USWHC -Chapter 213 Engagement Turmoil (Part 3)

“Impossible! I don’t agree!”

Before anyone had even stepped into the small courtyard, a sharp, piercing shout rang out. Without guessing, everyone knew it had to be the agitated and indignant Old Madam Ji.

“Oh my, what happened to Ji family’s Meizi? Has she gone mad?” someone suddenly cried out.

At once, everyone’s gaze turned toward the courtyard gate.

Standing there was a single figure, looking utterly disheveled in the wind. Her hair hung loose, her clothes were in disorder, and one fair arm was swaying freely outside her sleeve.

In ancient times, even exposing one’s arm was improper. Ji Mei’s appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention.

“Could it be that the shock was too much for her to bear?”

“Oh dear, how pitiful! Such a good girl, and now she’s been driven mad!”

The Hua family members also noticed Ji Mei. After all, they were still relatives, so Old Man Hua immediately grew anxious.

“Oh my, Meizi, what happened to you? Feiwu, hurry and find a piece of clothing for Meizi!”

There were many people in the courtyard, all gathered to watch the excitement. Now that an even bigger spectacle had appeared, they crowded closer, staring intently—but not a single person stepped forward to help.

Instead, Hua Feixue showed some sisterly affection at that moment. She found a cloak and tried to wrap it around Ji Mei.

Unfortunately, Ji Mei didn’t appreciate it at all.

With a quick step aside, she dodged the cloak and said bitterly, “Don’t pretend to be kind! Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind my back!”

“Hey! What kind of talk is that?” Hua’s mother immediately snapped, her voice rising sharply. “What exactly has our Feixue done behind your back? Go on—tell me! I’d like to hear it too!”

“What has she done? She’s been seducing people! She’s been seducing Young Master Sun!” Ji Mei burst into tears as she spoke. “Young Master Sun had already agreed to come to my house to propose marriage. How did he suddenly change his mind at the last minute? Wasn’t it because you used some trick?”

Upon hearing this, Hua’s mother instead smiled smugly.

“We didn’t use any tricks. Young Master Sun simply has good judgment—he knows who’s good and who’s not!”

“What do you mean who’s good and who’s not? Explain yourself clearly!” Old Madam Ji immediately rushed forward like a fighting rooster, shouting at Hua’s mother.

Hua’s mother proudly laughed.

“The Sun family chose our Feixue because she’s good, of course. You people really overestimate yourselves. Young Master Sun is well-read and scholarly—how could he possibly choose someone like your Meizi? She can’t even recognize all the characters, let alone compose poetry!”

“You’re proud just because she can recite a few sour poems?” Old Madam Ji shot back angrily. “Our Ji Mei is far prettier than your Feixue!”

“Pretty? If she’s so pretty, why didn’t Young Master Sun choose her?” Hua’s mother sneered. “Stop acting like you’re some fine delicacy. What dish are you? You’re nothing but dogtail grass growing in the fields! When you’re still green, you should just hurry and marry whoever you can. Yet you still dream of sitting at a grand banquet table—how ridiculous!”

Standing with her hands on her hips, Hua’s mother cursed away, the more she scolded, the more delighted she seemed. She even looked proudly at her daughter, her eyes full of smug satisfaction.

Hua Feixue, however, quietly tugged at her mother’s sleeve and whispered, “Mother, maybe you should say less.”

“Why shouldn’t I say it? I’ll say it loudly!” Hua’s mother stretched her voice even higher for everyone to hear. “My daughter is excellent—far better than that little girl from the Ji family!”

Hidden among the crowd, Zhu Jie listened to their argument and actually let out a sigh of relief.

If it stayed as a simple quarrel between the two families, then the little trick she had played wouldn’t be exposed.

Carefully, she edged her way toward Ji Mei and whispered, “Maybe… you should put your sleeve back on first?”

“I’m not wearing it! How could I be in the mood to fix my sleeves right now?” Ji Mei continued crying bitterly.

Alright then—if you won’t wear it, you won’t wear it. Just treat it like a short-sleeved outfit… an asymmetrical kind of beauty, Zhu Jie thought to herself before quietly retreating back into the crowd.

But just then, Old Madam Ji suddenly shouted, “Auntie! What exactly is going on here? Didn’t you say you had already settled things with the Sun family for us? Why did they suddenly change their mind? Could it be that you meddled in the middle—took someone’s benefits or bribes?”

As she spoke, her eyes kept glaring fiercely at Hua’s mother.