The Lu family joined in, supporting Sōng Mo's claims.
Their father, although displeased, stayed silent because they lived together in the Orchid Fragrance Pavilion. He feared others thinking his wealth was managed by him. Should there be a dispute over a few thousand taels of silver, it might lead to him being branded as stingy. Sōng Mo, however, had no such qualms; he wanted to reduce Sōng Hán to nothing more than his original state. "The brave wins in a narrow road," and with his brother's unyielding nature, it was hard for him to hold out against Sōng Mo’s cunning schemes eventually.
Without any means of support, how would he survive?
Sōng Hán felt the cold wind biting at his skin, causing him shivers.
Sàoduó had given birth to a son!
If she had a daughter, it would be so much better.
At least then, as the second-born after Sōng Mo, she could still pretend to have some power and maybe earn some money to get through this tough time.
What should he do?
Sōng Mo wouldn't spare him. His father was unreliable, and where did his future lie?
Sōng Hán felt the cold wind stinging his skin like daggers.
Sàoduóming was also in a bad mood.
She sat before her mirror, staring at the beautiful yet pained woman in the reflection who wore sorrowful looks on her face. She frowned deeply.
At least Sàoduó had been lucky; she carried a child while he lost his. Now that Sàoduó had given birth to their first son, if only his child were still alive...
If her child hadn’t died, perhaps she would be a mother now?
Her father had only two daughters, though he was twice crowned as an imperial scholar. While no one said anything in front of him about the relatives and friends, behind his back, everyone said how unlucky he was to have only daughters. Now that Sàoduó had given birth to a son, bringing glory to their family, her father must be overjoyed. He would likely bring out some treasured items from his ancestors to delight his grandson.
Sàoduóming’s face paled, and she snapped a toothpick with a sharp sound.
"Madame!" the nearby servant girl trembled in fear.
Sàoduóming glared at her.
Since the fight between the Sàoduó family and Hē Huào's family, she had been treated like a tiger.
She swept all the teacups off the kang (heated platform) with a loud noise.
The second time was when her sister sent one of her maids to his room. After he confronted her about it, she mockingly asked if he liked that maid and wanted to keep her. That made him storm out in anger, and Sàoduóming threw things around the room again.
The third time… She couldn’t recall anymore.
She knew that after his mother saw what she had done with all the items in the house, she scolded her for wasting precious treasures. But Sàoduóming coldly replied, "These are my dowry, not Hē Huào's property. I don't care about them; why should you? You can replace these broken ones." Her mother was left speechless, staring at her with a pale face.