Jiang Mu frowned and deliberately raised his voice: “Just because she’s noble, does that mean she can’t do anything when her elder sister used to handle everything? Miss acts like a young lady, but her body is that of a servant girl!”
Jiang Mu raised his voice, and Wang Shi immediately nodded and agreed. The Jiang family’s house was not very large, and the sound insulation was naturally not good. Jiang Xing, who was eavesdropping by pressing his ears to the door, naturally heard what Jiang Mu said.
She bit her lip and lay back on the bed, not at all reflecting on her actions as Jiang Mu had hoped. Thinking about how Jiang Chuan would live a comfortable life with the Jiang Sen family, while she had to follow Wang Shi to do laundry and cook, Jiang Xing’s eyes turned red with jealousy.
Why? A person who was usually the lowest in the family had now transformed into a young lady of a prestigious family. This world was truly unfair.
Still feeling the injustice, Jiang Xing heard no movement outside, but then gradually heard footsteps approaching her room. Jiang Xing immediately stood up, positioned herself in the corner facing the wall, looking as helpless as possible.
Wang Shi opened the door and saw this scene. She immediately felt heartbroken. Seeing that Jiang Mu was no longer in the main hall, Wang Shi quickly entered the room.
The concern for Jiang Xing had long surpassed the fear of Jiang Mu. She hurriedly pulled Jiang Xing to sit at the edge of the bed. Seeing the slightly messy quilt, Wang Shi didn’t think much of it.
“You silly girl, if your father told you to reflect on your actions, would you really do it?”
Wang Shi discreetly handed a steamed bun she had hidden to Jiang Xing, watching as Jiang Xing held the bun without savoring it, and asked, “Mother, do you think Second Sister will eat steamed buns when she arrives at Uncle’s house?”
Wang Shi casually remarked, “How could that be? In the scholarly gentleman’s house, would they eat such steamed buns? They must be having lavish meals with big fish and meat every day.”
Jiang Xing immediately threw down the steamed bun in frustration. “Then I won’t eat. Why should Second Sister enjoy delicious food and spicy dishes in someone else’s house while I have to eat tasteless steamed buns at home? Clearly, she never even had the chance to eat steamed buns before.”
Wang Shi immediately embraced Jiang Xing, her precious darling, and comforted her for a long time, “Do you think it’s a good thing to be adopted by your eldest uncle’s family? The adopted children and their adoptive parents are always separated by a layer. When she gets married later, you’ll see if your eldest uncle’s family will still care about her. In the end, I will act as if I never gave birth to her.”
“You should know that a woman’s life can only depend on a man. Before you get married, you rely on your parents, and after you get married, the only ones you can rely on are your maternal family and brothers.”
“The more useful your natal family is, the more support you’ll have in your in-laws’ house. So, your father and I are doing everything we can to ensure your older brother gets an education; it’s for your future support.”
Jiang Xing was indeed Wang Shi’s heart, and she carefully explained these things to her. Whether it was for Jiang Xing’s benefit or to manipulate her, only Wang Shi knew.
“Although your Second Sister is currently living well, once she gets married, the Jiang Sen family won’t consider her part of their family anymore. We won’t care about her, and she will face difficult times.”
As Wang Shi spoke, it was unclear whether she was trying to convince Jiang Xing or herself.
Jiang Xing, now comforted by Wang Shi, listened as Wang Shi described the miserable future of Jiang Chuan. It seemed like Jiang Chuan’s hardships brought Jiang Xing great joy.
Having finally comforted Jiang Xing, Wang Shi returned to her room. She found Jiang Mu still pacing around nervously, seemingly anxious compared to when they had dinner.
Wang Shi’s concern immediately heightened; in her heart, Jiang Mu was the most important.
“What’s wrong? Everything was fine during dinner.”
Jiang Mu paced non-stop. “Tomorrow, at the private school, someone will definitely ask about how the eldest sister was adopted. I need to come up with a good explanation. What should I do?”
It was his fault. When he heard Jiang Sen offer to sponsor Jiang Miao’s expenses to take the imperial examination in the capital, he was momentarily dazzled. If he had refused Jiang Sen’s proposal at that time, everything he left behind would be in good standing now.
For example, insisting on not selling his daughter despite the family’s poverty. But he didn’t expect that it was he who let slip the news to Jiang Chuan through Wang Shi.
It could only be said that Jiang Mu was inherently selfish and accustomed to his own interests. He only cared about his own reputation and completely disregarded the original owner’s life and death.
In his heart, Jiang Chan was already someone they had abandoned. Jiang Chan’s entire life was deemed worthy of dedicating to them, without any complaints. In the end, this group of vampires even gained a good reputation and lived a beautiful life.
Now, Jiang Chan, who had been exploited by them all along, has left the Jiang family. So, who will be the next one to be exploited? Jiang Chan is looking forward to it. She turned over, pondering what she should do tomorrow, before drifting into a deep sleep.
Wang Shi became anxious. She frowned and finally clapped her hands after a while. “Since the eldest sister has left our family, if someone asks, just say she couldn’t bear our impoverished life and voluntarily chose to be adopted by her uncle.”
Jiang Mu pondered for a moment. “I guess that’s the only way.”
After the two lay down with the lights off, in the darkness, Jiang Mu sighed suddenly. “Ten taels of silver for the eldest sister, what a loss.”
Wang Shi murmured, “Who said it wasn’t? It’s just that you didn’t ask for more at that time.”
“Let it go. The eldest sister has nothing to do with us now.”
______
Before five in the morning, Jiang Chuan sat up from the bed. This was her biological clock, as well as the original owner’s biological clock. She got up early to go out and deliver milk for work, while the original owner got up early purely because of Wang Shi’s demands.
The original owner had to chop wood, cook, wash clothes, feed chickens, etc., all early in the morning. On the contrary, Little Sister Jiang Xing could sleep until breakfast was ready, showing Wang Shi’s partiality.
After a brief wash, Jiang Chuan went to the kitchen. The cook, Li Ma, had just gotten up. Seeing Jiang Chuan coming in, she was a bit surprised. “Miss, why are you up so early? Why don’t you get some more sleep?”
Li Ma was a woman in her fifties. Jiang Chuan washed her hands and said, “Good morning, Li Ma. I’m used to getting up early, so I thought I’d come to the kitchen to see if there’s anything I can help with.”
Li Ma smiled gently, with wrinkles on her face. “What could be busy here? Miss, you’d better go back and rest for a while.”
Jiang Chuan neither agreed nor disagreed. “Then I’ll stay here and chat with Li Ma. I used to get up early at home.”
Li Ma and Wang Ma were both elderly members of the family. Yesterday, they learned that Jiang Sen had adopted a niece. They didn’t expect the original owner’s life to be so hard and they couldn’t help but feel especially sorry for Jiang Chuan.
Jiang Chuan didn’t mean to complain. She just stayed in the kitchen, chatting with Li Ma while looking for something she could do.
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