Right and wrong were crystal clear; it was only at this point that Mo Yan realized the incident’s fuse was, incredibly, a ruby!
Concerning the origin of the ruby, no one was more aware than Mo Yan. It was among the variously colored, variously sized gems Xiao Ruiyuan had first sent as a New Year’s gift.
Among them, there were several gems as large as chicken eggs; Mo Yan kept a blue one and a purple one for herself, and gave the rest to Xin Er and Shengsheng, telling them to play with them and to make them into jewelry to wear when they were older.
With the Six Beasts present, the Mo Family felt secure, untroubled by the worry of petty thieves intruding, so Xin Er and Shengsheng placed their precious gems in the jewelry boxes on their dressing tables, not bothering to hide them away. As a result, Xin Er’s gems caught the eye of Miss Hu, who had a penchant for red and imdiately coveted the rare red gem amongst them.
Pampered by her family since childhood, if she fancied sothing, she never failed to obtain it. This ti, she fancied Xin Er’s ruby and, feeling her status far surpassed Xin Er’s, brazenly demanded it, with disdainful words suggesting that Xin Er, of lower status, did not deserve such a valuable adornnt.
Xin Er also had a special liking for the ruby; it was a gift from her sister, and she had no intention of parting with it. In the face of Miss Hu’s provocation, she initially ignored it and didn’t confront her, not until Miss Hu uttered insults and dared to bring Mrs. Du into it, provoking Xin Er’s sensitive nerve, which escalated the situation to its current uncontrollable state.
Looking at Sir Hu’s face alternating between blue and red, Mo Yan said expressionlessly, "The fact that my sister has resorted to violence is indeed wrong, but your daughter started with offensive words, insulting my entire family first, how should we account for that? Besides, she is but a young lady of a boudoir, with no prior dealings with my Mo Family; I am curious to know where she heard these idle gossips, publicly provoking my sister, thereby exposing to the family education of the Hu Family."
Sir Hu, knowing the full story, was already seething with indignation, and now, being mockingly rebuked by Mo Yan, wished nothing more than to find a crevice to crawl into. He had never imagined his daughter could be so superficial, to covet what belonged to others and to dare to demand it openly. Not getting her way, she had even spoken those words.
The Mo Family’s private affairs were no secret; any household that paid attention to the Mo Family could easily find out with a little inquiring. But such matters were better understood and kept to oneself; speaking of them openly would offend people.
Especially now, with the Mo Family’s increasing prosperity and their forthcoming marriage alliance with The First Family of the Capital, it was only a matter of ti before they beca the capital’s new nobility. Who would dare to speak of the past? It wasn’t just a question of whether the Mo Family could tolerate it – the Cui family would not stand by idly either.
Therefore, after learning of Mrs. Du’s elopent with another, Sir Hu had only ntioned it to Madam Hu at ho, and when their daughter overheard, they thought nothing of it. But it was this slight negligence that led to today’s incident, and Sir Hu was filled with unspeakable regret.
Seeing her husband rendered speechless by Mo Yan’s few words, Madam Hu, frantic with worry for her daughter, couldn’t even bother to cry and rushed in front of Mo Yan, exclaiming, "County Lord, even if my daughter was wrong, she was simply unaware, yet your sister took a re verbal joust far too seriously, dealing such a blow to my daughter, it is clearly your sister at greater fault. If the County Lord doesn’t give us an explanation, I shall never let this rest!."
Reviews
All reviews (0)