Chapter 142 -

Chapter 142: Chapter

Over at the second branch’s table, Madame Liu’s son, Ruizhe, dropped his wooden chopsticks onto his bowl with a loud clatter and whined, "Mother! Why are we eating plain rice and watery broth while that woman and her crippled husband get to eat all that nourishing food?"

Madame Liu pouted, glaring across the room at the rich spread before letting out a tired sigh. "I tried my best! I don’t even know where your father has been wandering around all day. I used the very last bit of money I had left just to buy this small bag of rice... You better be thankful and eat it!"

Bessie her brother, Xuiying barely touched her food. She kept her eyes locked on Yimei, subtly tapping the side of her porcelain bowl with her chopsticks. A sneaky smirk twitched at the corner of her lips. She remembered every word she had overheard in the kitchen Yimei telling Liu Feng that the remaining silver was kept safely with Qinqin, and that it was all the money she had left.

Just wait until tonight, Xuiying thought, her eyes gleaming with greed. I will slip into her room, steal every last piece of silver from that foolish maid, and teach Yimei a lesson she will never forget!

Meanwhile, over at the third branch’s table, Madame Zhang reached into her modest bowl and picked out a tiny piece of minced meat. She gently placed it onto her son Bai Jun’s plate.

The young boy looked down at the tiny bit of pork, then looked over at Zhengyu’s massive tray overflowing with braised pork belly and rich meat congee. He began tugging impatiently on his mother’s sleeve, whining in a low voice, "Mother, I want more meat! Look at brother Zhengyu’s table! Why can’t I have big pieces of meat too?"

Madame Zhang sighed softly, her face filled with helplessness as she patted her son’s head. "Eat what is on your plate, Jun’er. We must be grateful for what we have."

Just as the courtyard settled into a tense quiet, Madame Chen walked into the hall accompanied by An Yulan, Wenxui, and Shishi. Madame Chen wore a loud, fake smile, her chuckles echoing off the wooden walls as she strutted over to Madame Bai’s table.

"Oh, sister-in-law!" Madame Chen gushed, waving her hand casually. "Where should my girls and I sit to eat? It seems the hall is so crowded today! Some people are sitting here eating watery rice and dry grass like peasants..." She cast a sharp, sneering glance at Madame Liu and Madame Zhang’s tables. "If a branch cannot even feed its own children properly, they shouldn’t bother filling up space in the main hall!"

Madame Liu’s face flushed with anger, while Madame Zhang simply looked down, tightly gripping her chopsticks.

Madame Chen turned her attention to the overflowing dishes on Zhengyu’s table, her eyes glinting with greed. "Look at all this pork! Sister-in-law, surely there is space for us at your table?"

Madame Bai didn’t even look up from her bowl. She set her chopsticks down with a dry click and said coldly, "If you want food, don’t ask me. Go ask Yimei. She bought the groceries, and she cooked the meal."

Madame Chen’s fake smile froze. Her face turned sour instantly, as if she had just swallowed a sour plum.

Wenxui stepped forward, crossing her arms as she glared at Yimei. "Yimei! You shouldn’t be so stingy! We are all family here! You buy all this meat and keep it for yourself? You should share your food, we are all from the same branch after all!"

Shishi chimed in right behind her sister, pouting loudly. "That’s right! Acting like a rich Madame just because you have a few coppers. A good daughter-in-law knows how to respect her elders and feed her sisters!"

Yimei didn’t even blink. She slowly turned her head toward them, her gaze like ice.

"Stingy?" Yimei asked softly, her voice carrying across the quiet room. "If wanting to feed my recovering husband instead of freeloaders who do nothing all day makes me stingy, then I will gladly be stingy. If you want meat, go buy it yourselves. Or are the women of the first branch so useless that they must beg a junior for a piece of pork?"

Wenxui and Shishi choked on their words, their faces turning bright red under the sharp stares of the rest of the household.

An Yulan sneered, stepping in to defend her sister-in-laws. "Yimei! Don’t you dare talk to them like that! You think you are above everyone just because you brought back some vegetables? A woman who doesn’t respect her family will bring ruin to her husband’s house!"

The moment An Yulan finished speaking, Yimei slowly set her chopsticks down onto the wooden table. She took a linen cloth, neatly wiped her lips, and looked straight at An Yulan.

"Instead of coming here to cause trouble," Yimei said smoothly, "shouldn’t you be asking yourself where your husband is right now?"

An Yulan’s smug expression faltered. A sudden wave of confusion washed over her face. She blinked, looking around the hall as if realizing for the very first time that her husband, Wenliang, was nowhere to be seen. He hadn’t been home all afternoon.

Madame Chen frowned, her loud voice dropping as she looked sharply at An Yulan. "Yulan! Where is my son? Where is Wenliang?"

"I... I don’t know," An Yulan stammered, her voice trembling slightly. "He said he was going out for a quick errand this morning..."

At that exact moment, Yimei suddenly threw her head back and burst into laughter.

It wasn’t a soft chuckle. It was a loud, sharp, clear laugh that rang through the entire hall. She laughed for a full minute, the chilling sound echoing off the wooden beams.

The entire room fell dead silent. Madame Chen froze, An Yulan paled, everyone staring at Yimei as if she had completely lost her mind.

The only person in the entire hall who didn’t stop was Zhengyu. He calmly picked up another piece of braised pork with his chopsticks, dipped it in sauce, and chewed slowly, utterly unbothered by his wife’s wild laughter.

Yimei’s laughter tapered off into a cold, dark smile. She stood up from her chair and began walking slowly toward An Yulan.

An Yulan’s breath hitched. Remembering the brutal slap Yimei had delivered back at the inn, she instinctively took a step back, her hands coming up to cover her cheeks.

But Yimei didn’t raise her hand to strike.

Instead, she stepped right up to An Yulan, reaching out with smooth, delicate fingers to touch the hair folded neatly at the top of An Yulan’s head. She lightly tapped the side of her hair bun, looking closely at her headpiece. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

"Where is your silver-trimmed jade hairpin?" Yimei asked softly, her voice filled with mock concern. "I can’t seem to find it."

An Yulan gasped, her eyes widening in sheer panic. She quickly raised both hands, frantically digging her fingers into her hair, feeling around her bun over and over again.

Empty. Her favorite, most expensive jade hairpin was completely gone.

Cold sweat broke out on An Yulan’s forehead as the terrifying truth hit her like a thunderbolt.

Wenliang hadn’t gone on an errand. He had stolen her jade hairpin.