Chapter 36: Can My Acting Skills Lose to Yours?

Chapter 36: Can My Acting Skills Lose to Yours?

Lady Luo escorted Lady Zheng out, leaving only three young masters and two young ladies in the room.

Seeing that Lady Zheng was no longer present and Zheng Jinyu had no one to protect her, Zheng Hongxu dropped his facade.

He sneered and directed his gaze at Zheng Jinyu, saying, "Zheng Jinyu, Jinxiu has already presented us with fans. What about you? What have you prepared for us?"

Zheng Jinyu found the situation amusing. As her brother, hadn't he failed to give her anything since she returned? Yet, he had the audacity to ask her for gifts.

Zheng Jinyu glanced at his plain white folding fan and suggested, "Third Brother, why don't I paint a picture on your fan?"

Zheng Jinxiu's expression froze, and she glared at Zheng Jinyu with anger.

"What? You want to paint on my fan?" Zheng Hongxu abruptly snapped his fan shut and sneered, "This fan was meticulously crafted by Jinxiu despite her injured hand. To let someone from the countryside like you defile her intentions with your painting would be an insult."

Zheng Jinxiu heaved a sigh of relief.

She definitely didn't want Zheng Jinyu's artwork on the fan she had painstakingly made.

With an innocent expression, Zheng Jinyu said, "But apart from painting, I have no other talents. I'm not sure what to give you as a gift, all I have is..."

She took out a sachet and stretched out her hand. "This is the silver my mother gave me, all of it is here. Third Brother, I don't know what kind of gift you'd like, why don't you take it and buy something for yourself?"

Zheng Hongxu swatted away her sachet mockingly. "A few bits of silver, are you trying to bribe a beggar? Hmph, even the rewards we usually give our servants are more than your meager amount of silver."

Zheng Jinxiu, standing by, was delighted, watching as Zheng Hongxu helped her vent her frustration on Zheng Jinyu.

Zheng Hongyan didn't intervene, seemingly relishing in Zheng Jinyu's misfortune.

Only Zheng Hongxing looked at them with a strange expression.

Zheng Jinyu twirled her handkerchief in silence, subtly rubbing the back of her hand until it turned red.

With teary eyes, she gazed fixedly at the ground where the sachet lay.

Just then, Lady Zheng and Master Zheng arrived.

Noticing something amiss, Zheng Hongxu hastily picked up the sachet and slipped it into Zheng Jinyu's own.

"Little sister Jinyu, how did you drop your sachet? Here, take it carefully, don't let it go again."

Zheng Jinyu reached for the sachet with trembling hands but found herself unable to grasp it steadily.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks, landing on her flushed wrist.

Zheng Hongxu's expression froze for a moment before he lowered his voice, lacing his words with a hint of warning, "Take it quickly."

Zheng Jinyu trembled in response, clenching the sachet tightly.

Madam Zheng's smile froze on her face as she glanced at her children, her gaze ultimately settling on Zheng Jinyu.

"Jinyu, what's the matter?"

She remained silent, merely shaking her head while the tears continued to flow uncontrollably.

Mr. Zheng fixated his gaze on Zheng Hongxu, who had deliberately taken two steps back to avoid suspicion. "You ungrateful son, did you come back just to bully your sister?"

"Dad, I didn't," Zheng Hongxu defended himself.

"Why are you crying for her?"

"How would I know? She's just a petty girl, always shedding tears."

Madam Zheng held Zheng Jinyu's hand and asked, "If she cries so easily, why are her hands so red?"

Zheng Hongxu's gaze fell on Zheng Jinyu's hands. He hadn't used any force, so why were they so crimson?

Interesting. It seemed that Jinxiu's maid was right; she was an actress who sought her parents' affection through dramatic displays. It was true.

"How would I know? I only tapped her lightly; she must have pinched herself red."

Madam Zheng rolled her eyes in frustration. "Why did you even touch her hand? I was only gone for a moment, and you've already bullied your sister. You even say she did it to herself? Very well, Third Son, you've grown some backbone, enough to bully your sister."

Zheng Hongxu, feeling wronged, roared in exasperation. "I said I didn't do it, it wasn't me."

Madam Zheng gave a cold snort. "What do the two of you have to say?"

Jinxiu spoke up, "Mother, I didn't see anything. I only heard the sound of the purse falling to the ground."

Well, wasn't he clever, trying to distance himself and watch her beloved Third Brother suffer the consequences?

Zheng Hongqi said, "Third Brother did hit her, but it didn't seem like a hard slap."

Madam Zheng commented, "The two of you have grown up together, always covering for each other. Of course, you wouldn't know. Little Wu, you tell us."

Both Zheng Hongqi and Zheng Hongxu glared at him, while Jinxiu looked at him with tearful eyes.

Master Zheng rebuked, "What are you all doing? Are you trying to intimidate Little Wu and prevent her from speaking the truth?"

"Father, we don't have it."

"That's good to hear. Little Wu, Father wants to hear the truth. Lying children aren't well-behaved."

Encouraged, Zheng Hongxing recounted the incident in detail, without favoring anyone.

Zheng Ji and his wife turned red with anger as they listened.

Zheng Hongxing continued, "I don't understand why Third Brother would bully Second Sister and even call her a country bumpkin."

Zheng Ji slapped Zheng Hongxu so fiercely that he spun around twice before collapsing on the ground.

With a swollen face, Zheng Hongxu stared at Zheng Ji in disbelief.

"Dad, you're hitting me again for her? I'm your son whom you've raised for over a decade, while she's only been here for a few months. What kind of intoxicating potion has she fed you all to make you favor her so blindly?"

Zheng Ji seethed, "Is this what you call favoritism? Look at the despicable things you've done. You've got some nerve, bullying your younger sister when your parents aren't around. All those years of reading have gone to waste."

"Someone, drag him down and lock him in the ancestral hall. No one is to give him any food," Zheng Ji commanded.

Another visit to the ancestral shrine.

"Father, you can't lock me up again. Why are you treating me like this just for her?"

"How dare you still protest? Don't you realize your mistake?"

"I didn't do anything wrong. I told you, I only tapped her lightly, not intentionally hitting her."

Zheng Jinxiu interjected, "Father, please don't punish Third Brother. It's such a rare occasion for him to come home. Please, I beg of you."

She knelt down in earnest pleading.

Zheng Ji was taken aback and immediately reached out to support her, his attention drawn away from Zheng Jinxiu.

Seeing the situation awry, Zheng Jinyu hastily wiped her tears and tugged at Zheng Ji's sleeve, whispering an appeal on behalf of Zheng Hongxu.

"Father, Third Brother didn't use too much strength. Jinyu isn't in pain. Please don't punish Third Brother."

Zheng Hongxu was furious. How could she be pleading for him? She must be putting on an act.

Zheng Ji's attention was redirected to Zheng Jinyu, causing him to swallow the comforting words he had intended for Zheng Jinxiu.

"How can you plead for your sister's mercy when she's the one who wronged you?" He looked down at her hand and said, "You say it wasn't severe, but how can it be so red if it wasn't?"

"Perhaps Jinyu hasn't been doing manual labor these past few months, and her skin has become more delicate. A light tap could make it flush," Zheng Hongqi interjected hastily. "Yes, Father, perhaps it's because women's skin is tender. Third Brother really didn't hit her with force."

Zheng Ji was exasperated. "Fine, let's put aside the question of whether or not there was physical harm. As brothers, instead of giving gifts to your sister, you ask her for gifts. Is that acceptable?"

"We've also brought gifts..." They had indeed brought presents, but they were all intended for Jinxiu.

"Where are the gifts?" Zheng Ji raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"This..."

Both of them fell silent.

Suddenly, Zheng Jinxiu knelt once more and said, "Father, Second Brother and Third Brother have instructed their servants to send the gifts they brought to my courtyard. I shall retrieve them immediately for my sister."

With that, she scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the exit.

Zheng Hongqi intercepted her, saying, "There's no need to retrieve it. Everything here is a gift for you."

Then, he turned to Zheng Jinyu and apologized, "Younger Sister, I'm truly sorry. We're still adjusting to having another sister, so we didn't prepare a gift for you. Next time, when we return, we will definitely bring something for you too."

Through this exchange, both Lady Zheng and Master Zheng could see the truth clearly now.

Their two sons simply preferred Jinxiu over Jinyu; in their hearts, they only had one younger sister, Jinxiu.