Chapter 22
Madam Liu
“So, even though we know that Madam Wang shamelessly clung to her, Tang Rou’s reputation as a girl was ruined by her stepmother. How pitiful.”
“It’s also because Madam Ye is kind…”
Madam Liu was not an ordinary country bumpkin. Her father used to be a merchant who sold goods in the town. However, in order to support his elder brother’s studies, he sold his shop and returned to the countryside.
It was precisely because it was difficult to support a scholar that she understood how difficult it was to rely on a scholar.
Because of her father’s expectations, she had studied a little since she was young and slowly gained knowledge.
Later on, her son became an elementary scholar, so she paid more attention to her words and actions. All of this came from the influence her father had on her family since she was young.
Therefore, after hearing Madam Liu’s words, the villagers instantly felt that Chu Heng was very outstanding. Madam Liu was very good at talking, and they also felt that Tang Rou was lucky that she could get help from Madam Ye.
The news spread quickly in the village. The moment Madam Liu stepped out and spoke, the news spread to the entire village.
For a moment, they all felt that if Chu Heng were to get into the high scholar examination again, it would be even harder for them to build a good relationship with him in the future. This would cause some relatives to come knocking on their doors, wanting to build a good relationship with him.
This was another story for the future.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal and regained their reputation, Madam Liu calmly walked toward Chu Heng’s house without saying a word.
There was still some distance to Chu Heng’s house when she saw Tang Rou.
Tang Rou also saw her and immediately smiled, subconsciously walking over.
Madam Liu saw that there were people working around her, so she only snorted in her heart. She ignored Tang Rou and walked past her.
Tang Rou’s expression froze.
She clenched her fists by her sides.
She immediately called out to Madam Liu and smiled lightly, “Aunt, you’re here to see Brother Chu, right?”
When Madam Liu heard Tang Rou call Chu Heng ‘Brother Chu’, she subconsciously frowned. Logically speaking, it was right for family to call him ‘brother’. Even relatives could call him ‘brother’.
However, outsiders could not. Outsiders either called him by his name or addressed him respectfully. For example, most of the villagers called Chu Heng ‘Scholar Chu’.
Madam Liu did not stand on ceremony when it came to this point, “Ah Rou, although your family and my family are from the same village, we are not relatives. I’m afraid you’re calling Chu Heng wrongly.”
Tang Rou’s smile froze on her face. She had not expected Madam Liu to use these words to block her, even calling her a village girl who did not know anything.
She was saying this because she wanted to get closer to Chu Heng in secret.
Madam Liu was too unreasonable. If it was not for the fact that she was Chu Heng’s mother, she would not have been willing to talk to her.
Tang Rou took a few deep breaths to control her anger, “Aunt, I understand.”
“Yes, I’m relieved that you know. I’m doing this for your own good. Since there’s nothing else, I’ll leave first.” Madam Liu lightly patted Tang Rou’s shoulder, her eyes filled with meaning. Her words stopped Tang Rou from continuing.
She smiled politely and left.
Tang Rou secretly clenched her fists and did not stop Madam Liu. Instead, she frowned. She felt that Madam Liu was not easy to get along with. If she wanted to get the position of Chu Heng’s wife, she would have to hide it from her.
Madam Liu walked far away, not even looking back. She felt that Tang Rou was not worth worrying about.
Tang Rou just wanted to climb up to the high branch to Chu Heng.
Madam Liu felt that although her son was not as good as a high scholar, he should still have the pride of a scholar.