Pink Extra.
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As Old Master Lian let out a resounding shout, the East Wing Room imdiately fell silent. Lady He and Lian Huahua were both terrified; they had been so engrossed in their conversation that they had not noticed soone outside.
"What can we do!" Lian Huahua bit her lip, her hands nearly tearing the handkerchief to shreds.
Lady He was also frightened, but her usual carefree nature made her feel that even if Old Master Lian had heard everything, it had nothing to do with her.
"Won’t you co out!" Old Master Lian roared. When no one appeared, he shouted again.
He was livid, the blue veins on his forehead throbbing. What had he heard? Behind Lady Zhang’s miscarriage lay such a secret. It was Lian Huahua who had egged Lian Xiuxiu on, nearly causing a tragedy of two lives lost. And Lady He had known all along, even using this knowledge to blackmail Lian Huahua. Yet Lian Huahua believed her arrangents were foolproof and that any trouble would fall on Lian Xiuxiu, not her.
This was his eldest granddaughter and second daughter-in-law. As the household head for so many years, he knew well the saying, "One can’t manage a family without being observant and alert." He may not bother with minor squabbles, but that did not an he would tolerate such infighting among his own family.
Lian Manman, outside the room, watched all of Old Master Lian’s expressions, but at this mont, it was not the right ti to step forward and reason with him. Right then, she heard rustling sounds from within the room; Lady He and Lian Huahua were coming out.
Lian Manman signaled to Xiao Qi and, while Old Master Lian was distracted, they quickly slipped back to the West Wing Room. Lian Manman did not want Lady He or Lian Huahua to know that Old Master Lian’s presence outside the East Wing Room was not accidental but deliberately orchestrated by them. She also believed Old Master Lian would not divulge their involvent.
She did this not out of fear of Lady He or Lian Huahua. After all, the two tearing at each other’s throats didn’t warrant adding more complications, right? Lian Manman squinted her eyes and silently chuckled.
Lian Manman and Xiao Qi were lying by the door of the West Wing Room when they saw Lady He and Lian Huahua walk out of the East Wing Room with their heads lowered. Despite his raging anger, Old Master Lian still cared about appearances and did not wish to scold his daughters-in-law and granddaughter in the courtyard; he turned and headed straight for the Upper Room. Lady He and Lian Huahua followed behind him with bowed heads.
Uncertain how Old Master Lian would handle the situation, Lian Manman pulled Xiao Qi toward the Upper Room, with Lian Zhizhi and Wu Lang following behind.
The two shouts from Old Master Lian had already awakened the people in the Upper Room, who were taking their midday nap. When Lian Manman arrived, she saw Old Master Lian seated on the kang, his face grim as he puffed on his dry pipe. Lady Zhou was sitting beside Old Master Lian, while Lian Xiuxiu was sitting closely next to Lady Zhou on the kang.
Lady He and Lian Huahua stood with their heads bowed in the middle of the floor, while Lady Gu, Lian Duoduo, and Lady Chiang holding Niuniu were also standing to the side.
"Xiuxiu, what did Huahua tell you before going to the county town, that you were so angry with your fourth sister-in-law?" Old Master Lian did not question Lady He and Lian Huahua but chose to ask Lian Xiuxiu first.
Lian Xiuxiu didn’t know how to respond and subconsciously looked toward Lian Huahua.
Seeing this, Lian Huahua tried to signal to Lian Xiuxiu not to implicate her. But as Lian Huahua turned her head, Old Master Lian coughed loudly and slamd his pipe sternly onto the edge of the kang.
"Xiuxiu, don’t you have a mind of your own? I’m asking you, why are you looking at Huahua? Speak up, what did Huahua tell you?" Old Master Lian said angrily.
Sitting there, Lian Xiuxiu was still indecisive. She rembered the things Lian Huahua had told her and the insistence not to reveal them. They were aunt and niece, and very close at that. With Old Master Lian in such a temper, she couldn’t betray Lian Huahua.
"Aren’t you speaking up? Wait until she betrays you in the future," Old Master Lian said, perceiving that Lian Xiuxiu wanted to protect Lian Huahua, which made him even more irritated.
"Xiuxiu, just speak. Father already knows, and Huahua has admitted to it," interjected Lady He, eager to please Old Master Lian in order to avoid a harsh reprimand later.
Lian Huahua was anxious, unable to make a move under Old Master Lian’s watchful eyes.
Lian Xiuxiu, however, took Lady He’s words as the truth. She thought, since Lian Huahua had confessed, it should be alright for her to speak.
"...Four Sister-in-law doesn’t regard our parents, spends money on gifts for Zhizhi and Manman, yet didn’t fulfill her promise to Mother about buying the shoe uppers and the things she promised to buy for . Four Sister-in-law has led Manman astray. I couldn’t stand it, it has nothing to do with Huahua. Huahua even advised to bear with it. I just don’t have such a good temper as Huahua, and I couldn’t restrain myself," Lian Xiuxiu hesitantly recounted the events, "Father, Four Sister-in-law is unfilial and treats poorly, I didn’t push her deliberately. She has already had four children, I didn’t think..."
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