Chapter 54: There is Room For the Poor Daughter
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Chapter 54: Interception
The news that the red plum was borrowed by the scholar, Head Master Zhu, somehow reached Daohua's ears.
However, Daohua didn't seem to care and continued doing what she was supposed to do without showing any reaction.
Wang Man'er, surprised, glanced at Daohua. "Miss, aren't you angry?" She knew that in order to make the two pots of red plums bloom earlier, the eldest young miss would spend time tending to them every night before going to bed.
Daohua, with a calm expression, replied, "The red plums have already been given to Mother. As long as she's happy with them, I won't be angry."
When Madam Li learned that the red plums had been lent to Head Master Zhu, she specially came to explain, saying that her husband had a hard time in the officialdom and needed to win the favor of his colleagues. If he didn't, it would be difficult for him to succeed as a county magistrate.
Daohua understood this.
Wang Man'er, however, was not as forgiving. "But it was Advisor Lin who suggested that Father lend them out."
Hearing this, Daohua put down her sewing, thought for a moment, and said, "Man'er, why do the people from Shuangxin Courtyard never know when to stop?"
Without hesitation, Wang Man'er responded, "Isn't it because of how much the master indulges them?" With no outsiders around, she freely spoke her mind.
Daohua resumed sewing. Although her skills were still lacking, she could at least recognize what she was stitching now.
"Yes, it all comes back to Father," she said quietly.
If it weren't for her father constantly indulging Advisor Lin, how would he dare do such a thing?
Wang Man'er sighed. "This is the problem with wealthy families—they can't avoid the rivalry between wives and concubines. When I used to follow Father on his errands, I often heard about the dirty deeds that happen behind closed doors in those grand households."
"Sometimes the first wife either sells or kills the concubines, or the concubines rise to power and bully the first wife. And in the most vicious cases, even the children—infants or toddlers—aren't spared."
Daohua paused at these words, realizing that something she thought only existed in novels and dramas could actually happen in real life, and so close to her own life.
She had always thought that men were rational, that foolish acts like favoring a concubine over a wife wouldn't occur. A wife could manage the household, attend social functions, and contribute to the family's prosperity, while a concubine's role was mainly to please the man. A rational man should understand how to treat both his wife and concubine.
But reality was different from theory.
In reality, few men could truly face all their feelings and relationships clearly. In the past, women were seen as men's accessories, and many men liked to be flattered to feed their male egos. Concubines, being in a low position, would naturally flatter and please men to secure a better life, and men with weak willpower or darker psychological traits were easily seduced by the concubine's sweet demeanor.
Was Madam Li not beautiful? No, she was even more beautiful than Concubine Lin, despite being a few years older.
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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Was Madam Li not virtuous? Who in the family dared deny Madam Li's contribution to the family's success?
So why did her father prefer Concubine Lin?
After much thought, Daohua concluded that there were three main reasons. First, her mother came from a merchant family, and in this hierarchical feudal society, most scholars looked down on merchants.
Second, her father had some lingering resentment. He had been a successful young scholar and could have married a wife from a family of equal status, but due to his poor background, he had to marry a woman from a merchant family—someone he secretly looked down on.
Third, her father had feelings of inferiority. In a world where men were expected to provide for their families, her father relied on her mother's dowry to support the family and advance in his career, which severely undermined his sense of self-worth. This made him more susceptible to Concubine Lin's manipulation.
With these three reasons, combined with Concubine Lin's deliberate attempts to win his favor, it was no surprise that her father was partial to the people from Shuangxin Courtyard.
Sighing again, Daohua resumed her sewing. This situation at home wouldn't change any time soon.
As for the red plums being lent out, there was no reaction from the main wife, but things were different in Shuangxin Courtyard.
Advisor Lin personally went to Head Master Zhu's house to retrieve the red plums and invited Miss Zhu Xiuyun to visit the county magistrate's courtyard.
Zhu Xiuyun and Yan Yishuang were good friends, and she happily agreed.
Instead of returning the plums to the main courtyard or the back courtyard where Madam Li was, Advisor Lin carried the plums directly to Shuangxin Courtyard.
Since County Magistrate Yan had never specified which daughter had cultivated the red plums, Zhu Xiuyun naturally assumed that they were Yan Yishuang's.
Yan Yishuang, having received instructions from Concubine Lin, went out early to meet Zhu Xiuyun. They met halfway.
"Xiuyun!"
"Yishuang!"
They hadn't seen each other since they stopped attending school, and now, upon meeting, they embraced joyfully.
Advisor Lin laughed and said, "Yishuang, why don’t you invite Xiuyun to sit in the pavilion?"
Yan Yishuang paused for a moment, noticing the open pavilion nearby. She wondered why her uncle would have them stay outside in the cold, but she always listened to her uncle's advice, so without much thought, she smiled and led Zhu Xiuyun to the pavilion.
Zhu Xiuyun didn’t object and happily said, "Yishuang, let me have a good look at the red plums. After my father brought them home, he wouldn’t even let me get close, as if afraid I might damage them."
Yan Yishuang thought the red plums were in her uncle's hands, so there was no harm in showing them to Zhu Xiuyun. Besides, she wanted to see them too.
The vibrant red plums were in full bloom, and she couldn't help but admire them.
Advisor Lin followed the two girls to the pavilion. He placed the red plums on a stone table in the pavilion, and the two girls immediately gathered around them.
Before long, Yan Yihuan and Yan Yile arrived after hearing that Zhu Xiuyun had come to the back courtyard. The four girls excitedly gathered around the red plums, laughing and chatting.
Advisor Lin watched the scene with a smile, his gaze occasionally shifting toward Songhe Courtyard.
He had already learned that this time of day, Daohua would be finishing her walk with Old Madam Yan and would usually return to the main courtyard along this path.
Sure enough, not long after, Daohua and Wang Man'er appeared in his line of sight.
"Miss, look, it’s the second young miss and the others, along with Miss Zhu. She must be returning the red plums!"
Wang Man'er, with her sharp eyes, immediately noticed the red plums surrounded by the group.
Daohua, too, saw the girls in the pavilion, but her attention was more focused on Concubine Lin, who was lingering in the area.
(End of Chapter)
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