Chapter 43: The Kindness of the In-Laws

Chapter 43: The Kindness of In-Laws

Old Wang Shi watched her eldest granddaughter warily, not foolishly asking outright. One look at the brat's smiling face told her that she was definitely scheming something.

Jiang Wan indeed had no intention of saying anything pleasant. She pointed at Nanny Fu kneeling on the ground, then at the old master and the old madam, and offered a very filial suggestion.

"Grandma, didn’t you just take the wrong approach? Why are you making a fuss with my mother over something like this? You can solve it yourself.

Since you feel so compatible with Nanny Fu in every way and can’t bear to be without her, why not just stay together? Make it permanent!

You and Grandpa have shared meals from the same pot for most of your lives. Since you can’t bear to be without Nanny Fu, surely Grandpa can’t either.

Why don’t we juniors show our filial piety to you two elders one more time? Since you don’t mind sharing half of the ancestral seat, we three siblings don’t mind supporting another second wife in the future."

"Shut your mouth!"

Old Wang Shi, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shot up from her chair, fur bristling. Ever since that wicked dead girl played that trick last time, she couldn’t stand hearing the term "second grandmother"!

Of course, Old Jiang, who had been unjustly glared at by his wife for no reason, didn’t want to hear those words either.

Last time, to bail out his useless son, he had not only tarnished his reputation in his old age but also been given hell by his wife in various ways for over a month.

Even now, he still felt every joint aching.

"Eldest Granddaughter, if you have something to say, say it properly. Don’t talk nonsense."

Most importantly, don’t push your grandfather into the pit again.

Well aware of his eldest granddaughter’s temperament, Old Jiang finally spoke up impatiently to scold the little troublemaker.

"Don’t use dirty tricks indiscriminately, and don’t blindly defend your mother. We two old folks are your own grandparents. Besides,"

The old man glanced slightly at his daughter-in-law, his words carrying loaded remarks, though it was unclear whom he was addressing.

"Your grandmother may be confused, but some of her worries aren’t entirely unfounded. Your father’s future is almost settled. Once we follow him to the capital, things will definitely be different from how they are now. Some rules and traditions should be upheld where necessary."

"You’re the one blindly defending Grandma here. Let’s not point fingers at each other."

She looked up at her mother, seeking confirmation with her eyes, and only after receiving a nod did Jiang Wan change her tone.

"Grandpa, although what you say makes sense, can you really feel at ease letting Grandma manage the household? Of course, I’m not referring to literacy. I’m talking about Grandma’s spells of confusion. Aren’t you aware of that?"

"Who’s confused? I’m sharp as a tack! Don’t go making up stories about me all day long!"

The conversation between the old man and his eldest granddaughter made Old Wang Shi belatedly realize that something seemed off. But she couldn’t articulate it and, wanting to save face, she stubbornly insisted with blustering.

"Grandpa, see? Can you really feel at ease?"

Put on the spot by his eldest granddaughter, Old Jiang sighed helplessly.

"This old man didn’t mean it that way. I just thought it would be good to remind your mother so she doesn’t end up falling into someone’s trap in a daze.

How difficult it’s been for our family to get to where we are now—you all know it well. Part of it is thanks to our ancestors smiling down, and part of it is due to your father slogging his guts out!

Eldest Daughter, Grandpa just wants the whole family to be well in the future. Especially the future my son fought for with his life—I don’t want it to become a topic of gossip, whether good or bad."

Xu Shi keenly picked up the thread.

"Father, have you heard some gossip?"

"Yes."

The old man nodded. It wasn’t anything major anyway, not worth deliberately avoiding.

"Sometimes when I go out to fish or play chess with the old folks in the neighborhood, I occasionally overhear a thing or two.

Daughter-in-law, Father isn’t trying to lecture you. I also don’t think that just because we only have Yao Zu as a male heir, we must find a concubine for Tie Suo to have more children. Our family has been poor for generations in the countryside; even if we come up in the world, we won’t entertain such notions.

But,"

The old man smacked his lips a few times.

Truth be told, there were some things he, as a father-in-law, really shouldn’t discuss with his daughter-in-law. But since his wife couldn’t articulate it clearly and would only ramble and make things more confusing, he had to stomach his embarrassment and say a few words himself.

"Just because our family is small doesn’t mean we should neglect the proper decorum, right? We shouldn’t give others any reason to gossip, and it’ll save us some trouble.

I’ve lived to this old age without understanding many grand principles—probably even fewer than you do. But there are some matters where I, as an elder, feel compelled to offer a reminder.

I think that sometimes, if you don’t handle certain things properly, there will inevitably be people who want to handle them for you. Don’t you think there’s some truth to what I’m saying?"

This was no longer a hint—it was practically a blunt warning! Xu Shi’s expression changed. She looked sharply at Nanny Fu kneeling on the ground.

Had she been careless and allowed a snake into our nest?

This wasn’t something to discuss in front of the children. She waved her hand, sending her clearly understanding eldest daughter out, before turning to ask,

"Father, did someone recommend themselves to you?"

The old man didn’t speak but pointed at Nanny Fu, who was kneeling on the ground with an ashen face.

"Old Master, this servant is wronged…"

Nanny Fu quickly kowtowed and pleaded her innocence. Her tone was originally quite normal, but Old Wang Shi, whose mind had been twisted by her wicked eldest granddaughter, immediately interpreted it as shifty and guilty-sounding from a bizarre angle.

"Shut your mouth! Well, well! No wonder you’ve been sucking up to me so eagerly every day! So you’ve been eyeing my man? I—"

"Can you please calm down and stop talking? Can you leave me some dignity? Don’t throw it all away at once, alright? Think about our sons and grandsons—don’t they need to save face in the future?"

Old Jiang quickly restrained his wife, who was about to erupt, and whispered persuasively.

On the other side, Xu Shi frowned, racking her memory for information about the women of various families.

"The Ji family doesn’t have any suitable women, do they? Their eldest is our kids’ classmate, isn’t she? Could it be that they want to act as matchmakers for someone else?"

"Ahem, couldn’t it be the previous host family?"

Alright, understood!

The surnamed Wu royal family had a widowed Princess Muhua, who was twenty years old, talented, and beautiful!

Xu Shi’s gaze hardened. She tightly wrung the handkerchief in her hand twice, then stepped forward and performed a deep bow to her parents-in-law.

"Daughter-in-law thanks Father and Mother for your support and for not blaming me for my sloppy oversight of the household."

Her eyes were full of remorse. Having been away from the intricacies of managing a household for so many years, she had made such an amateur blunder. She felt deeply ashamed of her mother’s meticulous teachings.

"What mistake did you make? What, have you blown through the funds?"

Old Wang Shi didn’t understand at all, but that didn’t stop her from talking at cross purposes with her daughter-in-law.