I Transmigrated as a Scumbag Alpha and Became a Good Wife - Chapter 7

By “marrying off” their daughter, the Xu family secured Su Wenxun’s support in exchange. The Ancestral Home remained unmortgaged, preserved in its original splendor.

Nestled deep within the mountains, the Ancestral Home was accessed via winding, occasionally steep mountain roads. Su Wenxun watched as the wrought-iron gates, draped with climbing vines, slowly swung open, revealing the full grandeur of the estate. The towering, symmetrical structures exuded an overwhelming sense of oppressive grandeur.

The Ancestral Home occupied an immense tract of land. Though times had changed, dozens of servants still maintained the estate.

As the white car approached, the servants trimming the hedges on either side paused their work, clasped their hands before them, and bowed in unison toward the vehicle, preserving the Xu family’s last vestiges of dignity.

Even after entering the estate, Su Wenxun drove for nearly ten minutes before reaching the central manor house.

Nanny Shao had been waiting at the entrance since dawn, her gaze fixed on the distant road. When she spotted the unfamiliar car, she immediately recognized it as the Young Mistress’s homecoming.

Leaning forward, she hurried toward the approaching vehicle, eager to see her Young Mistress again.

The first person to step out of the car was a stranger. His striking appearance and refined demeanor immediately made Nanny Shao realize who he was. Years of experience in serving guests and handling affairs had taught her to lower her gaze and refrain from excessive displays of emotion.

“Ms. Su, Young Mistress, you’ve arrived.”

“Nanny Shao.”

Having not seen her in a long time, Xu Xi noticed a few more strands of white hair at her temples. Her eyes softened with emotion, but she merely greeted her formally.

“Su Wenxun” adhered to strict hierarchical customs and would not tolerate her wasting time on idle chatter with a servant.

Unexpectedly, Su Wenxun spoke up, echoing Xu Xi’s address: “Nanny Shao, I’ve never been to the Ancestral Home before. Would it be alright if I explored the grounds alone first?”

Hearing Su Wenxun’s words, which meant she and the Young Mistress would have a chance to be alone together, a flicker of delight appeared in the corner of Nanny Shao’s eye. But she quickly composed herself and replied respectfully, “Of course, Ms. Su. Please feel free to do so.”

As Xu Xi followed Nanny Shao away, about to turn the corner and disappear from sight, she paused. Turning her gaze toward Su Wenxun’s direction, she silently mouthed, Even if it was just a coincidence, Su Wenxun, thank you.

Turning into a deserted corner, Nanny Shao gripped Xu Xi’s hand, her bony fingers digging into Xu Xi’s skin. “Young Mistress, you’ve lost so much weight,” she said with heartfelt concern.

Since Ming Manxiang had entered the household, only Nanny Shao had genuinely cared for Xu Xi. She had brewed ginger soup for her when Xu Xi was barred from the house and drenched in a downpour, secretly slipped her biscuits to stave off hunger during her confinement, and was the only one who held her hand and wept before her wedding.

Xu Xi was resilient; even under Su Wenxun’s abuse, she had never shed a tear. But before someone she trusted, this simple expression of concern brought a burning sensation to her eyes. Yet she masked her emotions well, preventing Nanny Shao from noticing her distress. “Nanny Shao, you know I’ve always had a weak stomach. I caught a cold recently and had to go to the hospital. Wenxun took care of me, even cooking millet porridge himself.”

“And after you married, did Madam Ming mistreat you?” Nanny Shao’s grip tightened involuntarily, her voice filled with worry.

“No,” Xu Xi replied. Nanny Shao’s grip tightened, causing a slight twinge of pain. Nanny Shao’s hands weren’t large, about the same size as Xu Xi’s own, their sun-kissed skin wrinkled with age.

The other person’s hands were much larger. Though calloused, the calluses were thin. When Ming Manxiang deliberately made things difficult, those hands would effortlessly shield Xu Xi’s, unconsciously leading Xu Xi to compare the two pairs.

Truth and falsehood mingled, blurring the line between lies and sincerity. Even Xu Xi didn’t realize that when she spoke of Su Wenxun, a faint warmth tinged her usually cold eyes. “Su Wenxun protected me,” she said. “She’s very good.”

Nanny Shao studied Xu Xi intently, searching for any sign of deception on her face. Her Young Mistress was kind-hearted; even in great pain, she would smile and say, “Nanny Shao, I’m doing fine,” just to spare her worry.

But this time, Nanny Shao detected no pretense whatsoever.

After a long silence, Nanny Shao gently patted the back of Xu Xi’s hand, silently conveying her reassurance.

Su Wenxun strolled leisurely down the long central corridor, not bothering to admire the surroundings as she had claimed.

She had no interest in the ancestral home. In her previous life, she had lived in mansions far more extravagant than this one. Even the most precious treasures and ornate decorations seemed commonplace to her, no different from pebbles on the roadside.

The title “Young Mistress” revealed Nanny Shao’s deep connection to Xu Xi’s biological mother. With Nanny Shao present, Xu Xi’s earlier behavior had already made everything clear, given the original owner’s past actions. That was why Su Wenxun had casually excused herself.

With no intention of sightseeing, Su Wenxun wandered aimlessly, her gaze skimming over the surroundings until she suddenly stopped before an oil painting.

The oil paintings, framed in intricately carved gold, hung along both sides of the corridor. The thick brushstrokes hinted at the artist’s exceptional skill.

The painting depicted a woman, her age evident but not excessively concealed. Even so, it was undeniable that she remained a beauty with lingering charm. Her features resembled Xu Xi’s, but the corners of her eyes tilted upward, and her gaze was sharper than ordinary, as if it could easily pierce through a person’s heart, leaving them nowhere to hide.

Logically, the Xu family’s wealth and influence should have accumulated over three generations. Yet, Su Wenxun’s gaze swept across the oil paintings lining the central corridor, each depicting the same woman. As a member of a prominent family herself, she understood the implications: only absolute rulers would commission such portraits.

She tolerates no dissent, allowing no one to escape her control.

A stranger’s voice broke through Su Wenxun’s thoughts. “Ms. Su, I am the estate’s butler. Madam is waiting for you in the main hall. Please follow me.”

Though only Su Wenxun was present, the butler made no inquiry about Xu Xi’s whereabouts, treating her with cold indifference, as if she were not a member of the Xu family at all.

It was clear: Madam Ming wished to see only Su Wenxun.

Su Wenxun slowly withdrew her gaze and nodded. “Very well.”

As they approached the main hall, the butler pulled open the massive doors and stood aside, gesturing inward with one hand. “Ms. Su, please enter.”

Inside the main hall, the soaring vaulted ceiling amplified the oppressive atmosphere a hundredfold. A colossal oil painting hung at the center of the wall, the woman in the portrait gazing down imperiously, scrutinizing every person who entered the hall.

Against the sunlit silhouette, a woman with a graceful figure stood with her back to Su Wenxun, using sharp scissors to prune the purple and white irises in a vase.

Snip—

The blooming flower fell with a crisp sound, like Louis XVI’s head rolling from the guillotine.

Irises.

Su Wenxun thought: The national flower of France. The Frankish kings even chose it as a symbol of their power. It seems she intends to seize all authority for herself.

She greeted her proactively, “Mother.”

The woman turned, her face identical to the portrait, but her eyes were even sharper in person. The sunlight glinting off the scissors in her hand flashed in Su Wenxun’s eyes. Yet Su Wenxun didn’t flinch, standing her ground with a slight narrowing of her eyes, neither arrogant nor subservient.

“Are you satisfied with Xu Xi?”

The casual question, as if Xu Xi were merely a commodity in a transaction, asking the buyer about their user experience.

At that moment, Su Wenxun felt her anger surge like a flood, the dam of her rationality about to collapse, threatening to spill over uncontrollably.

That damned old hag! I want to stab her to death with these scissors!

She wanted to take Xu Xi away immediately, but she knew Xu Wan, who was holding Xu Xi back, was still at the Xu family. She couldn’t act impulsively.

“If Xu Xi’s temperament were more like Yuexiao’s, I would be much more satisfied,” Su Wenxun said, adopting the original owner’s tone—cold and tinged with dissatisfaction.

“Hahahaha!” Xu Chuyue’s eyes gleamed with a sense of absolute control, clearly pleased with Su Wenxun’s response. She needed Xu Xi to involve the other party, but she didn’t want Xu Xi to rely on Su Wenxun to escape the Xu family’s control.

“Wenxun, growing flowers isn’t difficult,” Xu Chuyue said slowly, the scissors casually brushing past an iris, the blades opening to grip its fragile stem. “When she misbehaves, simply press the scissors against her lifeline. If a branch deviates from its intended path, prune it without hesitation. This prevents unwanted complications and ensures she grows obediently into the shape you desire.”

Su Wenxun concealed her inner fury, forcing a smile of approval. “Mother, your floral artistry is exquisite.”

But the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s a pity I only want to wield these scissors myself.”