A Good Country Wife
Chapter 500 - 494_1

Chapter 500: Chapter 494_1

There were a total of twelve people in the embroidery room, and more than half of them disliked Lun Qin. However, they had to admit that Lun Qin’s embroidery skills were truly admirable. It was just that her character was not very good. Normally, everyone would share their experiences with each other, but Lun Qin was the only one who would never give advice when asked, fearing others would learn her skills. Instead, she would deride and mock them. On a couple of occasions, her words even made someone cry. After that, no one dared to seek advice from her, and gradually, she became isolated by everyone.

Lun Qin was naturally aware of the isolation from everyone, but instead of reflecting on herself, she blamed others, particularly when she saw Lan Fang, who was well-liked. She would always find a chance to vent her frustration by sneering at Lan Fang. Lan Fang was an honest person, repeatedly being mocked by Lun Qin without fighting back, which actually made Lun Qin find it quite uninteresting.

"Putting on such an act, just pretending to be innocent and honest—how could someone so honest win over everyone?" Lun Qin said with a fierce tone, glaring at Lan Fang.

"I haven’t done anything. We’re only discussing and learning embroidery from each other. You’re misunderstanding," said Lan Fang. Even for someone as honest as her, hearing such slander from Lun Qin made her unable to resist defending herself.

"Enough with that pitiful look—it’s disgusting," Lun Qin said, pushing Lan Fang away. Seeing Lan Fang stumble and fall to the ground, Lun Qin felt a rush of satisfaction, having vented the anger she felt in front of everyone.

Dong Xue came from the other side and saw Lun Qin bullying Lan Fang. She could not stand by and watch, "Lun Qin, what are you doing, bullying Lan Fang and even pushing her to the ground? Playing the bully and the coward—I see it’s because Lan Fang is honest that you dare to do this."

"Dong Xue, you better stop with your crocodile tears and mind your own business. What if I pushed her? It’s not like it was you. None of your concern. I just can’t stand to see that hypocritical face, ugh!" Lun Qin spat out, unrepentant.

Dong Xue, seeing Lun Qin’s excessive behavior, helped Lan Fang up from the ground, feeling a mix of frustration and anger, "Lan Fang, can’t you be a little less honest? We’re all embroiderers here, and no one is above anyone else. If she pushes you, just push her back. Why give in to her? Even if it comes to the attention of Lady Musheng, you have us to back you up. Let’s see who will come out on top! Just because her embroidery is slightly better, she acts so arrogant. She hasn’t even been chosen yet and already thinks she’s above the rest—let’s wait and see!"

Dong Xue had always been someone who wouldn’t suffer a loss. She disliked Lun Qin’s arrogant demeanor, and her words were naturally sharp and direct.

"My embroidery skills being superior is my own ability. What’s it to you if you’re unsatisfied? Whether I’m chosen by the lady or not is not your concern. We’ll see what happens!" Lun Qin had clashed with Dong Xue not just once or twice before. Dong Xue was quick with words, and not once had Lun Qin gotten the better of her in a verbal battle, so she was reluctant to entangle with Dong Xue any further and left with some harsh words, leaving Dong Xue and Lan Fang standing there.

"Dong Xue, thank you for helping me out," Lan Fang said, watching Lun Qin leave without getting too upset, and spoke to Dong Xue with a smile, appearing rather carefree.

"What’s there to thank for, I’m not doing this to help you, it’s just that I can’t stand her presumptuous behavior. Who thinks they’re more noble than whom, we’re all servants in someone’s house, yet she still puts on airs. Who’s she showing off for? You should stand up for yourself. You’re no shorter than her, and there’s nothing you’re lacking compared to her, so why do you let her bully you?" Dong Xue was a tough-talker with a soft heart, and even though she was clearly helping Lan Fang, she wouldn’t admit it when Lan Fang thanked her.

Lan Fang wasn’t really foolish, she just didn’t like to squabble. Knowing Dong Xue was a tough-talker with a soft heart, she smiled and hugged Dong Xue’s arm. "Dong Xue, you know I’m not good with words. I can’t argue with her, so why not just let her have her way? A few sharp words can’t really harm me, so why should we fight to the death? It’s pointless to bring it up to the mistress, as neither of us would gain any favor."

Even Dong Xue had to admit that Lan Fang truly had a good nature and was insightful. She understood this principle as well: all of them were bought by the family as servants. Even though the mistress was generous, if they were to constantly cause trouble, no mistress, no matter how tolerant, would put up with such servants.

"So our Lan Fang has such a broad mind. No wonder you don’t bother with people like Lun Qin and their petty schemes."

"Dong Xue, stop teasing me. It’s better to avoid trouble than to seek it. Lun Qin’s embroidery is undeniably excellent. No one in our embroidery room can compare to her, and if the mistress really selects her in the future, her status will rise a notch. If we fight with her now, she’ll only make things harder for us later. You should also hold back a bit and stop being angry with her," Lan Fang sighed, saying this. Although she was even-tempered, she wasn’t a weak person. She didn’t just keep quiet when bullied by Lun Qin; her major concern was about this.

Lan Fang’s words were clear to Dong Xue, but her nature was different—she wasn’t as patient and tolerant as Lan Fang. After a moment of silence, she responded, "So what if I restrain myself? If you give in to someone like Lun Qin, she’ll only take advantage of you even more. I’d rather let her know I’m not someone to be trifled with. In the end, I’ll stay in the embroidery room. Even if she wants to pick on me, she won’t have a valid reason. The mistress is the fairest of all. If Lun Qin goes too far, the mistress may not necessarily side with her. Plus, who can predict the future? Perhaps the mistress won’t choose Lun Qin."

"I hope so. But among all of us, she’s the one with the best embroidery. The mistress has no reason not to choose her."

"That’s not necessarily true. I’ve heard that the mistress doesn’t just look at skills but also values personal virtue. Someone like Lun Qin with her character definitely won’t do. Actually, your embroidery isn’t bad either, Lan Fang. You have a solid foundation, and you’re not much worse than Lun Qin. She just relies on having had a good teacher in the past and learned some skills. If you learned from them, you might not be worse off. Maybe you’ll be chosen by the mistress as well. When that happens, don’t forget to teach me a thing or two." Compared to Lun Qin, Dong Xue actually had more faith in Lan Fang.

"Of course, if the mistress allows it, there’s no problem at all." Lan Fang was willing to help others but she also had her principles, which is why she didn’t give a definitive answer. Everything was subject to the mistress’s requests, as indicated by her words, which revealed that Lan Fang still held hopes for herself.

"Sister Musheng, Sister Musheng, the mistress is calling for you!" Xixi arrived at the door of the embroidery room with a smile and called out.

Sister Musheng was teaching the embroiderers the new stitching technique that Lin Yue had just passed onto her a few days earlier. Seeing XiXi come, she smiled, "XiXi is here. Does the mistress have any instructions? Does she want me to bring the embroidery room’s works to her?" "No need to. The mistress has chosen someone and wants Sister Musheng to come over for a discussion. If there’s no problem, she will make the selection today." This wasn’t a secret matter, so there was no need to hide it, and XiXi straightforwardly told everyone.