The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse. The night was dim and shrouded.
A small and frail figure appeared on the wall of the General’s Mansion. In the blink of an eye, she had jumped out from within.
Not far from the main gate, mbers of the Mo family were still waiting there, hoping to see Xuexue erge, perhaps offering them so financial aid. Yet, the entire day had passed, and the General’s Mansion remained shut tight; not even a servant had been seen exiting.
"Mother, I’m so cold," Mo Xiuzhi’s pitiful and sorrowful voice broke the silence. She was noticeably pregnant, famished, and freezing, struggling to endure the situation.
Before Madam Ruan could respond, Old Lady Mo’s angry curses erupted: "You filthy wretch! Shaful thing! Fooling around with so stranger and bringing back a bastard child, yet you dare to slander the General? Well, freezing to death serves you right! But what should never have happened, that truly should never have happened, is dragging our entire family into this ss—starving and freezing alongside you! Truly, you are a Star of Disaster!"
Old Lady Mo’s words were venomous.
Madam Ruan could no longer bear it and retorted, "Mother-in-law, no matter what, Xiuzhi is still your granddaughter. You shouldn’t be saying such things to her."
"Why not? She did all of this! Even had a bastard child! No one is allowed to talk about it?" Old Lady Mo replied with another bout of cold laughter. "This is all because of your fine upbringing—raising such a daughter to bring misfortune upon our entire family! Truly a Star of Disaster!"
Madam Ruan felt both aggrieved and furious. This old hag was so detestable. When there were benefits to be had, she clung to her daughter and her like leeches; now, when calamity struck, she pushed all the bla onto them.
It wasn’t unreasonable for Old Lady Mo to lose her temper.
After all, a life once filled with privilege and luxury had disappeared overnight, thanks to Mo Xiuzhi’s scandal being exposed. How could she not be resentful? Moreover, it was winter, and they had been squatting outside for a full day and night, cold and starving. Naturally, anything she said would be harsh and accusatory.
To Old Lady Mo, everything about Mo Xiuzhi was now insufferable. She saw her as the root of all their misfortunes—a miserable Star of Disaster who had dared to boast about ensnaring General Situ, despite lacking the capability.
Now that the scandal had erupted, they had been rcilessly expelled by the Old Madam without a shred of sympathy.
They were left penniless, without even the funds to return to the Mo Family Village. It seed they were teetering on the brink of holessness. What infuriated them even more was their sole reliance—Situ Xueer—hadn’t even shown her face.
"That little wench is too heartless. Knowing full well that we’ve been thrown out by the Old Madam, she hasn’t even bothered to check on us. She hasn’t made any arrangents for our survival. What are we supposed to do moving forward?"
Old Lady Mo’s head throbbed with frustration. Even the jewelry the Old Madam had gifted Mo Xiuzhi had been reclaid, leaving them utterly destitute. She didn’t see any hope for the future, especially since Auntie Tang had completely severed ties with them. It seed they were truly backed into a corner.
The Mo family huddled on the streets, trembling from the biting cold.
"Grandmother, tomorrow we’ll go cry publicly on the streets. We’ll tell everyone that the legitimate eldest Miss of General Situ’s Mansion is cold-hearted and ungrateful—she acknowledged her biological father yet forgot the grace of being raised by us," Mo Hengjian, both freezing and starving, mulled it over all day before coming up with this sinister plan.
Old Lady Mo’s triangular eyes widened abruptly. "Yes! How is it that I didn’t think of this sooner?"
Old Master Mo, shivering from the cold, chid in hesitantly, "I think Jianjian’s idea might work. Xuexue, no matter her status, is still the legitimate eldest Miss of the General’s Mansion. She’ll want to save face. If we cry and plead on the streets, she might bring us back to the mansion—or at the very least, give us the travel money to return to the Mo Family Village."
Before Old Master Mo could finish, Old Lady Mo shrieked, her voice sharp and piercing, "Go back? Why go back?! Jianjian’s future hasn’t been secured yet; I am absolutely not going back to Mo Family Village!"
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