Chapter 253 - Paying Back The Debt (1/2)

Wang Shi’s eyes got teary and she pointed a trembling finger at Shi Fengju, “You… you are blaming me just for your wife! Fengju, are you still my son? For the sake of a woman, are you not going to care about anyone else?”

“Mother!” Shi Fengju was put in a difficult situation when he saw his mother behave like that. “What are you talking about? What good would it be to our family to quarrel to such an extent?”

“Like I don’t know?” said Wang Shi furiously. “I was just angry and needed to vent my anger! Otherwise, wouldn’t I be letting someone off easily for harboring ill-intentions towards us? Although this isn’t directly her fault, if she had told me about her uncle’s nature long ago, Fang’er wouldn’t have helped him when he came! Fang’er was just being nice. Now, she has to worry about whether it will cause a misunderstanding! What about you? Without knowing what is right or wrong, you shielded your wife. Doesn’t she have any fault in this!”

When Gu Fangzi saw that Wang Shi was choking with emotions and even mentioned her, she came out from the warm room and pulled on Wang Shi’s arm. “Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang! You shouldn’t say anymore and calm down! This…”

“Don’t meddle!” Before Gu Fangzi could finish her sentence, Wang Shi interrupted her furiously and said coldly, “Stand aside and keep quiet or others will take their anger out on you later on!”

Gu Fangzi opened her mouth awkwardly and glanced at Shi Fengju and Sang Wan before she silently stood beside Wang Shi without uttering a word.

Without inquiring or giving a condemned look, Shi Fengju said to Sang Wan, “Go back to Ning Garden1 first! Cousin Fangzi, the same goes for you!”

When Sang Wan saw that her mother-in-law did not refuse, she bowed and turned to leave silently.

However, Gu Fangzi didn’t want to leave. She pretended not to hear and stood beside Wang Shi.

Shi Fengju could not tolerate her playing deaf, so he said to her again, with a glare this time, “Cousin, you should go back too.”

Gu Fangzi could only nod her head and said softly to Wang Shi, “Aunt Wang, please talk nicely with Big Cousin! Don’t get too agitated!”

“Hurry up and leave!” Shi Fengju couldn’t bear to see her doing that. He resisted talking in a disgusted tone and spoke coldly instead.

Gu Fangzi immediately felt bitter. She smiled slightly, and went out feeling sad.

Wang Shi had nothing left to say to her son. She couldn’t even get angry and her expression remained cold underneath the heavy atmosphere.

After Gu Fangzi left and saw Nanny Jiang standing outside, she immediately knew that she did not do according to what Wang Shi had ordered her to. Gu Fangzi couldn’t help but get angry. She paused her steps and stared at Nanny Jiang before grinning all of a sudden. “How loyal and faithful you are to Aunt Wang! How dare you pay lip service to what she had told you to do. I wonder if she’ll still see you as her trusted servant in the future!”

Without a change in expression, Nanny Jiang casted a glance at Gu Fangzi and responded faintly, “Old Mistress gets impulsive easily. When she does, her decisions might not be right. I’m loyal to her, so how can I do something that she will regret in the future? If she blames me because of this, I will gladly accept my punishment.”

Gu Fangzi sneered without saying a word and left.

“Mother.” Shi Fengju sat in the seat opposite Wang Shi and said, “Just now, I’ve already dissuaded Nanny Jiang. She also told me what had happened. If we send him to the authorities, it won’t be easy for us to get him out of there. Aren’t you making things difficult for us by doing that?”

“Making things difficult for us?” Wang Shi shouted coldly. “Sang Pingliang’s surname is Sang. How is he related to our family!”

“He’s still our relative after all,” Shi Fengju said.

Wang Shi was left speechless for a moment. If Sang Pingliang was really thrown to the authorities, wouldn’t the money required to bail him out come from the Shi family still? If they didn’t bail him out, they would seem harsh and heartless. But if they do, weren’t they simply making a fool out of themselves?

“He doesn’t have morals and deserves to be taught a lesson! Otherwise, he might do something even more untoward in the future!” Wang Shi was still furious.

Shi Fengju said, “In my opinion, he shouldn’t have been allowed to work in our family’s business. If I were home, I wouldn’t let such a thing happen!”

Upon hearing that, Wang Shi stared at him and asked, “Don’t indirectly scold Fang’er here. Are you blaming her? Let me tell you. She didn’t act on her own and only did so after I agreed to it! That person from the Sang Family failed to live up to expectations. How could you blame Fang’er? She had kind intentions, and with what has happened now, she has nowhere to complain to about her grievance!”

Shi Fengju was not surprised to hear that and sneered deep down. It seemed that she had completely forgotten his warning! He had told her to stop using his mother as an excuse to do things. However, she did not take his words to heart!

“There’s no point saying this now. I will handle this appropriately, so Mother, please calm down. For the sake of Second Young Master Sang and Sang Wan, who has been taking good care of you and this family, please don’t get involved in this anymore!” Shi Fengju said with a slight sigh.

Upon hearing him mention Sang Yufei, Wang Shi relaxed and the resentment in her heart dissipated a lot. True. I cannot disgrace my son-in-law, who came in third in the examinations. Now that he’s in Imperial Hanlin Academy, it’ll be beneficial for when my son goes to the capital to take the examinations and gets to pay an official visit to two or three great scholars with his help! As for Sang Wan, I’ll just stay away from her so that I won’t get frustrated!

Shi Fengju could roughly guess what his mother was thinking when he saw her pondering first, then feeling relaxed before finally frowning. As such, he said, “Mother, don’t blame me for shielding Sang Wan. After all, you shouldn’t have blamed her for this!”