The wind is gentle and the fun is endless

Xiang Yin said confidently: "What's wrong with being a bastard? Why does father look down on bastards? Father himself is a bastard!"

The usually gentle Second Aunt shouted, "How dare you! How rude! Xiang Yin! How dare you talk to your father like that!"

Xiang Yin pursed her lips when she heard that, still with a stubborn expression, and did not answer.

Second Uncle calmed down a bit. He stroked his forehead with his hand and whispered, "Yes, you are right. I am a bastard. It is precisely because I am a bastard and I have suffered from being a bastard that I don't want you to suffer from being a bastard! Xiangyin, your parents are doing their best for you."

Seeing him like this, Xiang Yin also said aggrievedly: "But father loves mother and treats her very well. Father is smart and capable, and he makes life very good for mother and me. Mother and I have never suffered any loss or hardship."

The second uncle said, "It's because of the special situation of the Xu family, and because my eldest brother died early, that I have the opportunity to let you and your mother live a good life. You know, before that, at the beginning, I often ran out of charcoal fire in the winter, and your mother, a noble lady from a wealthy family, had to cry and suffer with me... Oh, let's not talk about it. Anyway, my parents will not harm you, Xiangyin!"

Xiang Yin was stunned. It was obviously the first time she heard such a thing. But after a while, she still said stubbornly: "Brother Xie Shen has no legitimate brothers. He is the only heir. He will not suffer this kind of hardship. Father does not need to worry."

"How could you understand these? Who can guarantee that other legitimate descendants of his family will not be eyeing him covetously? Being born out of wedlock is always unjust and unlawful." The second uncle continued to advise earnestly.

"Besides, illegitimate children are not respected or valued either at home or outside. This is because our situation is special. You have never experienced it, so how can you understand it?" The second uncle said this with great earnestness.

Xiang Yin was still very stubborn and said, "Brother Xie Shen is always kind to others. People around him like to deal with him. There won't be any problem."

"You..." The second uncle was furious, pointing at Xiang Yin and saying, "I've said so much, and you still don't repent. We really spoiled you this time! I can't spoil you this time no matter what. If I say I won't let you go out, then don't even think about going out. If I say I won't let you see that bastard, then don't even think about seeing that bastard!"

After saying that, my second uncle turned around and slammed the door and left.

The door slammed loudly, startling the Second Aunt in the room. But Xiang Yin pouted, with no fear in her eyes, and no intention of backing down.

Second Auntie gently advised, "Xiang Yin, are you actually just grateful to Master Xie Shen for saving you during the autumn hunt? You are still young, and it is easy for you to confuse gratitude with affection between a man and a woman. Although your father has already thanked you, if you feel it is not enough, we can still find a way to thank him again, but don't mistake your feelings."

Xiang Yin answered very seriously: "Mother, I am very sure that I am not mistaken."

Then, she continued shyly: "I have always admired Brother Xie Shen, and he is also interested in me."

Second Aunt frowned and couldn't help sighing, "Xiang Yin, your father even told you about his past difficulties, so humbly, why are you still so stubborn?"

Xiang Yin heard her mother say this and said with a somewhat aggrieved tone: "I only know that my father was a bastard, but my mother still married him. My father and mother loved each other very much and lived in harmony. We had a house and servants, and we lived very well these years. Brother Xie Shen treated me very well, and my mother did not marry the wrong person. I would... I would not do that either."

After all, she was still young, so Xiangyin felt a little embarrassed and couldn't say the word "get married" directly. After saying it, she lowered her head shyly.

Hearing her daughter's tone, Second Aunt's chest rose and fell violently. After a while, she seemed to have finally made up her mind. She lowered her voice, but could not hide the resentment in her tone, and said, "Do you think I voluntarily married into the Xu family and your father's bastard?"

It was the first time Xiang Yin heard her mother call her father like that. She looked up at her mother in surprise and murmured, "Mother, you..."

Second Aunt continued angrily, "Back then, your maternal grandfather's family and the Xu family discussed a marriage alliance, but among the unmarried men in the Xu family at that time, only your father, a bastard, was the closest to the legitimate line. In order to curry favor with the Xu family, your maternal grandfather actually arranged a marriage between me and your father's bastard! My mother was born in a noble family, and my father's family has been a wealthy family for generations. How could a noble legitimate daughter like me marry a bastard who has no achievements? I argued and made a fuss about this, but your cruel grandfather and maternal uncle said that if I didn't marry a bastard, I would have to be a concubine. I had to marry into the Xu family even if I died, so I had to accept my fate."

Xiang Yin said in disbelief: "But mother has been very good to father over the years, and she even used the power of my grandparents to help father..."

Before Xiang Yin could finish, Second Aunt interrupted her and said, "I was helping him? I was helping myself!"

After saying this, Second Aunt paused for a moment. Now that things had come to a point today, she simply told her daughter everything she was thinking.

She said, "What kind of life did I lead in my parents' home back then? I was a rich lady, I was pampered, respected, and had money. What could your father give me? Do you know how frustrated I was when I first got married? I was not convinced, so I could only go back to my parents' home and cry to my mother, and quarrel with my father and brothers. They felt guilty about me, so they helped me frequently."

After saying this, the second aunt calmed down a little, and softened her attitude towards her only daughter, and began to persuade her with reason and emotion. "Xiangyin! Everyone knows that illegitimate children have a low status. For example, your Xu family is such a wealthy family, but you are so partial to legitimate children in terms of family wealth. Most of the illegitimate children can only barely live a life of food and clothing, which is not as good as the legitimate children. What's more, the Xie family is a declining family. Think about it, if you marry into the family, can you still have the leisurely and wealthy life in your mother's family?"

Xiang Yin obviously didn't listen to Second Aunt's words. She was immersed in her own shock and just murmured to herself, "No, it's not like that. Mother and father have always been in harmony. Father even swore for mother that he would never take a concubine."

"How dare he take a concubine!" The coldness in Second Aunt's eyes was something Xiang Yin had never seen before. "Not to mention that he relied on my family for charity in the early years, even if he has been in charge of the Xu family's affairs in recent years, he still needs my father and brother's help outside and my help inside. It can be said that without me, he wouldn't be where he is today. Taking a concubine, huh, he wouldn't dare to do it even if I gave him the guts!"

"Mother, how can you say that about father..." Xiang Yin bit her lip, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing her daughter like this, Second Aunt softened her tone and said, "Xiang Yin, the only thing I'm thankful for is that your father is a competitive person like me. He didn't let my efforts down over the years and bought us such a nice house so that we can live a good life. But look at that kid from the Xie family. He has been inferior to your elder brother in every way since he was a child. I heard that he often goes out to drink with a bunch of equally idle young masters. No matter how you look at it, he is not a good man worthy of trust."

"That's not true. Brother Xie Shen is kind and easy-going, and he has many good qualities." Xiang Yin was so depressed by her mother's words that she looked dazed and could only retort in a low voice.

"What's the use of being kind?! You, you stubborn fool! Just stay here, reflect on yourself, and don't go anywhere!" After saying this, Second Aunt flicked her sleeves, closed the door with a "bang", and went out.

For a moment, the room that was full of quarrels just now suddenly became quiet. Even the sun that had just shone its light into the room suddenly disappeared, hiding behind a cloud, and the light in the room also dimmed.

Xiangyin was the only one left in the room. She was curled up in a chair, clutching her hair with her hands and her head clamped under her arms. She looked as if she had been hit on the head. She didn't move at all and didn't make a sound.

After an unknown amount of time, the maid from the mansion came to bring food to Xiangyin, but Xiangyin still did not move. After another while, the maid came to take the bowl and was surprised to see that the food was not touched. She wanted to persuade Xiangyin, but she did not respond when she spoke to her.

The old nanny had no choice but to ask the master, and after receiving the reply "It's up to her to eat or not, if she doesn't want to eat, just take it away for her", she had to come back and take out the cold food.

As the door was closed, the old lady shook her head and sighed to herself, "Alas, in this quarrel, I wonder who can win, the parents or the children."