Wu Caiwei, upon hearing that the original owner seemed to have some leverage over them, dared not make any rash moves.
"Madam, rest assured, I will consider this carefully after I return and give you an answer as soon as possible." Having no choice but to yield to their power, Wu Caiwei tried her best to appear submissive.
"Very well, you may return today. If we don't hear back from you in two days, I will personally bring my daughter to visit Old Madam Zhou and have a good chat," Madam Hong said, looking at her meaningfully.
Unfamiliar with the customs of this era, Wu Caiwei turned and left without hesitation.
As soon as she stepped outside, a young woman dressed as a top-ranking maid hurried forward and supported her.
"Return to the manor," Wu Caiwei said softly. From the conversation, she had gathered that she might be part of the Zhou family.
"Yes, Madam." Hearing the instruction, Xiao Yu quickly helped her towards the entrance.
Even after walking a considerable distance, she could still hear the sound of a teacup shattering on the floor and Hong Lingxiang's complaining voice, "Mother, look at her, what kind of attitude is that? She didn't even pay proper respects, as if she doesn't put our Hong family in her eyes at all."
Madam Hong was also quite annoyed and heartily agreed with her daughter's complaints, making no move to stop her.
As she settled into the carriage returning to the manor, Wu Caiwei quickly closed her eyes to absorb the memories. It was truly unbearable to be in this situation without understanding anything.
The moment the carriage stopped, her eyes snapped open. She looked at the majestic Zhou manor before her, marveling at how its masters, with their benevolent smiles and ruthless hearts, could be so. She felt it was a great injustice to the original owner.
As soon as she entered the main gate, she saw a wet nurse from the Old Madam's retinue. Knowing the woman had been waiting for her, she followed without hesitation to the main courtyard.
It was noteworthy that, despite having married into the Zhou family for many years and being known as Madam Zhou, the Old Madam was still the one in charge of the household.
The original owner didn't mind this, as she and Zhou Tianpeng had weathered many storms together, their bond strengthened by hardship. All she cared about was that her son would eventually take over the household.
However, recalling her own life experiences, Wu Caiwei felt that the Zhou family had never truly valued her. Perhaps Zhou Tianpeng had never truly accepted her, but he was good at pretending, while she had given her heart and considered them family.
In fact, she was not at all alarmed by the Hong family's threat. Years ago, she had confessed everything to the Zhou family. How had they reacted then? She remembered Old Madam Zhou grabbing her hand and saying, "I only know that you are the one who married into our Zhou family, and you will be the only Madam of our Zhou family from now on."
Shi Yun was deeply touched by this. It was this that led her to wholeheartedly contribute behind the scenes for years, working diligently to elevate the Zhou manor's status. She had never touched any of the Zhou family's power or wealth, yet she was content.
Shi Yun was born into a poor mountain village, with many sisters and only one brother. As one could imagine, all the good things in the family were reserved for the brother, while the daughters started working at a young age, often going hungry and frequently being scolded or beaten. As they grew up, they were all sold off to provide a better life for their brother.
She vividly remembered being eight or nine years old, returning from gathering firewood on the mountain, only to find her eldest sister gone. She had cried bitterly then. Later, her second and third sisters also disappeared from the family, and she had become numb to it.
At twelve or thirteen, it was finally her turn, the fourth sister. Her parents had intended to sell her to a brothel, as brothels offered more money. However, her looks were not striking, and the brothel would only offer fifteen taels, while her father wanted thirty. As they argued, Master Hong happened to pass by. Seeing the girl's pitiful eyes, he felt a moment of softness and paid thirty taels to buy her for his manor.
In truth, as soon as the words left his mouth, Master Hong regretted it. But with so many friends present, he felt he couldn't back down and grudgingly had a servant make arrangements.
From then on, she became a third-class maid in Hong Lingxiang's courtyard. Because she was diligent and honest, Madam Hong, who always kept an eye on her daughter's courtyard, promoted her to second-class maid.
The Zhou family was once a prominent local household. Hong Lingxiang's betrothal to Zhou family's only heir was arranged through several connections and intermediaries. Later, when Master Zhou passed away and the Zhou family's young master was too young to handle affairs, the Zhou family slowly declined, and much of their property was usurped by the main Zhou clan.
Then, while out traveling, Hong Lingxiang met the concubine's son of the Prefect's household. They developed feelings for each other. The Prefect's son mentioned it to his mother, who disapproved. They were already in a lower position within the household, and she desperately wanted her son to marry a capable wife to improve their status. Yet, her son had fallen for a merchant's daughter. What good could a merchant's daughter do?
Madam Prefect did not take these concubine's sons seriously and directly sent people to propose marriage.
The Hong family was overjoyed at the prospect of marrying into the Prefect's family. But a problem arose: what about the Zhou family? If they broke off the engagement now, they would inevitably be accused of abandoning the Zhou family for a higher connection and being untrustworthy.
It was Hong Lingxiang who suggested adopting a daughter and marrying her off to the Zhou family.
After much deliberation, they chose Shi Yun, who was honest, simple-minded, and loyal to the Hong family.
When this good fortune fell upon her, she was initially bewildered and couldn't believe it was real. Looking at the envious gazes of others, she became even more grateful to the Hong family, not only for saving her but also for adopting her as a daughter. At that moment, she secretly vowed to repay them in the future.
After marrying into the Zhou family, she discovered that the Zhou family was even poorer than she had imagined. The entire household lived off their existing wealth without engaging in any productive work, and there were two sisters-in-law who were constantly vying for superiority. Life was chaotic.
At that time, Shi Yun wanted to live a good life. Without hesitation, she contributed her dowry. Although it wasn't much, it was better than nothing, and life gradually improved. While at the Hong family, she was diligent and a quick learner, mastering exquisite embroidery skills that proved useful now.
She often took on embroidery work from the embroidery houses. Larger pieces could take a month to complete but offered generous compensation, sometimes over ten taels, which for an ordinary family was a year's income.
The Zhou family members were overjoyed. Every day, someone tidied up the house and attended to domestic chores, there was plenty to eat and drink, and they had money to spend. All they had to do was enjoy the fruits of her labor.
Shi Yun was not content with this. Her dream was to one day open her own embroidery shop, just like a shopkeeper. So, she paid close attention to everyone's actions, observing and thinking how she would do things differently if it were her own business, or if there were better ways.
Not only embroidery shops, but she also paid special attention to conversations about how others did business or which shops were doing well.
At this point, she was pregnant. To ensure a better life for her child, she didn't want to be an embroiderer her entire life.
Concurrently, she continued to inquire about her sisters' whereabouts. After a few years, as the children gradually grew up, people in the neighborhood knew that the Zhou family survived on their daughter-in-law's efforts. Whenever Zhou Tianpeng went out, people would comment that he was living off his wife.
Because of this, he got into many arguments and fights. Finally, after deep reflection, he decided to make a comeback. What frustrated him was that the Zhou family had no money, and if they needed money, they had to turn to Shi Yun.