The Lucky Heiress

But at this moment, Madame Yun was in the throes of a headache, and it was not suitable for Wei Ruo to interrupt, so she simply sat down on a chair nearby.

The fact that the Bai family was willing to lend Wei Qingwan silver wasn’t surprising, as lending money to Wei Qingwan was an investment for the Bai family. There would be ample opportunities in the future for repayment.

What surprised Wei Ruo was that Wei Qingwan would actually want to borrow the silver to purchase her expensive ointment.

That was two-thousand taels of silver! That could purchase two-thousand acres of land in Taizhou prefecture!

It seemed that Wei Qingwan’s obsession with her back injury was deeper than she had thought, so much so that it could be described as a fixation.

This indirectly reflected Wei Qingwan’s fear of falling out of favor after marrying into the King Yu Residence, and her genuine desire to compete for attention.

Once proclaiming the supremacy of love, but now only thinking of how to win favor, Wei Ruo found the change amusing, though she didn’t know what caused it.

In response to Wei Qingwan’s query, Madame Yun felt an unbearable headache. She didn’t know how to explain the situation to her daughter.

“Wanwan, I understand your feelings and your desire to heal the scar on your back, but you need to be rational. Two-thousand taels of silver is excessive. We can consult with other doctors in the Capital City. Perhaps there are other ways to heal your scar,” Madame Yun advised.

“Mother, I’ve tried many ways and none are better. I’ve made up my mind, whether you agree or not, I’ll proceed on my own,” Wei Qingwan said with determination.

Looking at Wei Qingwan in disbelief, Madame Yun asked, “Are you defying me?”

“I’m not defying you, Mother. It’s you who refuse to consider my wishes.”

With tear-rimmed eyes, Wei Qingwan glanced resentfully at Wei Ruo, who was quietly observing from nearby.

“I know that in your heart, Mother, Ruoruo is your real daughter, and I am just your adopted daughter.”

Taken aback by the sudden reference, Wei Ruo remained silent, just looking at Wei Qingwan.

“What are you talking about?” Madame Yun’s head throbbed painfully, her vision blurring.

“Did I get it wrong, Mother? The preparations for the dowries you gave to Ruoruo and me were different. The deeds to the house and land you gave sister were far better than those you gave me. Did my mother think I was ignorant? My Second Aunt told me about the value of the properties you own in the Capital City long ago, so I know the difference,” Wei Qingwan confronted.

“You…You’re wrong,” Madame Yun’s chest heaved with exertion.

“Where did I err, Mother? The dowry you prepared for Ruoruo is indeed more expensive than the one you prepared for me. As your adopted daughter, I don’t resent you for that. I am already grateful for the care you gave me and I didn’t expect to be treated equally as Ruoruo.”

“But you not only deceived me, telling me that you treat us both equally and prepared the same dowry for us, you also wanted to stop Second Aunt from helping me. I don’t understand why, Mother. Even though I’m not your real daughter, don’t you care about my future at all? Does our mother-daughter relationship of so many years amount to nothing?”

“You…You’re talking nonsense!” Madame Yun’s vision turned black, as though cloaked by dark clouds.

Wei Qingwan continued, “No matter what you say, Mother, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll leave you to rest.”

Wei Qingwan finished speaking, left without waiting for Madame Yun’s response.

This moment was beyond what Madame Yun could bear. “Wanwan…How could Wanwan…” she trailed off in despair.

Cuiping stepped forward to offer Madame Yun some water, “Madam, don’t worry. Have some water to calm down.”

“Why has Wanwan changed like this? Why?” Madame Yun lamented, her face full of pain.

“Madam, don’t be upset. The Second Miss has been quite close to Second Aunt lately. Perhaps she was misled, which is why she was disrespectful to you. You shouldn’t take it to heart,” Cuiping attempted to comfort her.

“She’s really foolish! Can she trust her Second Uncle and Second Aunt? They are cunning and ambitious, always scheming to ascend the social ladder! How could they sincerely care for her?” Madame Yun was tearful, sounding bitterly disappointed.

She then lamented, “Wanwan used to be so sensible and obedient, always listening to me. Why has she changed so much now? To say that I favor Ruoruo, clearly, I…”She stopped abruptly after realizing someone else was present.

At this time, the silent Wei Ruo stood up.

“Mother, I have things to attend to, and won’t disturb you any further. Goodbye,” Wei Ruo bid her farewell.

Madame Yun was too consumed by her anguish to keep Wei Ruo any longer. She weakly raised her hand, signaling for her to leave.

Only after Wei Ruo left did Madame Yun continue speaking to Cuiping, “I’ve clearly been favoring Wanwan, yet she still resents me so much! She has truly broken my heart!”

Indeed, there was a difference in the house and land deeds that Madame Yun prepared for her two daughters, with those for Wei Ruo being more valuable.

But the jewelry Madame Yun gave to Wei Qingwan was worth more than Wei Ruo’s. In the end, the dowries she prepared for both were of equal value.

For these outward symbols, Madame Yun tried her best to be fair. There was no favoritism.

Madame Yun had also prepared a silver note worth five-hundred taels, planning to give it to Wei Qingwan covertly.

This led to an even stronger pang of heartache.

After leaving Anxin Pavilion, Wei Ruo planned to go to Changchun Garden.

“Are you happy today, Sister?”

Wei Qingwan hadn’t gone far, but waited at the door of Anxin Pavilion for Wei Ruo.

“What does it matter whether I’m happy or not?” Wei Ruo countered.

Wei Qingwan let out a light laugh, “I admit, I lost to you in Wei Residence. Father, Mother, Big Brother, Little Brother, they all prefer you now. You’ve taken everything that once belonged to me. But don’t forget, we still have a long road ahead of us. We are both going to marry into the Royal Family. At that time, who will have the upper hand and who will have the last laugh is still uncertain, so Sister, you shouldn’t start celebrating so soon!”

Wei Ruo curved her lips into a smile, “Let me remind you, only I am going to be a daughter-in-law in the Royal Family. You are not. Haven’t you heard that a concubine can’t call herself a wife?”

Wei Qingwan let out a cold laugh, “Fine, if you insist on having the last word, go ahead. I waited here today just to tell you that I, Wei Qingwan, will reclaim everything you took from me sooner or later.”

Wei Ruo answered unhurriedly, “Firstly, we don’t know who is having the last word; secondly, I have never taken anything from you; thirdly, some things were never yours to begin with.”

Having said that, Wei Ruo didn’t pay any more attention to Wei Qingwan and walked away quickly.

Left behind, Wei Qingwan coldly watched Wei Ruo’s departing figure.