bestfiction Chapter 157 Extravagance
Chapter 157 Extravagance
A loud slap landed on Liu Wan'er's face, with tremendous force.
He even flipped Liu Wan'er to the ground, and she rolled under the table with a thud.
Liu Wan'er was only wearing her undergarments. She was stunned by the beating and covered her face, looking at Madam Xing in horror.
Ever since she entered the Xiao family mansion, she has lived in constant fear.
Liu Wan'er almost always avoided Madam Xing. If she were to run into Madam Xing, she would surely receive a good scolding.
Fortunately, she managed to coax Xiao Chengyan, and although she was disliked by her mother-in-law, she was still loved by her husband.
Xiao Chengyan took Liu Wan'er as a concubine, although he initially neglected her somewhat.
However, Liu Wan'er was used to being submissive and gentle, and soon regained Xiao Chengyan's favor.
She also diligently learned some of the pleasures of young ladies, which made Xiao Chengyan forget his previous displeasure and cherish her like a treasure.
Because his parents were strict and did not allow Xiao Chengyan to stay overnight in Liu Wan'er's room, Liu Wan'er would always sneak into Xiao Chengyan's room in the middle of the night, dressed up as a maid.
The weather has been too cold these past two days, and Liu Wan'er has not been able to get any charcoal in her room. She has been sneezing non-stop because of the cold.
When Xiao Chengyan found out, he secretly sent a servant to tell her to come and rest in his room.
Xiao Chengyan also knew that his mother was being scolded by the old lady in her room today and that she wouldn't be back until tonight.
Therefore, he and Liu Wan'er were even more unrestrained, burning several basins of walnut charcoal in the room, while the two of them played and frolicked on the bed.
The two played around without a care in the world, completely unaware of what was happening outside.
Upon seeing Madam Xing, Liu Wan'er was so frightened that she couldn't speak, shrinking back and hoping that Madam Xing wouldn't hit her again.
However, Madam Xing had just suffered a setback with Qiao Qingshu and was now also losing face with the old lady.
The second, third, and fourth wives all received walnut charcoal, but the eldest wife didn't get anything at all.
Madam Xing realized that if it weren't for that vile woman Liu Wan'er seducing her son, Qiao Qingshu would definitely be her eldest son's wife!
It was Madam Xing, not Su Yunzhen, who received the two large boxes of walnut charcoal!
And at this moment, that vile woman Liu Wan'er actually dared to enjoy the walnut charcoal that she herself was reluctant to use, and was using lewd words and songs to seduce her son!
Thinking of all this, Madam Xing's anger burned even more fiercely, to the point that she was almost losing her mind.
She lunged forward, grabbed Liu Wan'er who was hiding under the table, and with all her might, slapped her pretty face again.
She used all her strength to vent all her anger on this vile woman!
If it weren't for this wretched woman, their main branch wouldn't be the laughingstock of so many people in the capital!
How could she not even get a small box of walnut charcoal!
Madam Xing seemed to have lost her mind, her eyes red, as if she wanted to beat Liu Wan'er to death.
In no time, Liu Wan'er was beaten until her mouth was full of blood and her eyes were glazed over.
Xiao Chengyan didn't want to break up the fight. He knew that if he intervened, his mother would definitely scold him as well.
Therefore, he put on his clothes and prepared to push open the door and leave.
It was his page who noticed that Liu Wan'er's expression was off that stopped his master.
He pointed in Liu Wan'er's direction and whispered,
"Master, if we don't do anything about Concubine Liu, I'm afraid Madam will beat us to death..."
Xiao Chengyan frowned, and this time he turned his head to look. He saw that Liu Wan'er's face had turned purplish-blue, and knew that her mother had indeed gone too far in beating her.
He then turned back and stopped his mother's still waving arm.
"Mother! Stop! Don't kill him."
Madam Xing turned her head, her eyes already bloodshot. She stood up and screamed.
"It's all your fault! You good-for-nothing!"
Pointing her index finger at Xiao Chengyan, Madam Xing scolded him with a mixture of disappointment and anger.
"Do you even know what the situation is like outside?! We already don't have enough charcoal in the house! Your parents are so stingy with their walnut charcoal, and you and this wretched woman are wasting it like this!"
In her anger, Madam Xing slapped Xiao Chengyan across the face almost without hesitation.
The blow sent Xiao Chengyan's face slamming to the side.
Madam Xing continued to express her dissatisfaction, still not satisfied.
"That Qiao Qingshu would send four large boxes of walnut charcoal to the old lady and the second wife at the drop of a hat, and even the third and fourth wives would get some! If it weren't for that bitch Liu Wan'er seducing you back then, we wouldn't have ended up like this!"
A bloody taste immediately filled his mouth. Xiao Chengyan pushed his cheeks back and spat out the mouthful of blood.
He said somewhat disbelievingly,
"Her? Qiao Qingshu? She can get her hands on walnut charcoal? Mother, you're giving her far too much credit."
Madam Xing's voice rose eight octaves in anger.
"That's her! She's still being treated like an honored guest by the old lady in the main room! Those four large boxes of walnut charcoal couldn't be faked!"
Liu Wan'er was already feeling dizzy and somewhat disoriented, but upon hearing Madam Xing mention Qiao Qingshu, she immediately regained her senses.
She suddenly realized that there had indeed been such an extremely cold natural disaster in her past life.
However, she didn't take it seriously, feeling that natural disasters and man-made calamities had nothing to do with her.
She never considered what she could gain from this natural disaster; since her rebirth, all she could think about was Xiao Chengyan.
All she wanted was to seize the opportunity to marry Xiao Chengyan; she didn't care about anything else.
After all, winning Xiao Chengyan's favor was everything; only Xiao Chengyan, the future new emperor, could bring her wealth and glory.
But now I hear that Qiao Qingshu actually managed to give the Xiao family four boxes of walnut charcoal at this crucial moment.
She couldn't help but wonder and doubt: Could Qiao Qingshu also be a reincarnation?
That shouldn't be the case.
If Qiao Qingshu was also reborn, how could she possibly break off her engagement with Xiao Chengyan, the future emperor?
She probably wasn't reborn; she just happened to have a lot of walnut charcoal on hand, which she's now using to curry favor with the old lady of the Xiao family.
However, seeing that a few boxes of walnut charcoal had changed Madam Xing's attitude, Liu Wan'er regretted not stockpiling some supplies earlier.
These days, all her thoughts are on Xiao Chengyan. Although Liu Wan'er has aborted one child, she is still unwilling to give up.
She thought that before Princess Yongxian entered the family, she would get pregnant first, and with the protection of the Xiao family, the child would surely be born safely.
Even if she really can't get pregnant, it's still good to win over Xiao Chengyan's heart and strengthen the relationship between the two.
She was determined to have Xiao Chengyan completely under her control before she felt at ease.
Xiao Chengyan said with an incredulous expression,
"Really?! Qiao Qingshu is that capable?"
Madam Xing shouted angrily, her voice cracking.
"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself!"
Xiao Chengyan pulled his gray fox fur coat tighter, squinted and pondered for a moment, then stepped into the old lady's room.
Before even getting close, one could hear laughter and chatter coming from inside the house, including Qiao Qingshu's voice.
He squinted as he watched the servants in the courtyard carrying several boxes of walnut charcoal to the backyard with smiles on their faces, and he realized that what his mother had said was true.
He couldn't help but feel a surge of inexplicable displeasure and barged straight into the house.
Qiao Qingshu was surrounded by people from the second, third, and fourth wives' families, and Old Madam Xiao was holding Qiao Qingshu's hand tightly.
Xiao Zhijie was standing next to Qiao Qingshu, looking at her with admiration and a smile.