Chapter 76

With that, Wang Mingfang could no longer find any excuses to clear He Shanshan’s name. Knowing that staying there would only make things more embarrassing, she pulled He Shanshan and walked out. She walked quickly, her face extremely ugly. She was still scolding He Shanshan:

“You little bitch, you never give me a moment of peace.”

He Shanshan hadn’t expected things to turn out like this. Now, she was panicked too. Amidst the whispers and scolding of the crowd, she followed Wang Mingfang, dejected.

Seeing that there was no more spectacle to watch, everyone dispersed. Some kind people, as they left, didn’t forget to comfort Li Qiulian and Maimiao.

After everyone left, Li Qiulian suddenly walked over and took Xia Qingning’s hand. She said gratefully:

“Qingning, you saved us today. We wouldn’t have known what to do without you.”

Xia Qingning was a little surprised. This was the first time Li Qiulian had spoken to her so affectionately. She felt a little uncomfortable.

After Li Qiulian finished speaking, Maimiao also walked over. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bit her lip hard, trying not to cry. After a long time, she finally managed to say two words:

“Thank you.”

Xia Qingning knew she was feeling wronged. She patted her back and comforted her, “It’s okay. Don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed. It’s He Shanshan who was embarrassed today, not you!”

Xiao Wu, who was standing aside, saw Maimiao like this and his eyes were filled with heartache. He quickly apologized repeatedly:

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for not thinking things through. I made everyone uncomfortable.”

“You know you made her uncomfortable. You have to be good to her from now on!” Xia Qingning wanted to lighten the mood. She joked with them, “It’s a good thing you made her uncomfortable, so you can be extra good to her from now on!”

Maimiao’s face turned red instantly, and her tears were wiped away by embarrassment. She shyly reached out and gently pinched Xia Qingning’s arm.

Xiao Wu didn’t disappoint. He quickly nodded and said:

“I will definitely be extra good to her!”

Hearing this, Maimiao’s face turned even redder. The matchmaker, who was standing aside, looked at the two with a beaming smile and continued to match them up, “They say good things take time. Just consider today’s incident as a test. I hope to eat your wedding candy soon.”

She suddenly looked at Xia Qingning. She had noticed this beautiful girl earlier. Wang Mingfang seemed to say that she was from their family, but why hadn’t she seen her before? So she asked Maimiao, “Whose family is this little girl from?”

In the past, whenever the matchmaker brought people to the Lu family to meet He Shanshan, Wang Mingfang wouldn’t let the original Xia Qingning come out of the room. She was afraid that others would compare and not like He Shanshan. So, although the matchmaker had been there several times, she had never seen Xia Qingning and naturally didn’t know her.

Hearing the words “little girl,” Maimiao suddenly laughed. Qingning’s face was really deceptive. She looked like she was seventeen or eighteen years old. Who would have thought that she was already married for several years?

“She’s my best friend. She’s from the Lu family next door.” Maimiao said to the matchmaker with pride.

The words “best friend” were quite pleasant to Xia Qingning. She unconsciously curved her lips and smiled faintly.

This smile stunned the matchmaker. She happened to have two young men with good family backgrounds and looks. They specifically said they were looking for a beautiful wife. She had introduced several, but they didn’t like any of them. If she introduced this girl, it would definitely work out.

“How old is the little girl? Is she engaged?” The matchmaker asked with a smile. She remembered that Wang Mingfang’s ex-husband seemed to have a daughter.

“Oh, Auntie, don’t think about introducing a match for her. She’s been married for several years.” Maimiao affectionately held Xia Qingning’s hand and smiled at the matchmaker.

“Oh, what a pity.” The smile on the matchmaker’s face immediately turned into disappointment. She said regretfully.

Maimiao’s eyes rolled. She immediately joked, “What a pity? Her husband is a regiment commander in the army. He’s handsome and good to her. They’re very happy.”

A regiment commander! The matchmaker thought to herself, it’s a good thing I didn’t blurt out and say that I would introduce her to a skilled worker or something. The best resources she had were those with positions in state-owned factories, which naturally couldn’t compare to a regiment commander. In this era, workers were iron rice bowls, but being a military officer was a golden rice bowl.

She had just joked with Maimiao, and now she was using the same tactic on her. Xia Qingning thought to herself, this girl is quite clever.

They chatted for a while longer, then Xia Qingning said goodbye and went home.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard Wang Mingfang scolding He Shanshan, saying that she was clueless, impulsive, and stupid.

He Shanshan sat on a chair. Although she didn’t say anything back, her puffed cheeks and furrowed brows clearly showed her protest.

Xia Qingning didn’t bother with the two of them. She went into the house and was about to go to her room. He Shanshan, who was standing nearby, saw her and jumped up from the chair. She took three steps in two and rushed to Xia Qingning, asking viciously:

“You stinky girl, you dare to come back? I think you just can’t stand seeing me doing well. You deliberately made Maimiao look like that to steal a man from me, didn’t you?”

Her eyes were filled with resentment. If Xia Qingning hadn’t helped Maimiao put on makeup and make herself look beautiful, Xiao Wu wouldn’t have liked her, and she wouldn’t have been humiliated like this today!

So it was all because of her!

Xia Qingning raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at He Shanshan and asked:

“Didn’t you claim to be more beautiful than anyone else? Are you afraid of others stealing a man from you?”

“You!” He Shanshan’s eyes changed from anger to malice. She cursed, “You shameless vixen, you slept with someone and tasted the sweetness. Now, you’re teaching Maimiao to seduce men. You two b*tches, you’ll never have a good ending!”

If He Shanshan had cursed at Xia Qingning like this in the past, Wang Mingfang would have pretended to mediate. But now, she stood aside and didn’t say a word.

Firstly, Lu Jingzhe wasn’t home now. Even if she cursed at her, she couldn’t do anything. Secondly, this stinky girl, Xia Qingning, really needed to be taught a lesson. If it hadn’t been for her, Shanshan wouldn’t have been so humiliated today.

Hearing He Shanshan’s insults, Xia Qingning’s beautiful face slightly furrowed. She looked at He Shanshan and said:

“You’ve been lectured by everyone for so long. I see that you haven’t learned your lesson. Oh, that’s right, a clueless person can’t learn anything!”

“Who are you calling clueless?” He Shanshan was furious when she heard Xia Qingning dare to scold her. She had endured Xia Qingning for so long. Now, all her emotions had reached their peak. She clenched her fists, her eyes were about to burst into flames. She shouted, “You stinky girl, don’t think that Lu Jingzhe will be there to protect you when he comes back. I’m going to beat you until you beg for mercy today.” She swung her fist and charged towards Xia Qingning.