Chapter 613 - 607_1
Nurse Xu couldn’t help but laugh at the outrage, "This Mrs. Qian, does she really want to oppose me, or is her mind just not up to par? Can’t she see what time it is? She makes mistakes yet doesn’t listen when others try to stop her, and now she’s even ordering around the servants of other families."
"Does she expect me to take the blame for her? Mrs. Qian must think quite highly of herself, but why should I bear it? Before, my lady was only holding back because of the Zhao Anyu problem, thinking that Mrs. Qian wouldn’t stay long, so she let Mrs. Qian make trouble in the house without a word. Mrs. Qian, oblivious to reality, actually thought my lady was giving her face, and got all high and mighty."
"Really? I beg to differ! Who do you think the refugees are, to be courteous and righteous with you? I’m afraid the moment you open the door, there will be countless refugees rushing in!" Nurse Xu sneered. There wasn’t a hint of scaremongering in her voice; if they really opened the door, everyone knew what would happen without guessing. Thank heavens the courtyard walls were solidly built, or the house would have already been looted without waiting for anything to happen. No number of servants could contend with the onslaught of refugees pouring in.
Mrs. Qian still didn’t believe it. With a sarcastic smile on her face, she gestured sharply with her hand toward Nurse Xu. "Who are you trying to frighten? Why not open the door now and see if refugees really do burst in? Let’s see what you’ll have to say then. You’re old and yet you love stirring up trouble so much—I’ve never seen a more annoying hag!"
"Try it? As if it’s something to be tried lightly. Who do you think you are? Can you take responsibility for it? I really want to know who hasn’t recognized their own status properly, hence they dare to hop around in someone else’s house so boldly..." Nurse Xu hadn’t yet finished her words when the refugees leaning against the door outside, perhaps overhearing Mrs. Qian’s mention of opening the back door, got too excited and made a noise. At this moment, everyone, whether Nurse Xu or Mrs. Qian, Zhao Cheng or the two servants guarding the gate, all fell silent, exchanging glances as they listened to the noise from outside.
Mrs. Qian shrank back, realizing that this time, if she really had the servants open the back door, it would cause a terrible disaster. She never thought there would be refugees lurking outside the door; she thought Nurse Xu was just exaggerating and scaring her on purpose, but now she knew it was real.
Mrs. Qian had been too at ease these days. Ever since the Zhao Anyu’s family assets were taken over, she had suffered some minor hardships, but then Zhao Anyu sought refuge with Zhao Erhu, and the time spent at the Zhao Family was even better than before. Later, after Zhao Anyu became a school teacher, Mrs. Qian moved with him. Although life was not as affluent as when living at Zhao Erhu’s, because Zhao Anyu was now a village teacher, the villagers respected her greatly. As a result, her self-esteem and vanity swelled.
Even when the refugees entered the village due to a flood, Mrs. Qian was only frightened for a few days. After a large number of refugees came to their village, Lin Yue took in Mrs. Qian’s family. With meals delivered three times a day and no need to lift a finger, life became easy and comfortable. The initial fear soon dissipated, and she started to idle around the residence, walking here and there, casually ordering around servants without a thought for the refugee situation outside. She had always felt safe behind the numerous servants and sturdy courtyard walls of the Zhao Family, especially given Mrs. Qian’s not especially sharp mind. Even as the situation outside become increasingly chaotic and tense, and the household servants began to worry, she hardly felt it, until in this moment she was abruptly jolted to a realization, feeling a delayed sense of fear.