Gu Jiaojiao glanced around, paying no mind to what was happening. She casually turned her head and jumped in surprise, suddenly finding herself face-to-face with two older women.

She took several steps back before she could steady herself.

Gu Jiaojiao thought Aunt Leng and Third Aunt Leng were here to cause her trouble, so her gaze became wary.

When Aunt Leng saw Gu Jiaojiao jump in fright, the expression on her own face looked even more scared than Gu Jiaojiao’s.

"Jiaojiao, are you alright? It’s all Auntie’s fault, I scared you."

Gu Jiaojiao patted her chest to calm herself down.

"Aunt Leng, if you know how scary you are, then you shouldn’t get so close to me! If I have a nightmare tonight and see your face, it’ll be absolutely terrifying!"

Aunt Leng: ...

She couldn’t help but clench her fists tightly.

Although she knew she was here to smooth things over, seeing Gu Jiaojiao act this way made her fists clench uncontrollably.

Beside her, Third Aunt Leng tugged on her arm and hurriedly shot her a look.

Aunt Leng took a deep breath.

"Jiaojiao, that was my fault. I apologize. I’m sorry I scared you."

"And about what happened before, that was all my fault too. I realize my mistake now. Can you forgive me?"

Aunt Leng had a look of pure repentance on her face. Facing a junior like Jiaojiao, she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

To be honest, Aunt Leng looked pitiful.

She was in her fifties, dressed in patched clothes, her face dark and weathered from years of labor, making her look older than her age. Now, with her eyes red and welling up, she was a truly pathetic sight.

In contrast, Gu Jiaojiao was fair-skinned and delicate, dressed in clothes that were practically new. She looked so pampered that the scene resembled a wealthy young miss bullying a poor village woman.

Gu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

But she quickly snapped out of it.

"Oh, so you came to apologize, Aunt Leng. You scared me to death! I thought you were here to settle a score. Aunt Leng, you should try to cry more prettily next time. Your crying is so ferocious, it doesn’t look like an apology at all. It’s more like you’re here to reap my soul."

Aunt Leng, whose tears were streaming down her face, was suddenly rendered speechless.

Suddenly, she found it hard to keep crying.

’When was I trying to reap her soul?’

’My crying looks like I’m trying to reap a soul?!’

’This little brat has such a sharp tongue. Her mouth just runs and runs, but not a single useful word comes out of it.’

’Just say whether you forgive me or not and get it over with! Who cares if it looks like I’m here to reap her soul!’

Aunt Leng was so aggravated she felt like she was about to have a heart attack.

She wanted to explode in anger but didn’t dare. In the end, she could only force out a sentence.

"It’s my fault. I’ll go practice and come back to cry for you properly."

Gu Jiaojiao nodded. "Right. You should practice more, Aunt Leng. Look at you—you’re dark-skinned and stout. At first glance, you look like a man. When you cry, you should press the back of your hand to your face. Let your eyes well up with tears, so they’re shimmering but not quite falling. And don’t forget to say your lines."

"If you cry like that, I guarantee anyone who sees you will feel their heart soften."

Hearing this, Aunt Leng gave it a try.

And what do you know?

With just that one gesture, she instantly felt a bit more delicate.

’Also, am I really that dark?’

’And that stout?’

Aunt Leng touched her face, then looked down at her own figure.

And what do you know?

’I’m built like a water bucket from top to bottom. This width... there really isn’t much difference between me and the men in the village.’

’What am I going to do?’

Just as Aunt Leng was about to ask for advice, Third Aunt Leng, her face dark, tugged on her sleeve.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing? Have you forgotten our purpose?"

Aunt Leng: ...

She stopped sizing up her figure and looked back at Gu Jiaojiao, her tone becoming a bit more fragile.

"Jiaojiao, I..."

She was just about to add a few more tearful pleas when Gu Jiaojiao cut her off. "Aunt Leng, don’t cry. I forgive you."

Aunt Leng: ...

She wiped away her tears.

"Do you really mean it?"

Gu Jiaojiao nodded. "Of course. I forgive you, Aunt Leng. So, Third Aunt Leng, what did you come here for?"

Aunt Leng also turned to look at Third Aunt Leng.

’That’s right!’

’I was the only one crying this whole time. What was my sister-in-law doing?’

Third Aunt Leng: ...