Chapter 481: Status
Chapter 481: Chapter 481: Status
"However, I was the one who bestowed Auntie Hu her current name, so it’s best to avoid using it out of respect," Hu Waner said. "From now on, she will be known as Aunt Yu in the household. Whenever I am away, Aunt Yu will manage all the domestic affairs."
Hu Yuzhu was somewhat surprised. Did the Madam really trust her that much?
But thinking of her own health condition and the fact that the Madam held her deed of servitude, she sighed and respectfully agreed.
Immediately, a maid helped Hu Yuzhu up, clearing the spot for Ma Mingli.
No matter how unwilling Ma Mingli felt inside, she could only obediently comply at this moment. Taking the tea brought over by a maid, she knelt straight down in front of Lin Dali and his wife. Holding the cup, she raised it to Lin Dali in a sickly sweet voice, "Master, please have some tea."
Lin Dali licked his lips. This face in front of him was truly too hard to look at. He looked up at Hu Yuzhu, who was standing obediently to the side—she was the one who was easy on the eyes.
Ma Mingli was furious. This damn old geezer! He didn’t even look in the mirror to see what kind of state he was in. She was already trying so hard to please him, yet he still dared to look at that bitch.
Hu Waner waited for a moment before asking, "Master, what status do you think should be given to Widow Ma?"
Lin Dali finally snapped back to reality, his brow furrowing. Why did the word "widow" sound a bit grating to his ears now?
However, in front of so many people, he couldn’t exactly scold his wife who had just arranged a concubine for him. He could only swallow his frustration, deciding to have a good talk with her afterward. Calling her "widow" left and right—wasn’t that cursing him?
"Since they are both entering the household together, just make her the second concubine. It’ll save us the trouble of elevating her status later."
Mrs. Lin looked at the unrecognizable Ma Mingli with a half-smile. "I couldn’t tell that you were one to cherish old sentiments, Master. Given her status as a widow, making her a bedmaid would have been more than enough. But since it pleases you, we will do as you wish.
"However, she doesn’t come from a clean background. In the future, no matter how many more concubines you take in, she will always be ranked last."
Hearing that he could take in more concubines in the future, and sensing that his wife didn’t object, Lin Dali couldn’t care less about rankings. He readily agreed, "Whatever you say, Madam."
Having held the cup up for ages, Ma Mingli almost dropped it when she heard this. The Madam was simply leaving her no way out. Having Aunt Yu above her was bad enough, but now there would be even more people stepping on her head in the future.
Furthermore, every time a newcomer entered, she would be pushed further down the ranks. This was a naked humiliation.
Lin Dali felt a bit guilty. After all, Ma Mingli was the one getting the short end of the stick here. He quickly took the tea. "Serve the Madam and me well from now on."
After saying that, he gave Hu Waner an ingratiating smile, hoping she would remember her promise.
Ma Mingli took another teacup and endured her anger over and over before heavily thrusting it in front of Hu Waner, saying in a stiff voice, "Madam, please have some tea."
Hu Waner looked at her with a half-smile but didn’t make things too difficult. After all, with so many people watching today, if she was going to play the kind and magnanimous wife, she might as well do it openly. She took the tea, took a sip, and then said unhurriedly, "I hope Aunt Ma will strictly abide by her duties from now on. Stay by Aunt Yu’s side and learn the ways of a concubine.
"You rummaged through all my dowry jewelry earlier, so I suppose none of it caught your eye. I had to search high and low to pick out an excellent gift for you. I hope it reminds you to be cautious with your words and actions in the future."
After she spoke, another maid came forward holding a tray. Everyone craned their necks in anticipation, wanting to see what was on it.
As the red cloth covering it was lifted, it revealed a wooden disciplinary ruler.
"I hope this will help you dispel your laziness, guard your true nature, and properly fulfill your duties."
Mrs. Qian, sitting next to Bai Suihe, was the first to clap her hands. "Wonderful! Congratulations to Mr. Lin on acquiring a beautiful concubine."
The other ladies chimed in one after another. It really did look like they had come specifically to offer their congratulations.
If Ma Mingli wanted to make another scene, the opportunity was already lost.
Lin Dali stood up and cupped his hands in greeting toward them. Just like that, the drama surrounding taking a concubine finally died down.
Soon after, the food was served. Even though this was just a remote estate, Lin Dali really knew how to enjoy life. He had hired a few good cooks to serve the household. The hurriedly prepared dishes actually tasted quite good.
Gu Xingyang could only drool as she watched everyone eat. She couldn’t help but let out babbling sounds, which amused the ladies at the table. Mrs. Qian, sitting nearby, even picked up a piece of chicken and waved it in front of her. "Do you want to eat this?"
The distinct aroma of the chicken hit her nose, and Gu Xingyang couldn’t help but drool even more. However, seeing the unscrupulous adults waiting to watch her make a fool of herself, she silently sighed and played along. "AH, AH, AH..."
"Look at how wide this little mouth is open. Too bad she has no teeth." Seeing Gu Xingyang’s eyes glued to her chopsticks, Mrs. Qian slowly brought the chicken to her own mouth. "Ah, so delicious."
"Mother, look at them! They’re all bullying me," Gu Xingyang complained to Bai Suihe in her mind.
Bai Suihe gave Mrs. Qian an exasperated look. "Why are you teasing her? Now we’ll have to wash a few more handkerchiefs when we get back."
Gu Xingyang was speechless.
Mrs. Qian and the others were all highly amused, and the conversation shifted to embarrassing stories about their own children when they were little.
Gu Xingyang listened with great relish this time. The baffling actions of kids had always been a mystery since ancient times. She made sure to mentally catalog all these embarrassing secrets. Once she could open her mouth and speak, she would go to their manors and mock their precious babies. Yes, that was exactly what she would do.
Hu Waner came over at this moment, first bowing to the ladies present. "I apologize for the poor hospitality today. I hope you can all forgive me."
"This is wonderful. We were the ones who tagged along without giving any notice," Mrs. Qian said with a smile. "It’s already generous enough of you, Mrs. Lin, not to blame us for showing up uninvited. Please forgive us for the intrusion."
"I understand everyone’s kind intentions," Mrs. Lin said, taking a cup from a maid’s hands. "If it weren’t for all of you standing firmly behind me, this matter wouldn’t have been resolved so smoothly today. In the future, if you ladies ever need my help, just say the word."
With that, she raised her cup and downed it first out of respect. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."
They waited until she left before whispering among themselves. "What a drastic change. She went from a little stray cat to a fierce tigress. Mr. Lin is going to suffer from now on."
"No way, do you actually sympathize with Mr. Lin?"
"Of course not! Why would I sympathize with him? I’m just curious how this Mrs. Lin will manage the household affairs from now on.
"She just handed over the power to manage the household to Aunt Yu. Isn’t she afraid of raising an ungrateful wolf?"
"You’re overthinking it. Didn’t you see the way Aunt Yu walked? You can tell at a glance she was specially trained in that kind of place. A ’thin horse’ like her lost the ability to bear children long ago, and her deed of servitude is in Mrs. Lin’s hands. As long as she is given some benefits, she has no choice but to be completely obedient."