Transmigrated as the Scum Alpha in a Farming Novel (GL) - Chapter 9
“Niece-in-law, is Yu An home?”
Hearing the voice, both of them simultaneously looked towards the door.
Leading them was an old woman dressed in a deep purple round-necked robe, with a serious expression and a straight posture. On either side of her stood a man and a woman. From what Wu Qiuqiu said yesterday, Yu An guessed this old woman should be Second Madam Yu.
The man standing on the left was Second Uncle Yu, with the typical appearance of a Qian Yuan Jun: burly and tall.
The woman on the other side was likely also a Qian Yuan, with a slightly softer face, but her expression wasn’t pleasant.
As Yu An was thinking this, Liu Huaixu, despite her discomfort, had already stepped out to greet them first, politely addressing them: “Second Madam, Second Uncle, Fourth Aunt.” Second Uncle Yu and Fourth Aunt Yu were relatively polite to Liu Huaixu, but Second Madam Yu, who was leading, merely nodded slightly, not giving Liu Huaixu a good look, her gaze sweeping past Liu Huaixu and fixing only on Yu An.
Even Yu An sensed Liu Huaixu’s embarrassment.
Yu An returned the gaze unceremoniously, then walked up to the group, first bowing and calling out, “Second Madam.”
She then greeted the two beside her.
Afterward, she pulled Liu Huaixu’s wrist. Liu Huaixu struggled slightly when pulled, but perhaps remembering there were outsiders, she didn’t persist and allowed Yu An to pull her closer.
Yu An spoke as if chastising her: “Wife, if you’re not feeling well, what are you doing out here? Go back and rest first.”
Thinking that Liu Huaixu’s discomfort was because of her, Yu An felt a bit guilty and just wanted Liu Huaixu to go back and rest properly.
Liu Huaixu looked troubled. She glanced at Yu An, then at Second Madam and the others, and gently shook her head.
“Be good, you go back first. I’ll handle things here.”
Yu An patted Liu Huaixu’s hand reassuringly. After patting, she noticed Liu Huaixu’s body was very stiff, and thinking she was even more uncomfortable, she quickly urged: “Go in quickly.”
She didn’t think too much, nor did she notice that Second Madam Yu’s gaze towards her was becoming increasingly strange.
Since ancient times, Qian Yuan were responsible for affairs outside the home, while Kun Ze managed the household and raised children.
Second Madam Yu’s coldness towards Liu Huaixu just now was precisely because of this. The Qian Yuan hadn’t even come out to greet them yet, but Liu Huaixu, a Kun Ze, had already come out first, which was unacceptable to the old-fashioned Second Madam.
But… even if she thought this way, she didn’t mean to belittle Liu Huaixu.
She was just annoyed with Yu An.
However, after all, Yu An’s family situation was different. Second Madam had watched Yu An grow up and knew her character all too well.
If Liu Huaixu didn’t step forward, there would be no one in this household.
Not to mention the Yu family, even everyone in Yuanze Village knew that Yu An was a good-for-nothing.
She had no ambition beyond frequenting brothels and drinking establishments.
But today, she was unusually solicitous towards Liu Huaixu, which was a complete turnaround. Usually, she wished Liu Huaixu would take care of everything for her. This made her take a few extra glances at Yu An.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that Yu An’s face no longer held its usual sloppy demeanor. Her clothes had also changed from a round-necked robe to a hemp garment, and when she was protecting Liu Huaixu, she seemed genuinely sincere.
Second Madam Yu couldn’t help but wonder if Yu An had perhaps turned over a new leaf?
This thought flashed through Second Madam Yu’s mind for a moment but was quickly dismissed.
In the past, Yu An had shown signs of being good a few times, but she would revert to her old ways within a few days. She was not to be trusted!
Liu Huaixu’s body was indeed uncomfortable, but considering that Second Madam had come personally, this matter was certainly not simple. She didn’t think Yu An was concerned about her; rather, she believed Yu An didn’t want her to know the full extent of the issue.
Therefore, she didn’t leave.
She released Yu An’s hand and turned to Second Madam Yu, saying, “Second Madam, is there something you personally came for?”
Seeing that Liu Huaixu didn’t accept her good intentions, Yu An was stunned and didn’t speak again.
Finally getting to the main point, Second Madam Yu knitted her brows, glaring at Yu An, and said to Second Uncle Yu beside her: “Second, tell them what you heard yesterday.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Second Uncle Yu, who was in his forties, spoke in a calm and strong voice: “Yesterday, when I went to the county town, I was stopped by people from the gambling house who said that An’er owed money…”
As soon as the words came out, Yu An saw Liu Huaixu’s eyebrows tightly furrowed, her expression extremely grim.
She tried hard to recall how much money the original owner owed the gambling house, but her thoughts were a mess.
She had been to too many gambling houses, and her memories were too jumbled. She couldn’t figure out the exact amount, but it was likely a significant sum.
Second Uncle Yu was generally kind. Seeing Liu Huaixu’s worried expression, he knew she was anxious and quickly said: “Niece-in-law, don’t worry, I’ve already paid the money for An’er.”
However, Liu Huaixu’s furrowed brows did not relax. Second Uncle Yu was at a loss for words for a moment, glanced at his mother, and said nothing further.
Second Uncle Yu stopped speaking, but Yu An wanted to speak.
However, she had no grounds, and she couldn’t clearly explain how much the original owner owed, nor could she be sure if the original owner had done anything else.
“Second Madam, Second Uncle, Fourth Aunt, you’ve all gone to a lot of trouble. I will get the money to you immediately, no matter how much it is.”
Since hearing from Wu Qiuqiu yesterday that Second Madam Yu was coming, Liu Huaixu had been fully prepared. Today, hearing about the matter didn’t surprise her at all; she just hoped the amount wasn’t too large so she could have an easier winter.
Second Madam Yu saw Yu An had remained silent throughout, her eyes darting around, wondering what she was thinking. Seeing Liu Huaixu’s posture, she was quite annoyed, and her tone wasn’t very good: “The money isn’t much, niece-in-law, you don’t need to worry about it. I came today mainly to discipline An’er on behalf of my elder sister.”
Discipline Yu An? This wasn’t the first time Second Madam Yu had come to discipline Yu An. She had lectured Yu An countless times over the years, but she never saw her improve.
Liu Huaixu didn’t pay much attention to these words, instead focusing on the money, and insisted: “Second Madam, it must be repaid.”
The clan had been quite supportive of them, but Yu An was so disappointing that it made her look down upon too. Only Second Madam’s family still considered their relationship and hadn’t given too much punishment, mostly hoping that Yu An would improve and live a good life with her.
Others, however, did not think so.
For example, Fourth Aunt Yu, standing beside Second Madam Yu, was the daughter of Second Madam Yu’s younger brother and had always been raised by Second Madam Yu.
Second Madam Yu still cherished her relationship with Old Madam Yu, but Fourth Aunt Yu didn’t care about such sentiments, so her attitude towards Yu An had never been very good, and it extended to Liu Huaixu as well.
“Niece-in-law, the clan has covered these debts for An’er. We came today primarily to tell you that from now on, if An’er causes any more trouble, please don’t say she belongs to the Yu family…”
“Shut up!”
Fourth Aunt Yu’s words were cut off by Second Madam Yu, who turned her head and glared at Fourth Aunt Yu. Fourth Aunt Yu knew she had said too much and fell silent, only giving Yu An, who was distracted, a contemptuous look.
Ultimately, Second Madam Yu still held some sentiment. When Second Uncle Yu brought back the news yesterday, Fourth Aunt Yu and others strongly suggested removing Yu An from the clan’s name.
Although the Yu family was not a large clan, their numbers were not small, and they still cared about their reputation.
Furthermore, Fourth Aunt Yu’s eldest daughter, Yu Zheng, was participating in the imperial examination next year, so she cared more about reputation than anyone else.
Although her words were unfinished, Liu Huaixu understood the meaning.
This was to disown Yu An, severing all future ties with the Yu clan.
She also knew about Fourth Aunt Yu’s family situation. Her eldest daughter, Yu Zheng, was participating in the imperial examination next year. Having a cousin like Yu An would not only sound bad but also negatively impact her examination.
Liu Huaixu understood, but also felt the coldness of human nature.
In the past, when Old Madam Yu was alive, no one would have said such things, no matter how dissolute Yu An was. But now…
The matter of Yu An’s disownment was still undecided, so Fourth Aunt Yu’s words at this moment naturally made Second Madam Yu’s face look rather unpleasant.
“Grandniece-in-law…”
“Second Madam, I understand. Yu An has caused a lot of trouble over the years.” Liu Huaixu’s eyes were downcast, and no one could clearly see her expression. Only Yu An, standing beside her, felt it. Her body was stiffer than before, and her fingers unconsciously clenched.
She cared deeply, yet she couldn’t say anything.
Yu An initially didn’t speak because she didn’t know much about the Yu clan’s situation and was afraid that speaking rashly would make her seem strange. However, now she couldn’t remain silent.
Because she felt that Liu Huaixu was being bullied.
Liu Huaixu’s beautiful eyes were cast down.
Although Liu Huaixu had been cold to her these past few days, she had never shown this expression before. She was clearly feeling wronged.
Originally, she only thought she was unlucky to be the scapegoat in this world, but now she felt Liu Huaixu was even more unlucky, and even a little pitiable.