Chapter 7 of Volume 1: Turned Upside Down

  This was Lu Xuan's first visit to Pingfu after her injury, she first asked to see her maternal grandmother and the eldest sister-in-law who was in charge of the household, after being hastily dismissed, she came to the door of the third sister-in-law to ask for an audience.

  Before long, a maid came out and said, "The mistress is asking you to come in."

  Madam? Think about it, more than 200 years ago, only the wives of nobles could be called madams. Now? Anyone with a bit of money is a madam.

  Lu Xuan lowered her head and followed the maid forward.

  There were several women sitting in the main room, chatting and laughing with each other. When they saw Lu Yue enter, they all took a glance at her before ignoring her again. Lu Yue wasn't angry, she quietly stood to one side until they calmed down slightly, then walked forward and greeted the woman sitting in the main seat: "Lu Yue greets Third Aunt."

  "Ah, it's you, Ah Yu. You're really something! Your third aunt said that your hair has been injured for some time now, why did you only come today? Aren't you making your third aunt worry unnecessarily?" The words of the third aunt were as straightforward and sharp as her person.

  Listening to what seemed like words of concern, Lu Xuan thought to herself: If you really care about me, why didn't you send someone to see me after I got hurt?

  She lifted her head at this thought.

  Third Aunt was all smiles, looking at her with a gentle expression. She glanced at the thin and slightly raised eyebrows, the slightly sharp cheekbones, and Lu Xuan curled up the corner of his lips in a smile.

  Seeing Lu Xuan's thousand-year-old cold and unchanging appearance, San Shu Mu felt a bit disappointed. She waved her hand, "Xuan, sit down."

  She stood up again after seeing off a few guests and sat back down in her main seat.

  After a moment of silence, Third Aunt asked with a smile: "Ah-yueh, has your injury healed now?"

  "It's all right if you go back to your aunt."

  "That's good, I've been worried about it." Up to here, the third aunt sighed and said in a serious tone: "A Xuan, it's not that I'm blaming you, but as a child born with a cold face and clumsy mouth, now you don't even care about etiquette? If this goes on, how will you get by at the Zeng's residence? That day, Mrs. Zeng was still telling me about your shortcomings."

  Third Aunt scolded Lu Xuan non-stop, and Lu Xuan just lowered her head without explaining or saying anything. Only after she finished speaking did Lu Xuan lower her head and say softly: "Thank you, Third Aunt, for your concern."

  Third Aunt lectured for a while before suddenly saying, "Right, Ah Yue, I have something to tell you. Ah Yun is thirteen now too, right? You've heard of the Li family on East Street, haven't you? Their daughter has been matched with Ah Yun and I think she's not bad either, so I'm planning to arrange their engagement."

  As soon as San Jiu Mu's voice fell, Lu Xuan suddenly lifted her head up.

  She stared straight at Third Aunt's face, perhaps her eyes were too bright and her gaze too sharp, Third Aunt was enraged, only to see her raise an eyebrow as if about to erupt.

  At this moment, Lu Xuan lowered her head again and shook it decisively: "Third Aunt, this matter cannot be done." Before Third Aunt could get angry, Lu Xuan had already stood up, raised her head to look at Third Aunt coldly and said: "Father had a dying wish, the children of the Lu family can be poor and suffer, but they absolutely cannot become someone's son-in-law. Moreover, Ah Yun studies diligently every day, and his grades have improved greatly. Who knows, maybe one day he will be selected as a filial and incorruptible official...

  She had just said this, and San Shu Mu let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Hmph! You're really getting worked up over being called fat! What's wrong with you? You actually brought up the Imperial Examination? Ah Xuan, do you really think your useless father is some kind of noble son? Do you really think there's someone with high morals and prestige who would recommend your brother?"

  It wasn't just her, at this moment, the whole house was filled with laughter, and all the maids and servants inside and outside the house were laughing so hard they couldn't catch their breath.

  In this era without the imperial examination, scholars had to rely on recommendations from people with high prestige. The Lu family only had two siblings, neither of whom had wealth nor power, so how could they get acquainted with those prestigious individuals? Moreover, these two siblings didn't have any relatives or parents to rely on, and even if they wanted to make a name for themselves by showing filial piety, there was no one to show it to.

  So in everyone's eyes, Lu Xuan's words were even more ridiculous than a joke.

  Third Aunt laughed with joy, but Lu Ying's eyes were very cold. Before she finished laughing, her voice suddenly rose, and she solemnly and seriously called out to Third Aunt: "Third Aunt, be careful what you say! This is my father's last wish before he died! Even if you are a senior, there is no reason to mock others' seniors like this!"

  This is a world that prioritizes filial piety, and Lu Xuan can only maintain his deceased father's dignity by scolding his aunt.

  She was justified, but had her third aunt ever suffered such humiliation? All along, Lu Xuan had been submissive in front of her, no matter if it was her or the servants in her household. They all felt superior to Lu Xuan, a fallen family. And now, this person who had always looked down on her dared to scold her so severely?

  With a loud noise, the third aunt stood up, her face flushed with anger as she pointed at Lu Yue and shouted in a shrill voice: "You, you, you..." She repeated "you" several times, but couldn't seem to find the right words to scold Lu Yue. The woman in front of her, who was glaring back at her with anger, had tightly grasped onto the character for "filial piety", and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reason with her!

  The more it was like this, the more vigorous the nameless fire of San Jiu Mu became. She pointed at Lu Yue's finger and trembled for a long time before she suddenly shouted: "Get out! Get out! From now on, whether you two siblings are dead or alive has nothing to do with me!" When she said this, she felt a sense of satisfaction in her heart: That's right, it should be like this. Without my support, I'd like to see where this slut can go! Wait until she has nowhere to turn and kneels down in front of me to beg, then I'll humiliate her again and vent my anger!

  She didn't think that Lu Xuan was waiting for exactly this sentence. She had anticipated their reaction as soon as she mentioned the imperial examination, and she was even waiting for it!

  So, as soon as Third Aunt's voice fell, Lu Xuan immediately retreated a few steps back. With a wooden face, she bowed to Third Aunt and said loudly: "Although Father has passed away, his spirit remains; although the orphaned children are not worthy, they would never dare to weaken their predecessors' will! Mother's words, I, Ah Yuan, do not dare to accept. Farewell!" After speaking, she swung her sleeves and turned around without hesitation, walking out.

  As she saw her leaving figure, San Shu Mu's anger burst out and she shouted in a shrill voice: "Good! Good! You dare to leave this door, then never come to ask me for help for all eternity!" The loud and sharp cry of San Shu Mu attracted the attention of people on the other side of the garden, who looked over with raised heads.

  The more fiercely the third aunt scolded, the brighter Lu Yue's eyes became. The more she scolded, the more people paid attention to the matter, and the more her conversation with the third aunt spread far and wide. When everyone knew that she was being reprimanded for defending her late father, they would only respect her even more. If it happened to reach the ears of those influential people, who knows, maybe some big shots from humble origins would take pity on her siblings and pave a way for her brother's future.

  Even if I wasn't so lucky, the conversation between my third aunt and me spread out, public opinion stood on my side, after that, my third aunt didn't dare to take back the wooden house where my brother and I lived without going through other elders in Pingfu. As long as we have a place to live, this quarrel with my third aunt won't cause much loss. The loss is not great, and it also gained some degree of autonomy in marriage, how to calculate, this drama was worth it.