Chapter 18: Chapter 18

These words sent shockwaves through everyone present.

The dignified Matriarch and Eldest Miss of the Ming Family being ordered expelled from the Ming household by the seductive little slut brought home by a Live-in Son-in-law husband—in front of all the servants, no less—this was a blatant act of “swallowing the entire extinct household.”

Freed from the two Errand Boys’ restraint, Ming Yulan was infuriated by He Xiang’s words. She lunged forward, grabbed a cup from the table, and hurled it at He Xiang. Hot water splashed onto He Xiang’s arm, scalding her so that she shrieked and leaped from her chair.

She immediately threw herself into Du Xian’s arms, weeping prettily. “Cousin, this venomous woman threw hot water on me! What if she frightened our son?”

The sordid affair between Du Xian and He Xiang was an open secret among the Ming household servants, but this was the first time it was so openly flaunted. The servants kept their heads down, not daring to breathe, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

Seeing Ming Yulan’s rampage, Du Xian quickly comforted He Xiang before raising his head, his face full of fury. He strode forward, stopped before Ming Yulan, and with a powerful swing of his arm, slapped her across the face again.

“Jealous shrew! So lacking in propriety, how can you be the Matriarch of the family? You can’t even tolerate a mere Concubine. What use are you!”

Seeing her mother struck, Ming Rou was livid. She stepped forward, placing herself directly in front of Du Xian, shouting, “Don’t you hit my mother!”

Du Xian, seeing his daughter join the fray on top of everything else, was even more enraged. He raised his hand, ready to teach her a lesson. But Ming Rou, already reaching his shoulder in height, raised her chin defiantly, staring at him without a trace of fear, her eyes filled with reckless defiance and deep-seated hatred.

Meeting her eyes, which held a resemblance to his own features but also the exact same expression as the Old Patriarch, Du Xian hesitated, unable to bring his hand down.

Seeing his hand fall weakly, Ming Rou gave a disdainful sniff, her eyes full of mockery.

This was what a bully who preyed on the weak and feared the strong looked like.

Being so provocatively challenged by his own young daughter, losing face in front of everyone, Du Xian was consumed by shame and fury. “Ming Yulan, look at the daughter you’ve raised, this abominable creature! Our Du family cannot keep people like you!”

The words “the Du family replacing the Ming family” were thus openly declared. The servants erupted in quiet murmurs. The Ming Family had finally reached this point. What Du Xian was doing was step-by-step erasing the Ming Family’s insignia and planting his own flag bearing the surname Du.

By now, Ming Yulan was nearly mad with grief. She screamed hoarsely at Du Xian, “Du Xian, you wolf-hearted, ambitious villain! I’m not leaving! I won’t go anywhere! This is my home! I will die in my own home!”

Du Xian signaled the Errand Boys to restrain her. Struggling in vain, she could only collapse onto the floor, wailing unceasingly.

Ming Rou knew Du Xian’s purge had quietly begun. The man’s mind was made up. With no power or influence now, she and her mother had no way to resist. The clan members remained silent, having long since abandoned the mother-daughter pair.

“Ming Yulan, you can stay, on two conditions: One, I take concubines, and you do not interfere. Two, the Ming family name changes to Du, and you do not object.”

Before Ming Yulan could react, Du Xian added expressionlessly, “Of course, you can refuse. But I will still take concubines, the Ming family will still change its name, but you, Ming Yulan, will never set foot in this household again.”

Hearing his words, Ming Yulan felt as if all the bones had been pulled from her body. She slumped onto the floor, silent, her face turning ashen white.

Du Xian ignored her further. He walked, hands behind his back, over to Ming Rou, and looked down at her.

“Same goes for you. If you agree to two things of mine, you can also stay.”

Ming Rou suppressed the cold laugh rising from her stomach. “What things?”

“First, change your surname to Du. Second, I want to marry Qiuniang.”

At the first condition, Ming Rou was already struggling to contain the fury in her heart. She would be surnamed Ming for life, never changing. She was a child of her grandfather’s lineage. As for Du Xian’s blood flowing in her veins, she found it filthy.

And the second condition—as soon as it entered her ears, Ming Rou exploded entirely. She shot up like a small wild animal, fiercely shoving Du Xian away. Eyes bloodshot, she glared deadly at him, her face crimson. Baring her teeth, she snarled viciously, “Don’t even think about it! Jiujiu is mine!”

Shoved by her, Du Xian was about to erupt in anger. But seeing her so furious, his anger suddenly cooled. He dusted off his sleeves. “Telling you is just because we happen to be father and daughter. Even if you don’t agree, do you think Father has no way? The indentures of everyone in this household’s servants are in my hands. It’s not a matter of whether you’re willing or not.”

The servants kneeling on the ground shivered in terror upon hearing this.

Seizing the moment, Du Xian strolled over to Ye Qiuniang and squatted down, bringing his eyes level with hers. “Qiuniang, this is the best opportunity of your life. If you willingly choose to follow me, the position of Third Concubine in this household will be yours directly. Your food, clothes, and allowances won’t be any less than theirs. You’ll want for nothing. And if you don’t wish to stay in my Du household, sending you to a place like the Yichun Brothel is something I wouldn’t mind doing either.”

As Du Xian asked this, all eyes turned towards them. Ming Rou clenched her jaw tight, staring fixedly at the two, her ears straining, her heart leaping into her throat.

Kneeling among the servants, Ye Qiuniang kept her back straight. She looked poised and graceful, not at all like a mere servant.

Glancing at the smug, challenging He Xiang nearby, then at the greasy-faced Du Xian before her, Ye Qiuniang suddenly broke into a smile. “Wanting me to stay is fine, but only the position of Matriarch of the Ming Family will do.”

Before Du Xian could speak, He Xiang beside him immediately jumped up in outrage. “Where’d this little slut come from? The Matriarch’s position isn’t something you’re qualified for! The son in my belly won’t agree to it!”

Ye Qiuniang pressed her lips tight and turned away, silent.

“Hmph, shameless greed. You actually think you’re in a position to negotiate with me?” Du Xian clapped his hands and stood up.

Nearby, Ming Rou, having heard Ye Qiuniang’s mention of “Matriarch,” felt a sudden rush of blood to her head. She was simultaneously furious and heartbroken. She never imagined her beloved Jiujiu, whom she held dearest in her heart, would harbor such ambitions.

An unbearable sourness filled her heart, along with a nauseating feeling.

But more than the disgust, she couldn’t endure the sharp, tearing pain of Jiujiu leaving her. She clenched her fists and declared to Du Xian, “Jiujiu is mine! She won’t go with you!”

“You didn’t agree to a single one of my conditions. You’re about to be thrown out. What qualifications do you have to fight me?” Watching his ever-defiant daughter, Du Xian suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction.

Thinking of how she used to look down on him as a father, and now he was about to snatch away her most beloved thing—this was truly enjoyable!

Seeing his determination to have Ye Qiuniang, Ming Rou grew more and more furious, her chest feeling ready to burst. She could no longer hold back. She grabbed Du Xian’s arm and bit down hard.

Du Xian, caught off guard and not expecting such an act from his usually innocent, adorable daughter, was bitten badly on the arm. The pain made him fling Ming Rou away. Delicate and fragile, Ming Rou was thrown against a stone pillar, letting out a pained groan.

Ye Qiuniang turned pale with shock. Her previous composure vanished instantly. She rushed over and gathered Ming Rou into her arms, patting her face frantically. “Eldest Miss, are you alright?!”

Her eyes, once so calm, were now filled with nothing but urgent worry.

Seeing her daughter treated so by her husband, Ming Yulan also struggled free from the Errand Boys’ grip and rushed over. But she could do nothing, only weeping endlessly.

Ming Rou coughed lightly a few times before slowly sitting up, her hand gripping Ye Qiuniang’s wrist tightly.

Meanwhile, Du Xian, having been bitten, felt a surge of cruelty rise from his heart. He said coldly, “Throw this mother and daughter out! From now on, neither are permitted one step into my Du household!”

Ming Yulan cried out, wailing, “Husband, what are you doing?! We’ve shared the same bed as husband and wife for over ten years! Even one day as husband and wife creates a hundred days of affection! How can you drive your wife out like this? And Rou’er is your own flesh and blood! How can you bear to see your own flesh and blood wander homeless outside?”

Beside them, He Xiang scoffed coldly. “She’s not the only child Cousin has. Isn’t there one in my belly too? It’ll definitely be a boy. Who will care about your worthless little girl then?”

Still enraged, Du Xian roared at Ming Yulan, “You don’t have to leave! But if you stay, you sever your mother-daughter ties with her! From now on, you have nothing to do with each other!”

“No, I’m not leaving, and Rou’er’s not leaving either!” Ming Yulan cried, turning to grab Ming Rou’s arm. “Rou’er, let’s not make trouble anymore. Quickly apologize to your father. We’re not going anywhere.”

Hearing her mother, Ming Rou flung her hand away, coughing, and declared, “Stay if you want. I’m leaving myself.”

As she said this, she clutched Ye Qiuniang’s hand even tighter.

Ming Yulan’s eyes dimmed. She begged humbly, “Rou’er, your father is just in a fit of anger. When his anger fades, everything will be fine. Don’t make trouble now, okay?”

“Shut up! He just said if I stay, I have to hand Jiujiu over. I absolutely will not!”

Seeing her daughter completely unreasonable, Ming Yulan sobbed somewhat hysterically, “Silly child… we women are born with this fate. Why be so stubborn to the bitter end? If your father throws you out, how will you survive?”

“Better than staying here!”

Ming Rou finished, forced herself to stand, and unsteadily pulled Ye Qiuniang’s hand, walking towards the outside.

Seeing her daughter, who had been utterly stubborn about staying, now resolutely leaving, Ming Yulan bit her lip. In the end, she shuffled her feet and followed.

Ming Rou never expected her mother, who always claimed she couldn’t leave her father, to actually follow her at the final moment. The terrible feeling of being abandoned eased slightly, and the corners of her eyes reddened uncontrollably.

Yet, going out now, she didn’t know where to go or whether anyone would take them in. If her mother followed, they would surely be homeless and destitute. Whether they could even survive was uncertain. Right now, with Du Xian in charge, if her mother didn’t challenge his power, he wouldn’t likely make a move against her immediately.

Perhaps staying, for her mother, was currently the best option.

She stopped, turned around, and snarled viciously at Ming Yulan, “Why are you following me? I forbid you to follow me!”

Ming Yulan looked at her daughter’s fiercely angry little face, her own eyes brimming with tears. “If I don’t follow you, how will a child like you survive out there?”

“I can survive perfectly well on my own. You following me would just be a burden.” Ming Rou gritted her teeth and said cruelly.

“Rou’er—”

“I said don’t follow!” Ming Rou glared at her mother.

Ming Yulan looked at her daughter, deeply hurt and pained. As a wife, she couldn’t hold her husband’s heart. As a mother, she couldn’t even protect her own daughter.

Grief-stricken and utterly helpless, she didn’t know what she had done wrong.

Through her tear-blurred eyes, her peripheral vision caught the woman called Ye Qiuniang, trailing behind her daughter. From beginning to end, that person had always maintained the same faint, calm expression.

Among everyone in the courtyard, the most composed, throughout it all, seemed to be only her.

She was just a young woman in her twenties, but Ming Yulan vaguely remembered her entering the household as a timid twelve-year-old girl.

Suddenly, something seemed to flash through her mind. The relatives… the messenger… Paulownia Village… her father…

Since her father’s death, she had been utterly baffled by the secret sale of Paulownia Village. Her father was a shrewd businessman, strategizing his entire life. From the time he fell ill to his death, there had been such a long period. And he had long since seen through Du Xian’s character. He wouldn’t have left without making any arrangements.

Three years ago, despite Ming Rou’s heart-wrenching cries, her father had banished Ye Qiuniang to the estate farm. And that incident was clearly her husband Du Xian’s fault! Ye Qiuniang was utterly innocent! Yet her father did it anyway!

The matter of Paulownia Village was absolutely not simple behind the scenes.

And this Ye Qiuniang was also absolutely not simple.

In an instant, the tears at the corners of Ming Yulan’s eyes stopped. She turned her head to look at her smug husband in the distance, and the gloating He Xiang beside him. Her heart pounded wildly.

Why should I!

She finally retracted the foot stepping outward, pulling back her myriad internal struggles. It seemed she had made a decision. She called out to Ming Rou, “Rou’er, since you despise your mother so much, then Mother won’t bother you. A child is the flesh of a mother’s heart. Don’t wound your mother’s heart.”

As her mouth spoke these words, her eyes were deeply fixed on Ye Qiuniang.

Seeing her mother withdraw, Ming Rou felt a pang of sorrow in her heart, despite having been the one yelling at her to stay. Her mother’s parting words twisted a knife in her heart. Head bowed, she pulled Ye Qiuniang along to leave.

But a hateful voice sounded from behind. “Ming Rou, it’s one thing for you to get lost on your own, but what do you mean taking Ye Qiuniang with you? She long ago sold herself to this household. Whether she stays or goes is still up to me!”

Ming Rou turned around, looked at the man, her eyes full of disdain.

“Du Xian, you keep saying it’s up to you. Is Ye Qiuniang’s Indenture Contract in your hand? If you dare to forcibly detain someone, we’ll go straight to the magistrate right now!”

Du Xian’s brow twitched. He spun around and ordered the Old Servant to bring the box containing the Contracts. Opening it, he searched—and indeed, Ye Qiuniang’s Indenture Contract was not there. Furious, he hurled the box to the ground.

Who had done this!

Ming Rou ignored him further. She pulled Ye Qiuniang out the door. It wasn’t until they were outside the main gate that she turned, met Ye Qiuniang’s eyes, and shoved the folded Xuan Paper she had been tightly clutching into her hand. She said, word by word, “Ye Qiuniang, take care of yourself.”

Then, letting go of her hand, she turned and ran unsteadily forward.

Ye Qiuniang looked down at the somewhat crumpled paper in her hand. She didn’t need to open it to know what it was. It was her Indenture Contract, personally given by the Old Patriarch to Ming Rou. She just never expected Ming Rou to give it back to her at this moment. A mix of complex emotions surged within her. Clutching the paper tight, she hurriedly followed.

Ming Rou’s back still ached dully from where Du Xian had thrown her against the pillar. She couldn’t walk too fast, holding her chest as she took small, halting steps. Her heart was utterly lost. Driven out by her father, her grandfather’s legacy and property seized, yet she was completely helpless. What to do in the future, how to survive—she had no idea.

Coming out had been a moment of impulse and fury. Only after truly stepping out did she realize she had nothing, was homeless, and had no one to rely on.

Just as she was feeling utterly dejected, hurried footsteps came from behind. Turning her head, she saw the person she yearned for day and night.

Watching Ye Qiuniang approach gracefully, Ming Rou’s heart pounded rapidly. She didn’t know why such sudden panic seized her, afraid she had only come to say goodbye, or perhaps something else. Anxious and uneasy, she finally managed to awkwardly voice her question.

“Why are you following me? Didn’t you want to be the Matriarch? With so many wealthy families in Pingle County, if you search carefully, you’re bound to find a suitable rich man, aren’t you?”

“I want to follow you.”

“Why follow me?”

“Back then, the Old Patriarch brought me to the Ming Family for your Auspicious Marriage. From that day onward, I became yours. ‘Marry a rooster, follow the rooster; marry a dog, follow the dog.’ Now, wherever you go, naturally I follow.”