Chapter 102: How Could Life Be Easy?

Chapter 102: How Could Life Be Easy?

Ruan Xiaoyue's emotions were all written on her face. She thought that Pei Chong would at least explain or comfort her, but he simply threw out the words, "The Madam is in a bad mood, I'll sleep in the study tonight," and left the room without looking back.

As the door closed, Ruan Xiaoyue's mind slowly calmed down. Xiao Qing helped her sit down and advised, "Madam, please don't be angry. If you upset the general and it reaches Madam's ears, I'm afraid life will be tough from now on."

From now on?

With the Pei family being just an empty shell of a noble family, how could life be easy?

Xiao Qing continued to persuade, "Madam, perhaps you should go to the study and ask the master to come back..."

"Ask what? If he wants to sleep in the study, let him sleep there as much as he wants." Ruan Xiaoyue was burning with anger and frustration. She couldn't understand why, after giving him her all, she was met with such a result.

But what use was hatred? Now that they were married, life had to go on... With a long sigh, she knew there was no way back.

The next morning, Ruan Xiaoyue, who had not slept all night, had just gotten up when Pei Wen came looking for her. She initially wanted to have the maid turn her away, but Pei Wen entered directly.

"Sister-in-law," Pei Wen said with a smile, sitting down familiarly on the couch. "I heard that Mother has handed over the household management to you. Congratulations, sister-in-law."

The maid Xiao Qing glanced at Madam, only to see a coldness in her eyes.

Even the maid could see it, and naturally, Pei Wen could too, but she pretended not to notice.

Madam was extremely annoyed, "What brings you here, sister?"

"There is something. In a few days, Miss Qi is getting engaged, and I need to prepare a decent gift. I came to ask you for some money."

Ask for money?

Madam laughed in anger upon hearing this, "There is no extra money in the household. If you want to prepare a gift, you'll have to find a way yourself."

Hearing this, Pei Wen was momentarily taken aback.

She naturally knew there was no money in the household, but since the household management had been handed over to Madam, she was now the lady of the Pei household and should manage all the family affairs.

Moreover, before she got married, she often bought her things and gave her gifts. Now that she was her sister-in-law, shouldn't she be even more generous?

Having been rebuffed so bluntly, Pei Wen was stunned and immediately became angry.

Unable to maintain her composure, her expression turned cold, "What kind of talk is this, sister-in-law? Since you've taken over the household management, you should find a way to manage the family affairs properly. Otherwise, what use is there in having you as the mistress?"

Madam, having finished her morning routine, turned cold upon hearing this, "According to you, can I just magically produce money? I've already said there's no money to spare in the household. If you really want it, you'll have to ask your brother. If that doesn't work, you can go to Mother."

Pei Wen bit her lip in anger. She couldn't understand why Madam, who had always tried so hard to please her, had suddenly changed her attitude.

Feeling frustrated, how could she prepare a gift without the money?

As a fellow noblewoman, if her gift was too shabby, she would surely be ridiculed.

"Fine, since you don't consider yourself part of the Pei family, I'll go tell Mother." With that, Pei Wen left without looking back.

The maid, seeing this, worriedly said, "Madam, with Miss Pei making such a scene, Madam might get angry."

Madam snorted coldly. It wasn't that she was unwilling to part with the money; she just didn't want to be treated like a fool.

Long before the marriage, she had seen through Pei Wen's hypocritical facade, enjoying the vanity of her gifts while secretly belittling her as a merchant's daughter with other noblewomen in the capital. If it hadn't been for that day when she was so angry, she wouldn't have accidentally fallen into Ruan Xiaoyue's trap.

Fortunately, she was now dead, and she no longer had to worry about the past.

In Madam Pei's room, Pei Wen entered and immediately began to cry and make a scene: "Mother, sister-in-law is mistreating me."

"Goodness, what happened so early in the morning to make you cry like this?" Madam Pei pulled her daughter close, her heart aching.

"It's sister-in-law. I went to ask her for some money, but she refused outright," Pei Wen said with a look of grievance. "Mother, in a few days it will be the engagement banquet of Jiang Jie and Miss Qi. I know Miss Qi, so I must send some congratulatory gifts to maintain appearances. Otherwise, I'll definitely be laughed at by other girls for being stingy and inconsiderate."

Hearing this, Madam Pei wasn't too angry: "The household funds are running low. If you really want to send a gift, wait a few days until your brother's monthly allowance arrives, and I'll give you some money."

"If there's no money in the public funds, doesn't sister-in-law have her dowry?" Pei Wen was displeased. "Since she married into the Pei family, her dowry belongs to the Pei family now. Sister-in-law is drawing such clear lines now, clearly not considering us family."

**

Ruan Xiaoyue wasn’t hungry at first, but her maid urged her not to dwell on her anger and to go to the dining hall to eat with everyone, which might also help mend her relationship with Pei Chong.

Ruan Xiaoyue thought about it and felt that her maid was right. Since she had become a member of the Pei family, she couldn't keep living in discord.

After calming herself, she decided to go to the dining hall for a meal. But the scene in the dining hall almost drove Ruan Xiaoyue to fury.

A pregnant woman was sitting next to Pei Chong, speaking softly: "Sir, you work so hard every day, Ming Zhu is deeply concerned. You should eat more."

Pei Chong: "You are pregnant now, you need to take care of yourself too."

"Mother, the doctor said that the child I’m carrying is most likely a boy. If that's true, he will be your eldest grandson..."

Hearing it was a boy, Madam Pei immediately beamed with joy: "Good, good, if it really is a boy, I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of."

Ruan Xiaoyue watched the people talking inside, feeling like an outsider in her own home, her mind blank and her chest filled with frustration. Xiao Qing, standing behind her, was equally unsure, not knowing what to do.

Ruan Xiaoyue could endure many things, but how could she tolerate the sudden appearance of a pregnant woman?

She burst out in anger: "Pei Chong."

Madam Pei was startled by the sudden outburst, and everyone looked over. Seeing it was Ruan Xiaoyue, their expressions shifted.

The old lady, not wanting to escalate the situation, patiently beckoned her: "Xiaoyue, I was just going to speak with you. Come, sit next to me."

Ruan Xiaoyue had no mind to eat, nor any interest in what her mother-in-law wanted to say. She only wanted Pei Chong to give her an explanation.

Pei Wen, still angry, said: "Sister-in-law is quite something now, daring to ignore mother's words, truly full of herself."

Ming Zhu pulled Pei Wen, pretending to be humble: "Sister, don't say that. Sister-in-law is now the mistress of the Pei family, we’ll all rely on her in the future."

"Hmph, you think too much. We can't rely on her. Today I wanted to get some money from the public funds, but she refused to give even a penny, clearly not treating us as family."

Hearing this, Ming Zhu took out two taels of silver from her pocket: "Sister, don't be angry, we are all family."

Receiving the money, Pei Wen was pleased and gave Ruan Xiaoyue a cold glance, provocatively saying: "Ah, there’s a world of difference between those who care and those who don’t."

Pei Chong, who had been silent, finally spoke: "Since you're here, sit down and eat."

Ruan Xiaoyue stepped forward to question him: "Pei Chong, didn't you promise to dismiss all your concubines?"

Pei Chong shrugged it off: "I dismissed the other concubines, but Ming Zhu is different, she's pregnant, so naturally she can't..."

"Pei Chong..." Ruan Xiaoyue shouted in agitation, but after shouting, she didn't know what else to say. She tightly clenched her skirt, and the tears she’d been fighting back finally spilled over.