Chapter 41: Indiscriminate Crying Spree

Facing the bewildered and shocked gazes of the crowd, Xin Nian curled her lip. She raised a hand to brush away her messy sideburns and gradually softened her tone.

"I know it is too late to say these things now. Since things have already turned out this way, as a junior, it is not easy for me to say much more."

"But as the matriarch, you should at least manage the family affairs. The third daughter-in-law has reached this state; you must take some responsibility, right? Spoiling a child is no different from killing one. If you continue to indulge her, I fear she might lose her life."

"Sixth... Sixth Sister, you are... you are going too far!" Zhuang's biological daughter, Xin Mengxue, spoke up weakly, twisting her sleeves.

Her voice, thin as a chick's, was instantly crushed—*clatter!*—by the Sixth Lady's five words: "How am I going too far?"

Xin Mengxue was bullied into tears, bowing her head and sobbing incessantly.

Xin Wen'an, stung by shame and anger, snapped, "You little brat, don't be too much! What... what kind of attitude is this? Ah! You just scold anyone you catch! Your Third Aunt is your elder, after all, you—"

"Elder, elder! Who are you to be an elder? Do you even act like one? You're already on the road to exile, yet you're still here acting like a big shot in front of me."

"If you have the spare time, use it to look after your own wife and daughter instead of constantly demanding your eldest sister to take care of that third useless person. The first branch is a family of widows and orphans; they can barely look after themselves, yet you expect them to look after you? What debt are you running up?"

"No one is as much of a nuisance as your Third Branch—both poor and pretentious. You're so incredibly tiresome! Always hovering around us; even rotting meat isn't as loathed as you lot."

"You, you, you!!" Xin Wen'an was so angry he nearly couldn't catch his breath.

Zhuang covered her face and wailed, "Oh heavens, she's truly leaving us no way to live, having a junior scold us like this."

"Cry, cry until you die. Your whole family does nothing but cry. You'll probably cry yourselves to death on the road; when that happens, we'll just roll you up in a straw mat and save the trouble of a burial!"

The crowd: "..."

Not only were the Xin family members shocked, but the exiles from the Earl of Yongkang's and the Marquis of Enyi's estates, who were watching the spectacle from a distance, were also left dumbfounded.

That young girl's sharp tongue was something else; whoever she targeted was doomed.

The old matriarch's fingers trembled with rage. Unable to win an argument against her granddaughter, she turned to find her spendthrift son. "Fourth! Fourth, oh Fourth~"

The Fourth son was a cunning man; the moment his daughter started her indiscriminate verbal onslaught, he had quietly slipped behind to watch the show.

For no other reason than the fact that once his daughter opened fire, she was unstoppable...

When the old lady called him loudly, the spendthrift son had no choice but to trot over, offering a silly, comforting smile. "Mother, this has nothing to do with you. Why are you stepping in front of the Third Wife's side?"

"Oh, let the children solve their own problems, right? You should hurry and eat some dry rations. It'll be bumpy later when we're riding on Miss Zhao's back, and it won't be convenient to eat."

The old lady was so angry she nearly fell over. "Your Sixth Girl is acting like this, and you... you don't even say a word?"

"Mother, the children are grown; they have their own thoughts and principles. Let them handle their own affairs; we should just watch from the sidelines and not meddle blindly."

The old lady was moved to tears by her spendthrift son's audacity...

It was utterly unbelievable!

"Is this how you indulge your daughter?!"

"Mother, look at how you put it. She is my only precious daughter; if I don't indulge her, who will? Besides, I know her temperament well. If the Third Wife hadn't gone to provoke her, would she have received such a scolding?"

"Mother, don't take this the wrong way, but the Third Wife is truly out of line. As the Fourth Uncle, it's not my place to say much about my Third Sister-in-law, but you are her mother-in-law. There are things you ought to say, right? You can't just keep indulging them. These are all small matters now, but if things escalate later, you'll regret it."

"Me?" The old lady felt the direction of the conversation was slightly off, a question mark slowly forming in her mind.

Wasn't he just accusing the Sixth Girl? Why had it shifted to the Third Wife?

The Fourth son continued his persuasion. "Xiao Liu is still young; if she says something out of line or does something extreme, it's understandable. How old is the Third Wife? Why is she nitpicking like a little girl?"

"Her child is even older than my daughter; it's time she acted more maturely. Good heavens, you need to have a serious talk with her. Stop staring at other families every day trying to pry into everything; she's not a professional gossip."

"And then there's my Third Brother. It's not that I, as his younger brother, want to badmouth him behind his back, but he really needs to be more decent. What his wife is like, what he is as a husband... how could he not know?"

"He actually knows everything. I know my Third Brother; he's not a bad man, but he has too many small, complicated schemes. In the future, if there's anything, he should just come to me directly. Don't let the Third Wife always step forward to handle things; it makes things difficult for my wife and daughter."

The old lady was left dizzy by her youngest son's rambling. "Then... then the Sixth Girl shouldn't treat her Third Uncle and Aunt like that. You should at least say something..."

"I will definitely say something, but the child was just acting out of anger; she has no ill intent. It's mainly the Third Wife—why would she go and provoke that child for no reason? If she hadn't actively approached her, would this have happened? So, Mother, you really must have a good word with the Third Wife."

The old lady thought there was some truth to it. "Sigh, I understand. I will tell the Third Wife to stop hovering around your side in the future."

The spendthrift son beamed. "Mother, I knew it! You are the most reasonable person. As long as you are in this family, nothing major will ever happen."

"At your age, you should be enjoying a life of leisure, yet you've ended up in this exile."

"But don't worry. As long as your son is around, I will ensure your journey is somewhat comfortable. But you must cooperate with me, alright? My wife and daughter have it too hard, truly... please stop causing trouble for my girl in the future. She is the most well-behaved. If you don't actively seek her out, she will live in peace with everyone."

The old lady was led away by the Fourth son, leaving the Third Branch family wailing and looking at one another. Even the old lady, who could usually keep them in line, had been taken away by the spendthrift son. Who could they turn to now?

Zhuang was unwilling; she had been scolded for no reason and felt a pain in her chest from anger.

But Xin Nian's tongue was too sharp, and she didn't dare confront her. Coupled with the guard shouting for everyone to move quickly, she could only mutter curses under her breath as she dragged the sobbing Xin Mengxue away.

The guard, Old Zhang, glanced at Xin Mocheng and gave a half-smile. "The Third Young Master is a lucky one; he actually woke up."

He cast a probing look toward Xie Ninglan and her daughter. "It seems the Sixth Lady's medicine is quite effective. I didn't realize a young lady's medical skills were so profound."

Xin Nian's gaze drifted over the older man. She smiled. "Is Officer Zhang... also looking to take some medicine?"

Old Zhang felt a chill in her eyes—a bone-deep chill...

Without thinking, he gave an awkward laugh and shook his head. "Ah, haha, the Sixth Lady jokes. We must set off. Everyone, pack up; we must reach the Hengxian station today."

(End of Chapter)