Chapter 10: Ten Times More Hateful

The Old Madam was stunned. She glanced behind Qiange and Qianwu, and only then did she notice that there wasn't a single maid or servant girl behind these two granddaughters. Looking at the Third Miss, however, she was followed by a long, trailing line of people; anyone who didn't know better would have thought she was the eldest legitimate daughter of the household.

Anger surfaced on the Old Madam's face. It wasn't that she was unaware that Lady Lu, the stepmother, treated the two legitimate granddaughters poorly, but as long as it was acceptable on the surface and didn't go too far, she would turn a blind eye. She hadn't expected Lady Lu to be so short-sighted as to even tamper with the servants assigned to them.

Lady Lu cried out inwardly that things had gone wrong. She had received news from a maid beside her daughter and had hurriedly invited the Old Madam along, hoping to strike while the iron was hot and make the Old Madam loathe the Second Miss even more. She hadn't expected that the usually submissive Second Miss would actually dare to complain.

Lady Lu immediately put on an appearance of uncontrollable rage: "These wicked servants have truly rebelled! I sent them to look after the Second Miss, yet they actually took advantage of her injury to sneak out and slack off. Someone, go catch them! Give them each forty strokes of the board and dock two months of their monthly allowance!"

An elderly servant immediately responded and led several people out to catch the culprits.

The Old Madam's expression softened slightly, and she gave a faint warning: "The Eldest Miss and the Second Miss are my own biological granddaughters. When you assign people to serve them again, choose those who are loyal and honest. Do not let the two girls suffer any more grievances."

"Yes, your daughter-in-law will certainly choose carefully," Lady Lu replied verbally, but in her heart, she was filled with murderous hatred. *They are your biological granddaughters, then what does the Third Miss count as?* Even though she was a stepmother, she had now been entered into the clan register; anyone inside or outside the house who saw her had to call her "Madam. How could she be any worse than the first wife!*

Xue Qiandai also gritted her teeth secretly. She knew it; no matter how well-behaved she acted, no matter how much the Old Madam seemed to like her on the surface, in the Old Madam's heart, she still couldn't compare to those two bitches, Xue Qianwu and Xue Qiange! Xue Qianwu had a powerful and noble husband's family, so the Old Madam valued her—she could accept that. But what about Xue Qiange? How was she any better than her? She was nothing more than a child born from the womb of the deceased Lady Fu!

The Old Madam added, "Selecting servants will take time. Mother Wang, pick two careful and reliable maids from my courtyard and assign them to the Eldest Miss and the Second Miss to use for the time being."

"Yes, Old Madam, this servant will go and handle it immediately," Mother Wang, standing behind her, promised.

"Grandmother, thank you for your concern," Qianwu and Qiange said in unison with expressions of gratitude. However, while Xue Qianwu was truly grateful to the Old Madam, Qiange could not feel any gratitude in her heart.

In her past life, she had also initially thought the Old Madam was genuinely kind to her and her sister. It wasn't until she was framed by Lady Lu, and her sister lost her virtue while trying to save her, that everything changed. When her maternal family heard the news and broke the engagement, the Old Madam's attitude toward her sister changed instantly. On several occasions, the Old Madam had pointed her finger at her sister's nose, scolding her for ruining the family reputation and being shameless, without showing even the slightest intention of seeking justice for her.

At this moment, she saw it even more clearly. The Old Madam's previous words weren't about their noble status at all; they were simply planting thorns in the hearts of Lady Lu and Xue Qiandai. The more Lady Lu mistreated the sisters, the more the Old Madam would step forward to protect them, making them feel more grateful, which would naturally allow her to reap even more benefits from them in the future.

Qiange sneered inwardly. While Lady Lu was certainly detestable, she ultimately had no blood relation to them. But the Old Madam, as their biological grandmother, had indulged Lady Lu in mistreating them—she was ten times more loathsome than Lady Lu! In this household, aside from her and her sister, no one else possessed even a shred of familial affection for them; it was all nothing but exploitation.

The Old Madam was very satisfied with the look of gratitude on her two granddaughters' faces. Her previous displeasure vanished, replaced by a face full of kindness as she asked, "What happened just now? Why was Huamei, who serves the Third Miss, being punished out of the blue?"