"Then why are they so enthusiastic? I thought they were good friends."
"Who knows, the adult world is too hard to understand." Yangyang shook his head indifferently.
"Exactly, the adult world is too hypocritical. They obviously donāt know each other and yet pretend to be so familiar. Itās really annoying."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yangyang looked at him with a bewildered expression, thinking to himself, can you really talk like this without worrying about getting beaten when you get home?
"Letās not talk about them anymore. Iāll take you to the yard to play, I have a lot of little toys, we can play together."
"Okay, but first I owe you an apology. Iām sorry for calling you a bumpkin last time."
"It doesnāt matter, anyway, back then you were just a nouveau riche in my eyes." Only then did he realize this kid was good at giving insults too. "Come on, let me show you my frog and little wooden horse, theyāre so much fun."
"Hey, donāt walk so fast. Whatās a nouveau riche?"
"You donāt know? Hurry up and Iāll tell you! My mom said a nouveau riche is..."
Chattering away, the two boys headed outside.
They left behind two embarrassed adults who didnāt know what to say all of a sudden.
Madam Liu was inwardly cursing, berating her silly son for not thinking before he spoke. Wasnāt he basically saying she was cozying up to people?
"Madam Liu, try this tea. Itās made with lotus flowers from my home, it tastes great and is also beautifying. Give it a try," Yang Chuxia said, seeing she was somewhat embarrassed and changed the subject.
"Really, it can beautify as well?" Women are forever interested in such things. Madam Liu eagerly took a sip and indeed found lotus petals inside. She tasted it and found it fragrant, "I didnāt expect lotus flowers could be used to make tea."
"Yes, the girls at home prepared it. I tried it and itās not bad."
After another sip, Madam Liu put down her cup and dabbed her mouth with a napkin before adding with a smile, "Actually, I didnāt come today just for a cup of tea."
Knowing that the conversation was getting to the heart of the matter, Yang Chuxia picked up on her cue and asked, "Is Madam Liu here with a purpose?"
"There is something, but itās not a big deal, just to deliver a message to Madam Ye." And she continued, "I donāt know if the Ye Family has a relative with the Cao surname, is the old master of the Cao Family Lord Yeās granduncle?"
Upon hearing "Cao Family," Yang Chuxia immediately had her thoughts and candidly said, "If it werenāt for a break in relations, my husband actually would have had such a granduncle, but the connection was severed in our parentsā generation."
"So thatās how it is!" Madam Liu thought to herself, no wonder Ye Ziāan was so impartial in his judgments.
After considering the Old Masterās instructions, she added, "Madam Ye might not be aware, but some days ago, the Cao Family filed a complaint at the county office against Lord Ye, accusing him of harming the Cao Familyās young lady and beating up people from the Cao Family. Later, our Lord Liu sent people to investigate and uncovered the truth, suppressing the matter. Iām here today on behalf of my husband to relay a message: keep an eye on the Cao Family. Although Lord Ye is fair in his cases, still beware of villains who might use this affair to stir trouble. It may not affect Lord Yeās career, but it wouldnāt look good in public."
"I never thought they would really go to the officials." Yang Chuxia thought to herself, so the Cao Family was indeed determined to make a big fuss.
"Yes, the Cao matriarch kept saying that the Ye Family beat up their elders. Can you believe that? Not a single injury on them and yet they file a complaint." Madam Liu thought, if you really want to accuse someone, at least come with some injuries.
"I am already informed of the matter, and I am grateful to Lord Liu and Madam Liu for coming to tell me."