Yun He roared at Yun Shu, his eyes red.
“You married into the Zhang family and became a young madam, and now when you come back to your natal home for a meal, you’re already calculating everything so clearly with your own younger brother!”
“You look down on me? Think I can’t even afford two taels of silver?”
“Yun Shu, do you still have any conscience at all!”
The surrounding onlookers began whispering among themselves.
“Oh my, why are this pair of siblings arguing in the street?”
“Looks like the elder sister married well and now looks down on her family.”
“Tch, women are like this after marriage, always siding with outsiders…”
“Exactly, even for a meal she makes her younger brother pay separately. That’s really stingy!”
Those comments were like needles stabbing into Yun Shu’s heart.
Her lips trembled. She wanted to explain, but her throat felt blocked, unable to speak.
At that moment, Madam Yun finally moved.
She did not go to stop her furious son.
Instead, she grabbed her daughter Yun Shu’s arm and pushed her outward.
“Shu’er, leave.”
Madam Yun cried, “Your brother is in a temper right now, go hide for a bit!”
“You’re the elder sister, just yield to him!”
“Mother… mother is doing this for your own good. If he really lays a hand on you, I won’t be able to stop him!”
Yun Shu was shoved stumbling backward.
Her embroidered shoes stepped on a rotten pear and she nearly slipped.
She barely steadied herself and looked up at her own mother in disbelief.
Why?
Why was it always like this?
Clearly she was the one standing up for her mother, yet whenever her brother lost his temper, the one sacrificed was always her.
The one always told to “be the bigger person” was always her.
From the crowd, more whispers rose again:
“What’s wrong with that mother? Her son is angry and she doesn’t control him, instead she drives the daughter away?”
“Looks like favoritism. Definitely favoring sons over daughters.”
“Poor girl… even after marrying out, she’s still suffering like this…”
Outside the crowd, Feng Zekai watched this scene with a slight furrow between his brows.
His gaze swept across Madam Yun, Yun He, and Yun Shu, growing deeper.
The relationship in this family was clearly not normal.
In his mind echoed his younger sister’s cold commentary.
【I really can’t understand this mother.】
Feng Zeyuan’s eyes were full of confusion.
Feng Zekai pressed his lips together and silently agreed in his heart:
This woman’s behavior truly was incomprehensible.
【Her daughter stands up for her, and she doesn’t protect her, instead she pushes her away?】
【The conflict is clearly between the son and the mother—how did it become a fight between brother and sister in just a few sentences?】
【Host, you’ve hit the key point.】
The system’s tone carried mockery.
【This mother is a classic coward who only bullies the weak and specializes in stirring trouble.】
【She doesn’t dare provoke her hot-tempered son, so she only dares to cry to her daughter.】
【But when her daughter actually stands up for her, she fears her son will blame her—so she sacrifices the daughter to please the son instead.】
Feng Zeyuan felt nauseated listening.
【Truly pitying her misfortune, yet angered by her incompetence!】
【If she keeps messing things up like this, both children will end up hating her!】
Feng Zekai slightly turned his head and said softly to his sister:
“This mother’s behavior will only cause the siblings to drift apart. If this continues, their family will inevitably fall apart.”
Feng Zeyuan nodded.
“Brother, you’re right.”
【Exactly! This kind of muddling-through approach is the worst!】
Her thoughts were accidentally heard by some nearby onlookers.
“What?!”
“Is… is that true?”
Yun Shu could no longer say anything.
Her heart felt as if it had been soaked in freezing water—numb and cold.
She could only cover her face with her hand, forcing herself not to cry.
Then she turned and ran into the crowd.
Yun He didn’t believe the voice in his head. Looking at his sister fleeing in tears, his anger had nowhere to go.
It twisted instead into deeper grievance and resentment.
He suddenly turned toward the crowd and roared:
“You all saw it, right! My sister married into a wealthy family and now looks down on us poor relatives!”
“It’s just a meal, and she insists on splitting it with me. She never treated me as her brother at all!”
“I, Yun He, don’t have such a sister!”
As he spoke, a teenage boy’s eyes reddened again for no reason.
His voice carried a thick sobbing tone.
The surrounding people shook their heads and sighed.
“Sigh, how did this pair of siblings end up like this…”
“They’re family after all, why fight like this…”
But some frowned, sensing something was wrong.
“Why do I feel like this kid is being unreasonable?”
“Exactly, it’s just a meal. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?”
Just as Feng Zeyuan was about to complain, the system spoke again.
【Host, this young man turned out like this entirely because of his dear mother.】
【His mother isn’t just a weak victim type—she’s also a genius at sowing discord between her children.】
Feng Zeyuan glanced at Madam Yun, who was now shrinking in a corner wiping her tears, and felt a jolt in her heart.
【Are you sure?】
【Absolutely.】
The system sneered.
【She’s best at “carrying messages between both sides” and stirring trouble.】
【Look—】
A light screen appeared before Feng Zeyuan’s eyes.
Inside the scene, Madam Yun held Yun He’s hand, sighing:
“He’er, your sister is married now. Her status is different. You should visit her less in the future so she won’t be inconvenienced in her husband’s family.”
“She is now the young madam of the Zhang family. People like us poor relatives should avoid disturbing her…”
The scene changed.
Madam Yun then held Yun Shu’s hand, crying:
“Shu’er, your brother has a bad temper and will cause trouble sooner or later. You should stay away from him so you don’t get dragged down.”
“Mother is doing this for your own good. Now that you’re married into the Zhang family, you must not let him embarrass you…”
【See it now?】
【She uses this ‘for your own good’ excuse to plant thorns between the siblings, making them suspicious of each other.】
【Over time, they naturally drift apart.】
This revelation struck like thunder in the alley.
“Good heavens, she’s actually sowing discord between both sides?!”
“No wonder the siblings are like this—it’s all her doing!”
Yun He froze mid-motion while picking up the pear.
These scenes that appeared out of nowhere… those words…
“Shu’er married well, she’s no longer part of our family…”
His mother really had said those exact words to him in private.
Not a single word different.
The pear in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
His face changed from red to pale, then to ashen.
But… that voice said…
His mother was the one causing their rift?
He suddenly raised his head toward where his mother had been standing.
She was already gone.
Madam Yun had somehow retreated deep into the alley, head lowered, shoulders trembling slightly.
Feng Zekai lowered his voice:
“Yuan’er, that woman seems sorrowful on the surface, but she is actually just weak and evasive.”
“Brother, your observation is sharp!”
Feng Zeyuan gave him a thumbs-up.
The system immediately confirmed:
【This woman doesn’t dare discipline her son, only cries to her daughter. When her daughter actually steps in, she becomes a coward again!】
Feng Zeyuan still didn’t understand.
【Even if she’s muddling things, what about the AA payment for the meal?】
【It’s not that Yun Shu didn’t want to treat—she simply couldn’t afford it!】
The system sighed.
【This meal today was originally her younger brother dragging her to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant to “broaden his horizons” because of his greed.】
【Yun Shu was also proud and didn’t want to lose face in front of her brother. She never expected the price the shopkeeper quoted to be two taels of silver!】
【The broken silver she used to pay was already all the money she had on her.】
【She had no money left to pay for her brother—she could only grit her teeth and suggest separate payment.】
The last… one tael of silver?
Those words struck Yun He like a bolt of lightning.
How was that possible?!
Wasn’t his sister married into the Zhang family?
That wealthy family in the east of the city!
How could she… how could she not even have two taels of silver?!
The crowd around them erupted:
“What? She only had one tael of silver on her?”
“Then how did she marry into the Zhang family? They’re a rich merchant family!”
“Exactly, something doesn’t add up…”
Feng Zeyuan voiced the same doubt:
【That’s not right! Didn’t she marry into a wealthy household? How could she be so poor?】
The system let out a cold laugh.
【Married?】
【Who told you she actually got married?】
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