Chapter 204: Not Being the Head of the Family
Seeing that the Second Master did not agree to divorce Mengxi on the grounds that she had done favors for the Xiao family, the Old Lady was afraid that if the Second Master pleaded for Mengxi in front of everyone, it would make the Xiao family appear to be in the wrong, so she interrupted him directly. Now that things had come to this, she had to decisively dissuade the Second Master from divorcing her.
When everyone saw that the old lady's tone was unusually stern, they all knew that the ancestor was angry, and their faces turned pale. Even the eldest master couldn't help but change his expression, and hesitated whether to scold his son.
The second master paused, then continued:
"Xi'er is Jun'er's first wife. Since Xi'er's background is not tolerated by the Xiao family's ancestral precepts, Jun'er is willing to assist my third brother in inheriting the position of head of the family. If the Xiao family really cannot tolerate Xi'er, grandma, father, mother, please forgive Jun'er for being unfilial. Jun'er would rather take Xi'er away from home than divorce her!"
A single stone stirs up a thousand ripples. The Shouxi Hall was in an uproar immediately after hearing the Second Master's words. The old lady's lips trembled, and she raised the cane in her hand and pointed at the Second Master, saying "you, you" for a long time but could not utter any other words. If it wasn't for this only grandson, she really wanted to cripple him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her trembling body was about to collapse, and only the shouts of the servants could be heard.
When the servants saw this, they were so frightened that they knelt on the ground and kowtowed to beg the old lady to calm down.
Seeing his mother so angry, the eldest master no longer cared about the rules and manners of the family, and even forgot about the servants in the room. He stepped forward and started beating her, cursing as he beat her:
"Rebellious son, rebellious son, what sin did I, Xiao Chen, commit in my previous life to give birth to an unworthy son like you? For the sake of a woman, you have even abandoned your family and forgotten the filial piety of our ancestors and the 'rule of propriety' of the saints. Today I will simply beat you to death to make it a clean slate, so that I will not disgrace my ancestors and become a sinner of the Xiao family!"
Xiao Jun just knelt there motionless and let the master beat him.
As if falling from the clouds, Xiu'er's face had already turned as pale as a wooden sculpture or clay statue. She cried out in despair in her heart: It's impossible, she and her cousin are childhood sweethearts, and her cousin loves her, not his wife. Her cousin will not change his mind, absolutely not!
This is just a bad dream and I will wake up soon.
The eldest mistress looked at the master beating the second master in a daze, as if she was unaware of anything. She couldn't understand why things suddenly took a turn for the worse and became like this.
It was clearly a situation where the Second Mistress was to leave the family, but in a blink of an eye, the Second Master was no longer the head of the family. It was clear that he had never slept in the Second Mistress's room, but how did they become a loving couple? Seeing the blood flowing down the Second Master's nose and mouth, she felt dizzy and her ears were buzzing. Jun'er was really no longer the head of the family. What could she expect for the rest of her life?
When the eldest wife thought of this, she slid off the chair with a thud and fainted.
"The first wife..."
"The first wife..."
Baozhu and Ziyue, who were kneeling on the side, saw the eldest wife fall to the ground. They climbed up and ran towards this side, screaming like pigs being slaughtered.
"Auntie, what's wrong with you..."
She watched the eldest wife slide to the ground in a daze, until she heard Baozhu Ziyue's scream, then Xiu'er came to her senses, rushed over, and screamed heart-wrenchingly, as if her mother had died.
For a moment, the hall of Shouxitang became as lively as a pot of boiling porridge.
…
"Second Madam, should we wait for Second Master to come back? Is it okay for us to leave like this before getting the divorce letter?"
Zhixia asked worriedly while packing her things.
After hearing Zhixia's words, Mengxi's expression darkened. She knew that the Second Master would stop her from leaving the mansion, but she didn't expect that he would give up being the head of the family for her. She was moved by this affection, but she couldn't bury her whole life in the Xiao Mansion and fight with groups of women just because she was moved. Since she had already torn her face with the Xiao family, she must leave this mansion!
Looking at Zhixia, he said quietly:
"Look at the way he was yesterday. Can I still get a divorce? I thought it would be easy to get a divorce now that my identity as a concubine has been revealed. But now it seems I have no choice but to leave by force."
"Second Madam kept it a secret so well that I never knew you were a concubine's daughter. You almost scared me to death yesterday..."
"Pack quickly. If it's too late, you might not be able to leave when the Second Master comes back. Take only the most important things. I'll buy you the rest after you leave the house."
After hearing what the second grandmother said, Zhixia didn't dare to say anything more and lowered her head to get busy.
After a while, they packed up the three small bags, and the master and his servants went out of the east wing and headed straight for the second gate of Xiaoxiang Courtyard. From a distance, they saw Xiao Xia talking to a few servants. Mengxi was startled. What was Xiao Xia doing at the second gate? After hesitating for a moment, he walked up to him.
Seeing them coming, Xiao Xia hurried forward and saluted:
"Second Grandma An, what are you going to do?"
"It's too boring in the courtyard, Second Madam. I want to go out for a walk."
Seeing Xiao Xia asking, Zhidong lied subconsciously.
Go out for a walk, what are you doing with the bag? Looking at the bags in their hands, Xiao Xia hesitated for a moment and said:
"Please stay, Madam. The Second Master has ordered you not to leave this courtyard until he comes back."
It seems that the only option is to move out the old lady. After hearing what Xiao Xia said, Meng Xi frowned and said lightly:
"I think you have heard that the old lady has agreed to divorce me. I am leaving the house according to the old lady's order. When the second master comes back, please tell him."
When Xiao Xia heard this, he fell to his knees and said:
"I beg you, Madam. It is better to wait until the Second Master is exempted from punishment. You can talk to her in person when you come back. I dare not make the decision on my own."
Mengxi listened and thought to herself, this is trouble. She lowered her head and thought for a while before saying:
"This is something that the old lady and the eldest master have already decided. Now that the second master is back, you are only responsible for passing on the message. It is not your turn to make the decision!"
"Second Madam is right. This is not something I can decide. Second Madam, you don't know. I was supposed to accompany Second Master to be punished, but Second Master was worried that the old lady would take advantage of his punishment to drive you out of the house, so he specifically asked me to come back to look after you. He also told me to tell you that no matter what, you have to wait for him to come back. I beg Second Madam to grant your wish."
Damn! When he comes back, can he still let her go? Meng Xi heard this, her face darkened, and she angrily shouted:
"You are such a daring servant! How dare you disobey the old lady's words? Let's see who dares to stop you today!"
After Mengxi finished speaking, she looked up and signaled the two girls, without even looking at Xiao Xia who was kneeling on the ground, she took a step forward and tried to force her way in.
Seeing this, Xiao Xia turned around and glanced at the servants at the door. When the servants saw this, they hurried forward and knelt in a row, blocking the three people's way. Xiao Xia knelt down and crawled a few steps, blocking Meng Xi, and kowtowed:
"Since the Second Master is injured and kneeling in the ancestral temple, I beg Second Madam to stop making trouble . The Second Master contradicted the Old Madam yesterday because of you, and the First Madam is now bedridden. The Old Madam and the First Master didn't even have breakfast today. You see, the Xiao Mansion is gloomy all day long, and we servants are also worried! I kowtow to you. If Second Madam wants to leave the house, you should wait for the Second Master to come back and tell him in person."
“Get out of the way!”
"Please don't embarrass me anymore, Madam. If you really want to leave the house, you might as well kill me and walk over my body. If I let you go, I will die if you come back."
Xiao Xia was so determined that he knelt there and blocked Meng Xi's way.
No matter how smart Ren Mengxi was, she was helpless against this kind of stalker. She looked up at Zhixia and Zhidong, who also shook their heads at her. Then she looked at the servants kneeling in a row. She and the three women could not force their way in. If they continued to stalemate, it would be bad for everyone to see them. She secretly regretted not bringing her bag. Seeing that she could not get out today, she could only go back to the house and think of a way. Thinking of this, Mengxi said to Zhixia:
"Let's go back to the house"
"I thank Second Madam for your help. I respectfully send you off!"
After hearing what Xiao Xia said, Meng Xi wanted to turn around and kick him to death, but unfortunately, it was not worth it to do that to a servant.
…
Although it was noon and the sun was shining brightly, the ancestral hall of the Xiao Mansion was particularly dark because the windows were seldom opened. In the middle of the ancestral hall hung the portrait of the ancestor of the eldest master's branch of the Xiao family, with several portraits of ancestors lined up on both sides. Due to the lack of frequent ventilation, there was a damp smell everywhere, mixed with the smell of incense and candles, which drifted into Xiao Jun's nose and made him feel dizzy. He had been kneeling for almost a day and a night.
Since he voluntarily gave up the position of head of the family yesterday because of Mengxi's status as a concubine's daughter, which made the first wife faint, the eldest master was furious and made him kneel in the family ancestral hall as punishment, and asked him to reflect on his mistakes in front of the ancestors. He could come out when he figured it out and took back what he said yesterday.
Want him to take back what he said yesterday?
Unless the seas run dry and the rocks crumble, he would rather kneel until the end of time than regret what he said yesterday, never!
The wound on his hand caused by the scissors had not been treated and had already oozed pus and became swollen and painful. It seemed as if his entire right arm was numb and drooped stiffly to one side, unable to lift it. His face, which was red and swollen from being beaten by the eldest master, also felt numb. But what really broke his heart was not these but Mengxi's words, "The second master is a passerby from now on." The tone was so resolute, without a trace of nostalgia.
Erye is just a passerby from now on!
Erye is just a passerby from now on!
This sentence still echoed in his ears, making him feel sad as if a knife cut his heart. He knew Mengxi wanted to leave the Xiao Mansion, but he didn't expect her to be so resolute. After being married for so long, she never called him husband. She called him Second Master like the servants in the mansion, and called his father, mother, and grandmother the eldest master, the eldest lady, and the old lady. She never called her father, mother, and grandmother like him. She never regarded her as a member of the Xiao family.
With this thought, even a man of steel could no longer endure the torture of physical and mental exhaustion. His body could not help but shake. He stretched out his left hand to his chest. The bloody hair was still there, which made him feel relieved. He silently said in his heart:
Xier, you swore yesterday that you would never marry anyone else except me in this life. This black hair is my witness!
Xiao Jun was so drowsy that he could not remember Meng Xi's entire oath. He only engraved this sentence in his heart. Suddenly, Meng Xi was walking towards him with a smile, and whispering this ancient oath to him. Meeting Meng Xi's smiling eyes, Xiao Jun smiled and said to her softly:
Xi'er, you swore an oath, don't go back on your word! You will be struck by lightning!
Xier, I have held your hand in this life and I will never let go even if I die.
With a sad smile on his lips, Xiao Jun's stiff body slowly fell to the cold and damp ground.
If Mengxi knew that Xiao Jun would understand her oath in this way, she would not know whether she would bang her head against the wall, but she would definitely believe that Ah Q, created by Mr. Lu Xun in his previous life, was based on ancient people like Xiao Jun.
But Xiao Jun didn't know that Mengxi was struck by lightning when she vowed to have an affair. It would be strange if she was really scared! Otherwise, there would be no smile on his face.
