Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 609 - 609 610 Suspicious Part 1

Chapter 609: Chapter 610 Suspicious Part 1 Chapter 609: Chapter 610 Suspicious Part 1 “Dad, I’m your own beloved daughter, how could I treat my own mother like that? Now I’m just struggling to accept this, hence my reaction towards my stepmother. When you slapped me in public and humiliated me, didn’t I endure it all the same? Please don’t be like this to me, Dad, I never meant it on purpose.”

Mr. Zhao snorted heavily, “I’ll remember what happened today, and if you dare to show half a bit of disrespect to your stepmother in the future, I’ll act as though I have no daughter like you!”

Mr. Zhao’s heart was also a mess of complexity. After pondering back and forth, he realized that ever since his daughter had gotten married, she’d become increasingly disappointing. But, no matter what, she was still his own flesh and blood. Now that she was pleading with him like this, even a heart of stone would not remain cold.

Upon hearing this, Wang Fuqiang immediately sensed a chance for redemption and hastily said, “Yes, yes, even if it’s Dangui’s stepmother, I’ll make sure she treats her like her own mother, without the slightest disrespect. If not, I will be the first to not let her get away with it. Father-in-law, rest assured.”

—

Mr. Zhao snorted coldly, turned, and swept out of the door.

Zhao Dangui stood up indignantly, wiped away the tears from her eyes, and glared at Zhao Jiangshui, “Little brother, you sure switch sides fast. In order to win Dad’s favor, you’ve cozied up to this stepmother so quickly. You’ve sided with her, and Dad will surely remember your good deeds. You’re expecting to get a larger share of the inheritance now, aren’t you? I thought scholars were supposed to be above such things, but it turns out they’re just as tainted by the smell of money!”

Zhao Jiangshui gave her a cold glance, “I haven’t helped anyone. I just can’t stand to see you using our dead mother as a shield. You know better than anyone else how mother died, so why pretend to be innocent now? Anyone can mention mother, but you have no right. Yet, you use our own mother to gain sympathy for yourself. Aren’t you afraid that in the dead of night, her ghost might come seeking revenge?”

Zhao Dangui went pale. Having these issues thrown in her face so brazenly by Zhao Jiangshui was indeed disgraceful, and the idea of being haunted by vengeful spirits genuinely frightened her.

Yet Zhao Dangui still retorted defiantly, “What? What do I have to be afraid of? Don’t think that just a few words from you will scare me. I know what’s in my heart. If you have a problem with me, just say it to my face instead of using underhanded tactics! For a scholar, treating your own sister like this, don’t you know ‘an elder sister is like a mother’? With your behavior, you could easily ruin your reputation, and then what will become of your aspirations for officialdom? Keep dreaming!”

Zhao Dangui threw down her harsh words.

Zhao Jiangshui looked at her with disappointment and then turned and walked out.

Zhao Dangui detested his always calm and unruffled demeanor, which left her to stew in her anger during their arguments.

Feeling ill-tempered, Zhao Dangui flopped into a chair and cursed angrily, “It’s all that bitch’s fault. Ever since she married in, she’s been causing trouble. Now Dad disfavours me, and even little brother has started having opinions about me!”

In truth, Zhao Dangui had it all wrong this time. Zhao Jiangshui had harbored opinions about her for a while but never mentioned them before; it was only out of frustration that he finally did so. She thought she was close to Zhao Jiangshui, but she had never seen how he behaved with those he truly cared about.

“What are you doing here?!”

Zhao Jiangshui was stunned when he suddenly saw Tianniu crouched over a table, picking out sunflower seeds, his jaw about to drop.

Delighted, Tianniu grabbed a handful of seeds and ran over to Zhao Jiangshui, “Your dad’s having a big celebration today, I came to have a look.”

Zhao Jiangshui quickly pulled her aside to an inconspicuous spot, “Who did you come with? This isn’t a place where you can just show up.”

“I came with my sister and Mrs. Lin. Look, in that small sedan chair following the bridal procession,” Tianniu pointed outside.

Zhao Jiangshui was taken aback, following along with the bridal procession was something only very close relatives of the bride’s family would do.

“What’s your relationship with Muniang?”

With a giggle, Tianniu said, “She’s my cousin, you didn’t know, did you? I just found out a few days ago myself, I wanted it to be a surprise for you!”

Zhao Jiangshui shot her a look, “I’m scared out of my wits.”

“Oh come on, why are you so dull? I only came because it’s your dad’s wedding. Otherwise, I would have just stayed at Mu’s place and eaten there, since I know everyone. Here, I only know you,” Tianniu said with a pitiful look.

“Stop it, just stay put over there, will you? I have guests to attend to here, and with so many people around you’d better not mess around and tarnish your own reputation,” Zhao Jiangshui instructed, clearly not at ease leaving her to her own devices.

“Got it, don’t worry, okay? I’ll just watch you busy yourself, right?”

Zhao Jiangshui’s ears turned red. Why did that sound so strange? But he didn’t reject it, “Mhm.”

However, he immediately felt uneasy again and suggested, “Why don’t you go to the bridal chamber to accompany your aunt instead? You don’t know anyone here and you’ll surely get bored later on.”

Shaking her head and chuckling, Tianniu replied, “I’ve been with my aunt all day before coming here. By now, she’s probably sick of me. It’s better to keep you company.”

Zhao Jiangshui shook his head helplessly; that girl sure had plenty of excuses.

After making sure Tianniu was settled, Zhao Jiangshui prepared to greet the guests, to help his father out with drinking and the like, since his father certainly couldn’t handle it all on his own.

Just as he turned around, he caught sight of Zhao Jianghe standing there, giving him quite the start.

“Big brother, what are you doing? Standing there without making a peep,” Zhao Jiangshui patted his chest.

Zhao Jianghe gave a sly wink, “I just saw you talking to a young girl, all smiles and laughter. It’s the first I’ve seen that. Quite rare indeed.”

Zhao Jiangshui replied helplessly, “She’s a student I’m currently teaching, and it just so happens that she’s also related to Mrs. Lin, so she came along.”

Zhao Jianghe laughed even more, “So many academies have invited you to be a Master, and you decline. Then you go and pick this one for private tutoring. I thought it was a boy at first, but it turns out to be such a pretty young girl. You must have something up your sleeve.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, brother. She’s naturally intelligent. Rather than saying I teach her, it’s more like we discuss issues together. I never liked being a Master in the first place.”

Surprised, Zhao Jianghe said, “There’s actually such a woman? I didn’t notice.”

As he spoke, he glanced over at Tianniu.

Zhao Jiangshui smiled helplessly, “She just looks a bit unruly, but her mind is no less sharp than mine. Brother, you should watch what you say in the future. If you ruin her reputation, it will make it hard for her to get married.”

“I knew there was something fishy. I’m your blood brother, I’ve watched you grow up. I can see right through you, even if you can’t. Just pretend I’m talking nonsense for now, but don’t come crying to me when some guy comes to propose to her later, and you’ve missed your chance.”