Chapter 264: Refusing to Even Acknowledge Me?
Sitting together, the family couldn’t come up with a clear explanation for the situation. Being bound by secret knowledge, Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun—the two who actually knew the plot progression—couldn’t explicitly tell them anything either. In the end, as the hour grew late, the old lady was left to stay on their side of the house to recover her health.
Over the next few days, Doctor Jin gave Wen Jun a break, telling him to stay home and take good care of the old lady.
Only after Nanny Shi came out to relieve Wen Yao did the family of three finally find time to sit down and review the whole matter together.
“Given Meng De’s nature, he must be after something related to my brother and me. Otherwise, according to his character design in the original book, he should look down on both of us,” Wen Yao said to the two men.
Sitting in the room, the three lost themselves in deep thought, ultimately arriving at a conclusion that wasn’t far off the mark.
Having spent so many years in the capital, Meng De was bound to know Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu. Currently, Wen Jun was Doctor Jin’s sole disciple, meaning he would inherit Doctor Jin’s mantle in the future, while Datou had become Manager Qiu’s godson. If both Datou and Wen Jun were brought to the capital to become members of the Meng household, it would be equivalent to forging ties with both Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu.
“As for me,” Wen Yao paused before continuing directly, “I’m afraid it has everything to do with the roasted duck shop.”
When Wen Yao mentioned this, something suddenly dawned on Wen Xiuyi, and he raised his hand to slap himself hard across the face.
The action gave both Wen Yao and Wen Jun a sharp fright.
“Comrade Old Wen, this isn’t your fault. Why are you slapping yourself?” Wen Yao asked.
Wen Xiuyi sighed. “Sigh, I’m afraid this mess is on me.” With that, he recounted how Magistrate Chen had treated them to a meal that day and how he had ended up driving Meng De away in anger.
Wen Yao and Wen Jun: “…”
No wonder. In ancient times, daughters were widely considered worthless—like spilled water after marriage. Thus, except for noble and influential households that needed daughters to consolidate alliances, a female’s status in ordinary families was quite low. In poorer regions, girls might even be sold off.
For Lady Liu to go through all this trouble to flatter Wen Yao, even spending money to buy her gifts, this was the underlying motive all along.
“There’s no point in blaming anyone now. Even if you hadn’t said anything, Dad, they would’ve figured it out with a little investigation anyway. We’d better focus on what to do about this,” Wen Yao said. They needed to resolve this once and for all; otherwise, these two would remain potential major trouble.
Wen Jun saw things much more simply than they did, without all the complication, and said directly, “You’re overcomplicating things. If you ask me, she and Dad are already divorced, which simply means she has nothing to do with us anymore. The only connection left is blood. Even if we refuse to acknowledge her, what can she possibly do?”
That actually made a lot of sense.
Wen Yao made up her mind: “I shouldn’t have accepted her stuff in the first place. At first, I thought that since she was the mother of this body and there was blood relation involved, I shouldn’t make things too embarrassing for her. But seeing Grandma’s pale face yesterday, I honestly wanted to kill her right then and there.
“Tomorrow, I’m throwing all those things she brought right back at her. Who cares about her cheap gifts?”
At this point, Wen Yao suddenly leaned in and whispered in a secretive tone, “Dad, Brother, do you think we could secretly bump them off? They’re just two blights anyway.”
Wen Xiuyi stroked his chin, pondering the feasibility.
Wen Jun, however, slapped Wen Yao on the back of the head. “Do you think killing people is like slaughtering chickens? Leaving aside that this Meng guy is a court official, even if he were an ordinary citizen, you can’t just kill whoever you want. Besides, even if you were given the power, would you actually have the heart to do it?”
Wen Yao rubbed her nose. Her mouth was brave enough for trash-talk, but if she were actually tasked with killing someone, she wouldn’t dare.
“I don’t think we can drag this out any longer. We have to find a way to make them pack up and clear out,” Wen Xiuyi said.
If those two pests stayed around any longer, he was genuinely afraid they would drive his elderly mother into an early grave.
The next morning, Wen Yao woke up early and instructed Nanny Shi to load all the gifts Lady Liu had brought onto the carriage. Leaving Wen Jun and Nanny Shi at home to take care of Old Madam Luo, she set off with Wen Xiuyi to find Lady Liu and Meng De.
Unexpectedly, Nanny Shi approached her and said, “Miss, please take this old servant along. I’ve seen far more of the world than you have. Let Nanny Du stay with the eldest young master to look after the old mistress.”
Wen Yao thought it over and agreed. Nanny Shi was a seasoned veteran in inner-court battles after all, so bringing her along made sense.
And so, the father and daughter, accompanied by a battle-ready Nanny Shi, set off in a grand and swaggering manner toward the inn where Meng De and Lady Liu were staying.
Arriving at the inn’s entrance, they didn’t go inside. Instead, they simply asked an inn waiter to inform Lady Liu that someone was looking for her.
Learning that Wen Yao had arrived, Lady Liu hurried downstairs with her maidservants. Seeing Wen Yao standing beside the carriage, a flash of joy crossed Lady Liu’s face as she walked over.
“Yao Yao, have you thought it through? You’re coming back with Mother, aren’t you?” Lady Liu asked with a beaming smile, reaching out to take Wen Yao’s hand.
Wen Yao directly turned her body to dodge her touch.
“Mrs. Meng, out on the open street, it’s better not to pull and tug.” Wen Yao’s tone was flat, laced with a hint of disgust. Remembering how this woman had driven her beloved grandmother sick with rage yesterday, it was already a miracle that Wen Yao hadn’t slapped her across the face.
Lady Liu froze, stunned by the address Mrs. Meng.
“W-What did you call me?” Lady Liu asked in disbelief.
Without lowering her voice at all, Wen Yao spoke right there on the street: “Mrs. Meng, I am here to return the gifts you brought.” Saying this, Wen Yao glanced at Nanny Shi, who immediately unloaded the items Lady Liu had sent from the carriage and set them right before her.
“You…” Lady Liu stared at Wen Yao’s actions in utter disbelief.
A crowd of onlookers on the street had already stopped to watch. Feeling her face burning with humiliation, Lady Liu could only whisper, “Whatever it is, let’s go inside to talk.”
Yet Wen Yao didn’t budge an inch. She offered a slight curtsy to Lady Liu and said, “No need, Mrs. Meng. Now that the items are returned, I shall take my leave. In the future, let us refrain from further contact. Since you left so decisively back then, you should have anticipated today. Not just me—neither my brother nor Datou will go with you.
“Yesterday, you told me that life as a woman comes with many hardships and asked for my understanding. I do understand you, but since you have made your choice, your fate was already sealed. From now on, as my grandmother said, let us go our separate ways in peace and wish each other well. Take care, and goodbye.”
With that, Wen Yao turned around and let Nanny Shi help her onto the carriage. Inside, Wen Xiuyi sat waiting. He had originally wanted to step down with her, but Wen Yao had stopped him. Her soft-heartedness yesterday had given Lady Liu an opening, which ultimately resulted in her grandmother falling ill with rage. She had to resolve this matter herself.
Lady Liu was still dazed until now. Seeing Wen Yao about to leave, she finally snapped back to reality and yelled in anger, “I am your mother! I gave birth to you and raised you—how can you treat me like this? Refusing to even acknowledge me?!”
Standing on the carriage step, Wen Yao didn’t turn her head. A crowd of onlookers had gathered around to listen to the gossip. In a calm, flat voice, Wen Yao said, “From the day you turned your back and left without looking back, ignoring my brother’s and my pleas to stay, we no longer had a mother. From here on, take care of yourself.”
With that, Wen Yao ducked back into the carriage without turning back. Nanny Shi, who hadn’t even found an opportunity to showcase her skills, sat on the edge of the driver’s seat. Lu Jiang snapped his whip, and the carriage sped away, leaving Lady Liu standing alone on the spot to endure the gazes of the crowd in utter humiliation.
