TFSRITA Chapter 174

Ji Jiaxun kept his smile intact, and seeing that the old lady hadn’t invited them to sit, he simply took Yao Qing’s hand and sat down himself. With a graceful motion, he took a sip of tea before saying, “Grandmother, didn’t Qingqing already give a gift to Tongtong just now?”

The old lady frowned, clearly displeased. “That was hers, and this is yours—how can they be the same?”

Ji Jiaxun feigned innocence. “But we are one, husband and wife. What’s the difference? Besides, Miss Liu is an unmarried young lady. How could I be seen too close to her?”

“You two used to…” The old lady was even more displeased and was about to say more.

But Ji Jiaxun interrupted, “Grandmother, I don’t recall playing with Miss Liu when we were children.”

The old lady, who had been continuously countered, felt her face sour. She snorted but remained silent, and the atmosphere became cold for a moment.

On the other side, Liu Tong, feeling somewhat awkward, slowly bowed and said, “Cousin, I haven’t congratulated you on your wedding yet. I prayed for this safety charm in the temple for you and Cousin-in-law.”

Ji Jiaxun took it with a smile. “Thank you.” He then handed it to Yao Qing. “Could you please keep it for me, wife?”

The old lady was even more displeased now. “Tongtong kindly gave this to you. Don’t you plan to wear it?”

“It’s not appropriate,” Ji Jiaxun said coolly.

Although he was a bit of a wastrel, he had learned what he needed to—dealing with an old lady like this was quite easy for him.

His increasingly cold demeanor made the old lady uneasy. She gave him an unsettled glance, wanting to speak but couldn’t bring herself to do so.

Meanwhile, Yao Qing, standing behind Ji Jiaxun, quietly sipped her tea. She seemed unaffected by the old lady’s discomfort, and when the old lady shot a glare her way, Yao Qing simply returned a smile, her expression calm and unbothered.

The conversation continued, and it was mostly led by the second and third aunts, allowing the matter to pass without further escalation.

Liu Tong, however, was being ignored. Her face darkened as she tightly clutched her handkerchief, her head bowed, the faint bangs covering her forehead so no one could see her expression.

The conversation wasn’t particularly pleasant, but it wasn’t outright unpleasant either.

Yao Qing’s position was quite different from that of Ji Jiaxun’s family, where only Ji Jiaxun’s father had any real influence. She was supported by the Yan family, with her father being a prime minister, and her family had quite a bit of sway, especially with the Song family as well, though not as powerful as the scholars, still a respected force.

Thus, Yao Qing came into Ji’s family with a much stronger backing. Without a mother-in-law or father-in-law to answer to, everyone else had to show her respect. If anyone upset her, she could report it to her father, and that would bring consequences for them and their relatives.

In this strange atmosphere, only Yao Qing and Ji Jiaxun seemed at ease as they spent the morning peacefully, and after lunch, they returned to their new home where they had married.

With the old lady back, Ji Jiaxun had to stay a couple of days.

In the afternoon, neither of them went out, and Yao Qing started to have some fun teasing Ji Jiaxun again.

Meanwhile, Liu Tong, who had barely eaten her lunch, was now in tears, leaning in the old lady’s arms, full of grievance. “Grandmother, Cousin… Cousin he…”

Liu Tong sniffled, tears streaming freely down her face.

The old lady, feeling heartbroken, embraced her tightly and repeatedly soothed, “Tongtong, don’t cry. Grandmother will get justice for you.”

Liu Tong sobbed, “Grandmother! It’s all her fault! If it weren’t for her, Cousin would never have acted like that! Kick her out!”

She covered her face with her hands, tears pouring down her shoulders, looking utterly heartbroken.

The old lady, who already felt guilty toward her daughter, became even more furious. But even in her anger, she knew she couldn’t just mistreat Yao Qing because of her status.

The old lady’s frustration was overwhelming as she cradled Liu Tong, her heart aching. “My poor child, sigh…”

Just then, a maid arrived.

“Old Madam,” the maid called.

The crying stopped, and both the old lady and Liu Tong looked up in confusion.

The maid continued, “I went to check on the Young Master’s courtyard, and the Young Madam is bullying him. He was crying terribly!”

The old lady’s face turned red with fury. “What?”

The maid, having been sent by the old lady to keep an eye on things, was eager to report what she had seen.

“It’s true. The courtyard was filled with his cries, and the night after the wedding, and the next day, the Young Master was beaten. The old master and the Princess didn’t help him. They don’t care about him at all…”

The old lady couldn’t bear to listen anymore and started gasping for breath.

Liu Tong wiped her tears and, hearing the maid’s words, said in a soft voice, “Grandmother, listen! I told you what I heard at the temple was true! She dared to hit Cousin!”

The old lady’s face darkened as she stood up. “Let’s go! How dare she harm my grandson!”

She was furious. It was widely known that the old lady favored her third son and Ji Jiaxun, her eldest grandson, above all else. The other grandchildren didn’t stand out in comparison, and so Ji Jiaxun had always been her favorite.

Now, with her plans for Liu Tong to marry Ji Jiaxun crushed, her anger was at its peak.

The old lady grabbed Liu Tong and stormed off with a fierce demeanor.

As they arrived at the courtyard, they heard a loud cry of pain. “Ah! Be gentle!”

“Bang!” The sound of someone crashing to the ground, followed by familiar cries.

But soon, the cries shifted into a playful tone. “It hurts so much here, rub it for me…”