NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25: Who Says She Has No Support?
Chapter 25: Who Says She Has No Support?
Qiao Nian couldn’t understand how Lin Yuan had managed to bring up Madam Lin just because she had asked Lin Yuan to let go of her hand.
She was bullying Madam Lin?
If the entire Marquis’s family would just stop bullying her, she would already be grateful to heaven and earth!
How could she ever dare to bully Madam Lin?
Qiao Nian took a deep breath, tightly gripping her own wrist, barely restraining herself from stepping forward to slap Lin Yuan.
But Ning Shuang beside her couldn’t hold back and spoke up, “Second Young Miss, are you sick?”
Her blunt insult left Lin Yuan stunned on the spot. “You, you…”
Perhaps too shocked, Lin Yuan stuttered “you” for a while without managing to say anything else.
Qiao Nian was also startled, not expecting Ning Shuang to be so bold!
She really didn’t learn her lesson at all. Qiao Nian had clearly said she couldn’t protect her!
Just as she was about to explain for Ning Shuang, Ning Shuang stepped forward and smiled at Lin Yuan, “Wasn’t the Second Young Miss coughing a few days ago?”
Seeing the sincere expression on Ning Shuang’s childish face, Lin Yuan couldn’t tell if this maid was genuinely concerned or mocking her.
She blinked her pitiful eyes, “Mother brought me medicine from the palace. I’m, I’m better now.”
“Oh, you have medicine?” Ning Shuang smiled and approached, as if she hadn’t heard the latter half of the sentence, supporting Lin Yuan as she headed out. “If you have medicine, you should take it. Second Young Miss probably hasn’t taken her medicine today, right? It’s getting late, let this servant help you back to take your medicine.”
She said “help,” but Ning Shuang was clearly half-forcing Lin Yuan out.
During this time, Lin Yuan kept trying to turn back to say something more to Qiao Nian, but was repeatedly stopped by Ning Shuang.
Even as she was escorted out of Fanghe Courtyard, Lin Yuan still couldn’t figure out whether Ning Shuang had been insulting her earlier or not.
Meanwhile, watching Ning Shuang return, Qiao Nian couldn’t help but scold her in a low voice, “You really are so bold! Aren’t you afraid she’ll complain to the Young Marquis and have him punish you?”
“Hahaha, Miss, next time you scold me, try not to smile,” Ning Shuang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Qiao Nian finally couldn’t hold back her laughter either, shaking her head repeatedly, “You!”
Ning Shuang approached ingratiatingly, “This servant knows that Miss’s status in the mansion is special now, and there are some things you can’t say, let alone scold! But don’t worry, in the future, I’ll scold those you can’t. If there’s anyone you want to teach a lesson to, just give me a look, and I’ll make sure they regret it!”
It had to be said that Ning Shuang was indeed clever. Even if Lin Yuan reported today’s incident to Lin Ye, he wouldn’t have solid evidence to punish anyone.
Moreover, Ning Shuang was originally from Lin Ye’s courtyard.
Thinking this, Qiao Nian finally relaxed, but said, “Don’t let it happen again.”
She didn’t know if Ning Shuang would be even bolder next time, and if things got to a point where she couldn’t protect her, it would be a big problem.
Ning Shuang nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something, “Miss, are we still going to Fahua Temple?”
After what Lin Yuan had said earlier, she thought her mistress wouldn’t be in a good mood to go with Lin Yuan anymore.
Qiao Nian thought for a moment, then nodded, “I want to get a safety charm for Grandmother. Go prepare, we’ll go by ourselves!”
“Alright!” Ning Shuang responded and withdrew. Soon, she had everything prepared, called for the mansion’s carriage, and they set off towards Fahua Temple outside the city.
Along the way, they saw many carriages.
Ning Shuang lowered the carriage curtain and turned back to Qiao Nian, “Miss, it seems there are even more people going to Fahua Temple this year than in previous years!”
Qiao Nian felt quite pleased, “It shows that Fahua Temple is indeed effective.”
Ning Shuang nodded repeatedly, “It’s very effective! I heard it’s most effective for praying for marriage!”
Hearing this, Qiao Nian just smiled without speaking.
She thought, Fahua Temple might be effective for everything else, but it was least effective for marriage.
Otherwise, she would have married Xiao Heng three years ago.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but shake her head with a light laugh.
It was fortunate that she hadn’t married him. Otherwise, she would surely be trapped in a desperate situation now, unable to escape.
Soon, the carriage stopped outside Fahua Temple.
Ning Shuang got off the carriage first, then turned to help Qiao Nian.
However, just as Qiao Nian’s feet touched the ground, mocking voices came from not far away.
“I wondered which family’s maid was so bold as to sit in the same carriage as her mistress, turns out it’s the Lin family’s young miss!”
“What Lin family young miss? That’s clearly Miss Qiao!”
“Oh, right, right, right, I had forgotten about that!”
The voices were too familiar. Qiao Nian knew who they were without even looking.
One was Song Baixuan, the second young miss of the Minister of War’s family, and the other was Xiao Qingnu, the eldest young miss of the Xiao family, and Xiao Heng’s full sister.
Qiao Nian had had conflicts with both of them before because of Xiao Heng.
Back then, as the eldest young miss of the Marquis’s family, she wouldn’t have been afraid of them at all. The three had even come to blows, but Song Baixuan and Xiao Qingnu together couldn’t beat her, not to mention her status was higher than theirs. So in their past confrontations, Song Baixuan and Xiao Qingnu had always been at a disadvantage.
But now, things were different.
Xiao Qingnu had already walked over to Qiao Nian. She wasn’t tall, a head shorter than Qiao Nian, but extremely arrogant, with her chin held high, “Miss Qiao, after being a servant for three years, are you now making friends with servants?”
Seeing Qiao Nian being bullied, Ning Shuang naturally wouldn’t stand for it.
But before she could speak up, Qiao Nian pulled her behind herself.
Then, Qiao Nian slightly bowed to Xiao Qingnu, “Greetings, Miss Xiao.”
Xiao Qingnu was stunned.
Although Qiao Nian had been back for some time, Xiao Heng had never mentioned anything to Xiao Qingnu, even when she specifically asked. He had just acted as if he hadn’t heard.
So, she didn’t know that Qiao Nian’s temperament was now very different from before.
She stared at Qiao Nian in shock, thinking that in the past, if she had mocked her like this, Qiao Nian would have already gotten physical with her. Now, she could still properly bow and greet her.
Bow to her!
Inexplicably, Xiao Qingnu felt somewhat uncomfortable.
She felt that Qiao Nian shouldn’t be like this.
But Song Baixuan beside her couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “Am I seeing things? The once high and mighty eldest young miss of the Lin family has become so humble now? Oh, right, after all, she’s no longer surnamed Lin. Without backing, of course she should be humble!”
Song Baixuan’s words were clearly intentional mockery, but Qiao Nian wasn’t angry at all.
Because Song Baixuan was right.
When a person has no support behind them, they should honestly lower their head.
This was a lesson she had learned after countless times of being pushed into the laundry pool by palace maids and being whipped by the matron in charge at the laundry bureau.
However, unexpectedly, a loud voice rang out from behind Qiao Nian, each word filled with an overbearing pressure.
“Who says she has no support?”