Chapter 384: You have yours, I have mine

Translator: CokeZero Editor: Rainystars

Lu Jiao smiled and looked at Lady Qian, “He’s still a child. Just educate him well, and he’ll grow up to be respectful and filial.”

Lady Qian immediately showed interest and sat down beside Lu Jiao to discuss child raising.

She was well aware that the two Han children regularly went to the Xie residence, where it was rumored that Lady Lu was running some kind of kindergarten. After the children had spent some time there, they had become

exceptionally well-behaved.

Lady Qian wished she could send her own children there to receive such an education. However, her family’s relationship with Lu Jiao wasn’t that good, and it was unlikely that Lady Lu Jiao would accept them.

Before Lu Jiao could say more, voices could be heard from the entrance of the smaller hall.

Lu Jiao turned her head to see several women approaching, led by Li Yuyao, who had sworn sisterhood with Lu Jiao. Alongside her was Zhang Biyan from the Zhang family.

Following them were some women from Qinghe County, including Zhu Baozhu and Tan Xiaoya.

Zhu Baozhu, upon seeing Lu Jiao, rushed over with joy.

“Lady Lu, you’re really good at hiding. You managed to find a peaceful corner for yourself.’

Before Lu Jiao could respond, Zhang Biyan spoke up, “Isn’t she good at hiding? She’s managed to find a quiet spot all to herself. But as good as she is at hiding, we’re just as good at finding her.”

She finished with a laugh, and several women from merchant families who accompanied her chimed in.

“Lady Lu, please don’t mind us making some noise.”

“It’s rare to see Lady Lu, so we came uninvited.”

“We’ve heard that Lady Lu is skilled in medicine. We’ve come to ask for advice on some health issues.”

Lu Jiao watched as seven or eight women approached and spoke animatedly. She remained calm and replied with a friendly smile, “I’m not hiding for leisure. I’m afraid my four little ones might disturb you.”

With her words, Zhang Biyan clapped her hands, “You’re just teasing us. We’ve heard that your four little ones are exceptionally well-mannered and polite.

But even if you hide, we’ll find you.”

As Zhang Biyan spoke, she and her companions sat down beside Lu Jiao.

Li Yuyao quickly took a seat on the other side of Lu Jiao, and Zhu Baozhu and Tan Xiaoya looked at each other before sitting on either side of Li Yuyao. This arrangement made the atmosphere in the hall seem more harmonious.

At this moment, everyone wore a smile on their faces, engaging in conversations with Lu Jiao. The scene appeared as if they were all drawn to her like stars surrounding the moon.

Lu Jiao naturally understood the reason behind this, and she calmly engaged in conversation with Zhang Biyan and the others.

On the other side, Li Yuyao observed the situation and quickly understood the intentions of the Zhang family. She inwardly cursed, thinking that these shameless individuals had previously tried to harm Scholar Xie and Jiaojiao. And now, in the blink of an eye, they were pursuing them again.

Li Yuyao watched the scene unfold and then turned to hold Lu Jiao’s hand,

“Jiaojiao, I’m sorry. When you and scholar Xie went missing, I couldn’t go to Heifeng Mountain to look for you. Fortunately, you’re safe.”

Although Li Yuyao hadn’t personally gone to Heifeng Mountain, she had sent her husband, Hu Shan, along with County Magistrate Hu to search for them.

“Sister, your children are still so young. There’s no need for you to go up the mountain to find us.’

Li Yuyao patted Lu Jiao’s hand and sighed, “Jiaojiao is truly blessed. Those who intended to harm you and Scholar Xie ended up empty-handed. Unfortunately, Yang and Peng took their own lives, or else we could have exposed the villains who truly wanted to harm you and Scholar Xie.”

Li Yuyao’s words made Zhang Biyan and the women beside her look quite unhappy. One of the women wanted to speak but was silenced by Zhang Biyan’s glare.

Zhang Biyan remained expressionless as she turned to Li Yuyao and Lu Jiao, “On this joyous occasion, let’s avoid speaking of inauspicious matters and discuss something cheerful.”

Li Yuyao immediately responded with a smile, “Lady Zhang is right. Let’s talk about joyous things. Don’t let those unpleasant matters dampen our spirits.”

Zhang Biyan’s expression darkened for a moment. She let out a long breath and then turned to Lu Jiao.

“Lady Lu has become sworn sisters with Lady Li. Why don’t we become sworn sisters too, tomorrow?”

As if excited by her own idea, she grabbed onto Lu Jiao’s hands and earnestly stared at Lu Jiao, “What do you think, Lady Lu? Shall we become sisters?”

Before Lu Jiao could respond, Li Yuyao swiftly took Lu Jiao’s hand, then extended her own to hold Lu Jiao, giving her a determined look. She declared, “No, this little sister is mine. I can’t let others steal her away.”

Lu Jiao’s eyes sparkled briefly, understanding that Li Yuyao was trying to help her out. It seemed that this older sister wasn’t sworn in vain.

Lu Jiao smiled and remained silent. Zhang Biyan looked quite displeased, wondering what Li Yuyao meant. Was she deliberately interfering in her plans?

Although Zhang Biyan was irritated, she didn’t show it. After all, Li Yuyao was the magistrate’s senior daughter-in-law, and no matter what, she couldn’t afford to quarrel with her.

So, Zhang Biyan smiled at Li Yuyao and said, “Lady Li, you can have your own sworn sister, and I can have mine. It’s unrelated, so why prevent others from forming bonds?”

Li Yuyao asserted, “No, I’ve finally found such a wonderful sister, and I won’t let anyone take her away.”

Zhang Biyan glared at Li Yuyao, visibly displeased, and remarked, “Isn’t this Lady Lu’s business? Lady Li, your overbearing behavior, don’t you think it’s too much?”

Zhang Biyan finished speaking and then looked at Lu Jiao. Lu Jiao smiled and replied, “Lady Zhang, let’s just forget about it. If I were to become your sister, I’m afraid my current sister wouldn’t agree.”

Li Yuyao immediately smiled and patted Lu Jiao’s head, “That’s the way it should be.”

At this point, Zhang Biyan realized that Li Yuyao and Lu Jiao were in cahoots, and this left her feeling increasingly frustrated. As the eldest daughter of the Zhang family and someone highly valued by her family, she had never been treated this way. She couldn’t believe that these two women were bullying her. The smile on her face waned slightly.

She looked at Lu Jiao with an expression of regret and commented, “What a pity. I had actually thought that if I became sworn sisters with Lady Lu, I would give her a special gift. But Lady Lu has unexpectedly been taken away by someone.”

While staring at Lu Jiao, she added, “And this gift is something that Lady Lu has been longing for.”

After uttering these words, Zhang Biyan stood up and headed for the exit. Since it appeared that Lady Lu didn’t want to form a sisterly bond with her, there was no reason for her to stay.

As Zhang Biyan left, Lu Jiao watched her depart with squinted eyes and thought about the special gift Zhang Biyan had mentioned.

She quickly realized that the gift was likely Shen Xiu.

The meaning behind Zhang Biyan’s words was quite clear. If they had become close, she would have handed Shen Xiu over to Lu Jiao to deal with, implying that Shen Xiu was now under Zhang Biyan’s control.

As Lu Jiao was lost in thought, Li Yuyao, who was beside her, advised her, “Jiaojiao, you should keep your distance from Zhang Biyan. Although Zhang Biyan may not seem harmful on the surface, I’ve heard some rumors. They say she holds significant influence in the Zhang family, and her grandfather regards her greatly. Many important matters in the Zhang family are decided by her..”