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No matter what, Yang Juxiang and her daughter had packed their belongings and were ready to depart after breakfast the second day. Mrs. Yang, though tough-talking, was tender-hearted. Despite being angry the night before, she still prepared an ample breakfast in the morning. After all, it was her sister visiting, and the two families lived so far apart; it was not an easy journey to and fro, and who knows when they would see each other again.

“Fourth cousin’s wife, you’re up so early. I will be leaving soon, and there’s something I want to say to you. Can you come out with me for a bit?” Jiang Chunlan had been seeking an opportunity since last night, but since Su Wenyue was so wary of her, she hadn’t found the chance. Seeing that time was running short, she took the initiative to approach Su Wenyue.

Su Wenyue raised an eyebrow but did not immediately agree. Who knew what kind of malice Jiang Chunlan might be harboring with this sudden courtesy? That girl wasn’t exactly normal in the head, and could act impulsively with no guarantee of her actions, especially with someone else’s guidance from behind the scenes. Su Wenyue was well aware that the girl had been frequenting Mrs. Wang’s room and had since then lingered suspiciously close to her. Being on guard, it would be odd if she agreed to go out with Jiang Chunlan.

“Cousin, whatever it is you want to say can be said right here. I’m listening.”

“Fourth cousin’s wife, this is private women’s talk, not suitable for speaking here. Let’s find a secluded spot; it won’t take up much of your time. I understand that I have wronged you in many ways these past days, and I’ve offended you, cousin’s wife. For the sake of Aunt, since I’ll be leaving anyway, please forgive me,” Jiang Chunlan unusually pleaded with Su Wenyue in a humble tone.

Su Wenyue was not someone to soften for just anyone. Seeing Jiang Chunlan like this, she was far from convinced by her words, and her vigilance only grew. Not to mention Jiang Chunlan’s nature—she had been so envious of her yesterday, and now she’d suddenly had a change of heart today? That obviously wasn’t possible. Moreover, despite Jiang Chunlan’s effort to mask her feelings, Su Wenyue still saw through the veneer of sincerity to the underlying resentment and hatred.

“What’s this about forgiving? We’re relatives, and for Mother’s sake, I won’t take issue with you, cousin. But I need to go help in the Kitchen and truly don’t have the time for private women’s talk. You get along so well with your third cousin’s wife, and she’s the most understanding. And since she’s currently idle, why don’t you go talk to her? She knows best about these things.” Su Wenyue’s words were barely veiled in irony.

Jiang Chunlan, already having lowered herself to plead following Mrs. Wang’s advice, found it grueling that Su Wenyue wouldn’t take her seriously. Seeing the knowing and scornful smile on Su Wenyue’s face, Jiang Chunlan couldn’t hold back her irritation, but she also knew it wasn’t the right time to cause a scene, so she shot Su Wenyue a venomous glare before storming off.

A slight smile played on Su Wenyue’s lips before her expression cooled again. With Jiang Chunlan’s temperament being so vastly different from her previous life, and being so impetuous, she wouldn’t achieve much even with Mrs. Wang backing her. Su Wenyue remembered a saying from her previous life: “Better to face a formidable enemy than to be saddled with a foolish ally.” Indeed, it was so!

Once the meal was ready, Jiang Chunlan was conspicuously absent, prompting the Han family members to wonder if the girl was poised to cause trouble now that she was about to leave, which did not sit well with them. Remembering Jiang Chunlan’s earlier attempt to talk to her, Su Wenyue speculated that Jiang Chunlan was probably not willing to leave like this, curious about what advice Mrs. Wang had given her.

Yang Juxiang, concerned about her daughter’s unusual behavior since yesterday, was worried. But, not wanting to voice it, she instead scolded, “This disobedient little girl, running off right at mealtime and making everyone wait for her by themselves.”

“Otherwise, let’s go out and look for her,” Mrs. Yang suggested after some thought, unable to just keep waiting, her niece’s lack of consideration causing her unease.

But before they set out to look for her, a neighbor’s wife came running with news.

“Jin Cai’s wife, your niece has fallen down on the ridge; it seems like she twisted her ankle, and it looks quite bad. You should hurry and see her.”

Su Wenyue’s gaze flickered upon hearing this news, not out of disbelief, but rather suspecting that this might be a drama directed and acted by Jiang Chunlan herself, aimed at staying in the Han Family.

“What?! How did my Chunlan fall all of a sudden? Where is she now? Lead the way quickly,” Yang Juxiang exclaimed anxiously. Her daughter wasn’t married yet, and if she got injured, finding a match would be so much harder, not to mention her genuine concern for her beloved youngest daughter.

Although Yang Juxiang’s tone was somewhat rude, the neighbor’s wife understood her anxiety for her daughter and didn’t take offense. After all, they were village folk, and seeing as they were members of the Han Family, she needed to be more accommodating. So, without saying much more, she led the way to where Jiang Chunlan lay.

There, Jiang Chunlan sat in the field, tears and snot mingling on her face—a sight of utter misery.

She could swear it was an accident. She had planned to injure herself according to her third cousin’s wife’s instructions and blame Su Wenyue, but it was impossible to carry out with Su Wenyue being too cunning and vigilant. Thus, she considered merely feigning an injury instead. But while plotting too deeply, she’d misstepped and tumbled down the ridge, turning the feigned into reality.

“Sister, why sit and cry in the field? Tell your brothers what’s wrong, and we’ll avenge you,” called a few young guys from the village, passing by and seeing Jiang Chunlan in her plight, whistling teasingly at her.

Angry, Jiang Chunlan picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at them, “Scram, all of you scram! If you don’t, I’ll kill you!”

Jiang Chunlan’s outburst only served to excite the young men further, “Wow, this chick’s got spunk, I like it!”

“Do you idiots know who my Cousin is? If you don’t scram, I’ll have him take care of you lot!” In Jiang Chunlan’s mind, Han Yu was the most formidable presence—good-looking and skilled in both literature and martial arts. He was the most capable person she had ever seen, incomparable to others. That’s why she invoked Han Yu’s name, hoping to scare them off.

But this ruse did have some effect; everyone in the village knew that the Han Family’s Fourth Child was someone not to be trifled with—dangerous and ruthless in his dealings. The young men hesitated, then started to back off.

“Hurry up, the Han Family people are really coming,” one young man warned as they debated whether to believe Jiang Chunlan’s words, having spotted the Han Family members approaching. The young men bolted, taking with them the memory of the Han Family’s fiery cousin.