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Ruyi was crying and asking her brother and sister-in-law to take charge for her. The Fang Family comforted Ruyi, assuring her that they would support her, then she turned to look at Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua.
“Fourth Brother, Sister Four, you are here today too, you should say something! Ruyi has been bullied, if we don’t restore her dignity, not only will Ruyi have a hard time living, but our Xie Family will also lose face!”
“What does Sister-in-law plan to do for Ruyi? Are you going to kill that Gao Zhengping, or report him to the Government for humiliating a respectable girl? Or do you want Ruyi to just accept being treated as Second Branch by that Gao Zhengping?” Xie Youshun asked sternly. “Sister-in-law, you keep saying we can’t let the Xie Family lose face, but the first two options definitely won’t work. If we make Ruyi that man’s Second Branch, I, as a man, cannot agree to that.”
Xie Youshun already disliked Gao Zhengping because of the incident with Xiao Lihua. Later, he learned from Hua Heng that the past events involving Xiao Lihua were also related to the Gao Family. His dislike turned into anger; he wanted to punch Gao Zhengping. The thought of having Ruyi become the Second Branch of that man and having to negotiate with him made it impossible for him to speak. If he weren’t worried that beating up Gao Zhengping would put Ruyi in a difficult position, he would have already killed him.
In fact, Xie Youshun had already hit Gao Zhengping several times, and now Gao Zhengping was in another room groaning in pain with a swollen face.
The Fang Family glanced at Xiao Lihua, saying, “Fourth Brother, you don’t intend to ignore this matter, do you? This trouble actually started because of you! Who doesn’t know that back in the day, Sister Four was involved with the Gao Family, and even offended them?”
Xiao Lihua’s expression darkened as she replied, “Sister-in-law, the Gao Family wronged me; it’s not my fault. Besides, the Gao Family made me leave back then; that matter is settled. It makes no sense to cause trouble for Ruyi over something that happened so many years ago. Ruyi is not some extraordinary beauty.”
Initially crying softly, upon hearing Xiao Lihua’s words, which clearly belittled her, Ruyi stopped crying out of anger and began to cry even harder.
“Fourth Brother! Look at what Sister Four is saying! I’ve been harmed like this and she feels no guilt and even mocks me! You have to take charge for me!”
“Stop talking!”
Xie Youshun, unhappy as well, said: “Even if the people from the Gao Family have grievances against us, they would confront us directly. We haven’t had any issues in all these years. Now that Ruyi has gotten into trouble on her own accord, how can you blame my wife for it? What kind of reasoning is that? If later on, if my brother or sister-in-law offends someone and we have some conflict with them, should we also hold my brother or sister-in-law accountable?”
The Fang Family, opening her mouth but unable to respond, only wanted to see if they could get help from Xie Youshun. At the very least, she hoped they could contribute some money. She knew that they had silver; after all, the village of Shangqiao would return three hundred taels! She had previously tried to ask for it but failed; she was still unwilling to give up.
Stepping forward a couple of paces, Xiao Lihua quietly said: “Ruyi, you brought this upon yourself. Since you’ve already decided to do this, then you should deal with this mess yourself! We are just your brother and sister-in-law; we are not your parents. This matter should be decided by your parents!”
Looking into Ruyi’s eyes, Xiao Lihua confirmed her suspicions; this situation was indeed caused by Ruyi. What surprised her was the look in the eyes of the Fang Family. Did they also know about this?
Inwardly astonished, Xiao Lihua had long known that although the Fang Family always pretended to be fair and upright as an elder sister-in-law, they were actually someone who never lost out and loved taking advantage. However, she never expected them to be bold enough to help Ruyi with such absurdity.
“Sister Four, you can’t wrong me! I’m nothing like you! I’m innocent! You went out seducing men and got beaten up; don’t think everyone else is as despicable!” With flushed cheeks turning pale again, Ruyi glared fiercely at Xiao Lihua. Being seen through by her made her furious.
The Fang Family, also angrily said: “Sister Four, isn’t it enough that Ruyi is already pitiful? You’re still poking at her heart; how cruel can you be! You suspect that Ruyi went out looking for men; why don’t you think about how could she possibly pursue someone like that Gao Zhengping! That man has grievances against you and already has a wife at home. His wife from the Su Family is someone you’ve offended before; why would Ruyi go out of her way to humiliate herself? Only a fool would seek him out!”
Ruyi called out "Sister-in-law," her eyes turning red as she covered her face and began to cry.
Xiao Lihua felt a bit puzzled. After all, Ruyi had mentioned just a few days ago that she was interested in Zhao Linting. How could she suddenly be entangled with Gao Zhengping? Moreover, Gao Zhengping was already married. Ruyi was proud and would she really be willing to become a concubine, especially after having Zhao Linting as a comparison?
Zhao Linting? Zhao Linting was also in this temple.
A light bulb went off in Xiao Lihua's mind, and she thought of a possibility: could it be that Ruyi intended to set up Zhao Linting today but accidentally ran into Gao Zhengping instead? And Zhao Linting avoided that disaster because Meihua helped him. Previously, Zhao Linting mentioned that Meihua had done him a great favor but refused to disclose the details; it must have been something embarrassing for him not to share.
If that were the case, Ruyi truly brought this upon herself; Heaven was indeed watching.
"That's right, with Ruyi being so outstanding, even if she wanted to marry up, she wouldn't think of becoming someone's concubine. She would at least aim for someone like Zhao Gongzi," Xiao Lihua said deliberately, watching Ruyi stiffen and a flicker of regret flash in Fang Family's eyes. She thought to herself that it really was the case; Ruyi deserved it!
Fang Family angrily said, "If you had helped settle Zhao Gongzi's marriage earlier, would Ruyi be in this situation? It's all your fault! You need to help Ruyi get through this today!"
Xiao Lihua replied, "We're not matchmakers, and Ruyi came here on her own accord. Honestly, it's fortunate we didn't assist with that marriage proposal; otherwise, we would owe Zhao Gongzi an apology."
Xiao Lihua felt increasingly annoyed at the two shameless women who conspired against Zhao Linting and now wanted to blame her for their self-inflicted troubles. It was absurd; she wasn't a soft target. She could imagine how furious Zhao Linting would be if Ruyi succeeded today; perhaps their next meeting would only be met with indifference.
"If you two keep dragging us into this, don't blame me for exposing your past misdeeds! By then, even Gao Zhengping will despise you both; don't even think about becoming a concubine! Even if I don't tell outsiders, if I mention it to our parents, you both won't have it easy!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? We have no shameful deeds!" Fang Family's expression changed.
"Exactly! Even if you don't want to help me, don't try to deceive me with lies!" Ruyi was also too frightened to cry now.
"You know what I'm talking about. If you want to bite back at us, don't blame me for swinging my stick! Think carefully about how to resolve this mess yourselves!"
After threatening them fiercely, Xiao Lihua turned back to Xie Youshun's side. She wasn't afraid of offending Ruyi; clarifying the situation made it easier to handle later.
Fang Family and Ruyi both wilted. They hadn't expected Xiao Lihua to know about their actions and were left wondering if she had seen Zhao Linting. Did Zhao Linting tell her about this? Considering what had happened before, it must be so.
Xie Youshun heard what Xiao Lihua said and shot an angry glare at Fang Family and Ruyi. He told Xiao Lihua that this matter wasn't for them to manage and that their parents should take charge.
The abbot of Dabai Temple was frustrated. This place was the temple's backyard and still considered part of the temple grounds. Although many couples had formed due to flower-viewing events here, no one had ever dared engage in illicit affairs in such a place. To protect the temple's reputation, he strictly ordered those aware of the incident not to mention it again. He also emphasized how important it was for the Gao Family and Xie Family to handle this matter without mentioning Dabai Temple. Naturally, both families agreed completely. In the end, Gao Zhengping donated five hundred taels of silver to Dabai Temple as an act of atonement.
"Five hundred taels, how great that would be for us."
The Li Family whispered, knowing that Ruyi had actually gotten involved with Gao Zhengping. She and Xie Youhe were neither worried nor afraid; they were just surprised and delighted. The Gao Family was wealthy, and if Ruyi married into that family, she would live a life of luxury, while they would become in-laws with the Gao Family and could benefit from it. Now that Gao Zhengping had suddenly given five hundred taels to Dabai Temple, the Li Family's eyes lit up. Wealthy families truly had their riches; even a small amount of gold or silver leaking through their fingers would be enough for them to live off for a lifetime.
Xie Youhe thought the same way and discussed with his older brother about making sure Ruyi got the upper hand; this marriage must be secured.
Xie Youtai and the Zi Clan frowned tightly, standing together with Xie Youshun. Both were curious about why Ruyi would do something so embarrassing; it was high time she moved out of the Old House.
The Wang Clan held Ruyi and cried, while Xie Shengcai's old face turned red with anger as he tried to confront Gao Zhengping but was stopped.
Ruyi had already become intimate with Gao Zhengping; there was no turning back for her. Although she was dissatisfied with the fact that Gao Zhengping had a wife, she was unwilling to back down. If she didn't marry Gao Zhengping, her only options were to become a nun or marry a very poor man from far away. She certainly didn't want that, so her intention was to enter the Gao Family.
Gao Zhengping agreed not to escalate the situation further. Even though Xie Youshun had hit him, and despite the confusing circumstances under which he and Ruyi ended up together, he was somewhat satisfied with Ruyi herself. Remembering her smooth skin and sweet voice, he didn't want to just throw her away after one encounter; he thought about bringing her back as a concubine, which didn't seem too bad.
The two families reached a preliminary agreement. Gao Zhengping gave a piece of jade he carried to the Xie Family, while Ruyi gave him one of her pouches as a token of exchange. As for what happened next, they would discuss it later at home.
In the meantime, Xiao Lihua had already met with Zhao Linting and confirmed her suspicions. Zhao Linting admitted that if it weren't for the Plum Blossom Gang helping him, he would have truly fallen into Ruyi's trap. In a fit of anger, he had thrown Gao Zhengping into the room where Ruyi was.
Xiao Lihua thought about whether Ruyi's entry into the Gao Family was fortunate or unfortunate; however, it didn't concern her anymore. After all, she had already torn her relationship with Ruyi apart. Even if Ruyi entered the Gao Family, she shouldn't expect Xiao Lihua to do anything bad for her.
Yang Cao and the others also learned about this matter but kept their mouths shut. They only lamented Ruyi's fate with Xiao Lihua and were somewhat worried that Xiao Lihua might be unhappy because of Ruyi entering the Gao Family. Seeing that she showed no reaction reassured them.
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