Chapter 15

“Aunt, what brings you here?”

Pei Zheng was surprised. His aunt wore an expression that suggested she wished she could tear Lu Nong into pieces. Then he seemed to think of something… could it be?

Aunt? Lu Nong’s expression shifted. Was this woman Pei Ji’an’s sister? What was her name again?

In the novel, she despised the heroine for her background and tried to block her from marrying into the Pei family. In the end, the heroine slapped her in the face, leaving her with no face to act superior in front of the heroine ever again.

It looked like this visitor meant trouble.

Tsk, what was up with this aunt? She had been mean for decades without change.

Of course, after ten years of turmoil, her inherent arrogance toward others hadn’t diminished. If anything, it had only grown.

Lu Nong shivered at the sight of her twisted and cruel face. It was so ugly. Did she even realize how hideous she looked?

When Pei Mingxia saw Pei Zheng’s expression soften a bit, she couldn’t help but sneer when she spotted Aunt Wu getting out of the car with Gu Huai in her arms. “If I hadn’t come, your home would have become someone else’s, and your dad would be playing the role of a good father for someone else.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Zheng frowned, and Pei Ji’an’s face also darkened.

“Humph, let’s talk inside.” Seeing Pei Ji’an get out of the car, Pei Mingxia took a step back, mindful of keeping family troubles private.

The atmosphere had been warm and friendly on the way, but it grew tense when they returned home. Xiao Zhou had sensed trouble and slipped away early. Aunt Wu, anxiously holding the already-sleeping Gu Huai, stole glances at Lu Nong and Pei Ji’an from time to time.

Lu Nong signaled Aunt Wu to stay calm.

Her marriage to Pei Ji’an was a legally protected military marriage, and she was his rightful wife. So what if her sister-in-law didn’t like her?

Could she force Pei Ji’an to divorce her?

If she were truly that powerful, Pei Ji’an’s marriage to her would never have happened in the first place.

And was Pei Ji’an the kind of person who could be manipulated?

Clearly not, Lu Nong had a decent judgment of character.

So after analyzing all this, she figured the troublesome sister-in-law would at most pick on her, trip her up a bit, or speak ill of her in front of her mother-in-law. But all of that didn’t mean much to her.

She neither sought Pei Ji’an’s affection nor planned to integrate into the Pei family as a good daughter-in-law. If the sister-in-law wanted to cause trouble, Lu Nong could just respond in kind, fire back her insults, and if the sister-in-law wanted to talk badly about her in front of the mother-in-law, so be it, it wouldn’t cost her anything.

Anyway, she can do whatever she wants. After all, a young lady will never suffer any injustice.

Who knows, maybe her sister-in-law might even add some entertainment to her otherwise dull life.

Besides, judging from the novel, the sister-in-law’s efforts to make life difficult for the heroine didn’t last long, so her intelligence might not be very high.

Once inside, Pei Mingxia threw her bag onto the sofa and immediately began to make trouble. “Hey you,, do you even remember your last name?”

Lu Nong replied, “My last name is Lu, your last name is Pei, right?”

Pei Mingxia was momentarily speechless, staring at Lu Nong in disbelief.

In her mind, Lu Nong should have been respectfully listening to her lecture, showing a little strategy and appearing wronged. Then, she would throw the issue of Lu Nong bullying Pei Zheng back in her face, exposing her as a vixen.

But why wasn’t Lu Nong behaving as she expected?

Pei Zheng was also surprised, looking at Lu Nong. He thought his stepmother would at least act like a good daughter-in-law in front of his aunt, but instead, she was fighting back directly.

He had intended to protect her a little for Xiao Huai’s sake, yet it turned out she didn’t need it at all.

Only Pei Ji’an remained calm, neither stopping his sister from making trouble nor blaming Lu Nong for not giving his sister face.

Lu Nong patted the sleeping baby and told Aunt Wu, “Aunt Wu, please take Xiao Huai upstairs. He’s tired today, don’t wake him up.”

“Oh, okay.” Seeing that the young lady was tough, Aunt Wu knew that her young lady would not suffer too much injustice, so she carried Xiao Huai upstairs.

“You!” Pei Mingxia was seething, gritting her teeth. Lu Nong’s dismissive attitude was something she had never experienced before.

“Brother, look at her attitude! This is the good daughter-in-law you brought home. If Mom knew she was like this, she would have never agreed to let her marry into the Pei family.”

Pei Mingxia complained to Pei Ji’an, truly unable to understand why her brother married such a person. Was it just because she was young and pretty?

Sure enough, men are so shallow!

Pei Ji’an replied, “What kind of person is she?”

“A country bumpkin who can’t hold a candle to anyone!” Pei Mingxia blurted out, glancing at Lu Nong’s clothes with disdain, her expression exaggerated.

She did this on purpose. Based on her past experiences, whenever she treated those uneducated bumpkins this way, they would be too ashamed to look her in the eye.

To be honest, when Lu Nong came home, she changed into a green military outfit for convenience. Because it was hot, she wore only green military pants without the jacket, paired with an oversized t-shirt, and her hair was styled in a large braid hanging down her back.

Compared to Pei Mingxia’s stylish little leather shoes, Lu Nong’s outfit did look a bit shabby and country-like. However, as the saying goes, even the plainest outfit looks different on a pretty person.

The loose cotton t-shirt made Lu Nong look even slimmer, and the army-green pants that hugged her ankles showcased her delicate skin beautifully. Especially the exposed bit of her ankle looked increasingly attractive.

With Lu Nong’s stunning looks, any hint of being dowdy disappeared.

But Pei Mingxia ignored all this, focusing only on Lu Nong’s low-quality clothing, relentlessly attacking her with her gaze.

Lu Nong: ? ? What’s wrong with you? Are you comparing outfits with me, Miss Lu?

She tossed her jacket aside, knotted the bottom of her oversized t-shirt, took off the mismatched shoes, revealing her delicate white feet.

Finally, she loosened her braid, letting it fall into a flower bun at the back of her head, exposing her smooth neck. A few stray strands of hair fell across her neck, adding a natural touch of allure, and combined with her beautiful face, it created a breathtaking scene.

She placed her hands on her hips and confidently struck a pose for Pei Mingxia to admire. Then, she looked Pei Mingxia up and down, taking in her attire—from the messy hair to the baggy blouse that hid her waist, and finally to the old-fashioned black sandals. With a disdainful expression, she shook her head as if to say: Is this all you’ve got? You’re not impressive at all.

“Pfft…” Pei Zheng couldn’t help but laugh. It was the first time he had seen someone get mocked by his aunt, only to turn the ridicule back on her. His stepmother was really entertaining.

The key was that he genuinely felt Lu Nong had won, and he couldn’t stop laughing.

Pei Ji’an cleared his throat slightly.

Ahhhh! Pei Mingxia was about to explode with anger. She pointed at Lu Nong’s feet and shouted, “You, you’re shameless!”

Lu Nong tilted her chin up, indicating for her to take a look at her exposed calves and the sandals she was wearing.

Pei Mingxia: “…”

“Brother! Are you going to do something about this?” She exclaimed in exasperation, completely forgetting the reason she came to the small red building. All she could think about was the confrontation and ensuring that the woman with the surname Lu wouldn’t have it easy.

“Are you talking about a country bumpkin?” Pei Ji’an said calmly, “If so, I think you should know that I am also a ‘country bumpkin who is not presentable’.”

Upon hearing this, both Pei Zheng and Lu Nong looked at him in surprise, while Pei Mingxia’s face turned pale in an instant.

“I-I didn’t mean that…” Pei Mingxia stammered, struggling to explain.

“What did you mean then?” Pei Ji’an pressed.

“My point is…” Pei Mingxia floundered, unable to meet Pei Ji’an’s gaze. In her panic, she glanced at Pei Zheng and Lu Nong. “It’s her!”

Pei Mingxia pointed at Lu Nong and continued, “She bullied Pei Zheng! Many people witnessed it. She even chased away Aunt Sun, who was left here by Sister Yimei to take care of Xiao Zheng!”

Finally, changing the subject, Pei Mingxia regained some confidence and glared at Lu Nong. However, it was clear that this was more for show, and anyone could see she hadn’t fully shaken off her earlier emotions.

Pei Zheng covered his face and sighed. It seemed that his guess was right. Ye Huihui, that stupid girl, definitely did not listen to him and went to complain secretly.

And his aunt was really amusing. Under the guise of looking out for him, she was trying to undermine Lu Nong. Did she think he was an idiot?

“She didn’t bully me,” Pei Zheng defended Lu Nong. “Aunt Sun was dismissed by my dad. She was let go because she had been stealing money and taking things from the house. That had nothing to do with Lu Nong.”

“That’s impossible!”

Pei Mingxia flatly rejected his claim. She neither believed that Lu Nong hadn’t bullied Pei Zheng nor that Aunt Sun would commit such acts. If Aunt Sun had truly done this, why hadn’t Pei Ji’an dismissed her long ago? Why was she let go only when the surname Lu entered the picture?

Pei Zheng felt helpless. He knew his aunt was unreasonable. While it might not be polite to say, he had long stopped expecting her to understand rational arguments.

He shrugged at Lu Nong, indicating he had done his best.

Emmm…

Not only was she biased, but she was also self-righteous.

Lu Nong thought that with her level of intelligence, if she were a character in a novel, the heroine would have taken her down within three chapters. The author must have gone easy on her for the sake of the elders.

It was tough for the heroine.

Now she was curious about why Pei Ji’an had claimed he was also an “unrefined country bumpkin,” and why Pei Mingxia had displayed a moment of fear upon hearing this.

Although it lasted only a second, Lu Nong caught on to the fact that there must be some significant issue at play.

Unfortunately, Pei Mingxia quickly changed the subject and fell silent.

“Why is that impossible?” Pei Ji’an asked.

Once again, he posed a rhetorical question. In Lu Nong’s mind, she rolled her eyes. Pei Ji’an’s first rhetorical question had rendered Pei Mingxia speechless. Perhaps this second one would leave her stunned as well. If she were Pei Mingxia, she would definitely have PTSD by now.

But Pei Mingxia clearly did not learn her lesson, confidently asserting, “Someone saw Xiao Zheng’s friend say he was bullied by his stepmother. Xiao Zheng was present, so it must be true that the woman with the surname Lu bullied him in front of his friend, which is how this rumor started.”

She dared not mention the incident of Pei Ji’an punishing Pei Zheng by making him run.

“And Aunt Sun was the nanny arranged by Sister Mei. She has worked here for over a decade. How could she be so foolish as to steal from the family? Maybe some people are intentionally framing her!”

She deliberately glanced at Lu Nong as she said this.

“Fine,” Pei Ji’an nodded, turning to Pei Zheng. “Pei Zheng, your aunt claims your friend said you were bullied by your stepmother when you were there. Is that true?”

“No!” Pei Zheng immediately protested, quickly explaining the situation. “… Zhang Kaiping was just joking around with Jiang Yu. I didn’t expect Ye Huihui to eavesdrop and misunderstand. I denied it at the time, but who knew she had such a stupid mind and refused to believe me, going to complain anyway?”

Pei Mingxia felt a bit embarrassed. She hadn’t expected things to unfold this way. It was indeed a misunderstanding, but she still felt that having Aunt Sun dismissed was no small matter.

After listening to Pei Zheng’s explanation, Pei Ji’an said, “Go get the blue ledger from the drawer in my study and give it to your aunt. I believe she, as a university student, should be able to read it.”

Pei Zheng nodded. He knew exactly where the ledger was, so he quickly went upstairs and returned shortly with the ledger in hand.

“Take a look. This is the record of Aunt Sun’s accounts from the past few years. Your nephew has kept track of everything, and I’m sure you can recognize his handwriting.”

Pei Mingxia opened her mouth in shock and began flipping through the pages of the ledger. The more she read, the worse her expression became. It was indeed Pei Zheng’s handwriting. He wouldn’t frame the nanny who had taken care of him for over a decade.

This meant that Aunt Sun had indeed misappropriated a significant amount of money and property.

“I…” Pei Mingxia stuttered, feeling conflicted. She knew she had misunderstood the situation, but she didn’t want to admit it. Even now, she still believed that Lu Nong was not a good person.

“Pei Mingxia, from now on, stay out of my family matters. You don’t need to dictate how I manage my wife and son. This is the last time I’ll say this.”

Pei Jiaan’s expression was extremely cold. Seeing him like this, Pei Zheng thought his aunt was truly relentless. After so many years, his dad was always a man of his word. If his aunt tried to meddle in their family affairs again…

Pei Zheng shuddered.

He didn’t understand why his aunt always meddled in his family affairs. Each time, his father confronted her directly, but she never seemed to learn her lesson. He hoped this time would be different.

Unfortunately, he overestimated his aunt’s emotional intelligence.

Once again, she shot an angry glare at Lu Nong.

Pei Zheng: “…”

Lu Nong felt innocent in this situation. She had already predicted how this confrontation would end, so she boredly thought, “Hurry up and get this over with. I’m tired.”

Unfortunately, her expression slipped, and Pei Mingxia caught her in the act.

Pei Mingxia interpreted Lu Nong’s boredom as provocation. This only reinforced her negative view of Lu Nong, whom she regarded as a seductress with impure motives for marrying into the Pei family. Even if she was keeping quiet now, Pei Mingxia believed Lu Nong would eventually cause trouble for Xiao Zheng.

On top of that, Pei Ji’an showed her no respect. He treated her as if she were a stranger, which only fueled her resentment.

The more resentful she became, the more she wanted to interfere in Pei Ji’an and Pei Zheng’s lives to prove that she was not just a stranger to her brother but his real sister.

Her growing resentment turned into hatred for Lu Nong, who seemed to be enjoying her misfortune.

With malicious intent, she sneered at Lu Nong, “What are you being so arrogant about? My brother hasn’t married in over a decade because of Sister Yimei. Do you really think you can take her place after only being here a few days?”

“I’m telling you, stop dreaming!”

As soon as those words left her mouth, Lu Nong’s expression remained unchanged, but Pei Ji’an’s face suddenly turned cold.

Just then, the phone rang.

After three rings, Pei Zheng noticed no one was answering, so he walked over to pick it up.

“Hello? What!?”

He suddenly looked at Pei Mingxia with an expression that seemed to hold back a curse he couldn’t quite say.

“Song Qian has been admitted to the hospital with food poisoning and is currently being treated.” He quickly relayed the news, glancing at Pei Ji’an, who was in charge.

“What’s going on!?” Pei Mingxia questioned sharply.