Chapter 164: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 164: All Debt**
He Erniang stubbornly lifted her chin and held onto Suisui's hand.
Feeling the kindness radiating from her sister, Suisui obediently allowed the older girl to hold her hand and even shifted her bottom slightly closer to her.
Sensing the little sister’s approach, He Erniang couldn't help but smile.
She leaned a bit closer and whispered, "Sister, my name is Shuruan. You can call me Sister Shuruan."
After introducing herself, He Shuruan curiously asked, "What's your name, little sister?"
Quietly noting the older girl's name, Suisui softly replied, "Sister Shuruan is nice! My name is Suisui—Sui as in 'year' and 'sui' as in 'year' again. Isn't it lovely?"
Her brother said that her name was the prettiest in the entire capital!
Suisui believed her brother, wholeheartedly.
He Shuruan had rarely made friends outside of her sisters and seldom left her home.
Having not been exposed to many, she didn't understand much about names and their meanings.
But if Suisui said her name was nice, it must be nice.
He Shuruan nodded in agreement, "It's nice."
Then, to ensure Suisui didn’t feel her compliment was insincere, He Shuruan added, "It's especially nice."
He Shuruan spoke sincerely when she said this.
Suisui didn't need to look closely to know that the older girl was telling the truth.
Before, she hadn’t thought much of her name, merely seeing it as a label for others to identify her.
But after having her brother, Suisui felt her name had gained significance.
Now, hearing the beautiful older sister say her name was nice, Suisui felt a surge of pride and wanted to shake her head in joy. However, recalling they were supposed to be listening attentively, she restrained herself.
The two little girls exchanged whispers and quickly grew familiar with one another.
Tang Youqing, who had been unable to sit still, became increasingly irritated at the sight of the children’s hushed chatter.
Unable to contain her annoyance, she shot them a glare.
Suisui jumped in surprise, instinctively shrinking closer to He Shuruan.
Tang Youqing was older, and the Tang family had a prestigious background, so He Shuruan didn’t want to provoke any trouble.
Thus, she pursed her lips, protecting Suisui, but did not dare to glare back.
Noticing the children’s actions, Qi Wangfei turned her head to look and wondered why they seemed to be drifting further away from her.
It was her fault for being too engrossed in the teachings, not paying attention to the children.
She had thought Suisui was within her peripheral vision, so she hadn’t worried about losing sight of her.
However, now the child was playing with someone else.
Yet, this was not the time to be jealous.
Qi Wangfei noticed Tang Youqing's unnatural expression.
It seemed that she hadn’t physically confronted anyone, but her demeanor was far from pleasant.
This displeased Qi Wangfei.
She adjusted her position, inching closer to Suisui.
Suisui turned to He Shuruan and whispered, “My mother is coming over.”
Madam He noticed the movements of the children and even saw Tang Youqing glaring at them.
However…
In such an environment, some things could not be openly expressed, even if one felt displeased.
Madam He regretted choosing this day to visit the temple for incense offerings.
But, it had always been this time of year, and she had never encountered the Tang family before.
Why did it have to happen this year?
When frustrations could not be voiced, they became a silent burden.
Madam He felt increasingly frustrated.
Qi Wangfei was also unhappy; she cast a fleeting glance at Tang Youqing, but remained composed.
Yet, her lack of emotion was still noticeable, indicating her low spirits.
Madam Tang had been paying attention to her surroundings and couldn’t focus on the teachings at all. How could she have missed this scene?
Noticing it made her grit her teeth in anger, glaring at Tang Youqing while trying to appease the two ladies.
Unfortunately, Qi Wangfei gently patted Suisui's back, bending down to comfort her.
Madam He similarly held He Shuruan close, remaining silent.
Madam Tang could only glare angrily at Tang Youqing.
All of this was her debt; it was all her debt!
In the end, Madam Tang shot one last glare at Tang Youqing.
Tang Youqing, too, was irritated and turned away, not wanting to look at her.
This scene further enraged Madam Tang.
The teaching lasted about half an hour before concluding, and everyone began to leave.
The guests who had gone up the mountain to forage for wild vegetables were tired and headed back down.
The monks had not yet returned, but they seemed to be making their way down the mountain from a distance.
Madam Tang was still brooding over the earlier events. After the session ended, she hurriedly smiled and spoke, "Fourth Young Lady is still a child, not understanding things. I’m sorry if the two children felt wronged."
Regardless of how the children may have misbehaved, Madam Tang maintained a gracious attitude, making it difficult for others to refute her.
It felt like hitting cotton with a steel needle—one felt both annoyed and stifled.
Madam He’s smile was much fainter than when she arrived. The He family's status was originally inferior to the Tang family’s, so now wasn’t the time to contest; she could only offer insincere reassurances.
Qi Wangfei, on the other hand, didn’t hide her displeasure.
Her good-natured temperament did not mean she was easy to bully.
Furthermore, she had to consider the reputation of the Qi family.
Although it was just a child’s quarrel, Qi Wangfei’s irritation was evident on her face.
Madam Tang’s smile froze, and everyone awkwardly maintained appearances as they parted ways.
Once home, Madam Tang scolded Tang Youqing, “Who do you think I’m doing this for?”
“Isn’t it for you?”
“Do you think being a secondary wife is that easy?”
“You’ve never been suppressed, so you don’t know how it feels!”
“A mother does this for your own good; why can’t you understand my intentions?”
“Isn’t it nice to be the main wife, managing everything without any interference?”
“Once you can’t be in charge of your own affairs and find yourself bowing to others, don’t come crying to us!”
…
Madam Tang was genuinely furious.
She had been wearing a smile to approach the Qi family, hoping to marry Tang Youqing to the prince and become the legitimate wife of the heir.
After all, being married as the legitimate heir’s wife was better than being a secondary wife in the Eastern Palace, wasn’t it?
Yet, Tang Youqing showed no appreciation!
Madam Tang felt like her sincere intentions and plans had been fed to the dogs.
But, it was all her children; it was her debt. Even if she was angry, she had to swallow it down.
She would have to put on a smile again to help her children plan these matters!
Just as Tang Youqing was about to retort, Tang Lingheng burst in, throwing a small snake onto her.
“Ahhhh…” a shrill scream shattered the tranquility of the study.
Suisui had just followed her mother into the room and hadn’t even touched the tea and snacks when she heard the scream.
Startled, she instinctively pressed herself closer to her mother, clutching her mother’s leg, too scared to speak.
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