Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Su Wenyue looked at Pei Yuhan with a half-smile, her cousin truly was “lacking in human sensitivity,” otherwise how could she have made such a request? Should she agree or not?

“Cousin, just agree to it. I can also keep the other two cousins company. Let’s just decide on this; the day after tomorrow, I will go to Xinluo Town with you.” Pei Yuhan was speaking entirely for herself, perhaps for fear that Su Wenyue would not agree, she went ahead and made the decision.

This was how it had always been with Mrs. Pei’s Concubine’s Daughters; Pei Yuhan always acted arrogantly, relying on Mrs. Pei, certain that they would not rebuke her. Although Su Wenyue was the legitimate daughter, the Second House had split off long ago, and now she was merely the daughter of a wealthy merchant, naturally needing to curry favor with Mrs. Pei. Pei Yuhan figured Su Wenyue wouldn’t be so clueless.

The expressions on Su Lanxin and Su Lanfang’s faces turned sour. Pei Yuhan was truly detestable, always trying to meddle in everything, and always using their weakest points against them—was it just because they were Concubine’s Daughters and afraid of upsetting their mother?

However, Su Wenyue wouldn’t simply comply with Pei Yuhan’s wishes. If things had gone smoothly, she might have considered her eldest aunt’s feelings, but trying to use this tactic on her? No way!

“No, that won’t do. Cousin, you absolutely cannot come with me, absolutely not!” Su Wenyue said very firmly.

Not only Pei Yuhan, but even Mrs. Pei, the eldest aunt, had not expected Su Wenyue to refuse so bluntly, yet thinking of Su Wenyue’s previous character, she sort of understood. Although Lady Yue was now married and had become gentler, at her core she was still a stubborn girl, straightforward and generous. It was normal for her not to get along with a girl like Yuhan who would drop golden beads at the slightest provocation. There was no sense of blame; after all, both the niece and the niece’s daughter were her favorites.

“Cousin Yue, are you looking down on me?” Pei Yuhan looked at Su Wenyue with a face full of astonishment, disbelief written all over her face as if Su Wenyue had committed some unforgivable sin.

Yet Su Wenyue was not angered by Pei Yuhan’s shamelessness; instead, she responded with sincere concern, “Cousin, how could I look down on you? I am merely considering your filial piety. If I were to take you and the two sisters away, who would keep the eldest aunt company? The eldest aunt often says that Cousin Yuhan is the most filial and certainly wouldn’t want to leave the aunt to enjoy herself alone. Cousin, I’m truly thinking of you. Why would you misunderstand me? Or could my cousin actually think I am such a narrow-minded person? It truly saddens me that you would think this way.”

Su Wenyue returned Pei Yuhan’s surprise and wounded expression. When it came to acting, who couldn’t do it? Surely Pei Yuhan wasn’t more skilled than her.

“You, you…” Pei Yuhan pointed at Su Wenyue and couldn’t come up with a response. She wanted to cry again.

Seeing Pei Yuhan’s face fall, Su Wenyue continued.

“If Cousin Yuhan doesn’t want to attend the full-moon celebration, then it’s fine. I won’t force you, but on such a joyous day, don’t be crying and whining. It’s so inauspicious, you’d cry away all the festive spirit.”

Su Wenyue’s words were not excessive—indeed, on a day of great joy, crying and whining was quite improper. It’s no wonder Su Wenyue didn’t mince words.

Mrs. Pei sighed as she saw Pei Yuhan behave this way. What a good girl, how could she have been raised to be so petty, crying and whining at the drop of a hat? Why couldn’t she discuss things properly? Lady Yue was certainly more broad-minded. Any Mistress of the house wouldn’t be too fond of Pei Yuhan’s type; it was better to be a bit spoiled than to resort to a concubine’s tactics of crying and whining to gain pity. Mrs. Pei attributed it to Pei Yuhan’s stepmother.

“Alright, Yuhan, your Cousin is right. Today is a day of great joy, so stop the crying and whining. After all, you are the Governor’s Legitimate Daughter, a fifth-rank magistrate, don’t adopt the demeanor of those petty households.” Upon hearing Mrs. Pei’s words, Pei Yuhan forcibly held back her tears.

Seeing that Su Wenyue made Pei Yuhan feel foolish and that even her supportive stepmother didn’t take Pei Yuhan’s side, the two sisters’ admiration for Su Wenyue grew.

Su Wenyue felt a twinge of accomplishment seeing the cousins’ reaction, especially the younger Su Lanfang, who was currently just a humble Concubine’s Daughter in front of Mrs. Pei. In the future, when she entered the palace to become one of Emperor Wu’s concubines, she could be an even more formidable figure than Noble Consort Li.

Why say this? Not because Su Lanfang was more favored than Noble Consort Li, but rather because even with the Empress and Noble Consort Li being so formidable, she was the one who managed to give birth to a prince and live peacefully in the palace. Even the favored Noble Consort Li ended up being just a stepping stone, while she was fine, raising the prince to adulthood. Having such Ability in the palace was no small feat, which was why it was essential to cultivate a good relationship before she rose to power.

Su Wenyue admitted she was lazy. Even if she genuinely liked the two cousins, she wouldn’t have bothered this much, considering it was their first meeting and they were not familiar with each other. Since she had made the effort, there must be something in return. If one were to say she was scheming, all she desired was to make her future Days go smoothly.

“So, does eldest aunt agree to let me take the two sisters back with me? It’s my first time being an older sister; let me experience the joy of it, auntie!” Su Wenyue playfully tugged on Mrs. Pei’s hand, even cozier with her than Pei Yuhan had been.

Mrs. Pei was certainly pleased with Su Wenyue’s approach: “Alright, alright. Since Lady Yue herself has spoken, how could I refuse?”

“Lan Xin, Lan Fang,” Mrs. Pei then turned to them, “since your Cousin has spoken up for you, I’ll grant your wish. You may go stay with your Cousin for a few days. Just remember to maintain proper behavior and manners. Don’t tarnish our Marquis Mansion’s reputation, and don’t trouble Lady Yue.”

With Mrs. Pei’s permission, both Su Lanxin and Su Lanfang’s faces lit up with joy, and they also felt the kindness of their Cousin Su Wenyue to be genuine.

“Yes, Mother, we’ll remember,” they responded.

Not only did Pei Yuhan not gain any benefits from Su Wenyue, but she was also reprimanded by her Aunt and saw Su Wenyue get along with Su Lanxin and Su Lanfang well. Annoyed, she felt like stomping her feet in frustration. Seeing that the two Concubine’s Daughters of the Second House were watching her as if enjoying a joke, she gave a harsh glare to Su Cai and Su Yun. However, it was notable that Su Cai and Su Yun, despite knowing Pei Yuhan’s Status, did not try to curry favor.

Upon learning of Pei Yuhan’s identity as the Governor’s Legitimate Daughter, Su Cai and Su Yun had been somewhat tempted. But after seeing the fallout between Pei Yuhan and Su Wenyue, they dropped the idea. Although their relationship with Su Wenyue was not exactly harmonious, and their sisterly bond quite superficial, there was no logic in siding with an outsider. They knew full well on what their stable Standing in the Husband’s Family relied.