Chapter 020

Chapter 020

The Wang mansion was exceptionally lively on this day.

Lu Mingzhu and Liao Wanru decided to wear qipaos to the banquet. It was Mrs. Wang who suggested it, and Liao Wanru agreed. She then took out several exquisite qipaos tailored to Lu Mingzhu's measurements and tried them on one by one for Mrs. Wang to critique.

Whether adorned with pearls or jade, they were extraordinarily elegant and restrained, exuding a gentle and graceful aura.

Women from Shanghai had always been at the forefront of fashion trends. The qipaos worn by various ladies were extremely popular in Hong Kong. Some people even paid for travel expenses to bring old tailors from Shanghai to Hong Kong to make clothes for them.

The Wang family, while not making such a grand display, kept a skilled old tailor who specialized in making qipaos for the women of the Wang family. He was well-paid, had light work, and lived in spacious quarters. Having taken shelter under the Wang family for decades, he avoided the disasters brought by various wars and lived a very comfortable life. Unwilling to leave, he sent his apprentices to open shops elsewhere.

When Lu Mingzhu first moved into the Wang mansion, Liao Wanru had the old tailor take her measurements for the latest fashions.

Lu Mingzhu had grown accustomed to Mrs. Wang and Liao Wanru including her when they made clothes. It had been the same when they were in Shanghai, and it remained unchanged after coming to Hong Kong. Since Mrs. Wang and Liao Wanru had only sons and no daughters, they took great pleasure in dressing her up.

Now, with Liao Wanru's two sons studying abroad in England and America, the two sisters-in-law were engrossed in trying on clothes. However, just as they were in the midst of it, Wang Zhongzhao, whom Lu Mingzhu had not seen since her arrival in Hong Kong, suddenly appeared.

He greeted them with a hearty laugh, "Mother, elder sister-in-law, what have you been busy with lately? This is the pearl of the Lu family, isn't it? After several years, she has grown more and more beautiful and is sure to marry into a prestigious family as a young mistress."

Lu Mingzhu greeted him politely, "Second brother."

"Ah!" Wang Zhongzhao responded.

He had not come alone but brought a young girl with him.

Noticing that Lu Mingzhu had a fair complexion and was dressed stylishly, the girl's eyes flashed with obvious jealousy.

Lu Mingzhu, being very sensitive, noticed this. The girl was jealous because her skin was not as fair, and her petite, slender figure made her appear dainty and graceful. Her features were pleasant but unremarkable, with eyebrows neither thick nor thin, eyes neither large nor small, a nose neither high nor low, and lips neither thick nor thin. She wore her hair in a bob cut with a plaid headband, dressed in a British-style plaid outfit, and accessorized with a diamond watch and a pair of diamond earrings.

Soon, Lu Mingzhu remembered who she was.

The girl had been a classmate of her former self in primary school, with a general relationship. She was close to the original body's seventh sister, Lu Feifei, and was named Wang Xiuyi. She was eighteen years old, a few months older than her previous incarnation, and was Wang Zhongzhao's daughter.

Not born to the primary wife.

Wang Xingcai and Wang Bohui, father and son, focused on their careers and each married only one wife, never taking a second. Wang Zhongzhao, however, was different.

Before going abroad, the talented Wang Zhongzhao had followed his parents' orders and married his wife, consummating the marriage and having children. There was no sign of dissatisfaction. In fact, he was said to have been very enthusiastic about the marriage. However, during the journey abroad, he became involved with Mo Shuxian, who was said to be his high school classmate and had pursued him to go abroad. The two formed a so-called modern marriage.

A few years later, Wang Zhongzhao returned to China with Mo Shuxian and their children and immediately demanded a divorce from his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Wang Xingcai, as well as Wang Bohui and his wife, did not agree, and as a result, Mo Shuxian could not even be considered a concubine.

Mrs. Wang did not drink the tea she offered.

Zhen Zhen did not want to drink it, and Mo Shuxian did not want to be subservient.

Wang Zhongzhao wanted to rebel, but the financial power was in the hands of his father and elder brother, so he had no choice but to compromise, placing Mo Shuxian and their children in a residence outside the Wang family.

That had happened in Shanghai. Times had changed, and Lu Mingzhu did not know the current situation. After all, Wang Xingcai had divided a considerable amount of property among his sons, essentially splitting the family. Wang Zhongzhao had become the head of his branch of the family.

If he favored his concubine and neglected his wife, it was not impossible.

Mrs. Wang had not liked this second son much in recent years. She believed that, together with Wang Xingcai, they had treated all four sons equally. Apart from entrusting many major responsibilities to the eldest son, Wang Bohui, they had treated the others equally in terms of housing and money. However, their second son had always had a cynical attitude since childhood, believing that his parents favored the eldest and pampered the youngest, neglecting him in the middle.

Heaven knows, the old couple felt they were being wronged!

Because he was the most disobedient and behaved in a reckless and impolite manner, Wang Xingcai and his wife invested the most effort in him.

The eldest was steady and followed in his father's footsteps, while the third was clever and the fourth was obedient. One became a lawyer and the other an engineer, each achieving success in their own right, marrying and having children, living honest lives without causing their parents any worry.

When dividing the property, the elderly couple, considering Wang Zhongzhao's personality, were concerned that he might not treat Zhen Zhen and her son well in the future. Thus, they registered four large estates in the names of the four sons and their wives, with each couple owning half the property, rather than placing it in the names of the four younger Mr. Wangs as Zhao Sinan had mentioned. They also gave each son one million Hong Kong dollars and each legitimate grandson and granddaughter one million Hong Kong dollars.

Wang Bohui and his wife, Liao Wanru, had two sons, so each son received 500,000 Hong Kong dollars. The two brothers were studying abroad, and with their consent, the money was managed by their parents. Similarly, the third and fourth sons each had four children, and the one million was evenly divided among the four children. Wang Zhongzhao, however, only had one legitimate son with Zhen Zhen, so Wang Xingcai gave him one million Hong Kong dollars directly and arranged for him to study abroad.

Wang Bohui, along with his third brother Wang Shuyang and fourth brother Wang Jixu, had no objections. They understood that their parents' distribution was meant to provide extra care for Zhen Zhen and her son due to their unfortunate circumstances.

Only Wang Zhongzhao cried out that it was unfair.

He and Mo Shuxian's son were the only ones not included in the property division, and there was more than one of them.

Wang Xingcai, being an upright man, had always prioritized the legitimate wife and children over the concubine, believing that a family without rules would fall into chaos. Moreover, Zhen Zhen was the daughter of a close friend who had entrusted her to him before passing away. To see her betrayed by his own son was unacceptable, and he was determined to protect the interests of Zhen Zhen and her son.

When it came to the grandchildren, he had always shown clear favoritism, unafraid of being gossiped about.

As a result, Wang Zhongzhao resented his parents even more.

The most important thing was that he knew the bulk of the family fortune had not been distributed to them. In fact, it had been taken back to the country by his father, who told his sons not to worry about it and that it would be distributed after his death. But in reality?

Privately, he was likely supporting the eldest, helping his business flourish and making him one of Hong Kong's top merchants.

"Why are you here?" Mrs. Wang asked him coldly.

Liao Wanru pulled Lu Mingzhu to her side, and the two sisters-in-law stood silently on either side of the elderly lady, listening as Wang Zhongzhao answered with a smiling face, "Mother, I'm here because I have something important to discuss."

Mrs. Wang frowned. "What is it?"

When someone shows up out of the blue, it’s usually up to no good.

It's not that she always assumed the worst about her son, but he had a habit of only showing up when he needed something, and it wasn’t the first time.

Sure enough, Wang Zhongzhao asked, "I heard that Elder Brother received an invitation from the Ming family, owners of a major shipping company. Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true," Liao Wanru answered, glancing at Wang Xiuyi. Without revealing her thoughts, she said, "Second Brother, why are you here right now? Do you have any objections?"

"No objections, no objections. How could I have any objections? I'm just envious that Elder Brother can easily obtain opportunities that we can't." The forty-year-old man had a righteous and honest face with thick eyebrows and big eyes, which prevented people from seeing him as shrewd, slick, or hypocritical. However, the request he made next left everyone speechless. "I'm here to plead with Elder Brother and Sister-in-law to bring Xiuyi along to the banquet. I would be immensely grateful."

Liao Wanru frowned. "Second Brother, the invitation clearly states that it's only for my husband and me as a couple."

The implication was that Wang Xiuyi could not come.

Wang Zhongzhao smiled and said, "Bringing a younger generation along, I'm sure the Ming family won't turn away Elder Brother and Sister-in-law! Everyone knows that Elder Brother has always had smooth cooperation with the Ming family; they will definitely give face."

Then, he began to lament, "Xiuyi is getting older, and unlike Elder Brother, who has the ability to open a real estate company and invest in a shipping company, making his business flourish and his life prosperous, I can't provide her with the family background. I can only hope that by attending banquets of high-ranking families, she might meet some young masters and ladies and find a good match for her."

Mrs. Wang was extremely displeased. "Wang Zhongzhao, didn't you say that the idea of parents arranging marriages is feudal nonsense? Didn't you say that a beautiful marriage should be based on love rather than social status? So why are you now hoping that your daughter will marry into a high-ranking family and find you a prestigious son-in-law? You're contradicting yourself. You should let her find someone who truly loves her regardless of their background. I disagree with asking Elder Brother and Sister-in-law to bring her to the Ming family's banquet. People should act according to their status, and we shouldn't embarrass ourselves in public."

Some might argue that all grandsons are equal, regardless of their mothers, and that grandparents should treat them equally. But Mrs. Wang couldn't do it. She had lived a long life and had never experienced the bitterness of a husband with a second wife. She pitied her second daughter-in-law who accompanied her son abroad to study and thus disliked the child born of a concubine.

If anyone was to blame, it was Wang Zhongzhao and Mo Shuxian. One knew he had a wife and children yet still pursued him, and the other had a family but couldn't control himself.

Mo Shuxian had the opportunity to study abroad and came from a well-off family. She could have married someone from a similar background as a proper wife.

Her involvement with Wang Zhongzhao was simply because the Wang family was wealthier and more prestigious, mingling with the elite in Shanghai, where even the crumbs were enough to sustain the Mo family for three years.

She thought she could replace Zhen Zhen and become Wang Zhongzhao's wife, but she ended up failing miserably.

Wang Xingcai and his wife saw through it at a glance.

Upon hearing Mother Wang's words, Wang Xiuyi's expression changed. She shifted her gaze away from the green bracelet on Lu Mingzhu's wrist, barely hiding the resentment in her heart.

Wang Zhongzhao was also displeased. "Mother, how can you say that? Xiuyi is your granddaughter. Don't you want her to have a good life?"

Mother Wang sneered. "I wanted you to have a good life too, which is why I married you to a woman from a distinguished family. Did you cherish it? I sent you abroad to gain knowledge, but what did you do? You fooled around and dropped out before graduating, returning home in disgrace. As for my legitimate daughters-in-law, I can't even manage the three granddaughters they've given me. Why would I bother with outsiders?"

"If you had agreed to matchmake Xiuyi and Xie Junyao into a perfect match, I wouldn't have to grovel to my elder brother and sister-in-law now," Wang Zhongzhao said angrily.

Lu Mingzhu's eyes widened in surprise, filled with astonishment.

Out of the blue, how did the topic suddenly shift to Xie Junyao?

He wasn't even present.

Mother Wang exploded with anger and said bluntly, "Have you considered whether you're a match? Xie Junyao is the legitimate son of a prestigious family, talented and handsome. Hundreds of people are eyeing him. Who does Wang Xiuyi think she is? Besides, his mother and brother have already made it clear that as long as the couple is virtuous and pure, they will not interfere, regardless of wealth."

Just based on her background, Wang Xiuyi was not considered legitimate.

She was innocent, but the sin was committed by her parents. In prominent families that value legitimacy, who would overlook the issue of legitimate and illegitimate status?

Children born to concubines, unless exceptionally talented or beautiful enough to make people overlook their origins, would generally marry beneath their station.

This applied to both men and women.

"Mother, please calm down. I'll call Mrs. Ming and ask for an extra invitation for my second brother," Liao Wanru, fearing that the mother and son might become estranged over this matter, immediately stepped in to mediate.

A mother would never hold a grudge against her son, but Wang Zhongzhao might not be so forgiving.

Upon learning that he could attend with an invitation, Wang Zhongzhao's displeasure immediately vanished. "Thank you, elder sister-in-law. You truly have the demeanor of a senior daughter-in-law."

Liao Wanru smiled faintly.

Securing an invitation made her a good sister-in-law. If she didn't bring Wang Xiuyi along, things might be different.

Wang Zhongzhao had complained more than once behind her back about how this elder sister-in-law of his didn't treat Mo Shuxian as a sister-in-law and didn't regard their children as nieces and nephews. Since his second sister-in-law didn't mind his and Mo Shuxian's issues, she couldn't be bothered to argue.