Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 996 - 994_1

Chapter 996: Chapter 994_1

"Young Master, Mrs. Ruan, and Miss Ruan have left the purse and gone back," the housemaid reported succinctly.

"Did they say anything else?" Liu Zhiwen asked after hearing this.

"They didn’t say anything else."

Hearing these words, Liu Zhiwen settled back into his seat. His grip on the purse tightened, evoking a sense of guilt. "It seems we owe them a favor once again."

After hearing this, Mrs. Tan was irritated. "What favor do we owe them? They..."

"We appreciate their kind intentions. The next time you and I see them, we’ll make sure to express our gratitude to them," Xiao’er interjected before Mrs. Tan could finish, knowing the words would come off as ungrateful.

It was in bad form for a group of scholarly men like them to categorically reject a good deed and assume ulterior motives. So she cut Mrs. Tan off, preventing the rest from being said, even though it might be the truth.

The fact that Mrs. Fang and Wanping left the purse and left straight away was clearly a move to gain sympathy. Such manipulation!

They understood very well, but they couldn’t show suspicion a second time and be seen as petty and cynical again.

They couldn’t let Mrs. Tan and Liu Zhiwen argue over something so trivial, especially when it could potentially affect their relationship. It was not worth it.

Mrs. Tan realized this and held back her criticism of the mother and daughter duo. If she accused them of ulterior motives, her son might see her as ungrateful. After all, they had only come to return an item; they didn’t ask for anything in return. Accusing them harshly would be unjustified.

Running her business through the years, Mrs. Tan had met all sorts of tricky customers. If they thought any of their tricks would work on her son, they were mistaken!

So, Mrs. Tan calmly said, "Xiao’er is right. I may have misunderstood them. The next time I see them, I will apologize personally and express our gratitude for their honesty. Don’t worry."

"Yes, even if your mother forgets, Aunt Liu will still show our appreciation. Don’t worry, Zhiwen," Mrs. Liu added, promisingly.

"Alright, let’s eat now. This is just a small matter. We can help them out if they need us in the future," said Shen Chengyao, tired of their discussion about two outsiders. "We wouldn’t let our food get cold just for them."

"Yes, let’s get on with our meal," Mrs. Liu concurred.

Everyone then picked up their chopsticks and joyfully discussed other matters.

...

After leaving Shen Chengyao’s house, Wanping couldn’t help but ask Mrs. Fang, "Mother, why did you leave so abruptly? That was my only chance to get acquainted with the eldest grandson of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Who knows when the next opportunity will come?"

"Foolish child, do you think we could have walked through the Marquis Shengping’s gate today? It’s totally impossible! Since that’s the fact, it’s better to behave as if we were there just to return the purse and make Young Master Liu feel guilty!"

Wanping quickly understood her mother’s plan. Her mother had told her that if a man constantly felt guilty towards a woman, he would pity her. They would think she was weak and needed their protection.

Men, by nature, are somewhat chauvinistic, heroic deep inside. When they encounter a feeble woman, their sense of heroism is kindled. They would subconsciously guard the girl they deem to be fragile, thus proving their strength and importance.

"What a shame, I missed the chance to get to know the eldest grandson of the Eastern Jin Dynasty," Wanping sighed regretfully.

"We make our own opportunities. We could have someone keep tabs on the Marquis Shengping’s mansion and monitor his whereabouts. Then, we’d create our own opportunity to get to know him," reassured Mrs. Fang.

Upon hearing this, Wanping’s eyes gleamed. "Mother, you really are brilliant!"

Mrs. Fang gave a slight smile. Of course, she was. She always was when it came to getting a man she wanted!

...

After the meal, Xiao’er inquired about Brother Ri’s recent circumstances and his parents’ wellbeing.

Brother Ri knew about the special relationship between Xiao’er and his mother. They seemed to have the same mentor. However, Brother Ri didn’t understand why his mother, who had the same training as Xiao’er, knew nothing.

His mother explained that she had left the mentor when she was young because she liked playing more than studying, hence learned nothing.

But Brother Ri didn’t buy it. He believed his mother was too slow-witted to learn anything. After all, Xiao’er was also quite young when he met her, and she already knew so much.

But his mother, even though she was aware of many things, didn’t know how any of them worked, which made him feel a pang of disappointment.

When Xiao’er asked about their situation in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Brother Ri didn’t hold back and shared all the good news, avoiding sharing any troubles they were facing.

Satisfied that everything was under control, Xiao’er felt somewhat relieved, although she suspected Brother Ri was sugar-coating the truth. But as long as they could handle it, everything was fine.

"Xiao’er, did my Queen Mother really learn from the same mentor as you? Why is there such a huge gap in your abilities?"

A little guilty, Xiao’er hesitated, unsure how to approach his question.

All she could admit was, "Yes, it’s exactly as your mother described."

Having spoken her piece, Xiao’er got up, not leaving Brother Ri any opportunity to press further. "It’s getting late. I need to get back. You should get some rest, Brother Ri."

Brother Ri glanced outside. It was the brightest part of the day. How was it getting late?

Xiao’er immediately realized she had made a feeble excuse. Scrambling to recover, she said, "I have some business to attend to back at my chamber. So I better be going. You should have a restful night, Brother Ri."

With that, Xiao’er took off, dragging Shangguan Xuanyi along with her.

Brother Ri was left wondering. Why did they avoid discussing their mentor?

However, he didn’t contemplate it for long since Yun’er started a conversation with him.

Upon returning to her chambers, Xiao’er said to Zhao Yong, "Zhao Yong, send someone to Nanyue County to look for Master Fang and bring him to the Imperial Capital."

Mrs. Fang had taken all their wealth, abandoned her husband, and was living comfortably in the Imperial City with her daughter. They even had the audacity to plot against her!

Xiao’er had decided to give them something to worry about. She had intended to leave them alone, but the pair seemed oblivious of their intrusion and offended Xiao’er’s people. They were pushing their luck too far!

Xiao’er could almost visualize their surprise when Master Fang arrived in the Imperial Capital and the resulting chaos. The days ahead for Mrs. Fang and Wanping would indeed be interesting!