Chapter 241: Chapter 221: Different

Bai Qingyue smiled at Yang Liu’er. "So, you want to go to school, Liu’er? That’s not a difficult thing to arrange. It’s just, you’re already eighteen, right? You haven’t had much schooling. Forget about sitting in an elementary school with seven- and eight-year-olds—even going straight to junior high, mixing with a bunch of thirteen- and fourteen-year-old girls... wouldn’t you find that terribly embarrassing?"

’In my last life, they used this exact reason,’ she thought. ’With Shun Ma chiming in to support them, I was too tongue-tied to argue and just let it happen, completely losing my chance to go to school.’

’If I want to change things, I have to start from the beginning. I can’t let them think I’m a pushover they can bully as they please!’

Yang Liu’er steeled herself and lifted her chin. "I couldn’t study before because all our family’s money had to go to Brother Jun Fan. Now that Brother Jun Fan is successful, he wants to support my education so I won’t be illiterate. I’m willing! Learning knowledge and culture allows one to serve the people. That’s a glorious thing. It doesn’t matter if I’m older. I don’t find it embarrassing at all!"

Bai Qingyue’s eyes widened. She scrutinized Yang Liu’er, then turned to look at Shun Ma with suspicion.

Shun Ma gave a dry cough and said, "It’s already May or June. The schools will be letting out for break soon. If she’s going to school, it won’t be until September. There’s no hurry, no hurry at all."

’There it is, the same old excuse,’ Liu’er thought bitterly. ’And after this would come the endless nagging about how we’re living under someone else’s roof, how we should be grateful for good food and clothes and not cause any more trouble for others!’

’Not this time. I’m not listening to you anymore, Auntie!’

’It’s a good thing she’s just a distant cousin-aunt. If my own flesh-and-blood aunt were also this treacherous, siding with the Bai family to plot against her own niece, that would be truly despicable!’

As Yang Liu’er fumed internally, she mumbled, "I’m leaving," and then she actually left, not looking back or explaining where she was going. It was obvious she had no intention of helping Shun Ma with her chores.

Bai Qingyue frowned. "Shun Ma, didn’t you say this girl was unworldly and simple-minded, that a few words of coaxing would be enough? Why does she have this kind of personality? She’s not going to be easy to control. What if she insists on clinging to Xiao Fan? Let me tell you, Xiao Fan is the Bai family’s eldest grandson. He absolutely cannot marry a country girl!"

Shun Ma was also very confused. "During those years I lived in the village with Xiao Fan, I watched this girl grow up. She was always gentle, obedient, and very honest. Just yesterday when she arrived, she was clinging to my clothes, unwilling to leave my side for a second. I don’t know what got into her, but she woke up this morning and suddenly got bolder, like she’s a completely different person!"

Bai Qingyue narrowed her eyes. "That clan brother of yours and his wife are scoundrels. We only let Xiao Fan stay at their home for a few years out of necessity. It was just to borrow their family’s class background so he could get into the military. And they have the audacity to get greedy and demand Xiao Fan marry this girl? They should take a good look at themselves and see if they’re even worthy!"

"Ah! They were just saying things. There’s no proof, no evidence. We can just refuse to acknowledge it!" Shun Ma said, a bit embarrassed.

"But Xiao Fan is too honest. They’ve coaxed him and softened his heart. He’s mentioned it to me more than once. The other day, he was on the phone with the Old Master and almost blurted it out. Thankfully, I cut the call. I even got a scolding from the Old Master over it... He’s really such a handful!"

Bai Qingyue reached up to touch her temple and glanced coolly at Shun Ma. "Second Brother is coming back tomorrow. A whole group of them. They’ll need to eat, drink, and have a place to stay as soon as they arrive. We absolutely have to get the rooms ready today. That girl is your clan niece. Since she’s unwilling to work, you’ll just have to work a little harder. From now on, just serve her as you should. She was right about one thing: at the very least, she was brought here by Xiao Fan. If you can’t show respect for the monk, at least show it for the Buddha. We can’t afford to slight or neglect her! Hmm, I need to go out. Is the chicken soup ready? I can take it to the hospital for the Old Master on my way."

Shun Ma agreed meekly. Hearing the mention of chicken soup, she quickly said, "If the young mistress has important business, please go ahead. I’ll deliver the chicken soup to the hospital later and feed it to the Old Lord!"

Bai Qingyue said, "Sister Wang is there. You just need to look after things at home."

Shun Ma hesitated and said in a low voice, "They are younger, after all. I’m afraid they might not have much patience. The Old Lord... he needs to be fed slowly. You have to talk to him a little, only then will he eat a few more bites..."

Bai Qingyue paused for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. Then you take it. Thank you for your hard work, Shun Ma."

"Oh, it’s no trouble, no trouble at all!"

Shun Ma watched Bai Qingyue’s graceful figure recede into the distance. She let out a long sigh, then turned and walked quickly in another direction. She had to find Yang Liu’er and see what that damn girl was up to.

’Years ago, her clan brother’s son got lost. The couple was heartbroken, wandering everywhere looking for him for a long time. They spent all their money, sold all their belongings, and were so poor they were left with nothing but four mud walls. Her brother’s wife fell gravely ill from excessive grief and was on the verge of death. When I returned to the village to visit my own mother and heard the news, I paid to send the woman to the commune’s clinic for injections and treatment, saving her life. Before leaving, I even left them some money for medicine and rice. And where did that money come from? It was all from the Bai family! The Bai family’s money saved their lives, so shouldn’t they be grateful?’

’Later, out of necessity, we had to send Xiao Fan to the Yang family. It was just to borrow their status and class background. He only stayed a few years before joining the army. During those years, the Yang family received plenty of money and provisions secretly supplied by Bai Qingyue. How could the Bai family possibly owe the Yang family any great debt? Yet they wanted to foist Yang Liu’er onto Xiao Fan. Forget the Bai family finding it difficult, even I think it’s outrageous!’

’The couple has passed away now. The Bai family is willing to raise Yang Liu’er, arrange a job for her in the future, and even find her a good marriage so she can live a peaceful life. How wonderful is that? People shouldn’t be so greedy. They should know when to be content!’

Shun Ma searched all over but couldn’t find Yang Liu’er. At that moment, Yang Liu’er was hiding in a corner behind the second courtyard gate, eavesdropping on Bai Qingyue, who was standing at the entrance talking to someone.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but she happened to walk by just as she heard Bai Qingyue mention "Old Mrs. Tang" to the other person, so she couldn’t help but stop and listen.

She couldn’t see the man, but after hearing just a few sentences, Liu’er knew who was talking to Bai Qingyue. It was Jia Kuangshi, Doctor Jia. In her previous life, he was a frequent visitor at the Bai family mansion. Whenever anyone in the Bai family, young or old, needed some herbal conditioning soup, they would look for him.

She heard Doctor Jia’s low voice say, "...Mr. Du once saw Imperial Doctor Sun perform acupuncture. He cried out in shock at the time, but denied it later. From what I can see, though, that girl’s technique is extraordinary. She must be Imperial Doctor Sun’s final, personally-taught disciple! Otherwise, how could a critically ill patient like Mr. Gu recover in a single day? This isn’t some myth! And Old Mrs. Tang initially trusted Western medicine. The X-rays are still there, showing no possibility of recovery. They only switched to Traditional Chinese Medicine soups to keep her alive, living one day at a time. But after Mr. Gu’s recovery, Old Mrs. Tang is now up and about as well, and her complexion is better than any healthy person’s!"

Bai Qingyue sounded anxious, but even more so, delighted. "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go find that girl to treat the Old Master!"

"It shouldn’t have been difficult. At worst, it would have just taken some effort and resources. But now, rumor has it that the young girl is actually the Tang family’s long-lost biological granddaughter! Just think, first the Gu family gave strict orders not to leak any information, and now this person suddenly turns out to be the eldest granddaughter of the Tang family’s main branch. She hasn’t even formally completed her apprenticeship and has been hiding her talents. How are we supposed to invite someone like that?"

"The eldest granddaughter of the main branch? Qingshan’s? Impossible!" Bai Qingyue cried out uncontrollably, sounding completely shocked.

In the corner, Yang Liu’er was also startled. ’Isn’t the Tang family’s eldest granddaughter Tang Yaxuan? In my past life, Bai Junfan went to all sorts of lengths to pursue Tang Yaxuan, and he eventually succeeded. The Bai family joined forces with the Tang family, and even the Gu family had to steer clear of their combined power! That marriage was certainly a worthy prize for the Bai family, but the harm it caused my mother and me was immense!’

’Tang Yaxuan... my greatest enemy!’

Yang Liu’er gritted her teeth, still confused. ’Tang Yaxuan doesn’t know the first thing about Traditional Chinese Medicine! She looks down on it more than anyone! Besides, the Tang family’s main branch has no heirs. Tang Yaxuan is clearly the daughter of the second branch, and the only daughter in the entire Tang family!’

’Did something go wrong somewhere? Why is this life different?’

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