The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 34 - 33

Chapter 33

The Elder Mu Furen stared at her granddaughter with a burgeoning anger, astonished at how such a young child could act so arrogantly, stubbornly, and selfishly, daring to assert her authority and disregard the respect due to her elders!

It was clear that being pampered excessively in the capital had spoiled her!

Like mother, like daughter!

Witnessing the reprimanding gaze from Elder Mu Furen, Bai Lijun’s face turned pale instantly, fearing she was about to be severely chastised once again.

"Qin Shuang, apologize to your sister right now..." Elder Mu Furen suppressed the anger within her heart and instructed her other granddaughter in as normal a tone as possible.

Though the child was at fault, it was the parents’ upbringing to blame, so she wished not to direct too much anger at the child herself.

Yet the foolish Mu Qin Shuang remained oblivious to the gravity of the situation, accustomed to getting her way, she wouldn’t accept being scolded.

The little girl retorted defiantly, "I won’t apologize! She’s not my sister at all. She doesn’t even deserve to be a shoe bearer!"

Bang!

Elder Mu Furen slammed her hand on the table, causing a loud noise that startled everyone in the room. Even Mu Cui Ming had never seen his mother display such wrath before.

Mu Yingying, hidden beside Elder Mu Furen, watched the unfolding drama with amusement. Bai Lijun and Mu Luofei might be cunning and wise, knowing how to behave and resist, but it was unfortunate they had a weak point: Mu Qin Shuang!

Mu Qin Shuang, who seemed to have placed her brain elsewhere, inherited none of her mother or sister’s cleverness or cunning, only their malice and foolishness, continuously causing problems for the duo.

Well...how would they play out this scene?

"Shuang’er! How could you speak such words! Who among the servants taught you this!?"

Bai Lijun yelled at her younger daughter, her voice stern as if reprimanding. Seeing her daughter’s shocked expression, a sharp pain struck her heart, but if she didn’t pretend to scold Shuang’er now, Elder Mu Furen would certainly not spare the girl.

"Mo...Mother"

Mu Qin Shuang was so astounded that she didn’t know what to say. Why had her usually gentle mother raised her voice at her?

Mu Luofei, observing her sister’s reaction, discreetly massaged her temples. She reached out to pull the younger sister up from her chair, forcing her to kneel before Elder Mu Furen.

"Grandmother, it was wrong of Shuang’er this time. She is still very young, please forgive her,"

Mu Luofei pleaded on her knees, her face showing remorse while she sneakily pinched her younger sister to bring her to her senses.

"Ouch!"

Mu Qin Shuang looked at her sister, baffled, rubbing the spot she was pinched repeatedly. The girl was confused; she merely desired Mu Yingying’s cloak. Why had it led to this situation?

"It seems Sixth Young Miss still does not realize her mistake..." A cold voice echoed along with an icy stare directed at the young miss from Elder Mu Furen.

Bai Lijun’s heart sank upon hearing this. Elder Mu Furen had even changed her address to something more distant: Sixth Young Miss! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Shuang’er!"

Bai Lijun reprimanded her daughter again, trying to convey an urging look for her to comply gracefully. Yet, it seemed futile. Mu Qin Shuang, confronted with her mother’s scolding and compelling gaze from both her mother and sister, eventually started crying.

"Wah..."

Mu Luofei felt a mix of pity and annoyance at her younger sister’s foolishness. How could she have such a senseless sibling!?

Always a burden, and now she had dragged them all into this mess!

She really wanted to bang her sister’s head against the wall!

In case, she would become a little smarter...

Mu Cui Ming, who had always doted on this daughter, felt a pang of pain hearing her cries. He implored his mother, "Mother, please don’t hold a grudge against Shuang’er anymore. She is just a child; mistakes are natural. Let’s educate her properly when we return. It’s not too late."

"Hmph!"

Elder Mu Furen scoffed dismissively, "To be so, why am I not surprised she turned out this way?"

"Mother...Shuang’er is usually so lovable and endearing. How could she act like this? It must be due to her ignorance," Mu Cui Ming tried to persuade his mother further. The more he heard his daughter’s cries, the heavier his heart grew.

"Ignorance, is it? Do normal children speak like her, saying her sister doesn’t even deserve to hold her shoes!?"

Elder Mu Furen retorted sharply. If this was just a matter of indulgence leading to greed for someone else’s belongings without paying attention to the rules, she could tolerate it as it was a common childish trait.

However, degrading her half-sister to such an extent, as if Ying’er was a lowly person who didn’t even deserve to hold her shoes.

It was unacceptable!

It was clear to everyone who had poisoned such an innocent mind with deep-seated thoughts, and it was none other than Bai Lijun!

Mu Cui Ming fell silent, unsure how to respond. Although Mu Qin Shuang’s words were improper, deep down, he didn’t feel her error warranted such significant reprimand.

They were mere child’s words, weren’t they?

Moreover, in his heart, Mu Yingying didn’t compare to Mu Qin Shuang at all!

Mu Qin Shuang, cherished and nurtured to her whims, held the paramount place in his heart as his beloved youngest daughter.

No matter how vicious she acted, she was still adorable in his eyes.

On the other hand, Mu Yingying was the daughter he had hardly even talked to; he couldn’t even remember the time they had spent together. So, for this daughter, Mu Cui Ming did not hold much importance in his heart.

If Mu Yingying wasn’t there or disappeared, he himself did not feel sad or worried at all, because, for him, Mu Qin Shuang was the most important!

Regardless of how she slandered Mu Yingying or any other child, he never took it to heart...

Bai Lijun, seeing her husband fall silent, immediately became anxious. She decided to stand up from her chair and knelt beside her two daughters in front of Elder Mu Furen. "Mother, please forgive Shuang’er. A young child is like a piece of pure white cloth, unstained. It wouldn’t be like this if it weren’t for the misleading teachings of some servants with malicious intentions. Why else would Shuang’er speak such words?"

"Grandmother, please forgive Sister Six..." Mu Luofei, with tears brimming in her eyes, pretended to plead with a beseeching gaze.

Mu Yingying watched the performance of the mother and daughter duo with scorn. Since they enjoyed pretenses so much, she decided to join in the act, curious to see how long they could keep it up...

"Gra...Grandmother,"

Mu Yingying gently touched Elder Furen’s hand and spoke with a quivering voice, her big, round eyes shimmering with guilt and fear.

"Ple...Please don’t be angry with Sixth Sister. She didn’t mean it; she just coveted this cloak. Ying’er is willing to give it to Sixth Sister."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qin Shuang immediately stopped crying and looked at the cloak on the other party with sparkling eyes. Now that the other had said she would give it to her, it surely belonged to her!

"You said it! Take it off and give it to me now!" Mu Qin Shuang stood up, pointing her finger and commanding the person in front of her.

Mu Luofei, who tried to restrain her foolish sister, was too late. She inwardly cursed her younger sister’s stupidity in frustration.

Just when everything seemed to be settling, Mu Qin Shuang escalated the situation again!

Bang!

"Unbelievable!"

Elder Mu Furen, who had initially calmed down, suddenly unleashed her anger. It seemed this child was beyond saving and beyond return for sure...

Mu Cui Ming frowned. Why couldn’t his mother let go of this trivial matter? They were just children quarreling.

"Since Ying’er has agreed to give the cloak to Shuang’er, let’s consider the matter settled, Mother. It’s just children fighting; why take it so seriously?"

Elder Furen looked incredulously at her son. She couldn’t believe the only son she had raised would be so irresponsible!

No justice, no quality of being a good father!

He was this biased, and how would other grandchildren not of Bai Lijun’s line manage to live?

Elder Furen scanned the other granddaughters in the room, all of whom had remained silent from beginning to end, just watching the events unfold with bowed heads. Fear was evident, some even relished others’ misfortune openly.

Where was the love in this family?

Where was the unity?

All she saw was a tumultuous future filled with internal strife...

Just as Elder Furen felt utterly disappointed, a cold voice suddenly drew attention from everyone.

"I disagree with what Father said."

Mu Gongzhen, who had been silently observing the whole scenario, spoke up with a stern voice. Witnessing his little sister being unfairly treated had ignited his anger, but he had restrained himself, respecting his grandmother’s authority.

However, now he could no longer stand idly by when he saw such bias from his father towards the situation. He couldn’t allow Ying’er to be taken advantage of either!

"You say it’s just children fighting, and it shouldn’t be of concern, but if we neglect this incident today, what precedent does it set for the future? If we let Mu Qin Shuang’s behavior slide now, as she grows older, these are not going to remain minor squabbles.”

“Wrongdoing must be acknowledged, and when there’s a fault, punishment must be appropriate. If we continue to ignore and indulge, how far will the loss of discipline go?”

Mu Gongzhen glanced with a cold stare at the kneeling trio, chilling them to the bone, before locking eyes defiantly with his father.

Mu Cui Ming felt both furious and humiliated to be reprimanded by his son in front of many, struggling to respond when met with the icy gaze of the latter.

When Mu Gongzhen opened his mouth, the words flowed out without stopping. He continued with a solemn expression, "If we are to assign blame for this situation, it cannot escape you, Father, and Mu Furen. Failing to educate the child properly falls on the parents."

"When a parent indulges their child to the point of spoiling, overlooking misdeeds just to please them, it’s akin to mistreating the child. As they grow, if their future isn’t bleak, they will at least be their own undoing."

"Moreover, Father, you too bear guilt for your bias and lack of fairness. Knowing right from wrong yet choosing to invert them—if word of this spreads, how will people view you? Can a man who cannot uphold justice in his own household administer fairness in state affairs?"

After his son’s words, Mu Cui Ming was struck silent, his face flushed with rage, body trembling. How could his son dare to lecture him like this!?

This was too disrespectful!

Unperturbed by his father’s reaction, Mu Gongzhen turned his icy gaze to his stepmother. "And you, Mu Furen, also bear fault for not properly guiding your daughter, merely begging for forgiveness on her behalf. And what of Mu Qin Shuang’s actions? Does she not deserve to face the consequences?"

"As the Furen of this household, you ought to show compassion to all children under this roof. Why then do you ignore my sister, who is also a Mu family daughter and has been wronged in this instance? She’s the victim of your daughter’s cruelty."

Pausing briefly, the intensity around him grew palpable, his cold demeanor intensifying before he uttered the final words that left Bai Lijun face paled,

"Should outsiders hear of this, they’ll undoubtedly label you a narrow-minded stepmother..."

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