Chapter 201: You Bully Others With Your Power!

Rushed again hurriedly to the Tian Family; this old pair, fearing the Qiao Family's prosperity, always look for trouble.

"I'm talking about the Tian Family, don't doubt what I say; if you see the servant girl you'll know."

"What do you mean? Isn't it just a servant girl?"

"That little servant girl is so beautiful; don't you want to get her back? You should know she's the servant girl's prized possession; with her you can manipulate her at will—squeeze her square, she'll be square; squeeze her round, she'll be round. Moreover, with this child you'll have ties to the Zhi Family, and you'll certainly have a share of her money."

The Tian old couple was stirred by the words; honestly, they had long wanted an excuse to squeeze some profit from Qiao Mai, but never got a chance. If what Qiao Lvshi said were true, then

Just thinking about it excited them, so they arranged to meet daily at the Qiao Family's gate.

The Qiao Family's child doesn't appear every day; after waiting two days without seeing her, the Tian old couple grew hesitant and wanted to go home.

When the Qiao family forcibly held them back, at that moment Ling'er rode a pony, dressed neatly and beautifully; Yuehong supported her, Yuexia led the horse, and they emerged from inside, followed by three little horses and finally two guards on a big horse.

The Tian people looked at Ling'er's face and said excitedly:

"Xiang, truly Xiang, look at this little figure; this is Third Son's child; seeing her makes me think of my own Third Son."

Pah, what is that!

Promiscuous woman, lewd woman, indecent sort; when Third Son returns, she must not be let off lightly.

"Not spicy, tasty"

"Hmph, then why does Ling'er look so much like Third Son?" The Tian couple still didn't believe her words.

"Tch, the benefit isn't in hand yet; we'll talk when it is."

I must say, the Tian people's dream is too beautiful, their thinking too simple.

The Yuan old couple, because of the Tian people's arrival, no longer invited the Qiao couple; they would casually eat a bowl of cold noodles, occasionally taste instant noodles, sharing one bowl between them.

People like them, ordinary folk, truly can't provoke her; it's said she has the Prefect Zhifu backing her.

"Y-you!"

Ruyi gave the Xianggong five hundred taels of silver, and Qiao Mai gave Yuan Jiaqi one thousand taels of silver.

They actually clung to their own shine, still scheming against themselves.

"Y-you, you're bullying people with your power!"

"Don't worry, as long as our family's days improve, we'll certainly never forget you."

Frightened, the Tian couple got up and ran; Liu Hai clutched his waist and shouted curses.

Even now, these people are still not giving up.

"Hmph, if you let us know you dare"

Both gazes nakedly invaded Ling'er; Qiao Mai gave a look, and the Tian, Qiao, Yuan families—three pairs of old scoundrels—nearly wet their pants.

Could this child really resemble their son? Or is Qiao Mai unable to forget Third Son, deliberately adopting a girl who looks like Third Son?

You say a child this big, dressed so well, what for? It's truly wasting a good thing.

"Maybe you hid her in advance."

She sat in front of Liu Hai's shop, ordered a bowl of cold noodles, and looked at the Tian people opposite.

"Get out!"

She ate casually; the Tian people finally found an excuse, seeing her couple walk toward her, sitting opposite her, watching the cold noodles crunch and their mouths watering.

Qiao Mai lifted her head, looking at the angry old scoundrels opposite.

Qin Yide and Yuan Jiaqi set out together for the capital to take the imperial exam; the old master sent three guards, one to drive a carriage, two on horseback to escort them.

The Tian people gave the Qiao people a disdainful glance; seeing their money‑obsessed demeanor, they understood why the Qiao scoundrel would abandon his own parents.

You damn things, if you dare scheme against me again, don't blame me for taking action against you.

"You still have the nerve to say that to me? If you hadn't kicked my child away, would I have needed to adopt someone else? You're a murderer, executioner, a midnight nightmare; that child didn't come to you for revenge?"

At first Qiao Mai didn't know, but later, with nothing to do, she slipped out, hands behind her, and discovered them while inspecting the shop.

They didn't know, and while they were rambling, Qiao Mai mentally stripped them alive several times in her mind.

"Is it that you're unaware? Or the villagers are unaware? When I buried her, they all saw; when I left empty‑handed, they also saw; and I stayed in the town for over half a year alone, everyone knows; on the day I picked up the girl, there were witnesses."

"I was near death then; I tell you where I hid the child? Who raised her?"

The Tian people across watched Ling'er, eyeing her clothes, thinking the money from selling them could feed the Tian family for years; then looking at the hair ornament on her head, if sold, the Tian family could build a brick‑tile house.

Then make Qiao Shi kneel on the ground to admit fault; if they don't hand over all the family assets to them, they won't forgive her.

"That's fine, let him return to fight her for this child; as long as this child is in hand, your family's days will surely improve."

Ling'er at this moment rode a pony, wandering back from the south.

Thus the Tian couple did nothing else, gathering daily opposite Jixiang Yuan, staying there for an entire day each time.

Murderous intent flashed in their eyes; is this because they saw Ling'er resemble Tian Third Son? Come to spy?

"Mother, mother"

Old Tian slapped the table, ready to assume the elders' stance again, and Liu Hai, carrying a stick, ran over.

"Speak honestly, the girl you picked up, was she the child you gave birth to back then?"

It's good that the Tian won't harm their own bloodline, unlike the Qiao people, who treat a girl not as a girl but as livestock.

She said it so casually, causing the Tian to become suspicious.

Honestly, she was already saintly enough, never harming them; the children of the Tian, Qiao, and Yuan families still attended her school, and she pretended not to see, made no calculations, treating them as ordinary commoners' children.

Sitting opposite every day, that scent was truly fragrant; just a sniff was quite satisfying.

"Split it fifty‑fifty then?"

Hmph!

Mid‑March, Jixiang School had a month‑long vacation.

Terrifying, after getting rich, Qiao Mai also became imposing.

This made the Tian and Qiao families extremely envious; these two families couldn't bear to eat such expensive things.

Qiao Mai glared, and murderous aura swept toward Tian Shi, who trembled all over in fright.

"Shameless thing, you still have the nerve to look for my cousin, still dare to act high‑and‑mighty, who the hell are you, don't forget she has nothing to do with your family, my cousin does not welcome you, if you dare come to my shop again, I'll break your legs."

However, they were not in a hurry; in just a year, Dizi returned and everything would be easy to settle.

Qiao Mai picked up a strip of cold noodle and fed it into her mouth, "Spicy or not?"

"The child is not Tian Sanzhuang's; if you don't believe it, when he returns we can do a blood test to confirm parentage. I, Qiao Mai, am not afraid; don't think you can use the child as an excuse to trouble me."

"He'll be back soon, right?"

"Because she looks like my dead child, I adopted her; otherwise, what would you think?"

She was lifted off the horse by Yuehong, and fluttered like a little fairy into Qiao Mai's arms.

If Qiao Mai found out they thought that way, she would have to laugh in anger.

Three pairs of old merchants' eyes flashed with malice as they examined the plain‑looking but snow‑white‑skinned Qiao Mai, unable to tell if she was selling herself for honor.

"Next year, this child hasn't written a letter, so it should be safe and sound."

At first, the Qiao Family and Yuan Family sat at the doorway; now a Tian Family has joined, surely someone went to their house to stir up trouble.

Whatever is lacking can be bought there; the residence is in Bichun Garden, as the old lady instructed them.

When they left, the whole family escorted them to Guan Dao and watched them depart.

During Qin Yide's absence, Qiao Mai let Ruyi move into Jixiang Yuan and placed her in her own Yuanzi.

The main reason is that Ruyi is pregnant, already three months along, and because she is petite, it is not visible at all.

(End of chapter)