Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 393 - 393 394 The Female Lead Appears_1

Chapter 393: Chapter 394: The Female Lead Appears_1 Chapter 393: Chapter 394: The Female Lead Appears_1 Mrs. Jiang snorted coldly through her nose, thinking she was dealing with some tough character, only to find out how easily she could be manipulated.

But immediately, Muniang shifted tone, “It’s true that my striking Lordling was somewhat improper, but my Qingmei is not the type to climb the ladder of wealth, nor does she intend to marry into the Lu family as the concubine’s son. So, Mr. Lu, please be more restrained in the future and do not harass her at will.”

Mrs. Jiang’s face turned dark instantly, the word “concubine’s son” from Qiao Muniang stung her heart, painfully sharp.

“What do you mean by that? You’re nothing but a lowly commoner, and our Ziquan is the County Chief’s only son. If he really took a fancy to a mere maid, it would be your good fortune!” she retorted.

Muniang replied coldly, “An only son is still a concubine’s son, born of a concubine nonetheless. Our Qingmei is a legitimate daughter, not comparable to any flawed goods. She wouldn’t choose such a person for marriage in the future.”

Mrs. Jiang was so angry her nose was askew, but to her chagrin, Muniang’s arguments were irrefutable, and she could not counter a single one.

Muniang snorted coldly, any apology she had offered was merely to save face for Mr. Lu. Mrs. Jiang actually thought she was intimidated? A son born of a concubine aspiring to marry Qingmei? Ridiculous!

Qingmei looked at Muniang with gratitude. She had never been valued so highly before; even though she wasn’t really a maid in the Lu Mansion, she always felt inferior. But now, Muniang, in a few words, had made it clear that Lu Ziquan was not worthy of her, filling Qingmei’s heart with deep appreciation.

Lord Lu coughed lightly twice before speaking sternly, “Although Qingmei lives in our mansion, she is not a real maid. When she reaches marrying age, we will find a suitable family for her to marry into. I believe I have mentioned this before. Mrs. Jiang, why would you knowingly commit this error and treat Qingmei as a maid? Moreover, I have always maintained strict rules, forbidding fraternization with the maids in the mansion. This might be permissible in other households, but not in mine! Yet Ziquan, you have knowingly repeated this violation. You truly disappoint me.”

Lu Ziquan, for a moment dumbfounded, mumbled, “But father, I was seriously injured by that woman…”

“If you hadn’t acted rashly, would you have ended up like this? Lady Yu has already apologized to you for this incident. But have you apologized to Qingmei for maltreating her? It’s a pity, for a supposed scholar, you seem to lack such basic understanding!” Lord Lu said, dismayed by his son’s behavior, fearing that such an heir would disgrace the family legacy.

“Why should I apologize to some lowly maid?!” Lu Ziquan blurted out.

Muniang sneered, “Did I not just apologize to a lowly concubine’s son?”

Lu Ziquan choked, his face turning red, his trembling finger pointing at Muniang, “You, you, you…”

Lord Lu could no longer tolerate the disgrace, and shouted, “Guards, take this unfilial son and lock him in the woodshed to reflect on his actions! Do not let him out for a month!”

As Mrs. Jiang moved to plead for mercy, she was silenced by Lord Lu with a glare, “Hold your tongue, or I’ll lock you up with him! Look at this ‘fine’ son you’ve raised, claiming to be the County Chief’s only son, you’re making me lose face completely!”

Lu Ziquan was dragged out, wailing, and Mrs. Jiang was sent away.

Only then did Muniang bow and say, “Thank you, Lord Lu, for your lenience toward me. I will be sure to express my gratitude properly in the future.”

Lord Lu waved his hand dismissively and looked at Qingmei, “It’s also my failure in supervision that nearly ruined this child. You entrusted Qingmei to me, placing your trust in me, yet now such an incident has happened, alas.”

Muniang thought that perhaps they couldn’t stay at Lu Mansion for much longer, after all, she had now offended Lu Ziquan. If one day he decided to retaliate against Qingmei without anyone knowing, it wouldn’t be good. It seemed that she needed to find a family for Qingmei sooner rather than later.

With these thoughts in mind, Muniang then said, “It would be best if Qingmei stayed at Lu Mansion for another month. I will find her a suitable family as soon as possible during these days, so Lord Lu need not worry afterwards.”

Lord Lu nodded in agreement, “That would be good.” The child was of a reclusive nature, and sometimes he did find her difficult.

After thanking Lord Lu, Muniang left with Qingmei. It was then that Qingmei anxiously asked, “Mu, are you going to marry me off?”

“Does Qingmei not want to get married?”

Her face instantly flushed red, “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that, just that······”

Muniang smiled, “Afraid I’ll find you a bad match? Rest assured, would you still doubt Mu? I’ll find you the best family when the time comes, one that will not make you suffer, a thousand times better than Lu Ziquan.”

After reassuring Qingmei, Muniang breathed a sigh of relief upon leaving Lu Mansion. The child really hadn’t had it easy, and fortunately, she came today, otherwise, if a great mistake had been made, it might have been too late.

Today was the third act of “The Laughing Proud Wanderer,” the day Guo Yuehua would take the stage. Muniang specially arrived at Lu Mansion early to pick up several children to watch together. This time, Qingmei opened up her heart to Muniang and didn’t hide away. She happily went along with them.

All the way there, Lu Qi’er chattered about the play, “It’s good that Mu is the big boss of Mei Garden, otherwise these hard-to-get tickets would have been impossible. Many people in town couldn’t even secure a spot inside.”

“Is that so?” Muniang said with a pursed-lip smile, thinking the girl was so innocent. She herself was clearly the legitimate daughter of the County Chief, and getting a ticket would be hard, but even if she wasn’t the boss, others would have eagerly brought the tickets to her.

Lu Qi’er nodded vigorously, “Right! I really like this play. I used to not enjoy watching plays, but this one is just different. I really like Linghu Chong. Mu, can I go backstage to see the actor who plays Linghu Chong after the play today?”

Hope filled her eyes.

As someone who’d been through it all, Muniang understood that look all too well. A small spark had already been ignited in the young girl’s heart, and Muniang felt that the best course for Lu Qi’er would be to snuff it out quickly.

“Actors are very busy. They perform three times a day, not to mention they have to rehearse for the upcoming plays. Let’s not disturb them,” Muniang said.

Lu Qi’er hung her head, “Okay.”

By the time they arrived at Mei Garden, it was already filled to the brim. The first show in the morning was the most crowded, as many couldn’t secure seats because everyone wanted to know how the story would unfold as soon as possible.

Muniang led the three children inside, heading straight to a private room on the second floor. This room wasn’t open to customers as she often needed to check the effects.

Accompanied by the sound of a gong, the play finally started. Everyone held their breath in anticipation, but as a lively and graceful woman appeared from behind the curtains, the whole audience erupted in excitement.