Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 575

Chapter 575: Dog Jump

Madam Shi’s divorce was swift. Because the Shi family wasn’t in the capital, Madam Shi’s dowry and other belongings were moved to the courtyard next to the Pei Mansion.

Although An Zhi’s courtyard was far away and she couldn’t hear much, with Cuisi and several maids there, they would come and tell An Zhi about any interesting things happening outside.

Just then, Cuisi returned with the news, “Madam, Aunt is furiously denouncing the He family as inhuman! Our cousin and the young master of the He family haven’t been married long, and they’ve already spent half of her dowry!”

“Half?” Binglu’s eyes widened in shock. “The He family is shameless! A woman’s dowry has nothing to do with her husband’s family, and they’ve used half of it!”

An Zhi was also somewhat surprised. She then thought of her own dowry. After marrying Pei Que, although she hadn’t actively managed the estate and shops, Pei Que had provided her with many properties, so she didn’t need to use her own money; in fact, it had grown larger and larger.

“Spending money is a minor matter,” An Zhi said. Though she liked money, she wasn’t particularly concerned about it. “It’s just that Madam Shi’s wounds are truly alarming. If it were me, I would have risked my life to leave the He family; I wouldn’t have waited until now.”

Cuisi added indignantly, “If it were me, before I left, I would have burned the He family down. Even if I were beheaded, I would still burn their whole family to the ground.”

Binglu ruffled Cuisi’s little tuft of hair. “Small in stature, but with a big temper.”

Cuisi snorted. “Absolutely!”

An Zhi smiled as she watched Cuisi shake her head.

It was almost dark when Madam Shi’s dowry was finally all moved in.

Originally, everyone should have eaten together since the aunt had arrived, but the Shi family was too exhausted today, so they ate separately.

When An Zhi and Pei Que rested at night, An Zhi brought up the matter of Madam Shi’s divorce. “With the He family’s capabilities, they certainly wouldn’t dare to say anything more. But it’s hard to guard against villains. If someone is backing the He family, they might turn against us at any time. So I think it’s best to have someone keep an eye on the He family so that we can be prepared in advance if anything happens in the future.”

“Madam is right. You can reason with a gentleman, but you can’t guard against a petty person.” Pei Que agreed, but his plan wasn’t to keep an eye on them; he wanted to find out what illegal things the He family had done and deal with them directly, to avoid any unforeseen complications. However, he wouldn’t be so harsh in front of An Zhi. “We’ll do as Madam says. It’s late; let’s rest.”

An Zhi agreed, lay down flat, and slept soundly until dawn.

The next day, as usual, when An Zhi got up, Pei Que had already gone to court.

An Zhi intended to get up slowly, but as soon as she sat up, she heard Madam Shi’s voice outside.

Chunlan came in and whispered, “Madam, Lady Shi said she’s grateful for our help and wants to come and pay her respects. What do you think?”

Paying respects?

An Zhi raised her eyebrows in surprise, astonished by Lady Shi’s change in attitude. The Lady Shi of the past wasn’t like this.

“Prepare some food for her. Let her in after I change my clothes,” An Zhi said.

Chunlan hummed in agreement. After leaving, she smiled slightly and spoke to Lady Shi before preparing some refreshments.

Lady Shi sat down, her gaze frequently drifting towards An Zhi’s room.

Today’s visit wasn’t forced upon Lady Shi by Pei Qingyan; Lady Shi had come of her own accord.

Yesterday, after telling her mother how much she envied An Zhi, Lady Shi felt that An Zhi’s current life must be more than what outsiders perceived. Therefore, she wanted to see how An Zhi lived. However, An Zhi didn’t wake up until dawn—a sleeping schedule uncommon among other aristocratic families.

“Miss, please have some snacks.” Chunlan put down the plate. She had noticed Lady Shi staring intently at her young madam’s room when she entered, so she explained, “Madam is pregnant, so things will be a little slow. Please don’t mind, Miss.”

“Not at all, not at all.” Lady Shi was no longer the unmarried woman she once was. After experiencing the hardships of the He family, she had learned some manners. Even if she felt uncomfortable waiting, she would endure it.

After a while, Binglu came to invite them in.

After Lady Shi followed Binglu into the room, she saw An Zhi sitting at the dressing table. She slowly walked to An Zhi’s side and praised, “Sister-in-law, you look radiant! You look even more beautiful than before.”

To be honest, An Zhi was quite uncomfortable with Lady Shi’s praise. Someone who used to always make sarcastic remarks about her was now awkwardly praising her; it just felt strange.

However, feeling awkward was one thing; since she had been praised, An Zhi replied, “Now that you’ve left the He family, with time to recover, you’ll get better and better.”

At the mention of the He family, Lady Shi’s expression instantly changed, as if she had heard something terrifying.

An Zhi noticed Lady Shi’s unusual expression in the bronze mirror and turned to look at her, only to see Lady Shi’s eyes brimming with tears.

“Sister-in-law, the He family is truly despicable,” Lady Shi said, wiping away her tears. “Their current predicament is their own karma. He Rongsheng is disrespectful to his elders, narrow-minded, and particularly fond of scheming behind people’s backs. He Liang is paranoid and unambitious himself, yet loves to mock those who are capable.”

After a sob, Lady Shi’s voice trembled as she continued, “Sister-in-law, you and my cousin must be wary of the He family. They’re only holding back because my uncle is suppressing them, but they definitely resent the Pei and Shi families. If anything happens in the future, they will show no mercy if they can take advantage of the Pei family.”

“I’ve already told your cousin to be careful.” An Zhi gave Binglu a look, and Binglu helped Lady Shi to sit down.

Lady Shi wiped her face clean with a handkerchief, her pupils widening as she fiercely declared, “If you ask me, we should just expose the He family’s past bribery scandals and their dirty laundry during the succession struggle and simply destroy them!”

Lady Shi harbored deep resentment towards the He family, and the He family felt the same way.

Because they had lost Lady Shi’s dowry, the He family, after a period of extravagance, couldn’t adapt to suddenly returning to their previous simple life.

Seeing the plain porridge and a plate of braised meat on the table, He Rongsheng slammed down his chopsticks and threw a spoon at He Liang’s face. “A whole family of over ten people, and only one plate of meat! It’s all your fault! You can’t even control your wife, letting her go and complain. Now look what’s happened; our whole family has to suffer because of you!”

He Liang, having been complained about so much, was also angry. He felt wronged but didn’t think he had done anything wrong. “You always criticize me! If you were a little more forceful, how could Pei Huaijin, as an uncle, possibly manage his niece’s marriage? It’s because you’re a coward yourself that you only eat plain porridge!”

“You unfilial son! How dare you talk to me like that! I’ll beat you to death today!” He Rongsheng stood up, raising a stool to smash it, but was stopped by the others nearby.

The He family was in complete chaos, but those who paid attention knew the situation.