mtlumby2d Chapter 1227 Chapter 1227
Chapter 1227 Chapter 1227
After Aunt Chu and Shuangyue dragged Xiao Yinxiu away with all their might, Pei Chen stepped forward to apologize to Song Guanzhou. Song Guanzhou flew into a rage, pointing at Pei Chen without any mercy, "If you two want to quarrel and fight, go to your room. What are you up to by coming to my Shaohua Garden? Are you trying to disgust me?"
Pei Chen bowed and repeatedly said no.
"Second brother, I respect you as a man. Father is getting old, and this mansion needs you to hold it up. If your mind is only on supporting your concubine and indulging your shrewish wife, are you going to neglect your two sons?"
Another concubine, Aunt Qin? And another young master?
Pei Chen blushed and repeatedly said no, then slunk out of Shaohua Garden. But as soon as he stepped out, his temper flared up.
He's the heir of a noble family, after all!
He held his breath and walked silently toward the main room. The servants didn't dare to say a word along the way, thinking to themselves that nothing bad could happen tonight.
How could it possibly not come out?
After seeing off this absurd couple, Song Guanzhou was so angry that his chest heaved. Ling Ge'er and Huan Ge'er hid behind Qin Ge'er and dared not say a word.
They stared longingly at the adults, wondering what they were arguing about.
However, Qin Ge'er and Ling Ge'er were older and knew that their mother had deliberately provoked their fourth aunt. Now that their parents had left, they had completely forgotten about the two brothers.
Qin Ge'er protected his two younger brothers, standing close to his mother, his head down, looking somewhat afraid.
Qi Yueniang comforted the two, while Zhang Fanghui and Xu Lingqiao simultaneously consoled Song Guanzhou. Song Guanzhou calmed down and beckoned the three brothers to him. "This is a matter between your fourth aunt and your mother. Don't take it to heart. You brothers should study hard. Putting aside other things, you must be like your fourth uncle and his brothers, united, helping and supporting each other."
The three brothers nodded incessantly, like radish heads.
Song Guanzhou added, "Only by reading more books can one distinguish right from wrong. No one in this world is infallible. One must learn to discern right from wrong and avoid blindly following rumors or making arbitrary judgments about any person or event."
At this point, Qin Ge'er and Ling Ge'er seemed to understand but not quite.
"Fourth Aunt, can you be wrong too?"
Song Guanzhou smiled calmly, "That's natural. Everyone makes mistakes as they grow. Reading and learning can help you make fewer mistakes in the future. Also, you must be able to correct your mistakes."
After saying that, he stopped talking about grand principles and had Ren Dong and the others coax the three older children, as well as Rui Ge'er from Xiao Bei's family, to eat until they were about 80% full and then go to play in the open space to the side.
Looking at his older brothers, sisters-in-law, and sisters, their expressions were complicated.
Knowing she had frightened everyone, she had someone clean up the leftovers, boil water for tea, and reassured them, "Don't worry—"
As soon as the four words were uttered, Xu Lingbai sighed, "Cousin..." but could not bring himself to tell Song Guanzhou to be tolerant. Xiao Bei, who was standing next to him, quickly cupped his hands and said, "Eldest sister's temper is getting worse and worse. I will definitely inform Uncle later. Please don't take this matter to heart, Guanzhou."
Song Guanzhou waved his hand, "Fourth cousin, you're too kind. But you don't need to pass on a message to your eldest uncle. When your aunt was staying at your mansion, she had quite a few disputes with your second sister-in-law. As the saying goes, it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. That's just how she is, so let her be."
One day, people will have to pay the price for their character.
Seeing her smiling face again, Zhang Fanghui admired her greatly. She was indeed a woman valued by the three elders of the Duke. Such composure and self-control were something that ordinary people could hardly achieve.
She sighed, "Alright, Guanzhou, just try to avoid seeing her in the future. You still have your sister-in-law."
Qi Yueniang shook her head, "Xiuer's temperament is hard to understand these days. Luckily, Guanzhou has a good heart, otherwise there would probably be another commotion."
"Tch! My two sisters-in-law, there's no need to worry."
Song Guanzhou pulled Xu Lingqiao, who was looking worried, aside and said, "Don't worry, even teeth and tongue, which are so good, will sometimes clash. Besides, my second sister-in-law and I are not related, we have no grudges, we just don't like each other. My second brother has also apologized on her behalf. My kind-hearted sisters, please don't worry."
She's carefree and doesn't take things seriously.
Qi Yueniang looked at her with a touch of heartache, "That's good, if you're so open-minded, then we won't worry."
worry about what?
As dusk settled and stars began to twinkle in the dark blue sky, Song Guanzhou had a wicked idea. He pretended to be mysterious and said to the others, "Second sister-in-law is most afraid of me! After Aunt Fang, who served Father, and her maid jumped into the well, no one dared to go down into that small-mouthed, big-bellied well. I went down and brought her up."
"what--"
The group was stunned for a moment. Xiao Bei and Xu Lingbai were not quite clear on the matter, but Qi Yueniang knew how horrifying Song Guanzhou's experiences were.
Xu Lingqiao asked in a low voice, "So... they were rescued?"
Song Guanzhou nodded, then shook his head. "Aunt Fang was still breathing when she was rescued, but after two days, she still passed away. As for her maid, Jinzhu, she was already dead when I went down. I dragged her body up—"
"what!"
Xu Lingqiao, being timid, covered her eyes with a handkerchief upon hearing this and gasped softly. Zhang Fanghui glanced at her husband, and the couple stared in disbelief. Xu Lingbai coughed awkwardly, "Guanzhou, aren't you afraid?"
"When I first went down there, I was only thinking about saving people, so I wasn't afraid," Song Guanzhou recalled with a sigh. "But Aunt Fang didn't touch it; she touched the floating golden bead first. It was so cold and it really scared me."
Floating up?
Even the bold Xiao Bei and Xu Lingbai got goosebumps.
When Song Guanzhou told the story as a ghost story, Qi Yueniang sighed, "Don't frighten Ling Qiao and your cousin Fang Hui..."
"Sister-in-law, may I ask if what Guanzhou said is true?"
At that time, Qi Yueniang had not yet returned to the manor. However, after inquiring about the situation, Ren Dong, who was serving tea and water to everyone, nodded in confirmation, "Miss, everything the young mistress said is true. The well opening was too small for even men to go down. Saving lives was the priority, so the young mistress didn't care that the water was cold and went down after tying a rope."
"Guanzhou, I heard you can swim and saved several children, but I never imagined you could do such a heroic deed."
Song Guanzhou thought of Aunt Fang's charming and gentle demeanor and felt regret. She waved her hand and said, "She couldn't be saved. Jinzhu drowned on the spot. Aunt Fang had wounds on her body, and the well water was cold in spring. She got infected with ulcers and died too."
Human life is cheap; when Song Guanzhou recalls it, it feels like it happened just yesterday.
She leaned back in her chair, her eyes somewhat vacant, and couldn't help but sigh, "...If I had gone down earlier, perhaps I could have saved the master and servant. If Jinzhu hadn't died, Aunt Fang might have been able to hold on a little longer."
Maybe we'll pull through...
It was a heavy topic. When Meng Sao and her companion entered the house carrying exquisite bamboo baskets with lids, they saw that the pergola under the flower stand had been removed. A gentle evening breeze was blowing, and rose petals were falling everywhere. The young lady, the two young mistresses, and the two young masters were all there, but no one spoke. Only the tea stove in the distance was boiling loudly.
Honeysuckle went to greet her, and Aunt Meng handed her a bamboo basket.
"It was Jin Fuyun who took the Fourth Young Master away!"
Like a thunderclap, it quietly exploded in Honeysuckle's ears.