Xiao Hui left in a bit of a hurry.
Anning watched her back for a while, lost in thought.
It wasn’t too late yet. Xiao Yuan needed quite so ti to read through his papers in the study, so after Xiao Hui left, Anning had soone send so food to Xiao Yuan while she went to Xiao Yin’s room.
Xiao Yin was writing an outline.
This girl particularly enjoyed writing so scripts these days.
Whenever she had so free ti, she’d write outlines and such, storing them away to reference whenever she felt like writing. When she didn’t feel like writing, she’d look for a scholar to help her out.
"Mother."
Seeing Anning co in, Xiao Yin quickly put down what she was working on, stood up, and greeted her.
Anning smiled, took her hand, and sat down: "What script are you writing now?"
Xiao Yin smiled: "This script is quite interesting, it’s about a poor scholar who marries a rich family’s daughter. As he lives a progressively better life relying on her dowry, he later passes the scholar exam and looks down on her. He sets his eyes on the daughter of the County Magistrate, thinking of divorcing his wife to remarry."
Anning took the outline to have a look: "There’s nothing new in that."
Xiao Yin said: "The new part cos later. The rich daughter notices but remains calm, continuing to care for the scholar. Despite the beatings and scolding, she doesn’t complain. Later, she even tells the scholar that if he’s interested in soone else, they could bring her into their ho. If the new woman cos from a high background, she’d willingly demote herself to a concubine, or they could draft a divorce paper. She only wishes for the scholar’s happiness. Upon hearing this, the scholar, rembering their past affection, feels reluctant to part with her. After so ti, the rich daughter cooks for him every day, helping him change clothes and caring for him in every possible way. One day, the scholar finds himself unable to move after a al. When he regains consciousness, he discovers he’s been sent far away to a Southern Wind Inn to work as a male prostitute. He later learns that his wife orchestrated all of this. Knowing he was unfaithful, she quietly made plans, subtly impairing his bodily functions with dicine in his food and drink. She used rare, hard-to-find herbs to weaken his muscles and joints. Once he was fully incapacitated, she sedated him and sold him off, telling others he had gone to take the exams, possibly to pass them. Everyone thought he was at the exams, unaware he had been sold to a male brothel by his wife."
The storyline struck Anning as particularly lodramatic, but it also sounded quite interesting.
"You should let your Uncle and Aunt look at it."
Xiao Yin was aware of Xiao Jin’s intention to take a concubine. As she organized her outline, she said: "When I find the ti, I’ll show it to Aunt."
Once Xiao Yin finished organizing, Anning asked her: "Have you been spending ti with Sister Hui these past few days?"
Xiao Yin shook her head: "Not much. Sister Hui has been quite busy, and I haven’t had any free ti recently."
"Do you know what she’s been busy with, or who she’s been spending ti with?"
Anning asked Xiao Yin.
Xiao Yin paused: "Mother, why are you asking this? Is there sothing about Sister Hui?"
Anning smiled and tapped Xiao Yin’s forehead: "It’s nothing major. I just noticed Huihui seems to have soone in her heart. I just want to know who that might be, so we’re not in the dark in case sothing happens to Huihui that neither your father nor I can handle."
Xiao Yin pondered over this, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of any close male acquaintances of Xiao Hui.
After thinking for a long ti, she sighed: "I don’t think there’s anyone, except sotis she helps Uncle Dong with his chores. Other than that, there’s nothing."
Anning confird her suspicions about Xiao Hui’s intentions.
When Xiao Yuan returned to the room, Anning said to him: "We need to resolve Ms. Chen’s matter soon."
"Alright, let’s resolve it early. Tomorrow I’ll have soone ntion it to Dong Da, and he can figure it out."
Xiao Yuan replied vaguely.
Over at Xiao Jin’s place, Hui Family had a cold war with him for several days, and it was only when Hui Family finally opened up that they spoke again.
Xiao Jin was so overjoyed that he nearly wanted to set off firecrackers.
The Hui Family held Xiao Jin’s hand, hitting him as she cried and complained: "Mr. Four thinks I’m petty, that I do nothing but get jealous? Am I that unreasonable? Didn’t I manage concubine matters for you at the Duke Ping Mansion? You didn’t want to find soone fitting for you, but now it’s different. I felt sothing was off about Bai i from the start, which is why I opposed her entering our ho. Mr. Four, consider what kind of person I am, rember our years together. You always bla , and now you’ve placed her elsewhere. If it weren’t for Third Sister-in-law standing up for and accompanying to that courtyard, I wouldn’t have discovered Bai i’s background. Who knows what kind of trouble it could have caused our family? At its least, it could ruin us; at its most, it could bring trouble to the entire Nanyi Prefecture. If that happened, Mr. Four, you’d be a sinner through all ages."
"Yes, yes."
Xiao Jin was sweating at this point: "You’re right, Lady, absolutely right. It’s my fault, I wronged you."
The Hui Family pinched him again: "There’s no such thing as free gifts from the sky. Why were they offering Mr. Four a woman if not wanting sothing in return? Mr. Four doesn’t think about that, getting enraptured at the sight of a woman. How could you expect Third Brother to entrust significant matters to you in the future? There have been many heroic figures throughout history who fell prey to lust."
Xiao Jin grew more fearful as he listened: "Your words are instructive. I will change for sure; from now on, you’re the only one I’ll ever look at."
The Hui Family glared at him: "Spare those promises—they’re worthless. If you truly want a pretty girl to serve you, I can accommodate. Just tell , and I will choose soone for you, but don’t go about it like this, telling no to concubines only to keep a concubine outside. That’s a slap in the face to . I’ve been with you for so many years, and I consider myself hardworking and tolerant. But you’ve disregarded my dignity, Mr. Four. Do you think that doesn’t break my heart?"
Xiao Jin wiped his face and forced a smile: "I deserve a beating. I’m a terrible person. Lady, hit to vent your anger, but this can’t happen again. Let’s discuss things from now on—no more giving the silent treatnt. You’ve been ignoring for days, and it’s been agonizing."
He continued to coax her, "I’m serious this ti. I won’t think about other won anymore; it’ll just be you and from now on."
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