Chapter 4 Discord

  When Wei's inquiry was heard, He Huan's gaze swept across the crowd, and he said word by word: "I want to marry Shen Jinglun."

  Cao's family heard this, sat on the ground and coldly laughed, looked down on He Huan: "Is Shen Dage a person you can marry just by thinking about it? I'm afraid that even if you give yourself to him for free, he won't bother to look at you."

  "This matter doesn't require Cao's wife to worry." He Huan looked down at Cao with a slanted gaze, "Cao's wife, if you don't want to return to your maiden home, you can also sign the contract of selling yourself."

  "What did you say!" Cao's eyes widened in anger, she wished to pounce on He Huan and tear her apart. However, her hands and feet were tightly bound, and her body was tied to the table leg by Bai Mou, so she could only squirm like a caterpillar. Seeing her own miserable state, as a shipowner's daughter, she had some wild strength, she dragged the table inching closer to He Huan, baring her teeth, looking just like a mad dog from a poor alley.

  As Cao's movement caused the corner of the table to rub against the floor, a piercing sound was emitted, stimulating everyone's eardrum. He Huan pressed his hands heavily on the table. Cao was caught off guard and the back of his head hit the leg of the table due to inertia, causing dizziness and blurred vision.

  He Huan ordered Bai Mian to shut Cao Shi's mouth. Tao Shi, who was standing on the side, couldn't help but steal a glance at Wei Shi's face and saw that she looked solemn. She said cautiously: "Huan'er, your second sister-in-law has taken care of you for ten years..."

  He Huan stared at the Tao family in disbelief and said, "Eldest Aunt, do you want to protect Concubine Cao with all your might? Fine! Very well!" She stretched out her right hand towards the Tao and Wei families and said coldly, "Return to me the things Mother left for me. I will go to the government office to register as a single woman and live alone with Father's and Mother's memorial tablets. From now on, you all walk your own path, and I'll cross my own bridge..."

  "That's enough!" Wei's old face scrunched up in a ball, and he said with a pained expression: "Have you ever thought that we are family..."

  "A family? A family is just going to drive me to death?"

  On the side, Bai Zhen didn't dare to disobey He Huan's order, and took a handkerchief to try to stuff it into Cao Shi's mouth. She didn't dare to really lay hands on Cao Shi, her heart was both afraid and fearful, and her movements were inevitably hesitant. Cao Shi seized the opportunity, biting down on Bai Zhen's palm, causing Bai Zhen's eyes to redden in pain, yet she didn't dare make a sound.

  He Xian saw this and bent down to pinch Cao Shi's chin, forcing her to open her mouth. With a swing of his hand, he slapped Cao Shi's face hard.

  With a crisp "click", the room fell silent. Cao saw the determination in He Huan's eyes and felt afraid for the first time. She had never seen He Huan with such an expression, as if he would twist her neck at any moment.

  Wei and Tao were also stunned. After a moment, Wei said painfully: "Huan, are you crazy? Or have you been possessed by some filthy thing?"

  Cao's family suddenly woke up and burst into loud wailing, saying that they would rather die with He Jing than suffer the humiliation of He Huan.

  He Huan was both cold and hungry, his head aching to the point of bursting, and he couldn't bear to entangle himself with them again. He limped out of the house, fetched an axe from the backyard, and returned to the house, where he chopped at the table with a loud "thwack". Enraged, he shouted: "I've died once before, so what's the worst that could happen? We can all die together! When we get to the underworld, I'll make sure to tell our ancestors all about how you've treated me these past few years!"

  The Cao and Tao families were frightened into stopping their tears. Mrs. Tao timidly persuaded: "Huan'er, don't be like this, let's talk things over."

  "Great aunt, I also want to speak nicely and have a good life from now on, but what about you? Will sitting here wailing and crying make silver fall from the sky?"

  "I am always your stepmother." Cao's wife was still making her last struggle.

  "Aunt Cao, if you can produce the marriage certificate, I will acknowledge you as my stepmother; otherwise, even if we go to court, justice will be on my side."

  "I am Jing'er's mother!" Madam Cao shouted with her neck stretched out.

  "Cao Aunty, it's actually Eldest Uncle's wife who is Jingdi's mother."

  Cao's anger stared at He Huan, slowly, her momentum weakened. If the He family drove her out of the house, she could only sleep on the streets. "I will never sign a contract to sell myself." Cao shook her head and sat down on the ground like a muddy mess.

  He Huan ignored her and turned to Madame Wei, saying: "Auntie, search your conscience, with the household having become like this now, don't you have any responsibility?"

  "What do you mean by that? Am I supposed to have let the pirates rob our family's merchant ship?!" Wei Shi turned her head and vigorously wiped away tears from the corner of her eyes. She hadn't read many books to begin with, and now she was intimidated by He Huan, speaking without thinking: "If it weren't for the two medicine jars at home, why would I have risked everything?"

  As soon as the words fell, Tao's tears were already streaming down. She cried and said: "Auntie, three years ago, my husband earnestly advised you not to follow the Lin family into troubled waters..."

  "You mean the merchant ship was hijacked and our family's loss is all my fault?" Wei Shi retorted. Tao Shi's single utterance of "Aunt" had already made her stance clear.

  "Sir, you are my elder and I dare not say that you were wrong, but at the time, if Master had not been detained by the authorities because of that matter, he would certainly not have fallen ill. If only Master were still..."

  "You, you've gone mad!" Wei pointed at Tao's nose, panting heavily.

  Tao did not retort, but covered her mouth and continued to cry.

  He Huan was very satisfied with the current result. She stepped forward to support Mrs. Tao, softened her tone and said: "Auntie, it's useless to talk about past things. We have to move on, and in the future we still need to raise money for Jingdi to take the imperial examination in Beijing..."

  "Didn't you say you were going to marry Shen Jinglin?" Wei Shi coldly snorted.

  "That's right." He Huan nodded firmly.

  "Even if you deliver yourself to his doorstep as a concubine, you still have to see if the Lin family's daughter is willing to let you in." Madam Wei poured cold water.

  He Xiang let out a soft laugh, ignoring her, and turned to say to Mrs. Tao: "Auntie, my mother is getting old, and I don't know how to do anything, so from now on, we'll have to rely on you for family matters."

  Tao's wife stared at He Huan in surprise, forgetting her tears. Although she was the eldest daughter-in-law, family matters had never been her concern to speak of.

  He Huan smiled at her and instructed Bai Miao to send Cao Shi back to her room. He himself supported Tao Shi in sitting down, speaking slowly: "Last night, my cousin died from a difficult labor, leaving behind a baby boy."

  "How could he be dead...... How did you know?" Tao's face was filled with incredulity.

  He Huan glanced at Wei Shi and continued: "The child has just been born, can't be without a mother, Shen Dage will definitely remarry."

  Wei looked at He Huan with a serious face and sneered: "You keep saying that you want to marry Shen Jinglun, do you have the ability to do so?"

  "Auntie, if you hadn't overdone it earlier..."

  "What's wrong, are you blaming me again?" Wei's heart reignited with hope. The beautiful dream of marrying into the Shen family made her temporarily forget about the three words "Auntie".

  Tao held He Huan's hand, furrowed his brow and asked: "Is it true that your cousin had a difficult birth?" She thought for a moment, shook her head and said: "Huan'er, she was just your cousin, and now she has passed away... Besides, marriage is always arranged by parents and matchmakers..." Her eyes showed a hint of disapproval as she shook her head and said: "Huan'er, I think it's better to forget about it."