USWHC -Chapter 365 Exchanging Fate (Part 5)

“Hua Feixue!” Ji Mei and Old Madam Ji shouted almost at the same time.

Yes—when Ji Mei realized that she had missed the carriage to the capital, and possibly the only chance in her life to enter the palace and earn a fortune, she was utterly shocked. “But why would Sister Xue’er do this?” Ji Mei stood there, completely stunned.

“Aiyo! So the one who just left was our Feixue?” Old Madam Hua suddenly burst into excited laughter, clapping her hands in delight. “Our Feixue is just too clever! Look at that, look at that—she’s really something!”

Hearing her shameless praise, Old Madam Ji was so furious she almost coughed up blood. She spat angrily and cursed, “No wonder that wretched girl Feixue insisted on staying at my house yesterday! So she had this plan all along. Hmph, just wait until my eldest brings her back—see how I deal with her!”

Unfortunately, before she could even finish boasting, Ji the Eldest came rushing in, panting heavily. The moment he entered, he cried out anxiously, “Mother, this is bad! They’ve already left the city—I couldn’t catch up at all!”

At those words, Old Madam Ji felt her vision go dark. Her silver, her wealth—all snatched away!

Ji Mei let out a wail, so angry she clawed at the wall. “Hua Feixue, you shameless thing! Don’t let me see you again, or I’ll beat you every time I do!” She screamed hysterically—yet unexpectedly, the villagers suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hey? Erhan’s wife, why don’t you look surprised at all?” Old Madam Ji suddenly shouted angrily, pointing her shriveled, claw-like finger straight at Zhu Jie, as if she had been hiding something.

Zhu Jie merely shrugged, completely unconcerned. “No? I didn’t even see her. I didn’t say a single word to her today—how would I know she wasn’t Mei’er? Besides, you were standing so close to her just now. How come you didn’t notice?”

“I—I didn’t expect her to do something like this!” Old Madam Ji’s momentum instantly weakened under the questioning. Why hadn’t she noticed?

Yes, she had felt that “Ji Mei” seemed a bit strange today, but she only thought the oddness came from that ragged hat she was wearing. How could she have known the person inside had already been swapped?

Even her voice had sounded strange! Thinking of this, Old Madam Ji couldn’t help but feel annoyed. How had she not recognized it? That was clearly Hua Feixue! But she had deliberately softened her voice, making it hard for Old Madam Ji to distinguish.

Besides, how could Old Madam Ji even imagine such a thing? She never expected someone to be lying in wait to cut in halfway! Slapping her thigh in frustration, she exclaimed angrily, “No wonder she kowtowed to me and kept apologizing—so this was what she was planning all along!”

“No, we can’t just let this go! That all belonged to our Mei’er!” Ji the Eldest said furiously. “Mother, how about we go to the capital together?”

At that moment, Ji Yi spoke quietly, “Better forget it. Feixue hasn’t had it easy. Who knows whether this trip will bring fortune or misfortune? It might not even be a good thing.”

“How is it not a good thing? Consort Li said she liked our Mei’er’s cleverness—maybe she’ll even reward her directly! And why should we let it go? What hardship does Hua Feixue have? Stop talking nonsense!” Old Madam Ji cursed angrily.

Ji Yi sighed softly before saying, “Mother knows this too—ever since Feixue’s engagement was broken off, no one in the village has come to propose to her again. Rather than letting her waste away in Xiangshui Village, it’s better for her to go out and try her luck. Maybe she’ll find a way to survive.”

Old Madam Ji was instantly enraged. “What ‘way to survive’? She’s cut off our path to wealth, cut off Mei’er’s fortune—that’s what she’s done! We’re going to the capital. We must go!”

“Mother, going to the capital requires a lot of money. With our whole family, even a hundred or so taels might not be enough. Even if you walked all the way, you might not make it. By then, Hua Feixue might have already returned with her rewards,” Zhu Jie reminded gently.

Hearing that it would cost so much just to travel to the capital, Old Madam Ji hesitated. “You mean… she’ll come back, right?”

“Consort Li only asked her to teach soap-making. She might be back in a few days. Most of the time will just be spent traveling. Why rush for this moment? When Hua Feixue returns, we can deal with her then.”

Old Madam Ji snorted angrily. “Hmph! If she still dares to come back, I’ll kill her!”