Ten Little Women Storm

  Pure and rich in appearance, harmonious and peaceful, respectful of elders, getting along with sisters-in-law, born into a prestigious family, steady and capable.

  Zou Shi had always been a perfect existence in the Hou Mansion, but unfortunately, such a daughter-in-law seemed to not have won the heart of her mother-in-law!

  "Eldest brother's wife is here, come and sit down quickly. I wonder how Fifth Aunt is doing? Is the child still alright?"

  But today seems different, the old lady showed obvious enthusiasm for Zou's arrival, perhaps it was the intense struggle that had just taken place here that made the old man feel exhausted.

  "Yes, thank you for your concern, everything is fine. This fifth aunt has been well taken care of since she became pregnant, and this minor illness won't affect anything." Mrs. Zou immediately smiled again.

  "Look at me... I was so busy chatting that I forgot to pay my respects to the elderly lady. I'm already late, and now... Ah, I should be beaten! " Mrs. Zou continued, saying as she made a gesture to make a bow.

  "All right, all right. You have a good relationship with me, so let's not bother with formalities. Come and have a cup of tea!" But the old lady quickly stopped her.

  Zou also didn't bow again, thanked the old lady once more, and then chatted with Miao Shi and Jiang Shi.

  The three sisters of the eldest branch, Wen Sanjie, Wen Liuji, and Wen Bajie, who followed Zou Shi over, as well as a special existence, Wen Qijie, all came to pay their respects to Old Lady.

  Facing a group of lovely granddaughters, the old lady's mood seemed to have improved, and she chatted with them in a gentle tone, finally even smiling and pulling the third sister to ask how her dowry embroidery was going.

  Wen Sanjie was tall and beautiful, with a dignified demeanor, but she had a cold personality. She usually didn't smile or talk much, but at this moment, being teased by her loving grandmother, she couldn't help but blush and become flustered.

  Everyone in the house burst out laughing...

  But in the midst of the bustle, Cui Ping suddenly rushed in and whispered something to Cui Xiu's ear. Cui Xiu was taken aback, then quietly walked over to the second lady and spoke to her in a low voice.

  The second lady slightly frowned, then stood up and quietly took Cui Xiu out with her.

  The crowd did not notice that there were two fewer people in the house at this moment, but among these people, Wen Jiu's sister was an exception.

  There were many women in the house, plus maids and servants, all crowded together. The room was already packed to capacity, no matter how big it was. This insignificant person was squeezed into a corner of the room, right next to the door curtain.

  Moreover, she is a vigilant and meticulous person, so she naturally saw through this scene.

  It's nothing strange, every household has a bunch of servants and maids, there are always unexpected situations.

  What made her feel strange was that after the second lady and her servant went out, the big lady who was surrounded by everyone suddenly turned around and smiled at Cui Ping, and Cui Ping also smiled back at her before turning to leave.

  Ah...

  Jiuer was taken aback for a moment.

  But she soon understood——

  It didn't take long for the second lady to hurry back, but the seat she had just occupied next to Old Lady was already taken by someone else, namely Big Lady Zou.

  The second lady had no choice but to sit down in a position on the side, staring at Old Lady and Mrs. Zou chatting and laughing, her slender white fingers tightly pinching the handkerchief in her hand.

  The ninth sister suddenly realized that Zou's tardiness was also destined, otherwise how could it be so coincidental?

  She had actually heard yesterday that the fifth concubine of Ningping Hou's uncle, who was pregnant, had caught a cold. It was originally just a minor illness, but it continued to make a fuss until this morning, and even startled Old Lady. This should also be someone with ulterior motives deliberately exaggerating.

  Why isn't such a mistress who attaches great importance to treating her concubine and the child in her belly well, not being widely praised by people?

  Not too early or too late, choosing to appear innocently and cheerfully after the struggle is over and emotions are hurt will naturally be welcomed, how can it not be popular?

  Alas...

  No wonder he could quietly take control of a large marquis's estate without anyone noticing, truly a masterful move!

  "Eldest sister, let's go!" Just then, she heard her tenth sister calling out to her.

  She was taken aback and suddenly realized that all her sisters had dispersed and were walking towards the door, leaving only a few ladies in the room.

  She hastily followed behind Shi Jie...

  It should be time for the men to pay their respects, while they have to go to Qingya Pavilion for class.

  Coming out of Yanshoutang, along a bluestone-paved path, walking straight to the garden, and then turning around to see a small courtyard with green bricks and white walls, that is where they study - Qingya Pavilion.

  The eldest sister, Wen Dajie, had already married out, the second sister, Wen Erjie, died young, and the third sister, Wen Sanjie, was about to get married, so she stopped her studies and focused on embroidering her dowry. As for the fifth sister, Wen Wujie, she had been "ill" all along, so at this moment, only seven girls were left in the Qingya Pavilion.

  Some people say that three women can make a scene, but here there are seven at once. Although they are all still young women, it doesn't prevent several small storms from brewing every day, especially with Wen Liu's sister being around.

  But speaking of waves, it's just those rotten old tricks coming and going.

  The wild and arrogant Liu Ye bullied her younger half-sister Wen Ba Jie, the weak and tearful Wen Ba Jie was cruelly treated by her elder sister Wen Liu Jie.

  Then the sixth sister and seventh sister, together with the fourth sister and tenth sister who formed a studious faction, didn't get along. Of course, there was also the fourth sister and tenth sister reporting to Mr. Cloud that the sixth sister spent all day playing and causing trouble...

  The eleventh sister was originally not close to anyone due to the Fourth Madam's influence, and since she was young, almost no one paid attention to her.

  Jiǔ jiě ér chú le mò mò de páng guān, ǒu ěr yě hé bā jiě shí jiě shuō huà, dàn shì què cóng lái bì miǎn juǎn jìn rèn hé dòu zhēng.

  One is that this kid's antics are really boring; two is that he is low-key and humble, and doesn't want to be an enemy of others.

  But today this fuss seems a bit too much——

  "Sixth sister, do you know that this spider with a messy web is poisonous? If it bites someone, it's going to be troublesome. Quickly get rid of it - throw it away!"

  "Is it? You even know this, Fourth Sister is really knowledgeable, but what if I don't want to take it away?"

  "You're simply...unreasonable! I'm telling you, if you don't let go, I'll go tell the teacher on you..."

  "How dare you..."

  "You think I dare not?"

  "Wen Si Jie, you really went... Stop right there, did you hear me? Otherwise... otherwise I'll let this spider bite you..."

  Then there was a chaotic rush of tearing and ripping sounds.

  "Ah——"

  Then there was a scream.

  "Eight Sisters..."

  "Eight younger sisters..."

  Then came a burst of terrified and tense shouting.

  "Eight sister... Eight sister was scared to death by that spider..."

  Finally, the eleventh sister concluded with a slight tremble.

  ……

  Digression

  Friends, Happy New Year!

  I changed the list of personal items there, and Four Sisters, Five Sisters, and Seven Sisters all became thirteen years old!