As soon as Third Aunt left, Mother glared at Father with a gaze as cold as a knife's edge. Father glared back at her without showing any weakness, his eyes flashing with fierce anger like a trapped beast.

  The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

  Dou Zhao's small figure shrank into the canopy, listening to his parents' mutual accusations.

  "Zhao Guqiu, what exactly do you want to do? Aren't I already humiliated enough?"

  "What am I to do? And what about you, what are you going to do? Taking the daughter of a guilty minister as your concubine, where did you read that in your sacred books? Are you trying to destroy the hundred-year reputation of the Duan family and the accumulation of several generations with your own hands? You may not be ashamed, but I still want to save face!"

  "Father's face turned red with rage: 'We grew up together since childhood, what kind of person I am, aren't you clear? At this time, you're not helping me, but instead pulling my legs, inviting Second Aunt to mock me, how can you be a good wife? My reputation is ruined, and you think you'll be fine? Don't forget, husband and wife are one! You're still a virtuous wife! Luckily your mother-in-law passed away early, if she saw you like this today, who knows how heartbroken she'd be?'"

  "Dou Shiying, you said I would say it, what's the point of bringing up my mother?!" His mother burst into tears. "You still remember that we grew up together, then do you still remember how my mother treated you? Do you still remember what you said to me before our marriage? You have no shame! You want me to help you cover it up? Don't even think about it!"

  His father suddenly looked like a frost-bitten eggplant, his face flashing with a hint of discomfort: "I, I didn't intentionally mention your mother-in-law, do you have to be so unreasonable? I'm like this because you're forcing me." As he spoke, he recalled past grievances and grew more indignant. "Baoshan just invited me out for a drink, but you glared at him with anger, and when he came to our house, you didn't even offer him a decent cup of tea, making me the laughing stock of my friends..." He became increasingly agitated, "You only know how to blame me, why don't you think about yourself? If you had a better temper, would I have gone to discuss this with your brother?"

  Her mother was so angry that she trembled with rage, wiping away her tears: "You've done something wrong and still have the nerve to talk back to me! What's good about Feng Baoshan? All he knows how to do is eat, drink, visit prostitutes, and gamble. If it weren't for your uncle's influence, he would have been stripped of his official title long ago. And you're always hanging out with him, you're no better than him!"

  His father was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time, and finally muttered: "That, you can't do this either!"

  "What do you want me to do?" Mother sternly asked, "Open the door wide and welcome Wang Yingshu in? Do I have such elegance, does she have such good fortune?" Mother sneered coldly, "Duan Shiying, let me tell you this, women in this world can marry whoever they want, but if Wang Yingshu wants to enter our household, it's only possible over my dead body!"

  "You... I..." The father pointed at the mother, his arm trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence for half a day.

  Her mother smiled disdainfully and straightened her waist even more.

  It turns out couples can fight like this too!

  Is this her father who always puts on a gentle and dignified appearance?

  How childish!

  Dòu Zhāo was dumbfounded.

  She had never quarreled with Wei Tingyu before.

  It started with fear, but ended with disdain.

  "Father hung his head and said in a low voice, "Gu Qiu, let's not quarrel anymore, okay?" His tone was sorrowful. "This matter is all my fault, and Ying Xue has also been implicated because of me. Otherwise, she would still be a good girl from a respectable family, why should she suffer such humiliation? Besides, I have already promised Ying Xue that she will go to the countryside to live in the future," he said, raising his head, with a hint of hope in his eyes. "We can still be like before, okay? From now on, I'll listen to you and never go out with Bao Shan again..."

  Good!

  Dong Zhao almost couldn't help jumping out from behind the curtain to answer on his mother's behalf.

  What can better illustrate a wife's status in her husband's heart than his initiative to apologize during a marital dispute?

  Since Wang Yingxue is pregnant, as a father, he must have made up his mind to bring Wang Yingxue into the family. Rather than giving him an opportunity to save face in front of the elders of the Duan family, it would be better to take advantage of this chance to show off one's own generosity and virtue, and at the same time win over father's heart, even using this matter as leverage against him in case of future disagreements between husband and wife.

  This is killing three birds with one stone!

  And even if a broken mirror is mended, whether or not it has cracks, in other people's eyes, it is still just a mirror.

  Wang Yingxue was probably heartbroken at just one glance.

  Let Wang Yingxue write a sale contract and throw her into the countryside again.

  No matter whether what Father said at this moment is true or false, he can't go back on his own promise, can he?

  As long as Father doesn't change his mind, Wang Yingshuai will have to stay in the countryside. It's a good opportunity for everyone to see what kind of person Wang Yingshuai is in the Duan family!

  Even if Father wants to go back on his word, I'm not afraid.

  When the time comes, take Wang Yingshuai to visit every household.

  You are Wang Yingxue, aren't you a descendant of a famous family? You willingly degraded yourself and became someone's concubine. Let's see what face the Wang family will have when the time comes!

  Is there anything more relieving than this?

  Even if Wang Yingshuai could persuade her father, her mother had a marriage contract in hand, with the status of wife and concubine there, and with the help of the elder members of the Dugu family, how could she turn things around?

  Dòu Zhāo almost burst out laughing.

  "Yingxue, Yingxue, you're really being too intimate! Since you've already discussed everything behind my back, what do you need me for? 'A good and innocent girl from a respectable family', how dare you say such a thing, Dun Shiying! Would a good and innocent girl from a respectable family take the initiative to become someone's concubine? Would she shamelessly seduce someone else's husband? If she's a good and innocent girl from a respectable family, then I'm afraid there's no one in this world who isn't good and clean! She feels humiliated, so let her find a place where she won't be humiliated..."

  Dong Zhao was so anxious that he wished he had three heads and six arms to cover his mother's mouth.

  Quarreling and talking should have a point!

  What's the point of repeatedly entangling in these things?

  It's better to get Father's promise nailed down.

  Just as she was about to take action, her father furiously shouted: "What do you want me to do? This won't work, that won't work! You're just relying on your elders to back you up, aren't you? Don't think I don't dare to deal with you! It's just that I'm considering our relationship since childhood..."

  "If you still cherish the feelings we grew up with together, you wouldn't have done such a despicable thing!" Mother showed no weakness, her expression contemptuous. "I'm relying on the elders at home to back me up, what can you do to me? If you're capable, go ahead and marry Wang Xue into our family without my consent!"

  "You, you..." The father was so angry and humiliated, "I, I... I'm going to divorce you!"

  The mother was stunned.

  "What did you say?" Her face turned pale, "You want to divorce me!" Mother looked at Father in disbelief, "For Wang Yingshuang, you actually want to divorce me..."

  As soon as he said it, his father was also stunned, and he dared not look at his mother, turning his face away, saying in a low voice: "I'll tell you clearly, you won't compromise either..."

  "Dou Shiying!" Her mother was furious, her eyes red with rage. She shouted out her father's name, "Get out! Get as far away as you can! I'm waiting for your divorce papers! I want to see how you'll bring that little slut Wang Yingshu into our home!"

  Father was very embarrassed and strongly argued: "Gu Qiu, I didn't mean that! Listen to me..."

  "Get out! Get out!" Mother pushed Father to the door, "I'm waiting for your divorce letter, I'm waiting for your divorce letter..." She muttered, and slammed the door with a "bang".

  "Gu Yu, Gu Yu!" Father knocked on the door outside, "I didn't mean it, I just said it casually! I was unintentional..."

  Her mother leaned against the door, tears streaming down her face, and said in a mosquito-like voice: "Unintentional words are sometimes true..."

  Dou Zhao's head was splitting with pain, and he slid down from the bed, grabbing at his mother's hem: "Mother! Mother!"

  Her mother squatted down, grasped her daughter's arms and sobbed: "Didn't you say you wanted to go to your uncle's house to play? I'll take you to your uncle's house to play, okay?"

  "No way!" Du Zhao shook her head, her big eyes shining like morning stars. "This is my home, I want to stay at home. During the New Year, go to Uncle's house!"

  Her mother was shocked, but her tears fell even more urgently.

  ※※※※※

  In the evening, Yu's mother advised: "...... At this time, you and Qiye are at odds, isn't it letting our loved ones suffer and our enemies rejoice?"

  The mother sat in front of the dressing table, staring blankly at the woman in the mirror who looked like a still water reflecting flowers. She replied irrelevantly: "When I was young, every time I came to the Duan family, my mother would instruct me not to be naughty and not to annoy the Duan family's aunt and sisters... One time, Pei Ci took me to pick jasmine flowers, and I was very scared and didn't dare climb the tree. But thinking of my mother's words, I still climbed up with trepidation... Pei Ci jumped down from the tree quickly, but I crouched on the tree and didn't dare come down... As it approached noon when we would eat lunch, Pei Ci became anxious and ran to the outer courtyard to find a servant for help... I was alone on the tree, with hairy leaves and meaty insects crawling around... I wanted to cry but didn't dare, fearing that others would be attracted and Pei Ci would get hit on the palm of her hand... Thinking about it, I might as well jump down and die or become crippled rather than being crawled by insects... I closed my eyes, and someone below shouted, 'Why are you crouching in the tree?' The voice was like water in a small stream, clear and pleasant. I opened my eyes to see a young man standing under the tree, looking up at me. His hair was as black and shiny as good satin, his face was as smooth as beautiful jade, and his eyes were warm and bright... I stared blankly at him. He smiled suddenly, more beautiful than the flowers in the garden... I told him that I was stuck on the tree and couldn't come down. He asked me to wait, turned around, and found a ladder to carefully rescue me from the tree... Later, every time I came to the Duan family, he would wait for me under that jasmine tree... He gave me sweet pea shoots to eat, sour plums, and black olives... One time, it was a pearl necklace made of flowers... I put it in my close-fitting pouch and didn't leave it for a moment..." She turned her head around, looking at Yu Niang with tear-swollen eyes: "Niang, where did that person who waited for me under the jasmine tree go? Why can't I find him?"

  "Miss!" Yu's nanny covered her mouth and burst into tears.

  Dou's eyes were blurry and he couldn't see anything clearly.

  ※

  After reading the comments on book reviews, I think there's something that needs to be explained to everyone.

  O(∩_∩)O~

  It's impossible for a family like Diao's to abandon their wife for fame, Diao Zhao's mother committed suicide and wasn't murdered, so let's not speculate!

  As for why Dou Zhao was sent to Tianzhuang to be raised by the farmer's grandmother, and why Dou Zhao's uncle broke off contact with him, that belongs to the scope of spoilers. Everyone can only patiently read the text and find the answers within.

  P.S: Thanks again everyone, today's PK list "Nine-layer Purple" continues to rank fifth, it's really not easy!

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