Chapter 41: The Old Lady Causes Trouble Again

Chapter 41: The Old Lady Stirs Up Trouble Again

Ever since those two young girls performed their "disappearing act," the old lady had been uncharacteristically quiet, refraining from her usual nagging and bickering for quite some time.

"Don't you two girls know what you look like? Don't you have any sense? Instead of staying properly at home, what are you doing running around outside? What if some wolf snatches you away? Wouldn't that be disastrous?"

Though her words were meant to be caring, the old lady’s delivery was utterly cutting. One had to admit, she possessed a unique talent for it.

Jiang Wan couldn't be bothered to waste her breath arguing with her grandmother. She stepped back outside, casually drawing the whip from her waist. Right there and then, she demonstrated some martial techniques she had just learned from her master for her grandparents and mother.

The young girl, clad in fiery red, moved with the grace of a startled swan and the agility of a soaring dragon. The whip seemed to be an extension of her will, striking precisely where she aimed without ever straying.

Had she not deliberately held back her strength, all the furnishings in the courtyard might have been sent straight to their next reincarnation. As Jiang Wan concluded with a powerful, graceful pose, Xu Shi’s eyes reddened with a smile.

"Excellent!"

She blinked hard to clear the moisture from her eyes, praising her daughter with immense pride. If she and her sister had possessed such self-defense skills back then, how could they have ended up in such a wretched predicament?

Jiang Wan coiled the whip back around her waist, her face a mix of childish pride and a desire for approval.

"Mother, are you happy?"

"Of course! My child is so outstanding; it truly delights me. Your mother is genuinely overjoyed."

Xu Shi walked over and smoothed her daughter’s slightly disheveled hair, her tone clearly brimming with happiness.

"Wan Jie’er, don’t worry, your mother has no intention of restricting you or dictating what you must do. These days, it’s hard to say whether times are good or bad. If you three siblings can learn skills to protect yourselves, your mother can rest in peace."

Old Wang Shi curled her lip in disdain.

"What’s so good about it? She’s a young lady—how can it be acceptable for her to go around whipping people whenever she feels like it? Don’t they say that wealthy families seek brides who are quiet and virtuous? Who would want to bring a she-devil home? To ward off evil spirits?"

Reading between the lines, Xu Shi exchanged a glance with her eldest daughter. Then, she turned to her mother-in-law with a soft, amused tone.

"Mother, our children are still so young! How can we already be discussing things so far in the future? If we don’t allow them a few years of freedom now, won’t they be even more constrained when they grow up and marry into other families?"

"Who are you referring to? Who made you feel constrained? Every matter in this Old Jiang family, big or small, must pass through your hands as the mistress. Which daughter-in-law lives as happily as you?"

The old lady snorted from her chair.

"In other families, the matriarch’s word is law. The mother-in-law holds all the power—that’s what you call prestige and status!

Who’s as pitiful as me, an old woman who has to watch her daughter-in-law’s expression all day and even gets bossed around by a little girl?

Oh, just thinking about it makes life seem pointless! So shameful! This family has no rules or order at all. My son, the great general, is almost disgraced—out there, he’s nothing but a laughingstock!"

The deep resentment in her words was obvious to anyone. Especially Old Jiang, who sat beside her, frowning with pursed lips and a stern expression.

Xu Shi’s brows also furrowed. So that’s why her in-laws had come over first thing in the morning to watch her manage the household—they must have heard some gossip. Who had been stirring trouble in front of them?

Jiang Wan noticed that the family’s old lady seemed to be up to her tricks again, and the old master didn’t look too pleased either. She simply settled herself into the chair opposite her grandparents.

"Alright, out with it. Who’s been gossiping in front of you?"

Knowing her grandmother’s scatterbrained nature, she cut straight to the point.

Old Wang Shi paused, looking at her eldest granddaughter’s fake smile. She licked her lips several times before mustering the courage to speak.

"No one’s been gossiping to us. I just figured it out myself with my clever mind. Eldest Daughter, don’t just blindly take your mother’s side. Let’s be reasonable about this, alright?

Just look around at the neighbors—which household isn’t run by the mother-in-law? Why does our Old Jiang family have to be the opposite?

We’re not country bumpkins anymore; we’re a prominent family now. We have to follow rules and understand propriety. Otherwise, people will laugh at your father, saying he doesn’t know how to manage his household, cultivate virtue, or achieve greatness.

What if this reaches the Prince of Huai’s ears? Wouldn’t that harm your father’s future?"

Although the old lady usually talked a lot, she typically nagged about trivial matters. At most, she’d step in to protect her precious grandson when he got beaten and argue with her eldest granddaughter.

Left to her own devices, she could never have come up with today’s reasoning. Even if Jiang Wan closed her eyes and stopped thinking, without using a single brain cell to ponder, she knew there had to be something behind this.

She signaled with a glance for her mother to sit quietly and not speak. As a daughter-in-law, how could she openly argue with her in-laws?

When elders have disputes, it’s natural for the children to step in.

Jiang Wan turned to the silent grandfather and raised an eyebrow.

"Grandfather, we’re blood relatives, and you know my temperament. Let’s not beat around the bush—let’s speak plainly. What do you and grandmother want?"

"Weren’t you just talking fine with me? Why ask your grandfather? He’s never been able to figure anything out in his life—what can you possibly discuss clearly with him? Just keep talking with me!"

Once she started talking, she usually didn’t stop until she’d said everything. Especially today, since she felt she was in the right, she spoke with even more confidence.

"Your grandmother doesn’t mean anything else. It’s just that managing the household should really be in my hands. A daughter-in-law should obey and submit to her mother-in-law. Otherwise, wouldn’t she be violating that, um, what was it called…"

Drat, she’d practiced too many lines last night. Her old brain wasn’t working well, and now she’d forgotten her lines. What to do?

Her eyes instinctively darted to Nanny Fu beside her. Jiang Wan immediately followed her grandmother’s gaze and seized on the key point.

"Nanny Fu, why don’t you step forward and tell us which of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues my mother has violated?"

Though her voice wasn’t loud, it made Nanny Fu shiver. She knew very well that the most fearsome person in the Old Jiang family was this stunningly beautiful eldest daughter, who was like a little enchantress.

Called out, she stepped forward very properly, bowed, and spoke humbly.

"Eldest Daughter, please allow this lowly servant to explain. I serve the old lady every day and hardly ever work in Anran Residence. How would I know anything about the madam’s affairs? I am foolish. Please, Eldest Daughter, ask someone else."

"Listen to how you talk—so carefully worded. You’re not foolish at all. After all, teaching my grandmother, a muddle-headed old lady who usually just nags, to step forward and fight for power is no easy feat. It shows that having you stay in Baosong Hall is a waste of your talents, Nanny Fu!"