As soon as these words were spoken, the previously harmonious atmosphere instantly froze.
Liu Jingyue calmly got up. On the one hand, she came over to hold Yun Xi's hand to spare her from embarrassment. On the other hand, she retorted lightly:
"Mother, you're overreacting. It was I who told them not to wake Yingying up."
"As everyone knows, Yingying in my family had an accident before and has some lingering health problems. If she can't even sleep well, wouldn't I, as her mother, be watching my own child's health deteriorate right in front of my eyes?"
This was almost a blatant slap in the face of Old Madam Yun.
Old Madam Yun's already unhappy face immediately darkened.
But Liu Jingyue seemed not to notice. With a smile on her face, she pulled Yun Xi and introduced the ladies sitting there one by one.
"This is your Second Aunt, your father's elder brother's wife. She used to carry you around and play with you when you were a child. This is your Eldest Cousin's Wife, the wife of the eldest son of your grandfather's elder brother. And this is your Fourth Cousin..."
She finally got to Old Madam Yun after introducing the whole family.
"You've already met your grandmother just now, so there's no need to say much. She values etiquette the most."
Covering her lips with a handkerchief and smiling, Liu Jingyue pulled Yun Xi to sit beside her and said half - jokingly:
"If it weren't for your delicate health and the fact that it's Chinese New Year, you might have been punished properly today."
How could Old Madam Yun not understand this sarcastic remark? She was immediately enraged and shouted:
"What do you mean by that? She was being presumptuous and disrespectful to her elders. Can't I, as her grandmother, say a few words?"
"Children should be corrected in time when they make mistakes. Isn't it right to punish them when they're wrong?"
Seeing that Old Madam Yun was angry, the ladies quickly forced smiles and got up to smooth things over.
One said:
"Old Madam, don't be angry. A - Yue is just joking. It's not worth getting angry and ruining your health during Chinese New Year..."
Another said:
"On the first day of the new year, we shouldn't be unhappy. Otherwise, it's inauspicious..."
Of course, while there were those who sincerely tried to persuade, there were also those who took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.
When everyone was trying to stay neutral and not offend either side, suddenly a sarcastic voice said:
"Yueniang, you should be more careful with your words at your age."
"The old lady scolding Miss Xi is for her own good. Otherwise, if you just spoil her blindly, it's okay for a small thing like sleeping in. But if she does something out of line one day, it will be the entire Yun family that will be disgraced."
Everyone was stunned and turned to look at the speaker.
It was a thin woman in a maroon dress. Probably because she had little flesh on her face, her whole face was just skin wrapped around bones, making her look very sharp. Her eyes were not big; in fact, they were even smaller than ordinary people's, giving her an unapproachable look.
Yun Xi quickly thought about it. This was the wife of her father's third cousin. She called her Third Cousin's Wife.
Her name was... Zhou Chunqing.
Yun Xi suddenly paused:
She had the surname Zhou...
She seemed to have gone to ask for fortune - telling.
It was when she was tricking Zhou Zhanlan. During that time, the people from the Zhou and Luo families trusted her very much and often invited her to ask for fortune - telling.
She never expected that this woman was distantly related to her own family.
While Yun Xi was still thinking, Liu Jingyue immediately got angry.
It was one thing to be scolded by her mother - in - law on her own territory. But she couldn't bear it when a woman who was several levels removed and of lower status than her dared to use her good relationship with her elder sister - in - law to satirize her.
Immediately, she frowned and said coldly:
"Third Cousin's Wife is really careful with her words. Calling me Yueniang makes it seem like I'm the junior. Criticizing me in my own home, you're really so careful with your words!"
Zhou Chunqing was at a loss for words. Flushing red, she was still not convinced and wanted to retort. At this time, an elderly woman about the same age as Old Madam Yun spoke up:
"We're all family. Xiaoyue, don't be so aggressive. It's Chinese New Year. We shouldn't hurt the family harmony."
"After all, you were the one who offended your mother - in - law first. You're in the wrong. Chunqing was just kindly reminding you, afraid that something like that Lou Qianying incident would happen again. She..."
"Grand - Aunt,"
Yun Xi suddenly interrupted the old lady.
Using Lou Qianying to poke at Liu Jingyue's wound, no wonder she was the younger sister - in - law of Old Madam Yun. Sure enough, the older ones were more cunning.
But Yun Xi wouldn't let her succeed. She would protect her own mother!
Giving the old lady a cold look, Yun Xi forced a smile and said:
"Which family doesn't have its own troubles? I heard that your son, my little cousin, is secretly a male concubine to his boss. He's even more amazing than those male prostitutes outside. Do you know about this?"
"What... What?"
The old lady's face changed drastically. She was almost shocked to faint by Yun Xi's outrageous words.
Even Liu Jingyue didn't expect Yun Xi to do this. She grabbed Yun Xi's hand in surprise.
But the excitement in her eyes at watching the show was undisguised.
No one present expected such a shocking piece of gossip. For a moment, they had no intention of trying to reconcile the two sides. They all tacitly shut up, looking at each other and communicating with their eyes.
Yun Xi smiled brightly and gave Liu Jingyue a reassuring look, then continued:
"Oh, Grand - Aunt doesn't know yet. Oops, I've let the cat out of the bag!"
"All you aunts and cousins, don't believe it. I just heard it from others. Don't believe it, don't believe it at all."
But the more she said this, the more the others believed it.
Some of the ladies sitting in the back even started whispering to each other.
The old lady's face turned red and then pale. Since Yun Xi had already denied it on her behalf, if she tried to refute Yun Xi now, it would only seem more like she was trying to cover something up.
She was so angry that she gasped for breath and slumped in her chair, pointing at Yun Xi with a trembling finger but unable to say a word.
Zhou Chunqing couldn't sit still anymore. While helping to comfort the old lady, she glared angrily at Yun Xi and scolded:
"What an ill - bred girl! You're so shameless that you dare to say such nonsense to dirty our ears! Look at how you've angered your Grand - Aunt!"
"Which well - bred young lady in the whole capital would say such filthy words? Have you no sense of shame at all? Bah!"
"Third Cousin's Wife..."
Liu Jingyue frowned, about to scold back, but Yun Xi pressed her hand. She gave Zhou Chunqing a sweet smile, which made her feel uneasy.
Sure enough, they heard Yun Xi pretend to be distressed and say:
"Is this filthy? But... Third Cousin's Wife, aren't you having an affair with your father - in - law? Oh, and the young master from the next - door family. You're quite sweet with him from time to time. You really have a wide range of 'tastes'!"
"So this is what you consider filthy, Third Cousin's Wife. You're not afraid of dirtying your body but afraid of dirtying your ears."
"You're talking nonsense!"
Zhou Chunqing's face instantly turned white. She stood up suddenly and was about to come and hit Yun Xi.
But because her dirty secret had been exposed in front of everyone, she was so flustered that her hands and feet went weak. As soon as she stood up, she let out an "ouch" and fell down.
She hit the table and soon a big bump swelled up. The maids beside her were so shocked that they rushed to help her in a flurry.