Chapter 13: then translation of chapter title

Yi Ruan walked and laughed, just as she was telling him something funny, when this shout cut her off.

Fu Qiwei looked up; the woman wore a plain white blue-and-white porcelain patterned cheongsam, her long hair fixed with a gold dangling hairpin.

The gold phoenix hairpin inlaid with filigree and gems is something only the matriarch of the Fu family may wear; if he brings Ruan Ruan back today and they acknowledge her as the clan lady, then she shouldn't be wearing that hairpin.

It should be placed in the ancestral hall, waiting for her to officially join the family, to be personally bestowed by the previous clan matriarch.

The woman standing on the blue stone steps, dignified and elegant, looked at the two people in the front courtyard and said, "Fu Qiwei, Grandfather is waiting for you in the ancestral hall, Miss Yi Ruan, please follow me."

She stared blankly; from the woman's tone she should be Fu Qiwei's mother, Rong Wei.

He waved a hand, and the old steward bowed low, saying, "Young master."

To outsiders, Fu Qiwei is a tough, cold-blooded Fu general manager, but in the Fu family's strictly regulated place, he is a junior.

He handed the congratulatory gift to the old steward and said to her, "Give it all to Grandfather Qin."

The old steward took the gift from her hand, paused—it wasn't light—yet she carried it so nonchalantly; apparently this young lady is also a martial practitioner.

Her little face was at a loss as she looked at him; this was her first time meeting parents.

Fu Qiwei looked at her and softly said, "She is my mother."

Yi Ruan nodded and loosened her grip on him.

"Miss Yi Ruan, if you were truly well-bred, you wouldn't keep me waiting this long," Rong Wei said, her expression displeased.

She said nothing, walking toward Rong Wei.

He worriedly glanced at Ruan Ruan, and the old steward bowed and said, "Please, the old master is in the ancestral hall; young master, hurry."

He gave a soft "hmm."

On the way to the ancestral hall, he ran into his second uncle.

"Fu Qiwei."

"Second uncle." He looked at his second uncle approaching; Fu Shi laughed heartily, patted the eldest nephew's shoulder, and said proudly, "Indeed, as a descendant of the Fu family, you are strong and powerful."

He embarrassedly rubbed his nose and said, "Second uncle, I need to go to the ancestral hall."

Since childhood, he couldn't stand praise from the Fu family elders.

"Perfect, I'm coming too."

Along the way, uncle and nephew chatted happily.

"Qiwei, what does that girl Yi Ruan like? Your second aunt said she wants to give her a gift, but she's been mulling it over all day and still doesn't know what to pick." His wife, after arguing last night with the eldest sister-in-law and the young aunt, went off in a huff.

"What are you talking about? I adore that girl—does Rong Wei not accept her? I, He Lan, do."

Fu Qiwei thought for a moment and said, "She doesn't seem to have any particular likes; she's not picky about food or clothing." The only thing she might like is "money."

The little woman sees money and can't stop smiling.

Fu Shi nodded and said, "Quite an easy-to-please girl."

……

……

In the exquisite small courtyard, blue stone slabs were laid on the ground; beneath the slabs were carved lifelike floral patterns, yet walking on them was very steady.

After entering the courtyard, dense green bamboo was planted in the flowerbeds on both sides, along with orchids emitting a faint, fragrant scent.

A tall pavilion rose from the ground, its pillars carved with flying apsaras in exquisite detail; in the courtyard also stood a small pavilion, its plaque bearing three gilt-brush characters "Wang Yin Pavilion" in vigorous, powerful strokes that inspire awe.

Rong Wei walked ahead; her servant brought a master's chair from the upper floor, which looked to be made of yellow flowering wood, Yi Ruan estimating it at around three million.

She sat down; the servant brought tea, she took the lid, blew on it, and said with downcast eyes, "As a daughter-in-law of the Fu family, upon first meeting the mother-in-law one should kneel to offer tea."

She finished speaking; Yi Ruan was about to kneel when she heard her set down the teacup, her tone soft yet firm, saying, "Wait."

Yi Ruan looked at her doubtfully, her innocent eyes full of purity.

But, no one is truly a fool.

"You don't need to kneel; I don't acknowledge you as my daughter-in-law." Rong Wei waved her hand, and the servant holding the tea stepped back.

She looked at this "future mother-in-law" and sighed inwardly; indeed, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is the world's biggest problem.

Yet her face was icy cold, unlike her earlier innocent harmlessness; at this moment her entire aura shifted.

"I don't know how you clung and pestered to get Fu Qiwei to bring you to the Fu family ancestral home, and I don't want to know," she began, but before she finished, her tone shifted abruptly: "But you must know, you are someone he adopted, fatherless and motherless, an orphan, unworthy of him; your feet have defiled the soil of the ancestral home."

Her languid eyes, like a noble Persian cat basking in afternoon sunlight, slightly narrowed as she looked at the woman seated in the master's chair.

She felt a myriad of indignation and unwillingness, yet had to endure it, for that was his mother.

She could refuse to listen, but she must never be disrespectful.

"You've slept with Fu Qiwei for so many years—name your price." Rong Wei said, seeing she was unmoved, she clapped her hands.

An older servant came forward carrying a wooden tray covered with red silk.

Could this be an attempt to bribe her with gold bars?

If the amount were large enough, she might consider it.

Miss Yi Ruan, this is the gift deed for Villa No. 6 of Nine Chambers Residence, a check for 300 million US dollars, and a high-end custom lifetime black card." Rong Wei believed this was the first time this wild girl had ever seen so much money.

Converted to RMB, it amounts to nearly three billion and up.

Within reach, all she had to do was sign her name and it would all be hers.

Yet she flipped over the wooden tray without blinking, her thin lips coldly whispering, "I lack no money."

If this money were given to her with no strings attached, Fu Qiwei would gladly let Rong Wei humiliate her this way, but Rong Wei's offer comes with conditions.

Rong Wei startled, then angrily said, "I never expected you to be so greedy—just warming Fu Qiwei's bed for a few years, and you want to fly up a branch and turn from a crow into a phoenix?"

She let out a soft scoff, smirking, "When I become a phoenix, you'll still be in the egg."

Everyone was startled, lowering their heads, trying to diminish their presence.

This, the young master's girlfriend is indeed brave……

Rong Wei watched her lower her head, face devoid of expression; recalling the earlier words, her breathing grew more rapid, her chest heaving violently, she instinctively picked up a nearby teacup and smashed it against her shoulder.

「Lowly slut! Who lent you the power to dare speak to me like this! 」

She gave a muffled hum, a sour feeling rose to the tip of her nose; the pain in her shoulder was nothing, warm tea splashed onto her cheek, and her eye sockets turned slightly red.

She has never been angered by anyone in her life.

Today, she actually let an old woman bully her.

「You haven't even married into the Fu family and you're already talking back to your elders; if you do marry into the Fu family, wouldn't the whole Fu family end up taking your surname Yi? ！」

「You! 」 She was about to argue, but someone pulled her into an embrace, stumbling as the man held her in his arms; she heard the man's clear, cold, steady voice above her head, tinged with slight anger: 「Ruanruan, you respect me as an elder, I have repeatedly yielded, Mother, don't push your luck. 」

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