The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 19 - Long-Term Concerns

At that time, her heart was filled with anger and injustice, completely consumed by the desire for revenge for her mother, leaving her no room to focus on anything else.

She could have done better—like how Song Chuning managed to make Song Yi feel guilty by acting helpless and tearful, stirring his sense of remorse.

Perhaps then, Song Yi would feel a bit better.

A smile, somewhat forced and sarcastic, tugged at the corners of Song Chuyi's lips. But why should she care whether Song Yi felt better? If it hadn't been for him giving Li Shi the opportunity, Li Shi would never have been able to act against Cui Shi—Cui Shi had brought only loyal and capable people from her family. If Li Shi hadn't used Song Yi's hands to inform Cui Shi about his extramarital affair, Cui Shi would never have been thrown into chaos, and everything that followed wouldn't have happened.

So, even if Song Yi was oblivious, he was still an indirect killer of her mother.

She didn't want to spare any thought for him, nor did she feel obligated to cater to his pathetic pride and guilt.

However, now that Song Yi and Song Chuning were both troubling presences before her, she couldn't ignore them—especially since Song Chuning seemed to know a lot about the events of their previous lives. If given enough time to breathe, she might end up stabbing her in the back multiple times in the future.

Nanny Qiu put away the letter with a sigh and instructed Luyi to fetch some soup from the kitchen for Song Chuyi. She then gently advised her, "Why not wait another two months? By the time the New Year comes, the Second Master can't possibly return alone. We can deal with the Eighth Miss then..."

Qing Tao was also a bit worried, saying, "I'm really starting to be afraid of the Eighth Miss. I heard she eventually caught that cat that managed to escape, plucked all its fur, and roasted it alive..."

Ziyun, who was about to hang some clothes in the drying basket, spat on the ground in haste and exclaimed, "Pah! What nonsense are you saying? How can you talk about such things in front of the young lady?"

They had all been quite frightened when they heard about it a few days ago, especially Luyi, who usually enjoyed teasing that Persian cat in Ningde Courtyard. Ever since, whenever she saw the cat, she couldn't help but feel scared and would avoid it—seeing the cat reminded her of the scene where Song Chuning coldly plucked the cat's fur. Luyi was young and couldn't handle it. They had all been horrified that night and agreed not to bring it up in front of Song Chuyi, fearing it would scare her.

Ordinary people wouldn't do such things, but for the Song Chuning of their previous lives, it was expected. She had always looked down on others as if they were ants; the people around her had either died or been crippled. Apart from Luyi, whom she fiercely protected, there wasn't a whole person left.

Song Chuyi's eyes grew colder, and she waved her hand to signal Ziyun not to blame Qing Tao any further. Turning to Nanny Xu, she asked, "Has there been any news from Tongzhou?"

"Yes, yes," Nanny Xu replied, her heart lightening as she spoke. The wrinkles on her face seemed to bloom into a flower. "I almost forgot to tell you; in ten days, it will be a full month. The old Nanny Xu specifically sent someone to deliver the news, worried that we might forget. She also said Lian Yi is recovering well. The little one now weighs over seven lbs, chubby and adorable."

With this, the atmosphere in the room brightened a bit. As Ziyun laid out the clothes, she placed fragrant sachets in the four corners of the drying basket and turned with a smile, saying, "Speaking of which, An An didn't weigh much at birth. My grandmother said I weighed a full eight lbs when I was born."

Qing Tao chimed in, "After all, we were living in fear at the Li family's village before, with so much work to do. How could we have raised her well?"

Nanny Xu, who was laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath, finally scolded, "That's nonsense! Over six lbs is just right for giving birth; what do you know? When Ziyun's mother gave birth to her, it took two or three days... wasn't it because you were too heavy?"

The room full of young girls listened in confusion. Song Chuyi lowered her head and couldn't help but chuckle, quietly asking Nanny Xu, "Nanny, I heard that there are certain customs and prestige for attending a one-year birthday party. Since An An has recognized me as her little aunt, how should I prepare my gifts as her little aunt?"

"It's just the usual—longevity lock, purse, silver bracelet, and two sets of new clothes," Nanny Xu thought for a moment and said, "According to our family rules, we also make tiger-head shoes ourselves. Now that our eldest young lady is pregnant and about to give birth, her sisters from her maiden family have all sent her tiger-head shoes."

"There are still ten days left, so it's not too late to make them now." Song Chuyi hurriedly asked Luyi, who had just returned, to find shoe samples while sending Ziyun to the main house to ask Li Qingzi for a pair of tiger-head shoes to look at the style.

Frowning in thought, she said, "As for the other longevity locks and such, I'll trouble you, Nanny, to find them in my small storeroom. We need to pick out the best ones."

Nanny Xu smiled and agreed to go out, but Song Chuyi called her back.

"Nanny, if you have time this afternoon, please step out for me." Song Chuyi smiled, "Go to my aunt's house and bring her a message."

After all, Zhou Weizhao and Ye Jingchuan still owed her a favor; it was about time to collect.

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Far away, Song Chuning yawned again, feeling bored as she looked at Lady Fang, pressing her with a forced smile, "So, what's it going to be? Are you going to give me a clear answer? Are you going to help or not?"

Lady Fang felt somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze, something that hadn't happened before. Instinctively, she turned her face away, her tone trying to sound calm but coming off strong, "I've already said that when you strike a snake, you need to aim for its seven inches. Using underhanded tactics like this at the edges will only provoke the Song family..."

Song Chuning smiled and interrupted Lady Fang's lecture without hesitation, "Don't bring that up with me; I understand what you mean. But there's a saying: 'Without distant worries, there will be near troubles.' You've certainly heard that before, right? Now that her brother has also been sent to Shuzhong, and my mother is dead, the Song family is letting her thrive like a fish in water. If we don't give her something to do, won't she just remember this fish that slipped through the net?"

Lady Fang scoffed, showing some disbelief, "Although she's formidable, she hasn't reached the point of being able to cover the sky with one hand. You're fine staying in Changsha City with your father and our protection; she can't touch you at all. Strong dragons can't suppress local snakes; don't you understand that? You should just settle down."

Song Chuning coldly looked at her and sneered, "She certainly doesn't have the ability to cover the sky with one hand, but she has a close relationship with the Heir Apparent. Moreover, knowing that danger is approaching but still being unprepared and waiting to die isn't just foolish, is it?"