Chapter 478: Establishing a Contract
Chapter 478: Chapter 478: Establishing a Contract
Everyone thought they would break character and burst out laughing. Unexpectedly, they all looked deep in thought. Some even started asking the masters of those older maidservants to borrow their staff.
Bai Suihe couldn’t help but gloat. She figured that once these ladies returned home today, the entirety of Zhang County would become quite lively. In her heart, she silently prayed for their husbands, hoping their endurance was strong enough and their hearts could take the shock. Otherwise, she would be attending quite a few funerals soon.
While Bai Suihe wasn’t paying attention, Gu Xingyang actually pried her hand away. Ma Mingli probably had no idea what she looked like right now. Her eyes were practically spitting fire as she glared at Hu Yuzhu, who stood beside Lin Dali in a pink dress, looking entirely bashful. He Dali’s eyes were completely focused on the woman beside him; he hadn’t even noticed Ma Mingli’s arrival.
A wave of panic surged in Ma Mingli’s heart. She knew she had some beauty and was willing to lower herself to serve Lin Dali, which was how she managed to sway his heart toward her.
But the woman before her was younger and even more beautiful than she was. How could she possibly compete?
"Master," Hu Yuzhu said, gently tugging at Lin Dali’s sleeve at a subtle glance from Mrs. Lin. "This must be Aunt Ma, whom Madam mentioned. It is time for this lowly concubine to serve tea to Madam."
Lin Dali still had a soft spot for Ma Mingli. Hearing that she had arrived, he quickly distanced himself from Hu Yuzhu and prepared to welcome Ma Mingli with a smile. However, when he looked over, his smile froze on his face.
"Is this Ming Li?" Lin Dali suddenly felt his heart race. He hastily clutched his chest, panting heavily. "This is killing me! What kind of getup is this?"
At the same time, he noticed a strange atmosphere lingering over the entire scene. Everyone seemed to be quite amused.
"On such a joyous day, Widow Ma, why are you dressed like this?" Hu Waner struck first, seizing the initiative. "This is absolute nonsense. You have no sense of decorum at all."
Bai Suihe couldn’t help but give a mental thumbs-up. Even if she were in Hu Waner’s shoes, she couldn’t have executed this so meticulously.
She had seen Lin Dali open his mouth, intending to reprimand Hu Waner. But since Hu Waner spoke first, he was left standing there, completely at a loss for what to say next.
"Madam, do you truly not know why I am dressed like this?" Ma Mingli retorted recklessly. Enduring the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, she figured things couldn’t possibly get any worse anyway. "These wicked servants were sent by you! They wouldn’t even give me a decent dress to wear—"
"How audacious!" An older maidservant beside Mrs. Hu swiftly stepped forward.
SLAP! SLAP!
She delivered two resounding slaps to Ma Mingli’s face. "You are nothing but a lowly concubine! Is that how you speak to the lady of the house? You cannot even manage your own appearance, yet you dare blame your shortcomings on Madam? Who gave you such nerve?"
After striking her, the maidservant looked at her own palm and felt a twinge of regret. She had hit too hard and scraped off half of the thick powder on the woman’s face. Although Ma Mingli was still just as ugly, she somehow looked slightly more pleasing to the eye than before.
"Master," Widow Ma cried out. Desperate for her backer, she instinctively whined and acted coquettishly toward Lin Dali, just as she used to.
However, she forgot that she was no longer sporting her previously pretty face. Her display terrified all the grown men present, making them shudder in unison. They all firmly decided they would definitely stay away from women for the next few days. The visual impact was simply too traumatic; they would probably be having nightmares for a while.
Lin Dali also stumbled half a step back in fright, and his previous tender affection dissipated by more than half. He blamed Hu Waner for being intolerant. If she wanted to torment the woman, she should have done it in private! By making such a public spectacle, he would likely become the butt of everyone’s jokes for a long time.
He also blamed Ma Mingli. She had no idea what kind of ghastly sight she was right now; she never should have come to the main hall looking like this.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Hu Waner scolded. "If you didn’t choose to dress this way, could these servants have forced you? The clothes and accessories you previously wore were never yours to begin with. I chose not to hold you accountable for stealing my dowry, yet you dare to play the victim and falsely accuse me?"
Hu Waner motioned for the butler to step forward. "I won’t bicker with you over this. Since you want to follow my husband and have already given your body to him, I can’t very well force you into a pig basket to be drowned for adultery. Taking advantage of today’s auspicious date, you can enter the household alongside Auntie Hu. Consider this my good deed for the day to spare your life. From now on, you must serve the master well and strictly abide by your duties."
The various madams applauded wildly in their hearts, thinking, "We’ve learned so much today..."
Initially, they believed they were here to witness a pitiful and helpless inner-courtyard woman. Aside from watching the drama unfold, they had also intended to lend Hu Waner a helping hand. To their surprise, Hu Waner delivered such a massive, satisfying twist. It was absolutely thrilling.
None of the various interventions they had brainstormed on the way here even had a chance to be used. Instead, Hu Waner’s methods today broadened their horizons and gave them plenty of inspiration.
Even though Ma Mingli was a widow who had been married before, and it was true she had slept with Lin Dali without any proper title or status, having it pointed out so bluntly in public was a devastating blow to her pride. Standing there under everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, she wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow her whole.
And Lin Dali—the man she had sacrificed so much to win over—was now staring intently at the little seductress beside him. Earlier, she had even caught a glimpse of utter disgust in his eyes when he looked at her.
This was completely different from what she had envisioned. She wanted to flee, but there was no chance for her to do so.
The older maidservants next to her were glaring at her fiercely. Having already suffered at their hands, she felt a deep sense of dread.
These people weren’t even servants of the Lin Family. She had no authority over them whatsoever, let alone the ability to use Lin Dali to suppress them.
Hearing Mrs. Lin—the woman she had always looked down upon—sit high and mighty while lecturing her, Ma Mingli had no choice but to swallow her immense grievances.
With tear-filled eyes, she tried to seek help from Lin Dali, only to find him looking at her with revulsion. Her heart broke even further.
"I can teach you the rules slowly in the future, but we cannot delay the auspicious hour because of you," Hu Waner said, ordering the servants to set up a desk so the two women could sign and affix their fingerprints to the concubine contracts.
Hu Yuzhu had originally been groomed in a pleasure house. Now that Mrs. Lin had bought her freedom, given her a proper surname and name, and registered her under a concubine of the Hu Family, she was nominally Mrs. Lin’s illegitimate younger sister.
Furthermore, Madam had promised that after Mr. Lin passed away, if she wished to remarry, she would be given a generous dowry. If she chose not to remarry, the three young masters of the Lin Family had agreed to provide for her in her old age.
Her life was essentially set anyway. For Mrs. Lin to offer her this opportunity—sparing her from having to entertain clients day in and day out like her sisters in the brothel—was already a massive stroke of luck.
She had already made her decision long ago. Even after Lin Dali passed away, she wouldn’t remarry. At worst, she would find a Daoist temple to cultivate in. She figured the three young masters would be even more willing to support that choice.
With these thoughts in mind, she swiftly pressed her fingerprint onto the contract and stood obediently by Lin Dali’s side. Her well-behaved demeanor thoroughly satisfied Lin Dali’s vanity. In stark contrast, Ma Mingli’s dawdling seemed utterly disgraceful.