Chapter 626: Chapter 625: Cannot Stand Idly By
Zhou Xueli stepped out of the main room and returned to his small residence, where Lady Liang stood up, holding her needlework frame.
"Be careful with your eyes, youâre also at a large month, rest more, donât overexert yourself," Zhou Xueli urged as he helped her sit down.
Lady Liang smiled and said, "Itâs just a bit of needlework, what harm could it do? Has mother gone to rest?"
Zhou Xueli shook his head and replied, "With this incident, how could she possibly rest easy?"
"So..."
"She says she wonât interfere," Zhou Xueli said gravely.
Lady Liang asked in a low voice, "What exactly happened? I just asked Yongyong, and he said it was Wufu who had people catch them."
Zhou Xueli scoffed, "Isnât it all because my elder sister-in-lawâs greed has brought disaster?" He then recounted everything Zhou Xiuer had told him.
Lady Liang gasped, saying, "So youâre saying, it really was Wufu who designed the trap, deliberately luring my elder sister-in-law to step into it?"
Zhou Xueli nodded.
Lady Liang was silent for a long while before she sighed, "Thereâll be no worries for the second sister in the future."
Zhou Xueli looked her way, frowning.
Lady Liang continued, "Donât accuse me of being heartless or anything. You know very well what kind of people my elder brother and sister-in-law are. Like mother said, they brought todayâs events upon themselves. If it werenât for their eagerness to take advantage, could Wufu have set a trap for her? Even if a trap was set, if my elder sister-in-law wasnât greedy, would she have been ensnared?"
She looked down on Madam Lu, this sister-in-law, one hundred times overâgreedy by nature, lazy, aspiring beyond her station, without ever considering her own origin or what she had to offer.
Just looking at how she raised her children with such dispositions, there wasnât a single redeeming quality.
"With Wufu having such scheming and ruthlessness, my second sister surely wonât need to worry in the future," Lady Liang lamented. "The second sister is weak by nature but fortunately, she has given birth to a good daughter!"
Not considering their present possessions of lands and houses, but just looking at that protective nature of hers, she will not suffer any losses. If Madam Zhou is content and cherishes her blessings, thereâll be good days ahead.
"Youâre quite complimentary of Wufu," Zhou Xueli laughed. "Could it be that someone has been thinking of the beads she gave you till now?"
"Am I that kind of person?" Lady Liang spat at him in mock disgust, chiding, "Iâm simply speaking based on the facts. As for the second sister, she has no man to take charge, and now Wufu acts as if she were the man of the house. Who could say that this isnât her fortune?"
Zhou Xueli sighed.
"Mother says not to interfere? Then we wonât. Those two really need to be taught a harsh lesson," Lady Liang scoffed coldly.
"I think the same, but Iâm just afraid they wonât endure it. To say nothing of this harsh winter, even in normal times, being taken in would mean facing severe treatment. My elder brother has never suffered much, and my elder sister-in-law, if she... What will happen to the children? Wonât they end up depending on us, their uncle and aunt?"
Upon hearing this, Lady Liangâs brow furrowed, and after hesitating for a moment she said, "Wufu wonât really take their lives, will she?"
Zhou Xueli forced a bitter smile, "That Purple Jade girl also saidâit all depends on their fate."
Lady Liang pursed her lips and suggested, "Letâs wait a few more days. If they havenât been released by then, could you perhaps pay a discreet visit?"
It wasnât that she felt sympathy or pity for those two; she worried about their children being orphaned and falling into her care, for which she lacked compassion.
Moreover, the elder two were of age to be betrothedâhow could she handle that?
Therefore, they truly couldnât just stand by and watch, even if it was just for the sake of their own peace of mind.