Xiuxiu mentioned, and Madam Lu also had her doubts. She didn’t pay much attention when she first heard about it, but today Ying Mei brought gifts, and they were all quite complete, including clothing.
Seeing the green jade hairpin in her hair, Madam Lu felt her own eyes turn green with envy. She had thought she had already taken a lot from Ying Mei, but there always seemed to be something new.
This hairpin, for instance, when had she ever seen her wear it before?
But how did Ying Mei explain it? She said it was Wufu who carved it and gave it to her. Pah, as if that little hoof Wufu could carve a hairpin as fine as this!
Boasting like that without fear of biting her tongue.
Alright, let’s assume Wufu has the skill to carve, but where would she get the jadeite from, let alone such high-quality jadeite with such strong luster? Did she pick it up in the mountains?
Whichever way you look at it, it’s not convincing enough for anyone.
So, Madam Lu thought, it must have been either given to her by Madam Zhou’s wild man for her to hide, or her father secretly bought it for her.
Either way, it can’t be from Wufu. No matter how you put it, no one would believe it.
"Mom, Auntie is too good at pretending. Look at how weak and delicate she acts, yet she can hide such a treasure. Who knows what else she might have hidden!" Zhou Xiuer said contemptuously.
Madam Lu replied, "What do you know? Men like it when women are weak. That’s a woman’s weapon. With a few tears and a pale face, men just surrender. Back then, she did exactly that..."
As she spoke, she noticed the gleam in Zhou Xiuer’s eyes and suddenly felt she had said too much, so she coughed and continued, "In any case, there are many people in this world who pretend to be pigs to eat tigers. Silly girl, you can’t just judge people by their appearances."
Zhou Xiuer leaned back on her hands and said, "Who knows what else she has hidden? She might even afford to keep a maid."
At the mention of this, Madam Lu thought of the little maid beside Madam Zhou, a young girl with a sharp tongue, guarded as if against a formidable enemy, like a hedgehog, with an unknown origin.
If it were her, she would have beaten such a maid to death and thrown her out long ago!
Madam Lu didn’t realize that Hongyu’s personality wasn’t accidental. Everyone has their own experiences. With Hongyu’s temperament, if she hadn’t become sharp and tough, she probably would have been eaten alive by others long ago.
But the maid could be ignored, for Madam Lu knew that without money, one couldn’t afford to keep servants. Before, she and her daughter were living hand to mouth. So why did it seem like they were doing a lot better these days? The gifts they sent were all quite sufficient, like that big red Peony brocade quilt that must weigh at least three jins, right?
Madam Lu thought of the red quilt she had put in her brother-in-law’s room, a flash of jealousy and envy crossed her eyes, leaving a bitter taste in her heart.
All the good things were going into her brother-in-law’s room. In the future, would the Zhou family all fall under the second wife’s control?
A sense of crisis suddenly surged in her heart, and Madam Lu’s eyebrows furrowed deeply.
"Mom, did you hear what I said?" Zhou Xiuer nudged Madam Lu a few times, pouting with dissatisfaction.
"I was saying, what if we have Grandma ask Auntie to send that maid over to serve her? As long as Grandma speaks up, Auntie wouldn’t dare to refuse. Otherwise, that would be unfilial. Does Auntie dare to be unfilial?" Zhou Xiuer’s eyes shimmered with calculation. As long as the maid came over, who she served would be decided by the Zhou family.
Madam Lu’s heart stirred slightly, Xiuxiu was right. She would have another person to order around, enjoying the status and fortune of a lady.
Just as she was about to say something, a cry suddenly came from outside, and Madam Lu’s expression changed.
The barbarian girl Wufu had arrived!