After Little Mrs. Li kicked things off, Old Man Feng, Second Feng, and their sons Feng Dabao and Feng Erbao also joined in, wailing and begging for mercy.
They were so worked up, like prisoners on death row catching a glimpse of a possible reprieve, using every last ounce of strength to plead with Huang Yaning to spare them.
But they were just too weak—after a few cries, they’d have to stop and catch their breath.
Old Lady Li couldn’t speak. Her face was a mass of wrinkles, and she radiated intense malice and hatred.
Every now and then she’d open her mouth to make strange sounds, and Huang Yaning noticed she’d lost almost all her teeth—just a few crooked, yellow stubs remained…
She looked like some sort of vengeful spirit clawing her way back from hell.
But Huang Yaning wasn’t scared in the slightest.
She’d already died once—if she were still afraid of someone on death’s door, that would be a joke!
Among the Feng family, Old Man Feng could still speak, but he kept his mouth shut.
Those eyes of his, which used to hold a certain depth and shrewdness, were now dull and lifeless, a murky gray.
Old Man Feng was clever. Deep down, he knew the person before him would never let him go—nor anyone else in the Feng family.
Begging would only serve as entertainment for her amusement.
And even if, by some miracle, she did show mercy and set him free—where would he even go?
Back to Peach Blossom Village?
The Feng family house had burned down years ago, leaving only a skeleton frame. They’d thrown together a thatched shack afterward and lived there…
Now that they were all paralyzed, who would fix up the shack?
Who would take care of him?
Here, at least, he could still scrape together a little food…
At this point, Old Man Feng knew that living was a torment—but he still wanted to hold on a little longer.
Truth be told, the others had nowhere to go either. If Little Mrs. Li were sent back to the Li family, she’d die even faster.
Suddenly, Huang Yaning asked with a smile, “Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”
At those words—except for Old Man Feng, Old Man Feng Senior, and Taoniang—everyone else looked flattered and taken aback.
Even Old Lady Li seemed to perk up with a faint flicker of life.
“I’m starving—so hungry. Thank you, Seventh Miss…”
Young Feng Dabao and Feng Erbao were overjoyed and thanked her profusely.
Huang Yaning sent two maidservants to the restaurant to bring back some good food.
Steamed chicken, eight-treasure duck, braised fish, soy-braised pig trotters… and a jar of fine aged Shaoxing wine.
As she rattled off the dishes, she noticed several Fengs swallowing hard, their eyes filled with desperate longing…
That look and those gestures were all too familiar.
Back in Peach Blossom Village, every holiday, the Feng family would feast and drink while Minmin could only look on with empty hands.
One New Year, Old Lady Li was uncharacteristically generous.
She steamed a big pot of pure white rice—no coarse grains mixed in—killed a chicken and a duck, stewed two pig trotters, and even made a fish…
The fish was fried in a generous amount of oil for the first time ever, then simmered into a rich, milky white broth.
Minmin thought, with all that delicious food, surely she’d get a little bit too…
She didn’t even dream of meat or side dishes—she knew she wouldn’t get any of that.
She only hoped for a single ladle of fish broth to mix into her rice—that would’ve been wonderful…
If not, even half a bowl of rice soaked in broth would’ve been enough…
But in the end, the Feng family gave Minmin half a bowl of plain white rice. No fish broth.
They told her to scrape the bits from the bottom of the pot for herself.
And they all wore expressions like they were doing her a huge favor.
As if to say, “Aren’t we good to you? We even let you have white rice with ‘oil’ on New Year’s…”
Her own daughter, on a holiday as important as New Year’s, could only eat half a bowl of scraped pot rice.
Meanwhile, Sheng Mingzhu—how spoiled she’d been!
Three meals a day, no repeats of the delicacies on her table.
As long as it got Sheng Mingzhu to eat one more bite, Taoniang couldn’t care less how much silver she spent…
These memories felt like someone had set a fire inside her—it hurt too much…
She glanced at the remaining maidservants in the courtyard and said, “When the food and wine arrive, you can share them among yourselves. You’ve had a rough day today—you deserve a little compensation. When you get back, go to Qingtian to collect your bonus pay—”
The maidservants immediately beamed with joy and thanked her.
They understood perfectly well: Huang Yaning wanted them to eat and drink to their hearts’ content right in front of the Feng family, just to torment them.
Only then did Huang Yaning turn her attention back to the Fengs and flash them a bright smile.
“Don’t misunderstand—I’m just asking politely. But I’m not actually being polite!”
The Feng family: “…”
Huang Yaning continued, “Today, I’ve come specially to congratulate you—
“Your family’s Feng Sanya—now known as Xia Zhi.
“A peasant girl by birth, who even served as a maid in our household.
“And now she’s defied fate itself to become a concubine of Prince Qi.
“Every day she’s clad in silk and jewels, waited on hand and foot—
“Tell me, how many women in this whole realm can boast such good fortune?”
Some of the Fengs stared blankly, lost and confused.
Others shifted their eyes nervously, as if trying to guess where she was going with this.
Huang Yaning went on, her tone soft and airy.
“Then there’s Feng Siya and Feng Wuya—now Qiu Ju and Dong Kui—
“Those two are also incredibly lucky, now serving as prominent maids to two young masters. They eat and dress better than daughters of moderately well-off families—
“If they’re a little more proactive, they’ll surely be promoted to concubine status before long.
“Once they bear a child or two, their wealth and comfort for the rest of their lives are all but guaranteed.
“And let’s not even mention Sheng Mingzhu—truly a pheasant turned phoenix, reaping all the benefits!
“All four girls from your Feng family are living the high life. For an ordinary family to produce even one such daughter, it’d be like their ancestors’ graves smoking with good fortune…”
Early on, the Fengs had hoped that Sheng Mingzhu or Xia Zhi might throw them a lifeline and pull them out of their misery.
But they’d long since given up hope! Those two ingrates didn’t want to lift a finger for them.
They’d sent Jiaojiao to the Sheng manor and Prince Qi’s residence multiple times, but every time Jiaojiao came back saying she couldn’t get in…
Now, hearing this, they felt more keenly than ever just how powerful those four Feng girls had become.
They thought, if those girls would just extend a finger, they could be saved—so why not try again?
This woman just said she was here to congratulate them—could it be that one of the girls was actually coming to rescue them?
The Fengs’ breathing quickened with anticipation.
Even Old Man Feng’s dead eyes flickered with a faint spark of hope.
Huang Yaning caught that spark and felt a surge of satisfaction, though her face showed a long, heavy sigh.
“Every single one of them knows exactly what kind of state you’re in, and every single one of them has the means to save you!
“But alas—they’re just like you. No conscience at all! Not one of them is willing to lift a finger…”
The Fengs’ dreamy expressions froze instantly, then cracked.
“Seventh Miss—”
Second Feng suddenly cried out in a near-manic tone.
“They’re my own flesh and blood daughters! They can’t just abandon me!
“If they do, they’ll be struck by lightning and die horribly! They’ll fall straight into the eighteenth level of hell—”
His voice twisted from rage to pleading.
“Seventh Miss, I never really hit you or cursed you much back then. In the Feng family, I was the one who treated you the best…
“Could you please pass a message to them—tell them to come save me—
“I’m only asking for enough to eat and someone to handle my waste—that’s all…”
Second Feng broke down sobbing, a low, wailing sound rising from deep in his throat, as if his very soul were weeping.
The others joined in too, alternating between cursing the four sisters and begging Huang Yaning to deliver their pleas.
Each one was terrified of being left behind if Second Feng got rescued first…
