After casting one last deep glance at the man who had taken everything from her, Yu Weiwei turned away. "Lock him up. No one is to approach without my orders."
Wu Zhen responded respectfully.
Qi Qiu, however, remained unperturbed. He understood the relationship between the Yu and Zeng families perfectly well. Zeng Xianglin had always held considerable sway in the Yu household and would surely find a way to smooth things over.
Yu Weiwei indeed went straight to the Zeng residence, storming furiously right up to Zeng Xianglin with such force that even Zeng Xiangyan couldn't stop her.
"Cousin, what a fine marriage you arranged for me."
Zeng Xianglin looked momentarily stunned. "What's wrong? Did your husband upset you?"
Yu Weiwei snorted heavily. "I consider myself a reasonable person. If he wants to buy servants for the household, he's free to do so—why would I stop him? But where are their contracts of servitude? How can one purchase people without contracts? He claims they exist but can't produce them. Tell me, cousin, would you dare keep such people in your home? And this is the man who shares my bed! I worry whether my head will still be attached when I wake tomorrow morning!"
Zeng Xiangyan burst into laughter. "Cousin, you're overthinking this. What great enmity could there possibly be between you two?"
"Stay out of this," Yu Weiwei shot him a glare before turning back to Zeng Xianglin. "Cousin, I agreed to this marriage because I trusted your judgment. But look what kind of man he is! He even dared to show me attitude—where does he get the nerve!"
Though inwardly furious, Zeng Xianglin maintained a calm expression. "I investigated him thoroughly before concluding he was suitable. With both our families supporting him, if he could earn an official rank through examinations someday, wouldn't that be wonderful? Scholars tend to be prideful—perhaps you pressed him too hard? Maybe he felt you didn't trust him, hence his reaction?"
"Regardless of how I questioned him, how dare a live-in son-in-law show me attitude? I won't tolerate it." Yu Weiwei snorted again, even more forcefully. "You know I'm not known for my gentle temperament, cousin. I'm just here to inform you—when I deal with Qi Qiu, don't say I didn't leave you any face. Our married life is between him and me behind closed doors; there's no place for saving face here."
"This isn't about face. As the matchmaker, I naturally hope you'll have a harmonious marriage." Zeng Xianglin straightened his sleeves. "How about this—let me speak with him to understand what happened. From what I know, he shouldn't be someone who disregards propriety."
"No need. Now that we're married, this is between him and me. You can intervene temporarily, cousin, but not forever. A few rounds of discipline will make him behave properly, don't worry." Yu Weiwei performed a slight bow. "Please don't visit my home these days, cousin. Consider it leaving some dignity for Qi Qiu. I'll invite you over again once I've straightened him out."
"Coming and going like a whirlwind," Zeng Xiangyan shook his head, clicking his tongue. "How did her temper get worse after marriage? I've met that Qi Qiu too—refined indeed, but let's hope he's not a refined scoundrel. Brother, you didn't misjudge him this time, did you? This concerns our cousin's lifelong happiness. If Qi Qiu truly is no good, you can expect her to come bother you three times daily."
"Can't you wish for something better?" Zeng Xianglin swatted his younger brother's head. "Weren't you supposed to meet someone?"
Zeng Xiangyan checked the time. "Right, thanks to our little cousin's drama, I'm definitely late now. Are you heading out too, brother?"
"I'm not like you, spending all day eating, drinking, and amusing yourself. Hurry up and go, stop cluttering my sight.""Ha ha ha, I know you're jealous, brother. Alright, I'll drink an extra cup for you today."
Watching his younger brother walk away, Zeng Xianglin gradually faded his smile and instructed without turning his head, "Go find out what's going on."
"Yes."
After leaving the Zeng residence, Yu Weiwei went to the entertainment mansion.
Her eyes swept over a row of carriages, and noticing an unfamiliar one, her heart stirred. She quickened her pace inside.
Everyone teased her quite a bit upon seeing her, but Yu Weiwei didn't even blush, firing off witty remarks one after another. No one could tell that the Yu family was currently under intense pressure.
She sat down boldly beside Hua Zhi, glanced at her tiles, intercepted the one she was about to play, and threw out a different one instead. "They're just waiting for this tile. I'd rather let it breed than feed it to them."
The girl sitting below Hua Zhi immediately protested, "Yu Weiwei, that's too much. Are you forgetting old friends for new ones?"
"Can't help it. New friends are cuter than old ones." Yu Weiwei giggled, helping Hua Zhi finish the round—and they even won.
Hua Zhi smiled at the chips pushed toward her. "Finally got a win. If I kept losing like this, I wouldn't even be able to afford a boat ticket home."
There were still many people in the room, both players and spectators, all joining in the banter. Hua Zhi had won them over with silver, and now they regarded her as one of their own.
"Weiwei and I are going outside to chat. Who wants to take my spot? Any losses are on me."
A young woman immediately plopped down into the seat. "I love Miss Hua's generosity. I'll take it. Don't worry, I won't lose it all for you."
Everyone laughed heartily, but Hua Zhi didn't take it seriously. She linked arms with Yu Weiwei and went out. They might want to win her money, but from start to finish, they never conspired to cheat her. Of course, they did take advantage of her being a novice—quite openly at that.
In that regard, their character was fairly decent.
It was windy outside, so instead of staying out, they went to the tea room.
In this place, there were spots like this where one could talk quietly, and they were quite comfortably arranged.
Hua Zhi wasn't used to the tea here, which was brewed with both sugar and salt. She barely wet her lips before setting the cup down. Glancing around, she silently asked, "Trustworthy?"
Yu Weiwei shook her head slightly and pulled her into some trivial chatter. Hua Zhi answered every question, and the two conversed like ordinary friends. After a while, Yu Weiwei asked about her return date.
"I'd like to stay a bit longer. This is the only time all year I get to relax. Once I go back, I probably won't have time to come again."
"Is your business very large?"
"Enough to support the whole family."
Yu Weiwei rolled her eyes. "Do you think I don't know how the world works? Some families have hundreds of members. You make it sound so easy."
Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Then let's just say there are hundreds."
Hundreds of members—so Hua Ling really came from a large family. Yu Weiwei felt slightly reassured. She was afraid, afraid that her backing wasn't strong enough and she'd lose her life before getting revenge.
Hua Zhi asked casually, "Is the horse racing track open now?"
"Yes, it's open even in the coldest weather. Why, want to go have some fun?"
"I'd like to go for a ride there."Yu Weiwei smiled, "That's no trouble at all. When would you like to go? But I can only cheer you on from the sidelines—the physician said I still need to rest for a few more days."
"Fine, I just want to go for a gallop." Hua Zhi stood up and reached out a hand to her, "Come on, let's play a few rounds."
"Alright." Yu Weiwei used her hand for support to stand. Hua Zhi noticed something unusual in her palm and subtly withdrew her hand, concealing it in her sleeve. Then, using Yu Weiwei's body as cover, she tucked it into her bosom.
PS: One chapter owed.
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