
Mingyu naturally heard the thick sarcasm in Xu Mingye's words, and thought to herself that Xu Kongque must have been provoked by Fu Lemei and was mentally abnormal again. She looked up at Xu Mingye and asked, "What did you say to Miss Fu just now? I saw her crying and running away! Don't bully her!"
Xu Mingye paused, frowning, looking at Mingyu glaring at him and challenging him, like a little rabbit that opened its mouth to bite when it was annoyed. He couldn't help but stretch out his hand and snap his fingers on her forehead, feeling a mixture of emotion in his heart. When she was a child, she was a fair and tender and docile sister, calling him brother in a tender and soft voice. But now, she has become more and more capricious as she grows older. She pretends to be well-behaved in front of her parents, but is actually weird and has a lot of evil thoughts in her mind!
"This is adult business, kids, leave it alone!" Xu Mingye said this in a nonchalant manner, trying hard to pretend nothing had happened, and turned and left.
Mingyu covered her forehead and couldn't help but jump up and down, snorting coldly, this arrogant little brat who had just come of age. She was a great people's teacher, and she had to have absolute tolerance and patience towards problem children with abnormal psychology!
Just as Mingyu cursed Xu Mingye several times in her heart, she saw the stupid starling, which had flown to the wall and stopped on the eaves, staggering back and getting back into the cage very skillfully. It chirped twice and happily pecked at the broken rice and water in the small bowl in the cage.
Mingyu stared at it. It was unbelievable. Did the bird think she just let it out to play? Did it come back to eat when it got hungry? "Hey, come out!" Mingyu's face was gloomy. She pushed the cage with her hand, "I won't keep you anymore. Go where you want to be. Don't hang around me!"
The cage shook a bit when Mingyu pushed it, and the starling in the cage also shook a bit, but it had great self-control, and its thin claws firmly grasped the rod in the cage. It didn't even raise its head, just focused on pecking at the food. Occasionally, when Mingyu wasn't paying attention, it would secretly raise its head and quickly glance at Mingyu's dark face with its small green bean-like eyes. It would bury its head and continue eating, pretending not to hear Mingyu's words, just like someone else's shameless replica.
Mingyu gritted her teeth in anger, snorted, and didn't even close the cage door, and turned back to the house. Mingyu felt very embarrassed for returning home with nothing, and comforted herself, why should she compete with a low-IQ bird, just let it go!
In the afternoon, Mrs. Xu returned home. Hu followed her into the main room of the Xu family with a big smile on her face. Now she was considered half a matchmaker for Xu Mingye, and Mrs. Xu's attitude towards her also changed slightly.
"Sister-in-law, what do you think of Zhou Qi?" Mrs. Hu smiled so hard that her teeth were exposed. Her tone was full of the meaning of seeking credit. She was very proud. She was a great matchmaker and a great contributor. Without her, would Xu Mingye be able to get such a good marriage? Would Mrs. Xu be able to find such a good daughter-in-law
Madam Xu could naturally see that Mrs. Hu was so complacent that she wanted to float on the clouds, but she still thanked Mrs. Hu sincerely. No matter how mean, cruel and unreliable Mrs. Hu had been before, at least she did a good job in matchmaking, and Madam Xu was satisfied from the bottom of her heart.
"This is all thanks to my sister-in-law." Madam Xu said with a smile, "We have only been in the capital for two years and don't know anyone. It is my sister-in-law who has a wide network of contacts. Thank you very much, sister-in-law. If the wedding is successful, you will be the matchmaker for the couple."
Mrs. Hu smiled reservedly, and said politely, "What are you talking about, sister-in-law? We are all family, why bother to thank or not? Mingye is also my nephew." But she was full of pride in her heart. Was she afraid that Xu Mingye would not remember her kindness in the future? Would Xu Mingye not take care of her two sons when the time comes
However, what Mrs. Hu thought about most was not what benefits she could get from Xu Mingye in the future, but another matter that had been bothering her for a long time. She would never be at peace unless she got to the bottom of it.
"Sister-in-law, I want to ask you something." Mrs. Hu couldn't help but speak. Even though she was thick-skinned, she couldn't help but blush. Facing Madam Xu's inquiring gaze, she spoke with a stiff face, "I wonder how Lord Lu is doing recently? I haven't seen him since before the New Year. I heard that he often comes to your place to play chess and chat with Mingye, but I haven't seen him go to our place... to pay respects to the old lady. Didn't he often go to pay respects to the old lady before? Yesterday, the old lady was still talking about him, saying that she hadn't seen him for a long time."
Mrs. Hu was not stupid enough to ask Madam Xu directly why Lord Lu did not go to their place to see Xu Mingrui, and whether he had lost interest in Xu Mingrui. Madam Xu would probably spit blood on her face. Of course, she would never tell Madam Xu why she knew that Lu Hao came to Xu Mingye to play chess and chat. It was because she learned that Lu Hao went to the courtyard of the big house, so she asked the servant to secretly lie on the courtyard wall and peek.
In the dead of night, Mrs. Hu always tried to analyze and explore Lu Hao's mysterious inner world, which always puzzled her. Lu Hao did not go to see Ming Rui, such a beautiful girl, but always hung out with Xu Mingye. What was the point of playing chess and chatting between two grown men? Could it be... Could it be...
Hu's rich and creative imagination always plays an important role at critical moments and key points. Considering that Lu Hao is already not young, such a young man with full of vigor has not yet married, and Xu Mingye has a handsome and unrestrained appearance, putting the two together is like a flash of lightning that flashed through her mind in the dead of night, making her suddenly enlightened!
Thinking of the possible final result she had analyzed, Mrs. Hu wanted to scratch the wall, cry bitterly, and pray to all the gods she knew that it must not be what she thought! The son-in-law she had favored suddenly became someone she didn't know whether to call "nephew-in-law" or "niece-in-law"... Mrs. Hu just wanted to bang her head on the ground, oh Jade Emperor Guanyin Bodhisattva, this world is too cruel to her Mingrui!
Mrs. Xu was extremely surprised. She couldn't understand why Mrs. Hu asked this question. Lu Hao was a high-ranking official in the Chu officialdom. He was already giving the Xu family enough face by being able to pay a visit to the old lady. What else do you want? Lu Hao is not your grandson. He has to pay a visit to his great-grandfather!
However, it was not easy to say it so bluntly. Madam Xu glanced at Hu, whose face was full of expectation, and said vaguely: "How can I know what Lord Lu is thinking? I guess he is busy."
Mrs. Hu spoke euphemistically for a long time but didn't get the answer she wanted, so she hardened her heart and said bluntly through gritted teeth: "Actually, it's like this. The last few times Lord Lu came, he brought gifts for Mingrui. I thought that Lord Lu has good character and is not a casual person, so is this... But he didn't go these few times, and I feel uncertain. Lord Lu is talented, handsome, and has good character. It's hard to find such a person even with a lantern. If Mingrui misses him, it will be hard to find such a good one!" She didn't want to miss such a good son-in-law!
Madam Xu understood and couldn't help curling her lips in her heart. She really looked down on the Second House's behavior. Lu Hao was good, but with Lord Lu's status, how could he expect him to marry Ming Rui as his principal wife? The Second House's idea from the beginning was to make Ming Rui a concubine. She despised such behavior the most. In order to curry favor with Lu Hao, she could let her daughter become a concubine? Aren't being a concubine and being a slave the same in essence!
"Marriage is a matter of fate and cannot be forced." Mrs. Xu concealed her disgust and said slowly.
Mrs. Hu was really anxious. Mingrui had already passed her sixteenth birthday. If she didn't get married, it would be difficult for her to find a suitable family. If she stayed at home and became an old maid, she would be really worried. But there was no news from Lu Hao. However, at that time, Lu Hao specially prepared a gift for Mingrui and smiled at her kindly. Could this be fake again
In fact, from Madam Xu's point of view, Lu Hao's behavior was normal and there was nothing wrong with it. It was not against etiquette to prepare gifts for the female relatives when visiting the host's house. If it were her, she would never have dreamed of unrealistic ideas. It's just that the matter fell on the second wife. Some people are like this. The facts are right in front of them, but they are blinded by the imagined beautiful future. They always have illusions and refuse to admit the facts.
"Sister-in-law, I am worried. You and my elder brother are also parents. You are worried about Mingye and Mingyu, and hope that they will have a good future and a good home!" Hu said with red eyes. The eldest family has always been arrogant and self-righteous, so why is sister-in-law so determined to find a daughter of a rich family? Isn't it because she wants to borrow the family background of others, hoping that Xu Mingye's father-in-law's family can help Xu Mingye in the future? They are not much more noble than them.
Mrs. Hu's words made Mrs. Xu's sarcasm in her heart retreat again, and she was speechless. She felt sorry for the love of parents in the world. She thought of her two children. Even if she had to give everything or even her life, she hoped that the two children would have a good life in the future. Maybe everyone has different ideas and definitions of happiness. Mrs. Hu believed that letting her daughter live a luxurious life with a powerful and promising man, even as a concubine, would be happiness. Although Mrs. Xu disagreed, after all, Mrs. Hu was still thinking about her daughter wholeheartedly, and Mrs. Xu could not say anything to refute her.
"How about this." Madam Xu gathered her hair and said with a forced smile, "Next time if I am lucky enough, Lord Lu will come to our house again. I will find a chance to ask him alone to see if he has this idea."
In fact, she had no intention of asking. If the man didn't ask, how could the woman ask? Wouldn't it just make the daughter of the Xu family downgraded? Even Mingyu was implicated.