A Good Country Wife
Chapter 414 - 408_1

Chapter 414: 408_1

Chen Ruyu was aware of her mother’s attitude towards Lin Yue; her mother always obeyed her father’s orders without question. If her mother knew that she was giving Lin Yue a hard time, she surely wouldn’t stand for it. Seeing her mother follow the movements of Aunt Chen from the Jiang Residence when noticing Lin Yue made her somewhat nervous. Fortunately, she hadn’t given herself away; this woman was indeed sensible and didn’t say anything inappropriate. Otherwise, even if it meant falling out with her parents, she would ensure that the Lin Family would not benefit from it.

Aunt Chen from the Chen Mansion warmly welcomed Lin Yue with open arms, showing even more enthusiasm than the Chen Family’s hostess and her daughters. It was clear that she was there to support Lin Yue.

The Chen Family’s wife didn’t show it, but she felt rather dismissive inside. After all, Aunt Chen was just a concubine, lacking in true insight. It was merely good fortune that the Family Head of the Medicine Aristocrat Family, Jiang Ziqi, took her into the Jiang Residence; otherwise, she wouldn’t even have the qualifications to attend a banquet at their house. It was no wonder she was so eager to get close to Lin Yue, probably to curry favor with someone from the Jiang Family. Concubines are simply not fit for public display.

Though the Chen Family’s wife appeared warm towards Lin Yue, there was a courteous distance in her demeanor. In her view, even if Chen the Elder had intentions of drawing Lin Yue in to build a good relationship with the Jiang Residence, Zhao Erhu and his wife were of too lowly an origin. It was already a significant concession for her to associate with them this closely; they could not afford any more. After all, they were merely a couple from a peasant background, and even if the Family Head of the Jiang Family really looked upon them favorably, what help could they possibly offer? Nevertheless, since the Lord had requested that she grow closer to this couple, she would do as instructed.

As someone astute with many years of experience, the Chen Family’s wife could see her daughter’s scheming clearly but chose not to expose them. An outsider couldn’t be more important than her own daughter. If the Lord found out, he would surely blame her.

The Chen Family’s wife cherished her daughter the most. Unable to have more children, she had only this precious girl in her life. How could she not protect her? As for the other legitimate and illegitimate sons and daughters within the mansion, what did they have to do with her? Especially that contemptible woman’s daughter, who had amazingly become arrogant, daring to compete with her daughter for the father’s affection. It was crucial at this time not to let the Lord perceive any faults in her daughter, lest that contemptible woman’s child gained the upper hand.

With varying thoughts, several individuals arrived in the hall, with the majority of people already present. Most were of similar status to Chen Ruyu or even lower, but also among them were Aunt Chen and the two Misses from the Jiang Residence whom the Chen Family sought to ingratiate themselves with. After making arrangements for Aunt Chen and others, the Chen Family’s mother and daughter went back to the entrance to receive another guest.

The person they were going to welcome was of no small significance either, being the arch rival of the Jiang Family—Zhang Peilan, the legitimate daughter from the Zhang Family, a Medicine Aristocrat Family. Among those present, her status was the highest, although in recent years the Zhang Family had gradually declined, falling far behind the Jiang Family, not in the same league at all. Nevertheless, the status of a legitimate daughter was naturally more noble than that of a concubine and a cousin, and the Chen Family’s mother and daughter naturally did not dare neglect her, especially since she had some friendship with Ruyu from their girlhood days, which is why she attended.

Originally, Chen Ruyu had only arranged a seat at the end for Lin Yue, but due to Aunt Chen and the two Misses from the Jiang Residence, the Chen Family’s wife placed Lin Yue next to Aunt Chen. Aunt Chen was warmly chatting with Lin Yue, and the two Misses were also sporadically engaging. About a quarter of an hour later, the Chen Family’s mother and daughter led in a young girl dressed in a bright red skirt, looking sweet and beautiful—it was Zhang Peilan, the legitimate eldest Miss from the Zhang Family.

Aunt Chen and the two Misses from the Jiang Residence had seen this legitimate eldest Miss from the Zhang Family at other banquets and naturally recognized her, while Lin Yue guessed based on everyone else’s reactions. At this moment, Chen Ruyu’s face showed none of its usual hauteur as she fawned over the Miss from the Zhang Family; the Chen Family’s wife also smiled accommodatingly alongside.

Coming from the same Medicine Aristocrat Family background, the Jiang Family and the Zhang Family had been bitter rivals for many years, a feud so deep it couldn’t be untangled. Aunt Chen and the two Misses, being associated with the Jiang Family, felt this keenly. Seeing the Chen Family’s mother and daughter behaving this way, they sneered inwardly. It seemed the Chen Family, while eager to please their Family Head, had already gained some advantage, with Chen the Elder securing a good position through the Family Head, yet they remained fickle, getting involved with the Zhang Family as well. They would have to report back to the Family Head properly when they returned, lest he be deceived by these duplicitous, impure-hearted individuals.

Poor Elder Chen was truly wronged; ever since he moved to Capital City and received a favorable position, he had resolved to loyally serve Jiang Ziqi, utterly unaware that the Zhang Family’s legitimate daughter would attend. He seldom interfered with household matters, and this time he had simply instructed the wife and daughter to entertain the guests from the Jiang Residence and Lin Yue well. Zhang Peilan’s presence was solely the decision of the wife and daughter of Chen.

Chen Ruyu had put in a great deal of effort to ingratiate herself, finally winning Zhang Peilan’s favor and forming a good relationship with her. Naturally, she had to have Zhang Peilan there to support her at such an event. Whereas, the Chen Family’s wife believed that Chen the Elder didn’t need to put all his hopes on the Jiang Residence; it was always good to have multiple connections. She hadn’t considered the depth of the feud between the Jiang and Zhang Families or what would happen if they knew of their dealings with the Zhang Family. After all, a woman’s thoughts tend to be shallow, lacking deeper insight.

At this moment, Zhang Peilan gracefully entered the hall. Everybody aware of her identity stood up to pay their respects, except for those from the Jiang Residence and a small portion of people who firmly sided with the Jiang Family, who remained seated and disregarded her. Lin Yue, not quite understanding the situation, correctly followed the lead of the Jiang Family’s people.

Zhang Peilan, noticing the people from the Jiang Residence, snorted disdainfully and glanced sideways at the mother and daughter of the Chen Family. "One is a concubine from the Jiang Residence, and the other two are hardly proper Misses of the Jiang Family. It’s disgraceful to invite such people unfit for appearance. It’s truly unfortunate." The one who could get along with Chen Ruyu naturally shared similar temperaments, full of pride and sharpness, showing no regard for others’ feelings.

Angered, Chen Ruyu pursed her lips without saying anything, clearly sharing the same sentiment. The Chen Family’s wife showed a face full of embarrassment, caught between two parties she couldn’t offend. Taking sides was not an option. Before the wife could think of a response, Zhang Peilan spoke again, this time targeting Lin Yue.

"Tsk, what a surprise, even the Jiang Residence is close with a lowly peasant woman. It’s understandable if the legitimate members don’t attend, as the direct lineage of the Jiang Residence is frail, but to be so close with such a base woman is truly a loss of face for our upper echelons. However, only a rural peasant woman would have the thick skin to attend such a gathering. Were it me, I would have had her thrown out long ago."

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