The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 242 - 213, Zhao Douan: How should people like you change?_2
"Who gave you permission to snatch my hairpin?! Do you have no home training?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Madam You could not stand idly by any longer. The middle-aged woman’s face darkened and she said in displeasure:
"What kind of behavior is this loud arguing? Was it Paner? It is indeed wrong for Luer to pull on your hairpin, but he is an elder relative to you. By rank, you should be calling him ’Uncle’. How can you speak to your uncle in such a way?
Losing your temper at an elder, in our clan, would result in a beating."
The chubby young man, seeing his mother’s support, was initially very confident.
However, when he inexplicably met Zhao Pan’s almost murderous gaze, he couldn’t help but cower a bit and back away.
"This... this..."
You Jinhua, caught in a dilemma, was just about to smooth things over when she saw her daughter turn her head and drop the line:
"I’m going to fix my hair!"
Then she walked straight out of the hall.
"Paner..."
You Jinhua panicked and was about to follow.
But she was stopped by her stepson, who calmly raised his hand. Zhao Douan said:
"Auntie, you stay here and entertain the guests. I will go check on my sister and will be back shortly."
You Jinhua, filled with guilt, didn’t understand how a pleasant family banquet had turned into this. She could only instinctively rely on her stepson.
Zhao Douan left the hall, and once he was out of sight from those inside, he stopped.
He didn’t go after his sister, who ran back to her room, but simply gestured to call over a maid, instructing her to watch over Zhao Pan.
As for himself, he went over to a column outside the hall, crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and waited.
The heightened hearing of a high-grade Martial Artist allowed him to pick up any conversation from inside the house.
...
...
In the room.
Following the departure of the two, only the You family members remained at the dining table.
You Jinhua sat on a stool, her brows slightly furrowed, forcibly pulling up a smile as she looked towards the two elders:
"Second Uncle... Although Paner can be willful at times, she has a good heart. Today it was just that first..."
You Zhande raised his hand, playing the peacemaker:
"No need to bring that up. They are the younger generation, after all; it is understandable."
Beside them.
Seeing Zhao Douan finally leave, Madam You regained her spirit and got bolder, speaking indifferently:
"Niece, some things might be unpleasant to hear, but the way you have been acting in this household is hardly becoming of a lady of the house. ’To neglect teaching is the father’s fault.’ The children’s father is gone, and as their mother, it’s time you took responsibility. How can you allow them to behave like this? They should be strictly disciplined."
You Jinhua’s smile stiffened as she tried to explain: "Actually..."
Madam You interrupted her with a condescending tone:
"Elders should be listened to in silence, that’s the rule of our You family. Have you forgotten because you have been away from home for too long?"
You Jinhua was at a loss for words and had no choice but to bow her head and remain silent.
Madam You’s tone softened slightly:
"Of course, this isn’t your fault. You are, after all, a young lady of the You family. Marrying into a military family was a loss from the start. The Zhao family is also a military family, not known for decorum and refined manners, so it’s normal.
You shouldn’t mind my harsh words; I mean well. Paner is alright since she is a girl and will be married off sooner or later, but that stepson of yours doesn’t seem to fear you, how can that be?
The lady of the house must assert her authority, otherwise, one day he is going to turn the heavens upside down. The pretense of ’supporting the child after the husband’s death’ is for deceiving the lowly families. Strictly speaking, it’s the Zhao family that climbed up by marrying into our You family..."
"Enough is enough!"
Beside her, You Zhande frowned, feeling his wife had pushed too hard.
He immediately intervened to play the good cop, scolding his wife then turning to his niece and said gently:
"Your aunt is just like that, don’t take her seriously. Now that you have joined the Zhao family, you are one of them. Although I am your uncle, I am also an outsider..."
You Jinhua was touched:
"What are you saying, Uncle? After all, blood is thicker than water..."
You Zhande smiled hypocritically:
"I’m glad you still acknowledge this uncle of yours, but I worry that this may make it difficult for you."
You Jinhua, noticing he was hesitating, said:
"If you have anything to say, Uncle, just say it."
You Zhande slapped his thigh and sighed:
"It’s nothing serious, really. We came to the capital mainly to see you, and also to explore opportunities for the family business. Business in the Western Regions is getting tougher.
These last few days, we’ve heard that the court is promoting new policies, planning to designate marketplaces and allow some merchants to join... What I mean is, I was hoping you could ask your elder son-in-law if there’s a way to help our family."
"This..." You Jinhua instantly became sober, and the glimmer of affection she felt stopped abruptly.
She wasn’t foolish and knew that her family had come asking for favors.
But the way her uncle’s family had behaved since they had entered and how directly her uncle had now made his request, especially regarding something as significant as the "market-opening policies," even if she took into account kinship, she knew it was too much.
"You must be joking, Uncle. The new policies are a major issue, not something one can meddle in so easily," You Jinhua declined.
Although she vaguely knew that with her elder son-in-law’s current position, if he were willing to help, it wouldn’t be difficult.
After all, it was he who had proposed the new policies...
But You Jinhua couldn’t bring herself to put her stepson in a difficult position for the sake of her family. She couldn’t do such a shameless thing.
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"Is that so? With the elder son-in-law’s relationship with the Saint, surely such a small matter shouldn’t be too difficult," You Zhande said doubtfully.
You Jinhua shook her head and looked at the table filled with delicious dishes, saying:
"Let’s eat. If we don’t, the food will get cold."
Seeing this, the smile that Madam You had forced upon her face gradually faded, revealing her disappointment at having gained nothing despite her efforts.
Glancing at her niece, who was much more beautiful and seemed so gentle and weak, her voice turned colder as she slammed down her chopsticks:
"So we’ve traveled all the way from Xiping, just to freeload a meal from you?"
