Making a Complaint
Although Xu Xi hadn't been able to exchange her Agility Pill and Great Strength Pill pills with the system, the original owner of this body was in good shape, and she had no concern for maintaining a ladylike image. Lifting her skirt, she ran swiftly back to the main road and into the main courtyard, startling the old woman guarding the gate. "Aunt... Fifth Miss?" But she didn't dare to stop her.
Xu Xi entered the main courtyard, glanced around, and saw that Matron Jin and the maids who had been standing behind the old lady were now standing in front of the east room. She knew that the old lady must have gone back to the east room to rest.
She rushed over and, before Matron Jin and the maid could stop her, knelt down in front of the east room door. As she knelt, she pinched her thigh hard, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
Thinking of the fully furnished apartment she'd paid the down payment for in modern times but hadn't moved into yet, and the pile of snacks she hadn't even had a chance to eat, Xu Xi was overcome with grief, her voice pitiful. "Madam, Madam, please, please let me go back to the Xu Family. I don't want to stay here anymore, sob sob sob..."
Stunned and still unable to react, Matron Ruan quickly stepped forward to help Xu Xi up. "Fifth Miss, what's wrong? Get up quickly, we can talk about it when the Old Madam wakes up."
The old lady was getting on in years and needed little sleep. Her supposed rest was merely sitting in a chair with her eyes closed, trying to clear her head. Xu Xi and the others had barely left the main courtyard for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when the old lady finally returned to her inner room and sat down. If it were anything else, she would simply pretend not to know and ignore it. The servants would handle what they could, and anything they couldn't, they would take to the First Madam for further action.
But since it concerned Xu Xi, she couldn't ignore it.
This granddaughter is a real handful. We couldn't get her home before, no matter how many times we tried. Now that she's finally home, she's already making a fuss about going back to the Xu Family in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If we ignore her, she might sneak back. And then it'll be hard to get her back.
Moreover, she could guess why Xu Xi was making a fuss about returning to the Xu Family —no one but Lady Wei, that troublemaker, could cause such a mess.
She sighed and gestured to the maid, "Let her in."
At this moment, Matron Yuan and Qingfeng and the others also arrived.
Knowing the old lady's temper, Matron Jin, seeing the maid come out to deliver a message, instructed Qingfeng, "Qingfeng, go in too. The old lady might want to ask you some questions."
Qingfeng then went into the house with Xu Xi.
The old lady glanced at Xu Xi, then turned to Qingfeng: "Tell me everything that happened just now."
Qingfeng was a maid who came from her courtyard, and she was a kind person. At this time, it would be most objective for her to tell the story.
As expected, Qingfeng gave a fair and impartial account of what had just happened.
The old lady rubbed her forehead.
Admittedly, Lady Wei has many problems; she shows no affection whatsoever for her newly brought-back daughter and instead finds fault with her in every way. But it takes two to tango, and Xu Xi also has significant issues.
What girl has such a strong personality? When her mother scolds her, as long as it's not too excessive, she should just listen. If she's sweet-talking and obedient, she'll naturally be able to make her mother happy and stop her from being angry.
Xu Xi, on the other hand, showed no obedience whatsoever, refused to tolerate any anger, spoke with barbs in every word, and constantly threatened to return to the Xu Family.
If Xu Xi doesn't get into the Women's Academy, the old lady will definitely put her out of the loop for a while, and then she'll teach Xu Xi a lesson to curb her wild nature, make her understand the hierarchy of elders and the rules of the mansion.
But she's going to the Women's Academy tomorrow. The old lady is worried that if she scolds Xu Xi now, she might leave for the academy tomorrow and not return to the Marquis's residence. Then, can the Marquis's residence really go to the academy and forcibly bring her back?
Therefore, at this point, the only option is to offer gentle words of comfort.
"Your mother has a bad temper, and she's always like this. But what she said makes some sense. A lady of a respectable family must be elegant and proper in everything she does, whether she walks, sits, sits, or speaks, otherwise she'll be ridiculed, especially someone like you who was brought back halfway through your life. People will look at you with scrutiny. So, she's having the nanny teach you how to speak and how to act, so that you won't be ridiculed when you attend banquets in the future. Your mother is doing this for your own good. As for the female tutors at the academy you mentioned, I imagine they mainly teach arts like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; even if they teach etiquette and manners, wouldn't it be easier for you to learn them at the academy if you learn them at home? We have the means, so why not take advantage of it? Don't you think so?"
The old lady's tone was gentle, but she was on Lady Wei's side, scolding Xu Xi for being ignorant.
"Host, host, the old lady is right. Think about the original plot. Wasn't the original owner ridiculed for his behavior and manners? If you don't learn now, are you going to repeat the same mistakes?" The system started yelling in Xu Xi's mind again.
Xu Xi ignored the stupid system and said to the old lady, "I can learn the rules, that's fine. It's just that I don't want to go to the second branch. I feel that the second wife doesn't treat me like her own daughter, but rather like an enemy. She's deliberately making things difficult for me. If she were like you were just now, speaking kindly and sincerely for my sake, would I be ungrateful? But she's not; she's deliberately picking a fight to make things difficult for me. Old lady, do you really think she's my mother? Could there be a mistake? What kind of mother is this? She's an enemy, isn't she? I hope you'll investigate further."