CHAPTER 146: CHAPTER

The next morning, the Mo residence was unusually calm.

Maids moved around carrying baskets of fabric, trays of pastries, and boxes of decorations, all chatting softly as they went about their tasks. The entire place felt lighter now that Lady Xu had recovered, and with the two weddings only two days away, everyone seemed busy.

Lin Xu was outside in the courtyard with the kids, Yanmei, and Rulan.

They were sorting through wedding fabrics, silk, satin, lace while the children kept running around, getting in the way and laughing. Rulan kept scolding them, Yanmei kept chasing them, and Lin Xu just sat there rubbing her temples.

Just as Lin Xu finally got the kids to sit still...

Footsteps approached.

San Na.

Lin Xu looked up, surprised. San Na rarely came alone.

Today, though, she walked in calmly, hands folded, not a trace of anger or jealousy on her face. Behind her stood an older woman dressed neatly in pale green robes, holding a thin bamboo ruler and several scrolls.

"Lin Xu," San Na said with a polite smile that Lin Xu immediately did not trust, "I came to discuss the wedding preparations."

Lin Xu blinked. "Wedding preparations? Mine?"

"Who else’s?" San Na replied sweetly.

Rulan and Yanmei exchanged looks.

"Also," San Na continued, turning slightly to gesture to the older woman, "I brought someone who will guide you for the next two days. This is Madam He. She teaches court manners, speech, and proper etiquette."

The older woman bowed slightly. "Greetings, Young Madam."

Lin Xu stared at her like she had just been sentenced to prison.

"Etiquette?" she muttered. "What’s wrong with my current one?"

San Na gave a soft laugh. "Nothing is wrong, but... you will soon be part of the Mo family officially. You need to learn certain things. How to bow the right way. How to greet elders. How to walk in front of nobles. How to sit beside your husband. How to hold your chopsticks properly for the wedding banquet..."

Lin Xu’s face dropped more and more with each word.

Rulan whispered, "Miss Xu, just be calm."

Yanmei whispered back, "She’s going to explode."

Lin Xu forced a smile. "San Na... are you saying I don’t know how to sit?"

"I never said that," San Na replied, still smiling. "But you sit like a warrior sometimes."

The older woman nodded. "Very true."

Lin Xu almost choked.

San Na stepped closer and lowered her voice slightly. "Lin Xu... the whole city will be watching during the wedding. If you make a mistake, everyone will talk. And I... I don’t want people mocking you."

Lin Xu blinked slowly.

San Na... was sounding sincere?

She didn’t trust it, but she couldn’t deny the logic.

"So," San Na said with a gentle clap, "for today and tomorrow, Madam He will be teaching you everything you need. From posture... to greetings... to how to behave during the wedding rites."

Madam He stepped forward and tapped her bamboo ruler softly on her palm.

"Let us begin. First... straighten your back. Then gather your hair properly. We will practice bowing twenty times."

Lin Xu stared at her.

Bowing twenty times?

Rulan looked away.

Yanmei covered her mouth.

The kids whispered, "Mother is gonna cry..."

Lin Xu sighed deeply, feeling her soul leave her body.

"...Fine," she muttered. "Let’s start."

San Na smiled politely and stepped aside to watch.

But deep in her eyes, a faint glint flickered.

She wasn’t here to help Lin Xu at all.

She was here to make sure something went wrong.

Lin Xu forced herself to stand straight, hands at her sides, while Madam He circled her like a hawk ready to strike. Her back already hurt and the lesson had barely begun.

San Na watched with that calm, graceful smile that annoyed Lin Xu more than anything.

But after the fifth correction from Madam He, Lin Xu finally snapped.

"Wait—wait—wait," she said, stepping back, hands raised. "Why am I the only one being trained? What about Chu Ming? Shouldn’t she be learning ’proper lady manners’ too?"

Rulan and Yanmei froze.

Madam He blinked.

San Na slowly turned to her, smiling still... but her eye twitched just a little.

"Lin Xu," she said lightly, "Lady Chu Ming does not need a tutor. Unlike you... she was born into a noble family. She grew up learning all the proper manners from childhood."

Lin Xu rolled her eyes so hard she almost saw her brain.

"A proper lady, huh?" she muttered under her breath. "A proper lady doesn’t start drama everywhere she goes."

San Na heard every word.

She paused.

Her smile tightened... but she pretended not to hear.

Instead she folded her hands behind her back and continued in a soft, pitying tone.

"Lin Xu... you must understand your place. You may be marrying into the Mo family, but your background is... very humble. You weren’t raised like a noble. You weren’t taught palace manners. You weren’t even taught to read or write, I assume."

Lin Xu stiffened.

Yanmei’s head snapped up.

Rulan’s lips parted in shock.

Lin Xu slowly lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable, calm on the outside, even though she wanted to slap San Na with a scroll.

"Not literate..." Lin Xu whispered quietly.

She remembered her past life.

A top student.

First-class degree in business science.

A brain sharp enough to run companies and solve problems faster than calculators.

Here, though... her "identity" was nothing more than a village girl.

San Na stepped closer, lowering her voice even more, as if she was being gentle.

"It’s not your fault, Lin Xu. Some people are simply raised differently. That’s why we brought Madam He. To make sure you don’t embarrass yourself... or the Mo family... on your wedding day."

Lin Xu lifted her head slowly.

Her smile was small, almost sweet.

But her eyes?

Burning.

"Oh," she said calmly, "Don’t worry. I won’t embarrass anyone."

"Good," San Na replied, satisfied.

Lin Xu added under her breath, just loud enough for Yanmei to hear:

"...but you might."

Yanmei choked and covered her mouth.

San Na frowned faintly. "Did you say something?"

"No," Lin Xu answered politely. "Madam He, you were saying something about bowing twenty times?"

Madam He nodded. "Yes. Now straighten your back again—"

Lin Xu inhaled sharply and muttered:

"Straighten your back, straighten your life... everyone in this house acts like I’m the problem..."

And training resumed, with Lin Xu glaring at San Na every chance she got while Madam He smacked her posture back into place.

Madam He’s ruler cracked against Lin Xu’s shoulder for the fifth time, each strike burning hotter than the last.

"Back straight!"

"Chin up!"

"Stop moving like someone who grew up in the mud!"

San Na sat nearby, legs tossed one over the other, sipping her tea like she was watching street gossip instead of a girl getting beaten. She didn’t blink, she Just watched.

Yanmei and Rulan stood in the corner, tense and furious. Rulan kept biting her lip, but Yanmei’s hands were already curling into trembling fists.

The sixth strike landed.

"STOP!" Yanmei finally burst forward. "She didn’t even do anything wrong! Why are you still hitting her?!"

San Na didn’t even look annoyed just amused, like Yanmei was a child throwing a tantrum.

"Sit down," she said lazily. "This doesn’t concern you."

"It does," Yanmei snapped. "It does when you people treat Lin Xu like she’s some punching bag!"

San Na gave a soft, mocking laugh. "Please. If effort alone mattered, every little nobody would be royalty by now."

Lin Xu froze.

The room tightened around the words.

Even Madam He paused.

Lin Xu slowly lifted her head, jaw tight, but before she could say anything....

SMACK!

The ruler struck her again. "Do not slouch—"

It never finished.

Lin Xu caught the ruler mid-swing.

Madam He’s breath hitched. "W–What are you doing?!"

Lin Xu didn’t answer. She just tightened her grip, and with one sharp twist—

CRACK!

The ruler snapped clean in her hands.

San Na choked on her tea.

Rulan’s gasp echoed off the walls.

Yanmei slapped both hands over her mouth, eyes shining like she wanted to cheer.

Madam He stumbled back. "Y-You broke—"

Lin Xu stepped forward and let the broken pieces fall to the floor.

"I’ve taken your hits," she said, voice low but steady. "I’ve swallowed your insults. I’ve kept quiet to keep the peace."

Her eyes sharpened. "But touch me again, and I won’t stay quiet."

Madam He sputtered, "You-You dare-"

"I dare," Lin Xu cut in smoothly. "And I’m not repeating myself."

She crossed her arms, anger simmering just beneath her skin.

"You want me to act like a proper lady? Fine. But a proper lady doesn’t let anyone beat her like old laundry."

Then her gaze slid to San Na, slow and cutting.

"And since we’re talking about manners," Lin Xu said with a smile that wasn’t a smile at all, "maybe the lesson should start with the one who can’t keep her tongue out of other people’s business."

San Na’s expression twitched and for once anger was visible on her face.

Lin Xu tilted her head. "Insulting someone in their own house? That’s not noble. That’s just... desperate."

Yanmei let out a sharp laugh she tried and failed to hide.

Rulan turned away so no one would see her grin.

San Na set her teacup down hard enough to splash. "Lin Xu, you little-"

Lin Xu lifted her hand, palm out.

"No. I’m not done talking."

The room went still.

She looked from the shattered ruler to the two women who suddenly didn’t seem so confident.

"So," Lin Xu said, smiling like she knew exactly how much they hated it, "are we continuing this lesson, or should I break the next thing you wave at my face?"