She had waited on purpose until Julie went out before coming over to hide and wait.
But instead of meeting Lorrie, she met Haven.
Xu Hui straightened her clothes and spoke softly, "Haven, although Julie is my good friend, I also look down on what she did before. Even though she has changed now, it's hard for someone's true nature to change. You all should think more for yourselves." She reminded him that Julie used to beat and scold them every day. Just because they were living better now, they shouldn't forget the pain they suffered.
A trace of sarcasm flashed in Haven's eyes. "You don't need to worry about that, Xu Scholar. We trust our wife." He believed that Xu Hui wouldn't come without wanting something.
He was secretly glad that he had come out and not his younger brother.
He had come out because Julie had been gone for a while, and he wanted to wait by the door for her.
His younger brother was too simple and couldn't keep secrets. If Xu Hui had met him, she might have tricked him into spilling everything.
He thought that when they got back inside, he would have to give his little brother a warning.
He didn't want him to be tricked into helping someone who would betray them.
Seeing that her first plan didn't work, Xu Hui decided to change her tactic. Today, she was determined to get some silver.
"Julie told me before that if she had silver, she would go to a pleasure house to redeem a male courtesan. She said she was tired of you three already. Did she tell you about that?" she said. She didn't believe Haven wouldn't be shaken by this.
But Haven didn't believe her words at all.
Maybe the old Julie could have done such a thing, but the Julie now would never be interested in a courtesan. Xu Hui was just insulting Julie's name.
Julie, who was listening nearby, understood everything now.
This woman wanted money. Since she couldn't get it directly from her, she was trying to cause problems between her and Bailee, Haven, and Lorrie, hoping they would steal from the house to give her money for her exams.
Still, she had to admit, Xu Hui was very good with her words. She could really spin a story.
If it had been Lorrie who came out instead of Haven, Lorrie might have panicked after hearing that Julie wanted to take in a courtesan and might have been foolish enough to steal money to help Xu Hui redeem him.
Not even thinking about all the holes in her story.
Julie was tired of hearing these tricks, so she decided to show herself.
She was satisfied with Haven's attitude and words.
At least he wasn't an ungrateful person. Even if he had doubts inside, at least on the surface he knew to stand by his wife.
After all, when one person prospers, everyone prospers. When one falls, everyone falls. This truth was the same everywhere.
But she still thought Haven was a little too patient. Next time, it would be better to just throw the troublemaker out quickly. If anything happened, she was the wife — she could handle it.
There was no need to keep such people around.
Haven had no more patience to pretend with Xu Hui either. He was about to drive her away when he saw Julie return. A sly glint flashed in his eyes.
"Our wife has always treated you as a good friend. Don't you feel guilty doing this to her?" he asked.
Julie was walking toward Haven, but Xu Hui had her back to Julie and didn't see her.
Xu Hui thought Haven was about to be persuaded by her.
Feeling happy, she quickly said, "I really do see her as a friend, but I focus on right and wrong, not on personal feelings. She did wrong, so I can't cover for her. I feel so sorry for you three. I even tried to persuade her, but she wouldn't listen... She even got worse... But don't worry, as long as you have some silver, I can help you get rid of that wicked woman ahead of time. I love helping others—"
Before she finished, Julie grabbed her shoulder. With a little force, there was a clear cracking sound from Xu Hui's bones.
Xu Hui turned around and saw Julie. Her face looked as if she had seen a ghost.
Xu Hui's face turned pale from the pain. Her small, weak body looked even thinner.
Sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face was full of fear, panic, and a little guilt.
She hadn't expected Julie to come back so soon.
Her eyes kept darting around, showing she wasn't sure how much Julie had heard.
Julie didn't expect Xu Hui to be even more useless than Liu Hongjuan. Just a small grab on the shoulder, and Xu Hui looked like she was about to fall over.
Someone like this still dared to come and stir up trouble, wanting both her money and her men?
Julie let go of her hand, feeling bored.
If you want to beat a snake, you aim for its vital spot — but killing such a weak snake was just too boring.
Besides, there were witnesses around. Julie wasn't going to leave behind evidence for trouble.
Julie acted like nothing had happened. She patted Xu Hui's chest lightly and said in a calm voice, "Xu Scholar, long time no see. Are you here to return the money you owe me? Two taels is not a small amount. Look, I even had to borrow from friends in town to build my house, and I haven't finished paying them back yet. Since we are such good friends, you wouldn't feel good always owing me, right? I heard you're going to take the local exam next month. Tell me, if word spreads that a scholar from Dashan Village doesn't pay back debts, wouldn't that leave a mark on your record? After all, the village leader doesn't have much power, but he can still say a few words to the magistrate's assistant."
The threat was clear: if you owe Julie money, there's no way you can get away with it.
And this didn't even count the trouble Xu Hui caused by trying to turn Bailee, Haven, and Lorrie against her.
Julie never bullied others for no reason, especially weak ones.
But if someone provoked her first, she would definitely return the favor.
Tonight was a good night to settle this.
Xu Hui felt very frustrated. Not only did she fail to scam any money, now she had to give up her own. But her future as a scholar was the most important thing to her — she couldn't afford any mistakes.
Trembling, Xu Hui pulled out a small pouch from her clothes. Before she could open it, Julie snatched it away.
Julie glanced inside. There were about seventeen taels of broken silver.
That was enough.
Julie didn't take more than she was owed. She took out two taels, tucked them into her sleeve, and gave the rest back to Xu Hui.
"Xu Scholar, not bad. You know how to repay debts. Let's keep in touch more often," Julie said casually. "Lately, I've been training and building up my strength. I need someone to spar with. Looking at your body, you're still too weak. I think I'll visit you often to help you stretch your muscles. How about it?"
As she spoke, she reached out as if to help her train right there.
Xu Hui was so scared she turned and ran, shouting as she left, "No, no, no! I'm busy! You're busy too! I'll go now!"
Julie withdrew her hand and looked at Haven, saying nothing. But her gaze was no longer so cold or suspicious.
Haven was good at reading people's expressions. Seeing Julie's softened look, he smiled slightly. He was relieved she didn't misunderstand him.
Neither of them mentioned this little incident to Bailee or Lorrie.
---
Late at night, around midnight.
After Julie waited for Bailee, Haven, Lorrie, and Leng Yi to turn off their lights and fall asleep, she waited for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn before slipping out.
Tonight, Julie was no longer pretending to be Cold Lord like last time — she was now Cold Madam.
Using makeup and disguise skills, she turned herself into a woman around forty years old. She wore shoes with soles raised by five centimeters, dressed in black clothes, and covered her face with a veil. She quietly approached Xu Hui's house.
She didn't plan to kill Xu Hui. After all, crushing an ant doesn't bring a giant any joy.
Even though the silver had been returned, Julie wasn't going to act like nothing had happened after what Xu Hui tried to pull.