Ms. Diviner: The Prodigal Daughter's Return

Chapter 1817: Chapter 1817: Fools Who Cannot Recognize Treasure

”I’m afraid of being laughed at by who? She even dared to bring out glass beads and call it a treasure, why should I be afraid of people laughing at me.” Zhu Yulan was still fuming and kept cursing, though she was probably someone who cared about face, so her voice dropped a little.

”Second Aunt, listen to me explain...” Shen Yuhe was torn between tears and laughter, and had no choice but to explain patiently.

”What is there left to explain? Shen Yuhe, I’m giving these glass beads back to you. I’m writing down this debt from today—if you dare step into the Gu family’s gates again, don’t blame me for not giving you a pleasant face to look at.” Zhu Yulan had originally wanted to just throw Shen Yuhe out directly, but seeing the servants nearby with all sorts of expressions, and a few guests standing in the distance watching, she felt it would be too harsh to make a scene that ugly. She viciously hurled the ”glass beads” at Shen Yuhe, spat out a cruel line, and turned away.

”Oh right, I get it now. You came running to the Gu family at a time like this, is it because you can’t even afford an inn? Let me tell you, with this chance of the God-offering ceremony, I managed with great effort to invite an old friend of the Family Head to come to the Gu family as a guest. There’s no place for you to stay. If you know what’s good for you, hurry up and leave, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy.” After walking a few steps, Zhu Yulan turned back and said.

She’d long heard Huayu Temple was poor, but hadn’t expected it to be this poor. A堂堂 Right Priest actually took out a glass bead to fool people; that Main Priest or whatever wouldn’t be much better, so she didn’t even bother to give Han Yan any face.

Thing is, she really did hit the mark—just not for the reason of money.

”Master Priest...” Seeing her so unforgiving, Shen Yuhe felt so ashamed her tears were about to fall.

”Let’s go.” Han Yan also hadn’t expected Zhu Yulan to be this mercenary. It wasn’t suitable to stay at the Gu family any longer. ℯℯ𝑙.

”Wait, I still have a courtyard. Anyway, your eldest uncle isn’t here anymore, you can stay at my place. Yulan, you don’t have any objections to that, right?” Lin Xiu really couldn’t watch anymore. She looked at Lin Yulan with anger on her face.

”If you want to let them stay wherever you are, let them stay wherever you are. Anyway, I’ll make myself clear: the Gu family doesn’t support idlers. The Gu family’s grain is bought with money—don’t act generous and donate it to outsiders.” Lin Xiu’s temperament was gentle, and in decades she’d almost never lost her temper. This was the first time Zhu Yulan had seen her with a face full of anger, so she was embarrassed to tear things completely with her. She snorted coldly and wiggled her hips as she walked off.

As she walked, she was still muttering curses under her breath: ”Glass beads, she actually dared to use glass beads to fool me...”

Han Yan shook her head with a bitter smile. She really hadn’t expected Shen Yuhe’s Second Aunt to be this kind of person. If she’d known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have let Shen Yuhe take out the relic soul beads.

”Does that mean our late-night snack is gone?” Ling Baobao rubbed his belly and said with a face full of regret.

Han Yan and the others glanced at him and rolled their eyes in perfect unison.

”Come on, let’s go to Auntie’s place first. Auntie will make you something tasty. I remember when you were little you loved big fatty pork knuckles and streaky pork, the fatter the better. We raised you like a little fat pig. Back then we kept worrying you wouldn’t be able to get married when you grew up, but who would’ve thought you’d grow up to be so delicate and pretty. Auntie doesn’t have to worry anymore.” Lin Xiu teased Shen Yuhe as she spoke, pulling her toward the inner residence.

Zhu Yulan’s petty, grasping manner made her feel somewhat embarrassed too, so she tried to smooth the mood with some jokes.

Big fatty pork knuckles, streaky pork, the fatter the better... Seeing Shen Yuhe’s baby face, Han Yan and the others could easily imagine what she’d looked like as a child.

”No need, we’ve already eaten.” Under their gazes, Shen Yuhe felt embarrassed. She declined with a flushed face.

They’d been gnawing dry rations the whole way, the more they chewed the less appetite they had. She actually was a bit hungry too, but after hearing Zhu Yulan’s heartless words earlier, she didn’t want to put Auntie in a tough spot.

”You’re worried about your Second Aunt, aren’t you? Don’t mind her. She’s all talk, really doesn’t have any bad intentions. The Gu family’s days haven’t been easy these years; it hasn’t been easy for her to manage the household either.” Seeing through Shen Yuhe’s thoughts, Lin Xiu sighed and said, counting as saying something in Zhu Yulan’s defense.

After all, they’re all family; she didn’t want things to get too ugly.

”What’s going on at home?” Shen Yuhe asked.

”Things at home are hard. To outsiders, we still look fairly respectable, but in truth we’re almost unable to pay the servants’ stipends, and over half the guards have been dismissed. Right now I’m basically sitting and eating through the dowry I brought from my natal family.” Lin Tou hesitated a moment but still spoke with a bitter smile.

”How could it be like this? I remember the family had quite a few properties, didn’t it?” Shen Yuhe said in surprise.

”The family did have some holdings, but over the years, just to keep life going, we’ve privately sold off almost all of them. If we sell any more, I’m afraid we won’t even be able to keep this old residence.” Lin Xiu said, her face full of helplessness.

”How could it end up like this? How is Zhu Yulan running this household? And Grandpa doesn’t step in?” Shen Yuhe had already been unhappy about Zhu Yulan’s behavior earlier; now she was even more indignant inside: such a huge family estate, and in her hands it’s been squandered into this state, yet she still has the face to strut and show off in front of me.

”Yu He, if we’re being fair, you really can’t blame her for this.” Lin Xiu shook her head.

”If not her, then who? Grandpa may be the Family Head, but haven’t all the household affairs been left to Second Uncle and his wife to handle for years? I know a bit about Second Uncle’s temperament—he’s too honest and upright, completely unwilling to manage things. In truth, the Gu family’s affairs are all decided by Zhu Yulan. With such a big family estate turned into this mess, if you don’t blame her, who do you blame?” Shen Yuhe said, her resentment still hard to quell.

”Yu He, you only know that the Gu family’s estate is sizable, but you don’t know how it came to be. If you did, you wouldn’t blame your Second Aunt anymore.” Lin Xiu said.

”How did it come to be?” Shen Yuhe asked.

”The Gu family has some renown in Tianyang City and ranks in the upper-middle among the Priest Families, but have you ever thought about where that renown comes from? Your Grandpa is, to this day, only a Ninth-level Divine Priest. In Tianyang City, if you pick any halfway decent Priest Family, the Family Head’s strength is usually above that level, yet they might not have the same reputation as our Gu family. Why do you think that is?” Lin Xiu asked.

Shen Yuhe shook her head. She’d never thought about this question before. Thinking carefully, with Grandpa’s strength, being able to secure a foothold in Tianyang City was already good—there was no way he’d have the level of prestige he did now.

”The reason the Gu family can have such status in Tianyang City is entirely because, in his early years of wandering, your Grandpa obtained an Elixir Recipe for the Phoenix Nirvana Pill.” Lin Xiu said.

”Phoenix Nirvana Pill?” Shen Yuhe looked at Lin Xiu in puzzlement. She had never heard of such an Elixir.

”I don’t understand cultivation matters; I only know that after taking that Elixir, a person can become younger by a hundred years.” Lin Xiu said.

”You mean a Life-extending Pill.” Now Shen Yuhe understood.