Chapter 106: Drama Queen

Lu Man turned her head to look at Old Lady Lu, who was dressed in a brown brocade jacket with a few gold hairpins in her hair, adorned with a pine green forehead ornament embedded with agate and a thick layer of powder on her face.

She had dressed up today. Lu Man remembered that outfit was made by her two years ago, only to be worn for special guests, and she was even reluctant to wash it.

However, the fine attire couldn’t conceal the greedy and domineering nature within. Despite her fair skin, it was rough, and the powder couldn’t disguise the strong features or the calculating glint in her eyes, easily visible to anyone.

With a mother so forceful, coarse, and calculating, even if she raised a son who became a top scholar, he would still be a mama’s boy, unable to stand on his own in life.

The gentle and pure-hearted Lady He Mingzhu didn’t deserve to be bullied by her mother-in-law. If she hadn’t been divorced, this old hag would have drained her dry.

With a cold look in her eyes and a hint of a smile on her lips, Lu Man said, “Thank you, Old Madam, for remembering my fondness for pig trotters. However, I’ve had my fill of rich delicacies at my in-laws’ home, and I find those greasy dishes rather repugnant now.”

The Old Lady was infuriated and wanted to lash out, but she managed to suppress her anger and responded, “Oh, Man, you’re living a good life now, and I’m happy for you. If you can’t eat pig trotters, we have plenty of light dishes to balance it out.”

Seeing Old Lady Lu calmed down, Liu Ya approached and presented the gift list from the Princess Changting’s mansion to her.

Taking the gift list, Old Lady Lu felt pleased. After all, she was now related to Princess Changting. Looking at her neighbors, who had such a dignified relationship?

Her smile was more genuine now, as she added, “Man, make sure to visit your mother’s home more often, and stay close to your sisters. Especially your elder brother and younger siblings, they are your support for the future.”

At that moment, a servant arrived to announce that lunch was ready.

Simultaneously, tables were set for the guards and coachmen from the Princess Changting’s mansion, and a special table was arranged for Liu Ya and the other maids. The servants from the Princess Changting’s mansion had to be treated with respect in the Lu household.

Despite the tension in her heart, Lu Man only took a few bites of the vegetable dish before setting down her chopsticks. As despicable as this family was, she had to wait until Lu Fangrong had time to deal with them.

After lunch, Lu Fangrong wanted Lu Man to rest in her previous courtyard. In reality, he wanted her to come to his residence to talk, he had many things to discuss with her. However, he primarily resided in Qin’s courtyard now, making it inappropriate for Lu Man to visit.

Lu Man declined, saying, “No, my grandfather-in-law can’t go a day without me now. I need to hurry back to chat with him and give him a massage.”

Unable to insist, Lu Fangrong reluctantly escorted her out of the courtyard with his two sons, followed by Bao Qin. Lu Fangming felt that perhaps the family wanted to have a private conversation and didn’t ask for a send-off from their children. Knowing that Mrs. Xiao Chen and her daughter were not favored by Lu Fangrong and Lu Man, they didn’t follow them out.

In the outer courtyard, Lu Fangrong said, “Manman, I understand the implications in your words and sense your grievances toward your natal family. Your grandmother is elderly and may not think things through thoroughly at times, try to understand her.” In a low voice audible only to Lu Man, he added, “I’ve heard about Chen Fei’s situation, I won’t let that boy off the hook. If Chen was involved in any plotting, I won’t spare her either. But I have to go to the camp this afternoon, once this busy period is over, I’ll take charge.”

It seemed that Lu Fangrong was resolute in dealing with Mrs. Xiao Chen. If he found out his favorite concubine had mistreated others, he would deal with her along with Mrs. Xiao Chen. Lu Man glanced at Bao Qin and agreed, “I’ll wait.”

Pointing to Lu Chang and Lu Feng, Lu Fangrong said to Lu Man, “Your younger brothers are well-behaved, respectful, and skilled in both martial arts and academics. You should be close to them in the future.”

Lu Chang and Lu Feng approached Lu Man and bowed. Lu Chang said, “If you ever face difficulties, just let us know. Although we may not be capable, we won’t let you be bullied or develop ill intentions.”

Was the bad bamboo bearing good shoots? Was he sincere, or was he as good at pretending as Bao Qin?

Lu Man thought to herself that regardless of how good Lu Chang and Lu Feng were or that they were half-siblings, she couldn’t truly feel close to them.

She advised, “You two are still young, focus on your studies. My grandfather-in-law hasn’t woken up yet, and I’m busy taking care of him every day.”

She made it clear she didn’t want the Lu family’s flatterers bothering her unnecessarily. Before anyone visited, she wanted to set boundaries.

Seeing an opportunity, Bao Qin approached, knelt down, and said with a smile, “Oh, Young Miss, you look just like the late Madam, so educated, gentle, and calm. When I see you, my heart aches as if…” She wiped away imaginary tears with her handkerchief.

Lu Fangrong introduced Bao Qin to Lu Man, saying, “This is Aunt Qin, do you remember her? She used to serve your mother and later served you.” He then smiled at Bao Qin and said, “Look at you, shedding tears for what? If you genuinely care for Manman, you should comfort her more in the future and help her ease her mind.”

In his view, Lu Man’s suicide was partly due to mistreatment by Mrs. Xiao Chen, Chen Fei’s despicable actions, and the fact that Lu Man had not been properly guided. Since Mrs. Xiao Chen was crude and had failed to educate her own daughter, she couldn’t possibly teach her stepdaughter properly.

If Lu Man spent more time with Bao Qin, learning from her example, she could overcome her confused thoughts, become more educated and gentle, and even win over Princess Changting and her in-laws. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Jiang Zhanwei, he believed he was promising and would surely excel in the future. By serving her husband well, Lu Man could secure a better future for her sister and help uplift her two brothers.

Lu Man was unaware of his intentions, had she known, she would have been infuriated.

Quickly wiping away her tears with a handkerchief, Bao Qin smiled at Lu Fangrong and said, “Apologies for my behavior, Master. Young Miss Man’s presence reminded me of the late Second Madam, evoking nostalgic feelings.” She then turned to Lu Man and added, “Young Miss, make sure to visit your mother’s home more often when you have the chance. If it’s inconvenient for you to go out often, let your brothers visit you more, so you can rely on them when needed. Never again keep things bottled up like before, it pains your father and me…” Her words trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes again.

Bao Qin was well-maintained, appearing much younger than her age, around thirty but looking more like twenty-five or twenty-six. She had a delicate and elegant appearance, dressed in a partially new green embroidered jacket with two silver hairpins in her hair. She exuded grace and propriety, a far cry from the crass Mrs. Xiao Chen, elevating her demeanor by several notches.

Truly a master of theatrics, playing every role flawlessly.