Volume 2: Eagle vs. Dragon Chapter 94: Cracks
Guangzhou Flag City.
The weather has been dry recently, and drinking the water from the Pearl River can easily cause a sore throat. Cai Qinghua is not used to drinking herbal tea, and two blisters have appeared at the corners of his mouth.
But what made him even more irritated was Wu Chengjian's attitude.
The reason why Wu Chengjian was placed in the Guangzhou prison was to "play a long game and catch a big fish".
As a result, when the bait was thrown out, the float moved several times. People from the Wu family came, Zhou Yijin went, and even Liu Quan appeared.
And then nothing happened.
"He still hasn't responded?" Guangxing asked coldly.
Cai Qinghua was speechless and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Originally, things seemed to be going smoothly, but Wu Chengjian just didn't respond.
"Okay!" Guangxing said, "I didn't expect that I would have to meet him in the end!"
Xiguan Street.
Ye Youyu handed the things to Ye Zhong, and told him what Zhou Yijin had said, and then returned to the Wu family mansion under the protection of Changzi. Both families were on Xiguan Street, but because they had to avoid the main street and go through the alleys and small roads, and because it was dark and they were afraid of falling, they walked very slowly, which took a lot of time.
Although he managed to keep himself calm along the way, he was still a little uneasy because he didn't know whether Zhou Yijin's plan would succeed.
After finally returning home, I sat down to take a breath, and then I heard Chunrui coming over and saying, "Third Young Madam, the First Young Madam wants to see you."
If it was any other time, Cai Qiaozhu would have told Ye Youyu to hurry over, but she was really tired today, so she said, "I'm really tired. Can you go over and tell the eldest young lady that I'll be there early tomorrow morning?"
Chunrui thought to herself: "How can the eldest young lady come to call me at this time without any reason? If I reply like this, the people in the right courtyard will definitely think that the third young lady is putting on airs." However, she looked at Ye Youyu's face and saw that she was really tired. She looked at her belly, opened her mouth, and finally said nothing.
Dongxue brought a bowl of bird's nest soup over. Ye Youyu drank a few sips and wanted to lie down to rest without washing up. Unexpectedly, Chunrui came back and said, "Third Young Madam, the eldest young madam said that you should go over. If it is really inconvenient for you, she can come over." After a pause, she continued, "Third Young Madam, the eldest young madam must be very angry. I have never seen her like this before."
Ye Youyu also guessed why, and sighed softly, so he didn't ask any more questions, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go over."
Ye Youyu, supported by Dongxue, slowly walked to the right yard.
Wu Liu brought eight servants and guarded the gate of the courtyard. When he saw Ye Youyu, he invited her in.
Ye Youyu entered the yard and saw Cai Qiaozhu sitting under a pear tree, with Lianqiao standing on her left and Bitao on her right. Four maids stood to the left and right of Lianqiao and Bitao respectively. Looking at Cai Qiaozhu again, she usually wore casual clothes at home, but now it was already night and she had already had dinner, but she was still dressed properly in her own yard, with pearls and jade in her hair. She was dressed so formally, even if she was going to attend a banquet hosted by the wife of the Guangdong Customs Supervisor.
On the other hand, Ye Youyu went to the Ye family in disguise, so she was deliberately dusty. After coming back, she didn't even wash up. It was only after Cai Qiaozhu called her twice that she washed her face and hurried over. She was wearing only a set of home clothes, which made her look neglectful compared to Cai Qiaozhu.
Ye Youyu secretly groaned, she was very familiar with this kind of situation - when she went to seize the boat, she had done it in this way , and it wasn't long after that, but retribution came back to her.
He stepped forward, bowed, and called out, "Sister-in-law."
"I dare not." Cai Qiaozhu said, "Master said that my wife is pregnant, so we should avoid the formalities if possible. I called you here in the middle of the night, which is embarrassing. If I continue to force you to follow the formalities, I will not be able to bear the consequences if you get pregnant."
She has always been gentle and virtuous, and to her, saying such sarcastic words was the result of extreme anger.
Ye Youyu heard this, and the bitterness in her stomach almost rose to her throat. Since she came to the family, both Wu Guoying and Cai Qiaozhu had treated her very well. Ye Youyu grew up in the Ye family's yard full of malice, so she cherished their kindness even more. Unexpectedly, fate played a trick on her, and she still annoyed Cai Qiaozhu.
What she did outside in the past two days was seen by people who did not know the truth. She ignored her husband's imprisonment and took the opportunity to overthrow the mistress. After taking back the house property, she took the good things belonging to her husband's family to give to her brothers from her natal family. It would have been fine if she did these things secretly, but she made a big fuss about it. Not only was her own reputation ruined, but the Wu family was also laughed at in the past two days. Otherwise, would Cai Qiaozhu be so angry that she asked Wu Liuman to go to Baietan to find her and take her home?
Ye Youyu knew all these things. She had only been thinking about the big things outside and had not paid attention to the things in the house. When Cai Qiaozhu got angry, she felt a little anxious and wanted to defend herself, shouting, "Sister-in-law..."
However, when the words came to his lips, he stopped abruptly.
What she did was top secret, and now that it had not been completed, not a single bit of it could be leaked. As the saying goes, one should do the whole play. In the current situation, if her reputation in the mansion was ruined, and even the father-in-law and his wife disliked her, and this matter was spread through the servants, it would be the best for the Wu family.
"What's wrong?" Cai Qiaozhu asked, "Why do you look so hesitant? Are you blaming me for calling you here so late at night?"
"No..." Ye Youyu lowered his head and whispered, "Youyu did something wrong. I feel guilty when I see my sister-in-law."
Cai Qiaozhu saw that she actually admitted it, and she was immediately furious. In her opinion, what Ye Youyu had done in the past two days was simply unbelievably bad. If she had done such a thing and was exposed, she would have been ashamed to death without waiting for others to blame her. However, when she looked at Ye Youyu, she saw that her face was filled with unconcealed grievances and her words were slightly bitter. What was this? She felt wronged when someone asked her about her wrongdoing?
If it was Ma, she would have cursed out a lot of swear words. But Cai Qiaozhu was just so angry that she stretched out her hand.
Lian Qiao quickly brought over a cup of tea. Cai Qiaozhu took a sip to relieve her gas, but unexpectedly she choked on the reverse odor.
The yard was immediately in a mess, and the two big maids hurriedly helped their mistress to smooth her chest and back.
Bi Tao said, "Third Young Madam, the eldest young madam is a kind person, and everyone in Xiguan knows this. How could you... have the heart to anger her like this! Do you know that even though you have done such an ugly... thing, the eldest young madam is suppressing the whole family and not letting the master know about it?"
After hearing this, Ye Youyu secretly felt grateful to Cai Qiaozhuo and couldn't help but step forward to help Cai Qiaozhuo calm down.
Cai Qiaozhu raised her hand to stop her and said, "Don't come over here, don't come over here! Don't let me push you away in anger. I won't be able to explain to the ancestors of the Wu family then."
Ye Youyu whispered: "Sister-in-law...something is wrong with Youyu!"
Cai Qiaozhu was furious and shouted, "You...is this your attitude of admitting your mistake?" These were the cruel words she said when she was furious.
Ye Youyu was in a dilemma. Even though she was very smart, she couldn't help but feel confused at this moment - she had seen a lot of people's calculations in the Ye family, so she was familiar with all kinds of ways of repaying kindness with kindness and repaying grievances with grievances. But when someone who was good to her misunderstood her and she couldn't explain it, she had no experience at all about what to do.
Besides, she and Wu Chengjian are different. No matter how much trouble Wu Chengjian gets into or how he behaves, he is still Wu Guoying's biological son and Wu Chengjun's biological brother. If he doesn't want to explain, he can just make a fuss. But when the dust settles and his father, brother and sister-in-law know the truth, they will pity him for enduring humiliation and will not have any grudges left.
Ye Youyu is the daughter-in-law and sister-in-law of her younger brother. If she handles the matter improperly, she will be resentful in the future even if she has a legitimate reason .
At this time, the courtyard door was not closed. Wu Liu was watching from the door. Seeing that Ye Youyu neither argued nor responded, this scene was completely different from what he had expected, so he reminded her, "Madam, it's windy and crowded in the courtyard. You and Third Madam should talk inside."
When Cai Qiaozhu was mentioned by Wu Liu, she suddenly thought: "Could it be that there are too many people here and it's hard for her to talk?" She still wanted to think the best of people. She put on this show today because she heard about Ye Youyu's work in Huachahao. After returning home, she was not invited to come. She was worried that Ye Youyu would make trouble, so she deliberately put on a show to put pressure on her. At this time, since Ye Youyu had no intention of showing off, there was no need for this show. She said, "Okay, let's talk in the room. Everyone else can go away."
Wu Chengjun was still recuperating in the inner room, so Cai Qiaozhu only brought two trusted maids, Lianqiao and Bitao, into the outer room. Dongxue followed in with Ye Youyu. After they sat down, Cai Qiaozhu lowered her voice and said, "Aunt San, there are no outsiders here. Lianqiao and Bitao are both my trusted confidants. If you have any grievances, please tell me."
Ye Youyu was stunned for a moment, but still shook her head: "I don't feel wronged."
Cai Qiaozhu said, "You!" She was really well-mannered, so she endured it and said to Lian Qiao Bitao, "All of you get out."
Seeing that she was also going to leave, Lian Qiao Bitao couldn't help but complain in her heart - the target of her criticism was naturally not Cai Qiaozhu.
Seeing the situation, Dongxue had no choice but to leave.
After the maids closed the door, Cai Qiaozhu said, "Now there are only two of us sisters-in-law in this room. Let me ask you one more question. Was it Official Hao who asked you to do what happened these past two days?"
With last year's experience, Cai Qiaozhu naturally wondered whether Wu Chengjian would come up with another surprise move.
Ye Youyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "He...he doesn't know."
Cai Qiaozhu was very disappointed after hearing this - not only about Ye Youyu, but also about the current situation of the Wu family. She and Wu Liu discussed it and both felt that if Wu Chengjian had instructed Ye Youyu to do these two things, then maybe it would be like last year, when Wu Chengjian would come up with another trick. That would not only not be a shameful or bad thing, but a good thing.
Unexpectedly, Ye Youyu's answer ruined her expectations.
Cai Qiaozhu couldn't help herself any longer, so she slapped the table and asked, "What's going on with the Huachahao incident?"
Ye Youyu saw her disappointed and angry look, and couldn't bear it. Seeing that there was no one else in the room, he almost confessed. However, he suddenly remembered Zhou Yijin's instructions, asking her not to let Cai Qiaozhu know anything about this matter. Ye Youyu changed his words and said, "My brothers have always wanted to go to Huachahao to see it. They have been pestering me for a long time. I really can't refuse. Besides..."
She gritted her teeth and said, "That...that...that bitch...that bitch! She and Hao Guan are still having an affair, what does that mean! So I just..."
Cai Qiaozhu's disappointment was almost visible on her face.
Seeing her like this, Ye Youyu felt even more sad. She had been under a lot of pressure these days. Although Wu Chengjian told her not to plot the overall situation and just focus on one thing, seizing the boat, imprisoning her brother, confining her younger brother, and forcing her father, each of these was very exhausting. At this moment, it was like the last straw on the camel's back. She was actually in labor. She panicked and cried out, "Sister-in-law, I... I have a stomachache..."
When Cai Qiaozhu looked at Ye Youyu again, there was no tension in her eyes, but instead a look of scrutiny. She really couldn't tell whether Ye Youyu was really having a miscarriage or was just acting, so she called out, "Lianqiao, Bitao!"
The door opened, and several maids came in. Dongxue saw that Ye Youyu looked in pain, and rushed over. Cai Qiaozhu waved her hand and said, "Send your Third Young Madam back. From now on... take good care of your pregnancy, and you don't need to come over!"
Seeing her like this, Ye Youyu felt even worse and shouted, "Sister-in-law..."
Cai Qiaozhu stamped her feet and said, "Do you still want me to take you out?"
Ye Youyu was helpless, but it was useless to stay and talk any more at this moment, so he had to calm down and supported Dongxue before walking to the yard. His stomach started to hurt again. Dongxue hurriedly asked Ye Youyu not to move. Changzi was smart and hurried to the backyard to find the chair that was usually used to carry Wu Guoying, and carried Ye Youyu back.
This alarmed the whole house, and all the servants in the house knew that after the Third Young Lady came back tonight, she was called by the First Young Lady, and someone went there, but was carried back. Wu Guoying heard the news and hurriedly sent someone to Fu'an Hall to invite Liu Liangke.
Liu Liangke lived not far away, and arrived in a short while. After checking the pulse and making sure that the baby had not fallen or been hurt, he said, "How could the fetus be disturbed without any bumps or scratches? Fortunately, the mother is strong and the fetus is stable, so it's fine for now. I'll prescribe a medicine to keep the baby safe. You must take good care of it in the future. Don't worry too much. Relax your mind and put keeping the baby safe first."
Cai Qiaozhu was relieved when she heard that there was nothing serious in the right courtyard. However, she became suspicious again and asked Wu Liu, "A Liu, do you think you really have a miscarriage, or, or..." She couldn't say it after all.
Wu Liu said: "I don't know much about women's affairs."
Bi Tao beside her said, "The fetus may be really moving, or it may just be that the baby kicked a few times. Liu Liangke is a man that everyone in Xiguan knows. He is very careful when taking a pulse, very cautious when speaking, and very unsteady when using medicine. What he says is always ambiguous so as not to offend anyone."
After hearing this, Cai Qiaozhu felt a little cold in her heart again.
Just then, there was a sudden noise outside the yard.
Cai Qiaozhu was frowning, but suddenly she looked up and saw that the sky over the southwest gate was suddenly brighter, like a fire.
Wu Liu and Lian Qiao Bitao also noticed it and asked in unison: "What is that? Is there a fire somewhere?"
