Chapter 42 - 42 42 Why did you always like to take advantage of others before

Words : 1500 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

42: Chapter 42 Why did you always like to take advantage of others before? 42: Chapter 42 Why did you always like to take advantage of others before? “` He gestured and instructed a few Little Beans, that in the next few days, they should go up to the mountains, and if they saw any beautiful flowering trees, such as azaleas or gardenias, to dig up a few clumps and plant them in the courtyard to add some interest. Jinhua, being a girl, lit up at the mention of planting flowers and cautiously suggested, “Old Auntie, I know Li Zhuye’s family has gardenias, and their flowers are both fragrant and large. Shouldn’t we go and ask them for a couple of cuttings to plant?” Li Zhuye? Wang Yongzhu was completely puzzled and after racking her brains for a while, she couldn’t remember, which was not surprising, since the old Wang Yongzhu only had eyes for Song Chongjin and no one else mattered to her. So, it was normal not to have any recollection. Jinhua was well aware of her Old Auntie’s idiosyncrasy and hurriedly explained, “You know, the one who hasn’t married into the family yet, the neighbor of our fourth aunt-in-law? The two families are cousins, and the fourth aunt-in-law is actually Zhuye’s paternal aunt.” Got it! Wang Yongzhu hesitated, “Would their family be willing to share with us? Should we bring something with us? It wouldn’t be nice to go empty-handed and ask for it, right?” From the education Wang Yongzhu had received earlier, one should never visit someone’s home empty-handed; at the very least, one should bring some sort of gift. Jinhua was still a child; children in the countryside didn’t pay attention to these things when interacting with one another, did they? Not to mention, even if she knew about it, she had nothing to offer them, did she? Therefore, when Wang Yongzhu mentioned it, Jinhua was at a loss. “Then... what should we do?” Wang Yongzhu pondered for a moment. If she was going to fit in at Qilidun, she needed to at least ensure the neighbors and villagers did not hold any strong prejudices against her. In the future, she would have to deal with them, so why not start with Li Zhuye’s family, taking the first step in social interaction! After thinking it over, she went back to her room, rummaged through her box, and took out two red hair ties, handing one to Jinhua while tucking the other into her pouch, “Does that Zhuye like red?” Jinhua was overjoyed, holding the hair tie, “Old Auntie, is this for me?” She touched it tenderly; such a bright red hair tie was something only her Old Auntie had at home. She had always used strips of old clothing to tie up her hair. Which little girl doesn’t like to look pretty? Although Jinhua was sensible, she couldn’t help envying other girls who could tie their hair with red hair ties and wear floral hairpins. Such hair ties were something she could only look at in the past, but now that her Old Auntie had given her one, she was both thrilled and afraid. Wang Yongzhu waved her hand carelessly, “It’s a gift for you. Little misses like you should wear these to look pretty.” She had several other hair ties of different colors in her box, and, being choosy, she didn’t really care for these hair ties. Besides, her skin was still a light buckwheat color, and wearing red only made her look darker and more rustic, didn’t it? Jinhua, delighted, let down her hair, removed the gray strip, and tied on the red hair tie. On her light yellow braids, the red tie was very striking, not particularly attractive, but Jinhua loved it and kept touching the hair tie now and then, reassuring its presence. After touching her braid several times, Jinhua came back to her senses, “Old Auntie, let’s go. I’ll take you there. I get along really well with Zhuye. Even without giving her a hair tie, she would still share some cuttings with us. Besides, this hair tie is valuable, while the flower branches aren’t worth much. Old Auntie, if we just take a few branches and give away a hair tie for free, won’t that be a loss for us?” “` This maid, having been influenced by Old Granny Zhang and Lady Jiang, had also learned to be extremely stingy. Wang Yongzhu shook her head, said solemnly, “Since you have a good relationship with Zhu Ye, then all the more we should not take advantage of her! When dealing with people, special attention must be paid to reciprocity. You cannot, just because you have a good relationship with someone and don’t care about the small things, feel that it’s not a big deal. Over time, the other person will feel uncomfortable, and even a good friend may grow distant. If people start spreading rumors saying that you are stingy and like to take advantage of others, that will harm your reputation. Most people do not like to associate with someone with a bad reputation, and if something happens later on, regardless of right or wrong, people will think you are at fault. By then, even if you are wronged, you won’t be able to speak up. We can’t afford to seek small gains and suffer big losses, understand?” Jinhua, on ordinary days, only needed to work for Old Granny Zhang, and Lady Jiang was busy with household chores, even the youngest Jinshao needed Jinhua’s help to take care of, where was there time to teach her daughter these things. However, she was naturally smart and influenced by Lady Jiang’s gentle and forbearing nature. Apart from being too stingy and fond of taking small advantages, there weren’t other problems. On the contrary, she was diligent and polite, and she was fairly well-regarded by both the children and adults in the village. Hearing Wang Yongzhu’s instruction, she truly took it to heart, though there were still some things she did not understand, she planned to ask Lady Jiang secretly at night. However, being a child prone to speaking her mind without much thought, she carelessly asked, “Old Aunt, why did you used to like taking advantage of others? Didn’t you have a bad reputation in the village?” Wang Yongzhu... She hated children the most, those who are too honest and direct, really hit a nerve! After holding back for a moment, Wang Yongzhu couldn’t resist and flicked Jinhua’s forehead, said sternly, “Lead the way, to Zhu Ye’s house——” Jinhua stuck out her tongue, knowing she had annoyed the Old Aunt and dared not say more, running ahead to lead the way. Li Zhuye’s family wasn’t too far from the Wang Family. At this moment, some villagers had gone to the fields, and those who had finished their work there were rarely at home to rest. Aside from a few clueless children running around, the village was quiet with hardly anyone else about. Wang Yongzhu didn’t encounter anyone on the way and when she arrived at Li Zhuye’s house, the door was open, so she walked straight in. “Zhu Ye? Zhu Ye, are you home?” A young girl around Jinhua’s age came out from the inner room, not as tall as Jinhua, wearing a faded blue dress with tiny flowers, her face straightforward, her complexion the distinctive tan of rural children. Seeing Jinhua, the girl rushed over and hugged her, “Jinhua, what brings you here? Did you need something from me?” Jinhua turned her head, saw that Wang Yongzhu was still standing at the entrance without coming in, and hastily waved, “Old Aunt, why aren’t you coming in, standing at the door for what?” While introducing her friend Zhu Ye, “Zhu Ye, this is my Old Aunt.” Zhu Ye of course knew Wang Family’s Wang Yongzhu, the female tyrant. Jinhua had occasionally complained to her about how her Old Aunt had a unique temper and was pampered by Old Granny Zhang. In the Wang Family, whatever good food or fun things there were, Wang Yongzhu always had first dibs. Wang Yongzhu didn’t act like an Old Aunt, never sharing the good things and had no affection for her nephews and nieces, only ordering them about. Jinhua and her siblings didn’t think much of this Old Aunt but didn’t dare to offend her either, fearing a simple mistake would lead to complaining to their grandparents. Then not only would they be scolded, but also denied meals. Thus, the relationship between the aunt and the nieces and nephews was always cold; they wouldn’t approach Wang Yongzhu unless absolutely necessary. Why then, today, would she be taking the Old Aunt to her own house? Could it be that Wang Yongzhu had set her sights on something in her house, and was forcing Jinhua to come over to demand it?

Chapter 42 - 42 42 Why did you always like to take advantage of others before

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