Mrs. Qi's heart was pounding. To her, Yang Haiyan's words were like a death sentence. Was Mrs. Qin going to report her to the police? But it was just a few words between women, how could it be so serious?
However, her legs still gave way and she immediately knelt before Yang Haiyan, begging,"Mrs. Qin, please spare me! It wasn't me who said it, it was them who said it. I was just listening."
Yang Haiyan hadn't known Mrs. Qi was so timid.
Seeing her kneel down after such a shock really took her by surprise. However, she remained composed and didn't laugh. She even stepped forward to help Mrs. Qi up. "What are you doing, Mrs. Qi? I know you're not gossiping about me. After all, someone told me a few days ago that the women in the family housing were gossiping about people. I wondered if they were the same people Mrs. Qi heard about?"
Mrs. Qi was surprised to hear that someone had already told Mrs. Qin. But then again, Mrs. Qin was the captain's wife, so if someone close to her had told her, that was perfectly normal. Thinking of this, Mrs. Qi felt much more at ease. She figured, since she hadn't said it first, what difference would it make if she said it later?
Seeing her in a daze, Yang Haiyan called out, "Mrs.Qi? Mrs. Qi?" Mrs. Qi came to her senses and calmed down a little.
She was no longer as frightened as before. She said,"Mrs. Qin, since you know everything, I won't hide it.The people who said this are Mrs. Feng, who wanted to rent a car today, and Mrs. Tang, who is on good terms with her."
Yang Haiyan only knew the ten wives of the centurions under Qin Fang, so she didn't recognize Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang. "Tell me about Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang." She then asked, "Madam Lian, is the tea ready?"
Nanny Lian said, "Here I am..." She came in with tea,
"Mrs. Qi, please have some tea."
Mrs. Qi: "Thank you very much, Madam."
Yang Haiyan: "Madam Lian, go prepare some snacks and bring them to Madam Qi later."
Aunt Lian: "Yes. Madam Qi, enjoy your tea."
Mrs. Qi was surprised when she heard this. Dim sum? Everyone knew that Mrs. Qin's dim sum shop was doing great business. Not only were the prices low, but the taste was also truly delicious. Many people were envious, but none dared to take over the shop. Who would dare? Everyone's husbands were in the military. So, they could only watch, their envy growing.
As soon as Aunt Lian left, Madam Qi told her everything she knew. Madam Qi usually liked to Mrs. Qi knew the situation best. She immediately said, "Mrs. Feng gave birth to three sons, and Mrs.
Tang gave birth to three daughters before, and a son on her fourth pregnancy. Among us, they are the most fertile."
When Yang Haiyan heard this, she said, "Mrs. Tang's mouth must be even worse than Mrs. Feng's."
Mrs. Qi immediately looked at Yang Haiyan with admiration: "How did you know?"
Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "I guessed." Actually, it wasn't all guesswork, but rather analysis. Mrs. Tang liked to say people couldn't lay eggs, which showed how deeply she favored sons over daughters. The first three girls must have been incredibly stressful, and her self-esteem was sapped. Those years must have been incredibly repressed, timid, afraid to speak, and withdrawn into a dark corner. The fourth child, a son, suddenly made her feel incredibly proud.
To put it nicely, she was just being extravagant. To put it bluntly, it was just a venting of the low self-esteem and repression she'd been feeling for years.
Therefore, her words must be even more poisonous.
She desperately needs to prove herself and desperately wants to be recognized by others. Then, she returns the pain she once suffered to another
person.
Mrs. Qi really thought Yang Haiyan was just guessing, and couldn't help but say, "Mrs. Qin, you guessed it right. She loves gossiping most on weekdays."
Yang Haiyan smiled and was about to speak when Aunt Yu came over: "Madam, Chen Dashi said that Mrs. Lu is here."
Yang Haiyan was stunned for a moment, then said to Mrs. Qi, "Mrs. Qi, please sit down for a while. I'll go and receive a guest."
Mrs. Qi: "Hey."
Yang Haiyan went to the main hall and had no intention of welcoming Mrs. Lu into the study.
Although Mrs. Qi had come to her to "surrender," she had no intention of betraying anyone. If Mrs. Lu came today and saw Mrs. Qi here, and if she had any friction with Mrs. Feng or Mrs. Tang tomorrow, Mrs.Lu might know what Mrs. Qi had said.
This is the second time Mrs. Lu has come here. The first time was after Qin Fang and his wife moved and invited everyone to dinner. This is her second time here.
Unlike the first time I came, there were more servants in the house this time.
When Sister Lu arrived at the main hall, Yang Haiyan was already there. Sister Lu bowed as soon as they met, "Greetings, Madam Qin." She had been thinking about it all morning, thinking about what had happened in the carriage, and she felt that Yang Haiyan's status had changed, and she couldn't be as casual as before. Maybe Yang Haiyan just liked her to be respectful, so she bowed in a formal manner.
Yang Haiyan was slightly taken aback. She was a modern woman, and while she was polite and accustomed to the local customs, she didn't like to be so particular about etiquette in private. And now, when Mrs. Lu greeted her politely, she felt a little uneasy. She felt as if a wall had been built between her and Mrs. Lu.
Yang Haiyan recalled that she had never put on airs in front of Sister Lu. She was still polite to her, just like when they were neighbors. But Sister Lu... maybe she was overthinking it. Yang Haiyan smiled and said, "Sister Lu, why are you so polite to me? I fell ill when I first came here, and it was you who took care of me. We are sisters in private. You don't have to be so polite to me."
Mrs. Lu stood up and said, "It is my blessing that you are my sister."
Yang Haiyan sat down and stopped talking about her sisters: "Sister-in-law, please sit down. Is there something you want to talk about when you come here?"
Mrs. Lu sat down and said hesitantly, "Actually, I should have come a few days ago, but I forgot because I was busy. Today in the carriage, Mrs. Qi mentioned those gossips, and I remembered something. One time, I went to fetch water and heard a few women talking..."
The women that Mrs. Lu was talking about were the group of people including Mrs. Feng and Mrs. Tang.
Of course, there was also a listener named Mrs. Qi among them.Yang Haiyan was very surprised. What was Mrs.Lu's intention in saying this today? She wasn't suspicious, but she had heard it before. Was she just thinking about it today because of what happened in the carriage? Yang Haiyan didn't know. However, even though she had already learned something from Mrs. Qi, she was still grateful to Mrs. Lu.
Yang Haiyan said gratefully, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I understand now. In a group of people, there are always a few who talk nonsense, just like a pot of rice that has been left out for a long time, there will always be a few rice weeds. This person is too idle, and his mouth can't stop talking."
Mrs. Lu said, "It's someone else's mouth, and there's nothing we can do about it. Just relax and don't worry about it."
Yang Haiyan said: "I know, don't worry."
Mrs. Lu chatted with Yang Haiyan for a moment longer, then left. Yang Haiyan stood up and walked her to the door, not returning to her study until she was out of sight. When she arrived, Aunt Lian had already returned with some snacks from the pastry shop. Yang Haiyan didn't chat much with Mrs. Qi.
She gave her some snacks, thanked her for sharing what she had learned, and told her to come visit more often when she had time.
Mrs. Qi thought Yang Haiyan valued her, so she happily took the snacks home.
At dinner time, Qin returned from his shift. During the meal, Yang Haiyan asked him, "Sir, do you know Qi Baifu, Tang Baifu, and Feng Baifu? They are said to be under General Ao."
Qin Fang didn't know why his wife suddenly mentioned this person, but he knew everyone under General Ao, not just General Ao. "I know. Qi Baifu and Feng Baifu were under General Wei. As for the Tang Baifu you mentioned... there was a Tang Baifu under General Wei, and there was also a Tang Baifu under General Hong, but I don't know which one you're talking about. How did you get to know their wives today?"
Yang Haiyan said, "I do know Mr. Hong Qianfu's wife. That day at General Ao's residence, they introduced me to Mrs. Hong. It's not that I know their wives personally, but I heard that their wives are very good at laying eggs and look down on me because I can't."
Qin Fang: ".'.." He seemed a little confused.
Seeing his puzzled look, Yang Haiyan smiled and explained, "It's today..." She told him about what happened to Mrs. Qi today, "But don't worry about it, I will take care of it."