Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 186 - 14: Cause and Effect (Part 3)

Ever since Susu left the manor, Yun Duo showed her true colors, and Chun Feng pleaded with her grandfather—Housekeeper Qiao—to thoroughly investigate Yun Duo’s background.

It turned out, Yun Duo wasn’t an orphan whose father died early and sold herself to support her sick mother, as she claimed when she first came. She was actually sold to a trafficker by her parents to pay off her brother’s gambling debts.

After selling Yun Duo and paying off the gambling debts, Yun Duo’s brother behaved for a while. But when their father passed away due to overwork, their mother could do nothing but weep. With her mind in turmoil, she returned to the casinos.

Of course, she lost more often than not, and there was nothing good to come of it. When mother and son found themselves at their wits’ end, they happened to encounter the very trafficker who bought Yun Duo. Upon learning that their daughter became a maid in the Song Family, they were overjoyed.

Yun Duo’s mother was cunning, fearing her daughter’s resentment, so she didn’t approach directly but lingered by the side gate used by the Song Family servants, hoping to catch Yun Duo.

Unexpectedly, in less than two days, she saw Yun Duo going out on her day off to buy snacks to please Nanny Qin.

Since Yun Duo’s parents favored sons over daughters, she learned from an early age to read people’s expressions. Not only did she win over the trafficker, but she also fabricated a tragic past for herself.

Entering the Old Madam’s courtyard, she not only acted weak and innocent but also eagerly took on menial tasks, winning Bisi’s favor and gaining care from Susu.

When her mother recognized her, she had just acknowledged Nanny Qin as her godmother and had been promoted to a senior maid, enjoying her rising fortune. But since her mother already learned about the tragic story Yun Duo concocted from the trafficker, her brother began to threaten her, forcing Yun Duo to part with her savings to pay off his gambling debts.

At this point, one must sigh, "Even the most hateful have their pitiful moments." Yun Duo’s mother and brother were both parasitic characters, solely reliant on others. Fearing they would expose her, they not only followed her to the Capital but demanded increasingly more money and goods.

Yun Duo had no choice but to set her sights on the Old Madam’s belongings. Initially fearful of being discovered, she realized the Old Madam owned so many items that not even Susu could account for all the small things. While Susu was still in the manor, Yun Duo dared to secretly take some of the Old Madam’s trinkets for her mother. Later, after Susu left, she directly targeted the Old Madam’s small storeroom. She initially tried to win Ning Xiang and Yun Tong over, but failing that, naturally saw them as thorns in her side.

She was unaware that had she been less hasty and more patient, she might have succeeded. After all, she was an indentured maid bought from outside and had acknowledged the Old Madam’s most trusted Nanny Qin as her godmother. Nanny Qin was aging, Ning Xiang and Yun Tong were young, and the Old Madam might have entrusted her with overseeing the storeroom.

Unfortunately, she was too impatient. With Susu’s departure, among the four senior maids in Sui’an Hall, she was the one who gained the most favor from the Old Madam. Surrounded by flatterers, she became overly ambitious.

Chun Feng, at first, was merely concerned about her friend and, due to Susu, pleaded with her grandfather to investigate whether Yun Duo had been bribed. Little did she imagine they would discover this whole affair. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The most absurd part was her grandfather, upon revealing the matter to them, did nothing more, claiming it was for their training. Chun Feng almost knelt in disbelief. Was this really her grandfather?

"We originally intended to tell Nanny Qin, but with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, everyone was as busy as a spinning top, and there wasn’t even a chance for a quiet word with her."

Yun Tong couldn’t believe Yun Duo had come to disregard even Susu. Had Yun Tong known Susu would return and endure such grievances, she would have confronted the Old Madam earlier, ensuring Yun Duo’s uncomfortable situation.

Listening to the four children’s grievances, Susu unexpectedly learned Yun Duo’s hidden secret. Thinking about the absurd gossip she’d encountered since her time traveling, she couldn’t fathom her luck.

However, recalling what Chun Feng said about Grandpa Qiao’s investigation and subsequent inaction under the guise of "training," Susu felt relieved, realizing the situation was still manageable.

"You all return to your duties. I brought you some things, and later I’ll have Fen Dai deliver them to you. Take those snacks and share them with the young maids. I’m going to have a chat with Nanny Qin."

Hearing this, the four girls, assuming Susu was going to take action against Yun Duo, breathed a sigh of relief and left cheerfully. Carrying the box of snacks, Yun Tong distributed them to the servants in the backyard, saying, "Such an odious person doesn’t deserve to be in the lady’s presence!"

Those watching the commotion assumed Susu and Yun Duo were preparing for a face-off both openly and secretly, while those harboring ulterior motives thought, "When clams and snipes quarrel, the fisherman gains!"