The Comeback of the Cannon-Fodder Supporting Actress

Chapter 695: Chapter 782: Slapping the Transmigrator (Part 37)

Anning brought Xiao Yi into the room and called for Xiao Ren and Xiao Tong as well.

She first checked the children’s homework, then had dinner with them, before sending them back to their rooms.

As soon as the children left, Xiao Yuan returned.

Anning quickly stood up and asked him, ”How was it inside the palace?”

Xiao Yuan warmed his hands before taking off his coat, ”Emperor Shengxing wanted me to join the Ministry of Industry as an official, but I declined.”

Anning nodded and handed him a hand warmer to warm his hands, ”Why are you back so late?”

”Don’t even mention it.”

Xiao Yuan had a bitter expression, ”On my way back, I got intercepted by Old Geng from the Ministry of Industry. There, I was stuck for most of the day, just to draw up plans for them. Your husband was nearly wrung dry by Old Geng.”

Anning lightly laughed.

Minister Geng of the Ministry of Industry was quite a peculiar person.

He was a bona fide Advanced Scholar, yet he had a strange fondness for researching bizarre contraptions. Having survived the tumultuous court for many years, Emperor Shengxing had originally wanted him to join the Ministry of Revenue, but he insisted on staying in the Ministry of Industry, refusing to budge.

He was an odd person, and the officials he brought into the Ministry of Industry were all peculiar, each with their own unique hobbies.

However, his presence made many things at the Ministry much more convenient.

Whether it was fortifying city walls or paving roads, and many other large and small engineering projects, he managed them very capably, saving Silver and producing highly durable results. Therefore, regardless of his unique hobbies, Emperor Shengxing was always willing to accommodate him somewhat.

Anning massaged Xiao Yuan’s shoulders, ”Since you’re not serving in the Ministry of Industry, just put up with it for now. Once this matter is settled, we’ll keep our distance.”

Xiao Yuan grasped Anning’s slender waist and seated her on his lap, ”I will listen to you. We’ll tolerate him for now. But to be honest, although Old Geng is stubborn, he’s quite a decent and interesting person.”

If Xiao Yuan hadn’t been set on lifting his family’s status through the imperial examination, he might have actually been tempted to plunge into the Ministry of Industry because of Old Geng.

Anning pinched Xiao Yuan’s cheeks and pulled them apart, ”Stop trying to distract me with flattery. I’ve got something serious to discuss with you. It’s high time you looked into our eldest sister’s affairs.”

Xiao Yuan swatted away Anning’s hands, ”I know, I’ll see to it tomorrow.”

He embraced Anning affectionately for a while before getting up, ”I’m going to pay respects to mother, and I’ll bring up our big sister’s matter too.”

”Mhm.”

Anning smiled as she saw him out, ”Come back early, I still have matters to discuss with you.”

After spending a considerable time speaking with Ms. Ping, Xiao Yuan returned. By the time he came back, Anning had already washed up and was sitting in her room reading, with her hair draped over her shoulders.

After Xiao Yuan also freshened up, the couple lay down in bed, and Anning brought up the matter of An Rou and An Yi’s matchmaking.

”Auntie wants you to help find out more information.”

Xiao Yuan wrapped an arm around Anning, ”Go ahead, tell me.”

Anning then recounted the list of gentlemen for him.

Xiao Yuan committed them to memory.

The next morning, Xiao Yuan went straight to the Ministry of Industry.

As for Anning, after getting ready, she went to pay respects to Ms. Ping.

Ms. Ping was in the midst of dressing up.

She had deliberately put on a green gown sprinkled with gold and wore a grey squirrel fur coat over it. Her ears were adorned with hard gold jade earrings, and her head brightly shone with many golden hairpins. She even wore a pair of thick, gold bracelets the width of a finger.

Seeing Anning enter, Ms. Ping hurriedly waved her over, ”Come quickly and help me pick a cloak; plus, take a look, how well is my hair done?”

Anning smiled and picked out a dark green cloak with silver threads for Ms. Ping. The edges of the cloak showed thick and quality white fox fur with a true color, obviously from high-quality pelts.

Additionally, Anning removed a few hairpins from Ms. Ping’s hair and inserted a silk flower that wasn’t too large, ”It looks much nicer this way.”

Ms. Ping looked at herself in the mirror, indeed she appeared much more attractive.

But with her clothes and jewelry improved, her face seemed somewhat plain by comparison.

She simply went all out, applying makeup to her face and dabbing some lipstick on, and with that, she looked significantly younger and more energetic.

She draped her cloak over her shoulders and walked outside.

Anning hurried to follow her: ”Mother, do you need me to accompany you to support you?”

Ms. Ping waved her hand: ”No need, a young wife like you stepping into the limelight is always inappropriate. I’m not afraid. By the way, have Yi come with me, he is a male member of our family. Even if he is young, he must step forward when it’s time.”

Anning quickly called for Xiao Yi to come over.

She instructed Xiao Yi: ”Take good care of your grandma, don’t let her suffer any losses. Also, there’s no need to be polite to the Lu family people. Your aunt is seeking a divorce from them; we are not afraid of them. If you see that things are not going well, send a message to me or have someone go to the Ministry of Industry to find your father.”

Xiao Yi remembered her words: ”Mother, rest assured, I will be careful and certainly not let grandmother suffer any losses.”

Ms. Ping, laughing cheerfully, took Xiao Yi’s hand and they went outside together.

Anning was still somewhat concerned, so she got ready and followed them out as well.

She dressed very simply and did not ride in her own carriage but had Liu Shu hire one. In addition, Anning brought along two house servants and two old women.

When Anning arrived, Ms. Ping had already reached the Lu family’s doorstep.

She alighted from the carriage with the help of a young maidservant, and then straightened her hair, turning to the house servants and ordered: ”Tear down the door for mother.”

The two house servants went straight to kick the tightly closed gate of the Lu family, and then dismantled it quickly.

People from Lu Sanbao’s family were inside counting silver when they heard the commotion and hurried out.

When she nearly reached the entrance, she saw two men dressed as servants dismantling her house’s gate, and she immediately started yelling: ”What are you doing? What do you intend to do? You are trespassing private property, you...”

”Tear it down.”

Ms. Ping spoke coldly, uttering just one word.

The two house servants, of course, listened to Ms. Ping; regardless of whatever Lu Sanbao’s family said, they just kept on dismantling the gate.

Lu Sanbao heard the noise too and came out. By this time, the gate had already been torn down, and Lu Sanbao’s family saw Ms. Ping standing at the doorway.

Ms. Ping was decked in gold and wearing silver, looking lavishly wealthy, and her whole appearance was fair and much younger than during the Xiao Family’s period of decline, looking at least a decade younger.

Seeing her, Lu Sanbao’s family was full of envy.

She was about the same age as Ms. Ping, but standing together right now, she truly looked like an elder to Ms. Ping.

”Isn’t this my in-law?”

Lu Sanbao’s family covered up the jealousy in her eyes and approached with a smile, attempting to pull Ms. Ping in: ”In-law, what brings you here? Please come in and sit.”

Ms. Ping dodged Lu Sanbao’s family, laughing coldly: ”Why am I here? Naturally, I have to be. If I didn’t come, my daughter and my grandson would be bullied to death by your wicked heart.”

Lu Sanbao’s family was scolded by Ms. Ping, which made her furious inside, and her face showed a hint of viciousness.

Xiao Yi, sensitive to people’s emotions, could feel the malice from Lu Sanbao’s family and quickly stood in front to protect Ms. Ping, his face alert.

Lu Sanbao’s family gnashed her teeth in anger: ”In-law, what are you talking about? Your daughter from the Xiao family’s been living comfortably in our home, we haven’t mistreated her at all.”

”Ptui!”

Ms. Ping spat: ”Comfortable? Not mistreated? No one would believe such words if you said them. How much money does my son give to your family each month to make his sister’s life a little better? It can be said that my son is financially supporting your whole Lu family. Without my son, you all might as well be blasted by the northwest winds. Even then, you are still unsatisfied. The coal he sends, his sister can’t even touch a bit; it all goes to your second branch. If you had burned it yourselves, I wouldn’t have said anything, taking it as my daughter honoring her elders. But why should my son’s stuff go on to support your son? There’s no logic in the world that calls for a sister-in-law to support her younger brother-in-law’s family while her in-laws are still alive.”

Ms. Ping grew more and more furious: ”My daughter can endure, but I cannot. How old is my grandson? You starve him. When the child couldn’t bear the hunger and went to ask his uncle for some food, he ended up being kidnapped by a trafficker. My poor grandson... he still hasn’t been found to this day.”

Ms. Ping knew that the child had been found, but Xiao Yuan told her to put on a show, to let everyone believe the child hadn’t been found, so she really started acting.

She cried and wailed while speaking, her voice so sorrowful that it made the onlooking crowd shed tears.

”Oh, my daughter, my grandson, what sins have I committed to marry my daughter into your family.”