Xu Shichu's eyes widened in astonishment. Although she was prepared to be asked for money, she was surprised to hear Qin Mei asking for flowers so confidently. Aren't most women in this era reserved and self-respecting? How could there be someone who would ask for things so bluntly
How can she be so thick-skinned
"No, my flowers are all useful and cannot be given away casually." Xu Shichu said to her with a wry smile.
"Mother, I just want a few. You have so many, isn't that enough?" Qin Mei didn't expect Xu Shichu to refuse her, and she still asked unwillingly.
Xu Shichu's face turned cold: "No matter how much you have, it's not enough. I give my things to you when I want to, and I don't give them to you when I don't want to. Now I just don't want to give them to you, so you'd better not be too greedy."
Qin Mei was embarrassed and angry when she heard her impolite words: "How am I greedy? It's my mother who is too stingy. She doesn't even want to give me a few flowers... Is it because my husband is not your biological child that you don't even like me, your daughter-in-law?"
Xu Shichu hated this kind of behavior of trying to accuse others when they can't get any advantage. She sneered and said, "Yes, I just don't like you who ask for things without any reason. Don't say that your husband is not my biological son. Even if he is my biological son, if you want my things, it depends on whether I am willing or not! Who do you think you are?"
"You! You! My husband is the prime minister's only son. You treat me like this now. Aren't you afraid that you will be left alone in your old age?" Qin Mei said without thinking.
Xu Shichu snorted coldly, "Old and helpless? He is the prime minister's only son. What does it have to do with me? I don't need him to support me when I'm old. Now that I'm still young, you can use this name to embezzle my things. When I'm old, you don't know how you're going to torture me. Thinking about it this way, I'd rather rely on my nephew than on you and your wife."
"Kick her out and don't let her come into my yard anymore!" Xu Shichu was too lazy to argue with Qin Mei and directly ordered the maid to kick her out.
"How dare you do this to me! I will definitely tell my husband and the prime minister..." Qin Mei cursed angrily as she was dragged away.
"You lowly things, let me go! I am the young lady, if you dare to do this to me, I will not let you go, I will sell you to a brothel..." Qin Mei cursed the maid who dragged her out.
However, these maids were all selected by Xu Shichu, and the indentures were in her hands, so they were not under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's Mansion at all. Therefore, even if Qin Mei said she wanted to sell them, they would not care at all, because their master was very protective of them.
Finally, Xu Shichu was relieved after driving away the annoying people. Xiao Zhaozhao held a red strawberry in his hand, stared at Qin Mei and the others with wide eyes, and asked Xu Shichu:
"Aunt, does that person want our Huahua?"
"Yes, she is so bold as to ask me to give it to her. She even asked for it." Xu Shichu said sarcastically, and then warned Xiao Zhaozhao, "Zhao'er, don't learn from her. It's not a good habit to ask for things from others casually. Only beggars can ask for things from others casually."
When Xiao Zhaozhao heard this, he quickly shook his head and said, "I don't want to be a dirty beggar!"
Xu Shichu touched his round head and said, "Yes, we have to live with self-respect. If we want something, we should work hard to get it. Don't just spread your hands and ask others for it. People will look down on you."
While Xu Shichu was teaching the children, Qin Mei, who was driven away, was furious. She was not a lady from a good family, but just the daughter of a country gentry and landlord. Naturally, she was far behind in etiquette and education, and she did not know how to behave in a proper manner when getting along with others, which was why she acted like asking her mother-in-law for things.
She didn't think she had done anything wrong. Instead, she thought that others were wrong for not meeting her demands. Moreover, Xu Shichu had rudely driven her out. Therefore, as soon as she returned to her yard, she was so embarrassed that she angrily sent people to wait outside the house for Luo Rui and Luo Changqing to come back, ready to sue Xu Shichu severely.
After smashing the furnishings in her room and letting out a sigh of relief, Qin Mei calmed down a little, but she was still resentful towards Xu Shichu:
"How dare that vixen bitch do this to me! If it weren't for the fact that she is nominally my mother-in-law, I would have moved all the flowers in her yard away long ago. Why would I ask her for them in a nice way? She is so shameless that she even dared to reject me... She is just an unfavored concubine! Did she think I didn't know that the Prime Minister doesn't like her at all? Humph!
"Wait until I tell my husband and the prime minister about her, and see if she still dares to be so arrogant! I will let her grow flowers for me for the rest of her life, and be a flower farmer for the rest of her life!"
Although Qin Mei came from a humble background, her family had no worries about food and clothing. As the youngest daughter, she was very much loved, so she developed a willful and unruly character. Fortunately, she had a good brother, and relying on her brother's influence, she was lucky enough to marry the only son of the popular prime minister's family. This made her even more arrogant, and she could not stand others disobeying her even more.
When she first got married, she was able to restrain her temper and hide her true character, but now that she has taken control of the housekeeping power of the Prime Minister's Mansion and feels that she has established herself in the Prime Minister's Mansion, her true colors have begun to show, and she even looks down on her stepmother-in-law who doesn't take care of things.
"Young Madam, you are right. The young master loves you so much that he will definitely make the decision for you. You just want a few flowers, but the stepmother doesn't want to give them to you. She is so stingy! You will be the mistress of the Prime Minister's Mansion in the future. Her flowers are not planted outside, but in the Prime Minister's Mansion. What's wrong with asking her to order some flowers? What in the Prime Minister's Mansion is not yours?"
Qin Mei's maid spoke in a flattering manner, agreeing with Qin Mei's ideas in a fawning manner, constantly praising Qin Mei and trampling on Xu Shichu, making Qin Mei feel more and more that she was doing the right thing.
"You are right, girl. I have the power to be the housekeeper and I am the only mistress of the prime minister's mansion. That bitch only has the title of the prime minister's wife. She dares not to take me seriously. She is so bold." Qin Mei said sarcastically.
The head maid rolled her eyes and gave her some advice: "Speaking of housekeeper power... Young Madam, you can have the servants make things difficult for the stepmother, so that she can't say anything about her suffering. Then see if she dares to offend you again."
Qin Mei suddenly became enlightened, her eyes lit up, and she praised him, "You are the one who has the idea. The servants in the mansion are under my control. If I want to make her unhappy, she will not be able to avoid me. Let's see how long she can keep her mouth shut. When she comes to beg me, it won't be something that a few flowers can solve..."
The master and servant began to plot to teach Xu Shichu a lesson, but Qin Mei didn't know that although she had obtained the power of housekeeper, this power did not include the people and things in Xu Shichu's yard.