Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Stirring Up Trouble (New) The next day, after returning from Beiyu Shan, Xu Jingxuan wasted no time in going to Old Mrs. Jiang's residence to pour out her grievances. "Grandma, it seems like Sister Ruan really doesn't like me. I don't know why. That incident at the stables last time was an accident—I misunderstood her. But I already apologized to her afterward, and she still doesn't seem to have forgiven me." Sitting on the living room sofa beside Old Mrs. Jiang, Xu Jingxuan's eyes were red-rimmed, her voice thick with tears. "She has this inexplicable hostility toward me. I don't know why she's always targeting me." Seeing her granddaughter crying with reddened eyes, the old lady's heart ached with distress. She took Xu Jingxuan's hand. "Good child, tell Grandma what that girl from the Ruan family did to bully you." Xu Jingxuan sniffled and choked out, "Maybe she thinks I'm taking away Brother's affection, so she always tries to push me aside. When we were resting at the base in the mountains, I cooked oden for Brother, but Sister Ruan wouldn't let him eat what I made. She snatched the bowl away and ate it herself, saying what I cooked tasted terrible." Old Mrs. Jiang frowned. "She really did that?" "That's not even all of it." Xu Jingxuan said pitifully. "When I got tired from walking and wanted Brother to carry my backpack for me, she wouldn't allow it. She said she was Brother's girlfriend, so he could only carry her bag. Wuwuwu, Grandma, you be the judge—Brother and I grew up together. I'm his little sister. Isn't it okay for me to ask him to carry my bag?" Old Mrs. Jiang's brows knitted tightly, her face full of displeasure. "That girl from the Ruan family is really out of line. She hasn't even married into the family yet, and she's already putting on airs as a sister-in-law to intimidate you." "Exactly! I'm so wronged. And that's not all—when we were crossing the river, she wouldn't let Brother help me, and I almost fell into the water." Old Mrs. Jiang drew in a sharp breath and tightened her grip on Xu Jingxuan's hand. "This Ruan Chutang is absolutely detestable! Xuanxuan, did you hurt yourself anywhere?" Xu Jingxuan sobbed. "I did get hurt." She lifted the hem of her skirt to reveal the wound on her ankle. Last night it had only been a minor scrape, and after a night, the wound had already scabbed over and was nearly healed. But to make the old lady feel sorry for her, she had deliberately rubbed the wound against the ground this morning, enduring the pain to create a fresh injury. Now a large patch of skin was broken on her ankle. To achieve her goal, Xu Jingxuan hadn't cleaned or bandaged the wound, deliberately showing the oozing injury to Old Mrs. Jiang to win her sympathy. The tactic worked as expected. Old Mrs. Jiang was beside herself with worry and immediately called for a servant to clean and dress Xu Jingxuan's wound. "Last night I hurt my foot and couldn't walk. I asked Brother to carry me to the observation deck to watch the meteor shower, but Sister Ruan wouldn't let him. She even said... she even said..." Before she could finish the sentence, Xu Jingxuan burst into loud sobs. A flicker of anger had already risen in Old Mrs. Jiang's eyes, and her tone turned heavier. "What else did she say?" "She said I'm an adult now and should keep my distance from Brother—that I should be mindful of propriety. She also bragged to her friends that she would soon marry into the Jiang family and become its mistress. She said she's Brother's wife, so he can only carry her." Xu Jingxuan cried bitterly. "Wuwuwu, Grandma, should I really keep my distance from Brother? I was just injured and wanted Brother to carry me—is that really so wrong?" "Outrageous!" Old Mrs. Jiang was furious. "She hasn't even entered this family, and she's already throwing her weight around!" "Wuwuwuwu, Grandma, you have to stand up for me!" "Xuanxuan, don't worry. Grandma will always be on your side. At the next family banquet, I'll make sure to put that girl from the Ruan family in her place!" ... Soon, the day of the Jiang family banquet arrived. Jiang Shixu picked up Chu Tang to bring her back to the Jiang residence. The moment they stepped through the door, Old Mrs. Jiang found some excuse to send Jiang Shixu away. Chu Tang sat on the living room sofa with Old Mrs. Jiang and Mrs. Jiang, Lin Yueying. Xu Jingxuan sat beside the old lady. She had dressed up carefully today—light makeup, wearing a moon-white silk qipao, gentle and demure—exactly the style Old Mrs. Jiang favored. Chu Tang, by contrast, wore a cream-colored Chanel suit today, her long hair tied up in a bun at the back of her head, accented with pearl earrings. She looked elegant and poised, every gesture exuding the bearing of a wealthy young lady. But Old Mrs. Jiang was not pleased. She looked Chu Tang up and down, her brow slightly furrowed. "These foreign luxury brand clothes really aren't suited to us Oriental girls. In my opinion, we Oriental girls look best in qipao. Look at Jingxuan's qipao—how beautiful it is." Chu Tang lowered her eyes demurely and replied softly, "You're right, Grandma." Old Mrs. Jiang raised an eyebrow. "You haven't married into the family yet. There's no need to change how you address me. You may call me 'Old Mrs.' like everyone else." Lin Yueying, sitting nearby, was stunned. What did this mean? The old lady's attitude toward Chu Tang was off. Wasn't the marriage between Chu Tang and Shi Xu already set in stone? Calling her "Grandma" was perfectly appropriate—why would she insist that Chu Tang address her as "Old Mrs." like an outsider? Lin Yueying felt a flicker of displeasure. Chu Tang was her future daughter-in-law—how could she be treated like an outsider? Chu Tang was taken aback as well. It seemed the old lady had some issue with her. Out of the corner of her eye, Chu Tang caught sight of Xu Jingxuan standing beside the old lady with a smug, triumphant smile, and she understood everything at once. It seemed Xu Jingxuan had been whispering something unfavorable about her in front of Elder Mrs. Jiang. Chu Tang's expression remained composed as she lowered her head demurely and replied, "Very well, Elder Mrs. Jiang." Lin Yueying couldn't stand by and watch, so she smiled and said, "Mother, Chu Tang is Shi Xu's fiancée and your granddaughter-in-law. There's no problem with her calling you Grandma—calling you Elder Mrs. Jiang is just too formal." Elder Mrs. Jiang held her blue-and-white porcelain teacup, took a leisurely sip, then cast a cool glance at Lin Yueying. Her tone carried an unmistakable firmness. "The engagement ceremony has already been called off. She and Shi Xu are just boyfriend and girlfriend now. Calling me Grandma is premature." Lin Yueying furrowed her brow. What was the old lady playing at this time? After saying this, Elder Mrs. Jiang took Xu Jingxuan's hand and chattered on endlessly, completely ignoring Ruan Chutang as if she were thin air. Chu Tang noticed Elder Mrs. Jiang's deliberate snub but wasn't the least bit bothered. Elder Mrs. Jiang liked Xu Jingxuan, and Xu Jingxuan didn't like her, so it was only natural that Elder Mrs. Jiang didn't like her either. Chu Tang took it in stride. After all, she was marrying Jiang Shixu, not Elder Mrs. Jiang. Whether the old lady liked her or not didn't matter. Besides, her future mother-in-law Lin Yueying was very fond of her. Even though Elder Mrs. Jiang ignored her, Lin Yueying happily chatted with her with an affectionate demeanor. When Elder Mrs. Jiang saw Lin Yueying and Ruan Chutang chatting so cheerfully, her face immediately darkened. She glanced at the wall clock and said in a flat tone, "It's almost mealtime. Chu Tang, go set out the dishes for everyone." Chu Tang frowned slightly, but before she could speak, Lin Yueying came to her rescue. "Mother, setting out dishes is the servants' job. Tangtang is a guest—how could we have her do that? It wouldn't be proper." Elder Mrs. Jiang's gaze suddenly turned sharp, and her voice carried a hint of anger. "Didn't you just say she's my granddaughter-in-law? As her elder, what's improper about asking her to set out the dishes?" Chu Tang: "??" How amusing. Just moments ago, she said calling her Grandma was premature and insisted Chu Tang address her as Elder Mrs. Jiang like an outsider. But now, when it came to ordering her around, suddenly she was the granddaughter-in-law? And she was even pulling rank as an elder. What a grand display of authority. Last time they met, Elder Mrs. Jiang hadn't been particularly warm toward her, but at least she'd been polite. Why was she so hostile now? Who knew what Xu Jingxuan had embellished in front of the old lady. Just as Chu Tang was about to speak, a cold, sharp voice came from the elevator entrance. "Grandma, my Tangtang is delicate and precious. She's not cut out for servants' work."