Chapter 4:

Emma went to the riverside and sat down, using all her strength to pound the wooden pestle onto the clothes. The wooden pestle struck the clothes, making a "thud thud" sound and dirty water continuously splashed onto her clothes and face. Despite that, she continued to work diligently without any trace of resentment.

The other servant girls washing clothes noticed her and pushed each other, casting sidelong glances at her and gossiping, chattering like a flock of sparrows.

"Look, look, the young lady has come to wash clothes."

"How pitiful! Look at her clothes; they're not even as good as ours."

"Is she really the noble lady of Beta Henry? Why don't I see any important officials coming to visit her?"

"Oh my... don't you know? She was born in February; they say she's cursed! They quickly drove her away; they don't want to see her again!"

"Oh... Being a noble lady like that, she's not even as good as us village girls. If it were me, I'd be furious!"

"That's right! With such a young lady, even if she gave it to me, I wouldn't bother!"

Every word of their conversation reached Emma's ears. She recalled when she was very young, she also fantasized about one day returning to the capital and how beautiful her life would be. But each time she indulged in such fantasies, it only deepened the tragedy of her existence, adding to her misery... Emma's lips curved into a smile. Back when she was alive, she shed countless tears because of the ridicule from these people. But now... she stood up, took the clothes, and went to the upper stream.

These were Jennifer's worn and torn breast wraps. Emma held the long piece of fabric and pounded it vigorously, making the dirty water flow into the tub where the servant girls were, but they didn't even notice.

After washing the clothes, Emma cleaned the whole tub and stood up.

Everyone looked at her curiously, feeling that she seemed different from before. No matter what they said or laughed about, she had an indifferent and calm expression, like an adult looking at unruly children who didn't understand anything...

When she returned to Beta John's house, it was still early. Jennifer had just finished eating and was picking her teeth in the hallway. When she saw Emma, her brows furrowed as if she was about to say something, but for some reason, she held back, lifted her butt, and entered the room.

Omega Hana approached quietly and handed Emma a corn cake, whispering, "He's back."

Beta John? Emma raised an eyebrow, looking at Omega Hana.

Omega Hana was startled. This little girl was still young, but her gaze... It seemed to have a maturity that didn't match her age, composed yet cold.

Why didn't Jennifer scold loudly today... In an instant, a bright smile appeared on Emma's face, like a flower blossoming in spring. She thanked Omega Hana and lowered her head to eat the crumbled corn cake. She swallowed two or three bites, feeling a dry and painful throat, yet she enjoyed the taste; it was delicious and fragrant.

Because dealing with Jennifer was currently a great opportunity.

Beta John was a man who had a deeper understanding of things than Jennifer. So he didn't treat Emma harshly because he left room for everything, and every time he came home, Emma would have a few good days.

After finishing cooking and putting out the fire, Emma opened her slightly blurred eyes, pondered for half a day, and finally stood up slowly. Just as she was about to lift her tired arm to stretch, a voice suddenly came from outside the door, "You damned servant, you're being lazy again! Quickly clean up the kitchen! I'll come back later to see if you're still being lazy or not!"

Emma leisurely glanced at the young miss standing at the door, hands on her hips, glaring at her. This young miss was only a year older than her, but she was half a head taller with a tall and imposing figure. She had originally been quite beautiful, but her face carried a sour expression, dispelling her natural beauty.

Amie was filled with envy as she stared at Emma's graceful face. With a cold snort, she walked outside and turned her head to give orders: "Remember to scrub the pots clean, and don't leave any water on the floor! Clean up all the scraps on the stove too!"

Emma stood in the small, cramped kitchen, looking at the retreating figure. Suddenly, a smile bloomed on her face. In just half an hour, she finished washing all the pots and started wiping them while hunching her back.

At that moment, Amie stuck her head through the window and said, "How can you clean properly like that? You have to kneel and scrub the floor! You don't know anything! And yes, when mopping, make sure the water is full! Can you hear me?"

Emma wiped the sweat from her forehead and chin, continuing her work.

It had always been like this. As the daughter of a peasant family, Amie had to work too, but she always found ways to delegate all the tasks to Emma. Then she would turn around and tell others how hard she worked, claiming she didn't know how to do anything except care for the young miss. Not only that, but every day when it was time for Emma to have her meal, there would only be one or two cold buns left, and very little soup would be left in the pot. Emma would cry while working in the past, but now she doesn't hold anything in her heart anymore. No matter how hard it was, she could endure it.

At night, Beta John was away for dinner. The village chief invited him to eat. He was considered a very influential person in this small village.

Emma knew that Beta John was a good drinker. If he didn't come back until midnight, he wouldn't return at all. This was a perfect opportunity for her. Waiting for the quiet night, Emma calculated the time, quietly picked up the red silk strip that she deliberately kept from the morning's laundry, silently stood up, opened the door, and walked to the side of the fence. She hung the red silk strip on the wall, looked at it for a long time, chuckled softly, and quickly returned to her room.

In the middle of the night, she suddenly heard the sound of a loud door opening. Emma tilted her ear to listen, hearing a commotion outside, but she pretended not to hear anything.

At that moment, Beta John returned home, slightly drunk. He saw a fleeting figure of a man in his room, and his heart sank. He sobered up, grabbed a knife, and slammed the door open. The loud noise startled everyone in the household. Emma, however, closed her eyes, quietly listening to the silence outside. Suddenly, she heard a thud, as if someone had been slapped hard, followed by Beta John's scolding, "You wretched person! You took the opportunity when I wasn't home to invite a man here! You have no shame! What? You don't know? I saw a person's shadow run out of your room, and you dare to say you don't know. I'm afraid that someone will come and kill me later, and you claim you don't know." After saying that, he slapped her twice more. The person being scolded was Jennifer.

Without waiting for Jennifer to defend herself, Beta John shouted, "Why aren't you kneeling? I want you to tell me who that man is! If you don't speak up, tonight will be your last day." Jennifer began to cry loudly, pleading, "I'm innocent! How could I do something so shameful!"

Beta John spat on Jennifer's face inside the room and said, "Innocent?! Who has treated you unjustly? No one has wronged you! Don't try to deceive me! And now, he continued to hit her.

Jennifer couldn't bear to give up her intentions and grabbed Beta John's sleeve, resisting him.

Beta John cursed and grew even angrier. He grabbed Jennifer's hair with one hand, pulled her to the ground, and kicked and hit her, scolding, "You've lost all the dignity of the Beta John family!"

Jennifer did indeed have a lover outside, but she always took advantage of her husband and son not being at home to hang the red silk strip on the fence to call him over. She didn't turn it in today, so why did he come? She was quietly opening the door to let him in when unexpectedly, her husband returned! At this moment, her heart felt as if it had been pierced by thousands of arrows, unable to dodge, and Beta John fiercely beat her. She tried to run away with all her strength.

Beta John scolded, "You wretched woman, come back here!"

Chasing her to the courtyard, Beta John finally grabbed Jennifer's hair. Hearing Jennifer moan in pain, she fell to the ground. Beta John was about to continue hitting her when Mason rushed over, saying, "Father, stop causing a commotion. Let's continue the discussion in the room!"

Hearing this, Jennifer understood her son's intentions and immediately burst into loud sobs, stirring up the incident even more so that Beta John would restrain himself. "You're drunk outside, your vision is blurred, and you wrongly accused me without reason!"

Beta John coldly laughed and said, "Wrongly accused you?! I spit on that! Today, I only drank half a catty of wine. I'm not so intoxicated that I can't tell men from women! I didn't expect that at your age, you could still do such things. I've been away for so many years, and countless lovers have been by your side. You even pretend to be righteous in front of me!"

"Fine, if you don't believe me, I'll die to prove it! Even in death, it's the Beta John family that you've persecuted!" Jennifer, a sharp-tongued woman, jumped up and hit her head against the wall. Beta John quickly grabbed her hands, scolding, "Who are you trying to threaten with your death?" He casually threw her to the ground, stomped on her chest, and the more he thought, the angrier he became. He turned around and grabbed the door latch, repeatedly hitting her with it.

Jennifer's cries were as piercing as a slaughtered pig, and Emma tilted her body, a slight smirk appearing on her lips. This was what you called making a mess of things, unable to live correctly.

The neighbors in the surrounding houses heard the commotion and came out, including Omega Hana and Amie in the room, who had heard it early on. However, Omega Hana, being the daughter-in-law, didn't dare to go out and witness her mother-in-law's disgraceful situation. Amie intended to rush out and save her mother, but seeing the vicious look of her father through the window, she didn't dare to make a move.

Mason looked at the commotion around him and quickly stopped Beta John, saying, "Father, don't cause any more trouble. Let's continue the discussion inside. If you want to use force, do it inside. It looks extraordinary to have the neighbors watching!"

Beta John glared at Jennifer. He had beaten her until she could hardly breathe, but his anger hadn't subsided. He forcefully pushed Mason away, scolding, "You didn't even look carefully at the door while I was away. It's shameful. You should have brought her back into the room!"

Mason suppressed his anger and caught Jennifer from being beaten to death. Jennifer, a sharp-tongued woman, was nearly unable to resist being beaten. However, she still arrogantly claimed that she was innocent and cried incessantly. After a while, Beta John loudly scolded, "Shut up! It's late at night. What's the point of crying?"

For a moment, the world fell silent—

Upon hearing this, Emma couldn't help herself and burst into laughter.