Madam Wu didn’t doubt Chen Xiu’s words at all. She had no idea that Chen Xiuxiu had a big grudge with Su Tang because of the expensive silver bracelet she had lost and also because Su Tang was the source of the plot to release the rumors about Sun Guihua and Wang Xiaotian, so she wasn’t suspicious at all.
Moreover, this wasn’t her first time interacting with Chen Xiuxiu. They had always had a relationship of using each other. They both knew what kind of person the other was. All that in mind, Madam Wu hurriedly said, “Ah, my good sister, if your information really helps me, how can I not thank you in the future?”
When Chen Xiuxiu heard Madam Wu spouting flattery but not actually promising any benefits, she pursed her lips unhappily. However, she didn’t have good relations with any other members of the Su family currently. If she told anyone else about that little bitch, they probably wouldn’t believe her. But Madam Wu was different. Not only was she a woman married into the Su family, she had another identity: Su Tang’s former stepmother. Thus, her perspective was naturally different.
Therefore, although Chen Xiuxiu knew that there was no way Madam Wu would honor her words, she still said: “Well, I’ve always remembered the matter you asked me about last time. And, as it happened, I really ended up seeing something earlier today. This morning I was planning to take Guihua to town to buy a flower to wear in her hair. After all, she will be getting married in a few more days so, although my family’s finances are tight, we have to let her look her best.”
Madam Wu listened to Chen Xiuxiu talk randomly around the point and felt annoyed in her heart, but she didn’t rush the other woman. As expected, Chen Xiuxiu continued on and got to the main point without any hiccups, “I had coincidentally gone into an alley to relieve myself along the way, but who could have guessed that I would see Su Yongqiang and his whole family all coming out of their house? I looked further and who was there if not that little bitch from your family!”
Madam Wu heard this and felt very dissatisfied. She retorted: “What do you mean ‘from my family’? That brat had already been adopted into another household. Heh, Su Yongqiang has always been so good to those brats, she must have been trying to curry favor with him as usual.”
“If it was just that, would I still come and find you? I can tell that you haven’t seen that dead girl for a long time, right? Tsk, tsk… I watched the whole scene from afar. Su Yongqiang’s doors were open and there was a big carriage outside.”
“Soon, Su Yongqiang, Su Yongshun, as well as their wives and children, all came outside and sent a person out together. I was watching from a distance so at first I thought they had gotten acquainted with some wealthy young miss from a big family but, when I took a second look, I discovered it was actually just that dead girl!”
As Chen Xiuxiu’s story reached the topic of Su Tang, the tone of her voice became obviously sour and jealous. After all, anyone with eyes could tell that the clothes Su Tang had been wearing were anything but ordinary, not to mention the big carriage she had been riding in.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk… You didn’t see it, but I saw it all with my own eyes. That dead girl was all dressed up like a young lady from a wealthy family. Her clothes were all clean and new, and her dress floated beautifully in the wind.”
“And not just that, she was actually also wearing thick fur-lined cloak. It’s not like you don’t know how valuable that sort of thing is. It would cost at least a few taels of silver. Now you tell me how a girl her age could get so many good things? What other explanation is there other than that they were given to her by her lover?”
Chen Xiuxiu had good eyes, so she had been able to recognize the high quality of the clothes Su Tang had been wearing even from far away. She related all of it to Madam Wu.
Madam Wu was very shocked to hear all this. She couldn’t help but ask, “Are you sure you saw right? She’s really so rich now?”
“How rich could she be? She’s just a little nine-year-old girl with a fate so adverse even the River God didn’t want her. How could she have the ability to be rich? It was hard to tell when she was still living at your house, but her appearance is actually pretty good. Based on that she must have found learned how to serve men and found a man to spend money and support her.”
In fact, Chen Xiuxiu herself had a lover who lived in town who would sometimes buy things for her. Thus, when she saw Su Tang’s wealth, her mind immediately assumed that Su Tang had made her money the same way.
“Also, I heard a certain piece of news recently. It seems that after the holidays ended, that dead girl sent her little brother to study at the academy in town. These two brats have a hard fate, but it’s not impossible for a person with an adverse fate to become an official. If that brat really passes the imperial examinations… tsk tsk… maybe he could completely turn things around for them in the future.”
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tl begging corner:
Xiuxiu! Just because you’re a whore doesn’t mean all females are. Perfect example of eyes of the beholder.