Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 009

Chapter 9: Madam An

When An Zhi returned home from the Pei’s house, as soon as she arrived at her own yard, she saw a round-faced woman sitting in the hall drinking tea.

“Madam Zhang.” An Zhi greeted before entering. “Please don’t stand up. Sit down.”

Aunt Zhang was An Chengye’s earliest concubine. She had served beside Madam Bai in the past. Later, when Madam Bai was pregnant with An Zhi’s brother and after giving birth, she became An Chengye’s concubine. She had given birth to a daughter before, but the daughter died at the age of five. She never had any children since then and had a good relationship with An Zhi.

“Miss, why did you come back just now?” Aunt Zhang sighed. Madam Bai had always been kind to her and had never treated her unfairly. When her daughter was sick, she had even given her the ginseng from her dowry. She always remembered this kindness. “As soon as you left today, the master secretly opened the ancestral hall and recorded An Rong in the family tree.”

An Zhi’s hand holding the teacup paused. She had thought that An Chengye still cared about her, but now it seemed, haha, it was just a joke.

“Thank you, auntie, for coming to talk to me.” Now that things had come to this, An Zhi could only think of another way.

“You’re too polite, Miss.” Aunt Zhang had watched An Zhi grow up. Now that she was older, she no longer had the desire to compete for favor. However, seeing An Rong’s dirty life, she couldn’t help but say something. She sighed again, “What’s going on? When your mother was alive, although the master was also a playboy, there was never such a mess in the family.”

Who said it isn’t true? An Chengye was someone who deserved to be punished.

An Zhi and Aunt Zhang talked for a while longer. Just as they sent Aunt Zhang away, another guest arrived.

But the one who came was someone everyone disliked.

An Zhi heard the noise in the house, and only when she walked out did she see it was An Rong.

She was really brave.

Seeing that the little maid Cuisi who was guarding the door was covering her face and blocking An Rong, An Zhi frowned and walked out.

“Sister, you are finally here.” An Rong was listed in the family tree and got an identity today. She thought that she was already the second lady of the An family, and she wanted to show off her tail that had been hidden. When she passed by this yard, she saw the beautiful garden, but was stopped by a maid. She said that this was the garden where An Zhi lived and would not let her in. She slapped the maid on the face.

When An Zhi confirmed that there was a slap mark on Cuisi’s face, she slapped her before An Rong could speak.

“Pah.”

Extremely crisp.

The maids serving on the side were all terrified.

An Rong, in particular, covered her stomach with one hand and her face with the other, “How dare you…how dare you…hit me?”

“Why wouldn’t I dare?” An Zhi raised her eyebrows, her aura cold and unapproachable. “I’m the manager of the An family’s inner courtyard. You hit my maid without any reason, so it’s only right for me to hit you back.”

An Rong cried, her cheeks burning with pain. Although An Zhi was domineering in the past, she had never hit anyone. “I just wanted to come and pay my respects to my sister, but you, a servant, stopped me and pushed me. I got angry and hit her.”

An Zhi hated An Rong’s hypocritical look the most. Pei Que was right. If you don’t like someone, you should keep them under your control and discipline them. In the An family’s inner courtyard, she was the heaven here. “She didn’t let you in, that was my order. An Rong, you ignored my advice and insisted on breaking into my house. I will punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall for an hour.”

“You…you clearly know me?” An Rong subconsciously took a half step back. She knew that An Zhi held a grudge against her, but even if she was pregnant, she couldn’t say it in public. It would be like a dumb person eating bitter herbs, unable to express her pain.

“Why, you don’t want to kneel?” An Zhi sneered, “It seems you don’t even consider me as your sister. It’s up to you. Why don’t you copy Buddhist scriptures a hundred times? That’s just right for your current cultivation. Cuisi, please see her out. I need to rest.”

Cuisi had just been slapped, and the little girl held a grudge. She cleared her throat and said, “Miss An Rong, do you want to leave by yourself, or do you want me to get the broom?”

Of course An Rong went by herself, but she couldn’t bear to receive the slap in vain, so she asked the maid next to her to take her to the ancestral hall.

After An Zhi returned to the house, Binglu was worried about her, “Miss, you slapped An Rong. What if the matter gets to the master?”

In Binglu’s opinion, An Chengye was the head of the family after all, so she still hoped that her young lady could have a better relationship with the master.

“Don’t worry, father won’t blame me.” An Zhi had already made up her mind. “Father feels guilty about An Rong’s situation, and he can’t even hide from me right now. I said copying Buddhist scriptures is fine, but An Rong will definitely kneel in the ancestral hall to frame me. Just watch, she’ll have spent an hour kneeling in the ancestral hall in vain.”

Just now, when chatting with Aunt Zhang, An Zhi learned that An Chengye had been staying at Xu’s house these days. Even if An Chengye did not take Xu in, Xu was living a good life.

Thinking that Xu’s wish had been fulfilled, she should be very happy now, so she decided to pour a bucket of cold water on her.

“Binglu, I remember that my aunt’s birthday is in a few days, right?” An Zhi asked.

Binglu poured tea for An Zhi and nodded, “Your aunt was born on February 15th, and it will be your aunt’s birthday in ten days.”

“You go and prepare a generous gift. I will go to visit my aunt tomorrow.” An Zhi took a sip of tea. Black tea was mellow and rich, and was the best way to wake up.

Her aunt was the former mistress of the Weiyuan Marquis’s mansion. Originally, the An family’s background was too high to marry into the Weiyuan Marquis’s Li family. However, the previous patriarch of the Li family had a tough fate. After his three wives had died in a row, no one in the capital dared to propose marriage to him. That was until a Taoist priest read the horoscope for the patriarch and said he had a fiery destiny and needed a woman with an extremely gentle destiny to live with him until old age.

At the time, Old Master Li didn’t want to remarry, but the six children in the family were too noisy, so he finally found An Zhi’s aunt. After Madam An married into the Marquis’s mansion, she and Old Master Li lived in harmony for more than ten years until he passed away last year.

Although Madam An was a bit rigid, she treated all six children left by Old Master Li equally. Even after she gave birth to a son and a daughter, she still treated her step-sons and step-daughters the same way. After Old Master Li passed away, Madam An immediately handed over the management rights to the eldest son and his wife who inherited the title. Therefore, she was quite respected in the Marquis’ Mansion.

In the past, An Zhi didn’t like the An family’s old-fashioned and pedantic nature. Although the two families visited each other every year, their relationship was not close.

At present, An Zhi’s ancestors had no one, and An Zhi wanted for An Chengye to remarry. If she came forward herself, she would be laughed at. But if the An family came forward, it would be the most appropriate.

The next day, after washing up, An Zhi changed into some simple clothes. When she was leaving, Cuisi came over and promised not to let An Rong enter the yard.

An Zhi looked smart and smiled as she said to Cuisi, “You have to hold on tight. I’ll buy you some snacks from Heshuntang when I come back.”

Cuisi was just starting to grow her hair, and she was most interested in food. She smiled and promised to wait for it.