Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 288 - 40: Tearing Off All Pretense (Second Update)

Susu over here thinks that Yue Baiyou really has a thick skin. It’s not that she looks down on her, but the attendees of Aunt Qin’s banquets are at least female relatives from Fifth Rank households.

She’s just an orphan, with no family background, no character, no knowledge, just her appearance is passable.

But even so, she can’t be considered a great beauty. At least compared to the maids around Susu, they’re more graceful!

What do people see in her to marry her as a daughter-in-law? Really, where does she get her audacious self-confidence from?

Meanwhile, Hong Sheng is so troubled that he’s losing hair, this girl is simply a big pit!

He has plenty of good lads around who understand him well, but not to mention they don’t want to marry Miss Yue, he himself wouldn’t want to push someone close into a fire pit either.

There are quite a few who like Miss Yue, but so far there’s not a single proposal, which really speaks volumes, doesn’t it?

Surely it’s because the parents disagree, if his son liked such a "well-connected" girl, he wouldn’t agree either!

There are some who are eager to curry favor and are thinking of marrying his "adopted sister" to boost their prospects, but no matter how much Hong Sheng resents that girl, he still wouldn’t ruin someone’s life!

So, he received a letter sent over by Susu, and although Hong Sheng also thought Miss Yue was quite "daring and bold," perhaps there really is someone with "good eyes" who fancies her?

After thinking it over, he wrote a letter to Susu, asking for it to be brought back. If Susu could take Miss Yue, then go; just bring more maids with her, to avoid causing any incidents.

If not, then let it be, it’s just that this girl is no ordinary character, he’s afraid of hitting a rat but breaking a precious vase.

Plus, there are many things about this girl that don’t add up, he always felt something’s amiss, better to have someone look into it thoroughly for peace of mind.

Right now, his worry is how to subtly please a series of "cousins" and "nephews," especially how to complete the task assigned by his wife—making Ling his secretary.

So when Susu received Hong Sheng’s reply and Mrs. Qin’s response, after thinking it over, she asked for Yue Baiyou to come over.

Without the heavy makeup, Yue Baiyou has a fresh and pretty neighborly girl-next-door look when she doesn’t speak.

But once she opened her mouth, Susu thought, "Girl-next-door," what a complete illusion!

"Sister-in-law, is it true that Mrs. Qin sent me an invitation?"

Not waiting for Susu to answer, Yue Baiyou continued speaking, "To attend a banquet hosted by Mrs. Qin and not dress appropriately would bring disgrace to Brother Hong and sister-in-law. I don’t have any suitable grand attire to wear, so please advise me, sister-in-law."

This time, Yue Baiyou was smart enough not to use any "euphemisms," as she knew Susu wouldn’t buy her pretense at all.

And looking at this girl without the slightest self-awareness who loved to chatter on her own, Susu didn’t even want to mock her, as it was unnecessary to waste her breath.

This girl’s lack of limits was redefining weirdness for her.

Once Yue Baiyou finished speaking, Susu looked at the Meitan Cuiya in her tea cup, realizing even the tribute tea couldn’t calm her shocked heart, if only she had some salty water, she’d want to "spray you dead with a mouthful of salty water."

"Miss Yue, back in my hometown, even the old women in the countryside knew ’eat as much as the bowl can hold’ (as Granny Liu said in Dream of the Red Chamber), I wonder if you’ve heard of it?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Hearing this, Yue Baiyou’s face froze, she was just trying to live a better life, what was wrong with that?

Hong Sheng outwardly agreed to take care of his brother, but in truth? Gaining a reputation for benevolence, yet treating her like he was dismissing a beggar.

All she wanted was to make a few sets of clothes and jewelry, and this Su woman dared to mock her as if she didn’t even understand the principles known to the countryside women? It was truly an insult.

Those "ladies" unaware of life’s hardships were born into a life of luxury, with endless fine clothes to wear and exquisite jewelry to don, even this Su who was just a maid could boss around servants, the rewards for her maids were more exquisite than what she wore herself.

Thinking of the elegant attire and accessories Susu wore, Yue Baiyou’s eyes turned red with envy, if she could get a few sets, what harm was there in hearing a few unpleasant words?

She’d heard all kinds of vulgar words in the slums. If they thought they could stop her just like that, they definitely underestimated Yue Baiyou.

With that, Yue Baiyou wiped a tear, quickly pulling a handkerchief from her sleeve to cover her face.

Unintentionally, a sachet fell out of her sleeve, its rich fragrance spreading instantly, though strong, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Yue Baiyou seemed not to notice, and awkwardly said, "I haven’t read much, making sister-in-law laugh."

Susu didn’t expect to be rendered speechless herself, ’Damn it, was I asking if she was literate?’

A wave of inexplicable irritation rose inside her, making Susu want to shout at this shameless woman.

Susu paused, gripping the teacup tightly, the rim digging into her palm painfully, clearing her mind. No, her emotions were off!

In that instant, Susu thought she might need to take this opponent seriously.

Being cruel to others isn’t real cruelty, being cruel to oneself is true cruelty.

Susu, following the agitated emotion, said impatiently, "I know you haven’t read much, so if you don’t understand, I’ll explain: this means one should have self-awareness and not overestimate oneself. Simply put, if you don’t have the chops, don’t take on porcelain work."

Before Yue Baiyou could react, Susu continued, "First, Mrs. Qin did not send you an invitation; you can go to the Liu Mansion because you live at my house. Second, although you stay at my place, you have nothing to do with us, so even if face is lost, it’s not ours or my husband’s face. Third, since Miss Yue knows she’s not young anymore and wants to find a good family to marry into, it’s only natural she wouldn’t cause a scene."

Having said her piece, Susu ignored Yue Baiyou’s extremely unpleasant expression, reaching out to smash the valuable teacup on the ground, "Someone see the guest out."

Yue Baiyou seemed taken aback that Susu would truly disregard her and Hong Sheng’s reputation to tear her down, leaping to her feet, "Sister-in-law, do you really need to be so ruthless? You need to understand, destroying someone’s future is like murdering their parents." This vengeance is irreconcilable.

Feeling the growing irritation inside her, Susu glanced at Yue Baiyou who, though feigning extreme indignation, had a hint of a smile in her eyes, and at the sachet on the floor exuding a strong fragrance. She turned and walked into the inner chamber, leaving Yue Baiyou with just her back and a parting statement.

"I always believe, if people don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. I don’t know what future you have, but if you think you can step on me to get to the top, you’re not up to it."