Chapter 194

Chapter 194

Wang Ying remained uneasy. After all, her Fourth Uncle and his wife were not present, and as the eldest sister-in-law, she felt it was her duty to look after them.

"We're all family here. What is it that you can't say? Why are you so hesitant?" she pressed.

Chen Qinghuai sighed, "Some time ago, my mother wrote to us, asking why... why we still haven't had a child... She urged us to see a doctor as soon as possible, so as not to delay things further."

Chen Qingyan remarked, "Fourth Aunt speaks sense."

"But after Bai Yanqing read the letter, she wept and said I should divorce her..."

"Why on earth would you divorce her?" Wang Ying asked, astonished.

"Who knows? I tried to comfort her, but she wouldn’t listen. She claimed my mother looks down on her. A few days ago, she insisted on returning to Laizhou, but I managed to dissuade her. She’s still upset about it."

Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan exchanged glances. There was little they could do; after all, this was their second brother’s private matter, and it wasn’t their place to interfere.

"Perhaps you should first write a letter to your wife's family and inform them?"

Chen Qinghuai replied, "That’s what I thought too. I sent a letter yesterday, hoping her parents can persuade her. Otherwise, I truly don’t know what to do."

Every family has its own troubles. Bai Yanqing was an only child, accustomed to being pampered since childhood. Her temperament was unlike that of most girls—she couldn't tolerate the slightest grievance. Now, Chen Qinghuai found himself in a difficult position.

"Let’s not dwell on this. After the imperial examination, the Hanlin Academy will be making transfers. Have you decided which ministry you want to join, Brother?"

"Either the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Revenue would be fine, but it’s not for me to choose. Lord Liu once advised me that no matter where I’m assigned, it’s an opportunity to gain experience. Maintaining a calm and open mind is the key to achieving something meaningful."

"Hmm! I’ve been thinking it might be better to gain some experience outside the capital."

"You want an external posting?"

Chen Qinghuai nodded. "Staying in the capital and accumulating seniority would take at least twenty years before I could even attend court. If I go out and gain experience for a few years, I might reach the fifth rank in less than ten years."

"That’s not wise. Once you leave, it might be difficult to return!"

Chen Qinghuai scratched his head. "To be honest, I don’t have the same ambition as Father. Being an official outside the capital is quite good—there’s less restraint. The capital may be grand, but one must be cautious in everything, always fearing accidentally offending colleagues or angering superiors."

That was certainly true. "Well, let’s discuss it when the time comes. For now, let’s eat."

*

After finishing his meal, Chen Qinghuai returned home. He headed toward the bedroom but paused at the door, then turned and went to the study next door.

If he went in, it would inevitably lead to another argument. He had to report for duty early the next day and didn’t have the energy to deal with it.

Actually, Chen Qinghuai had been quite fond of Bai Shi at first. He had hoped their married life would be as harmonious as that of his elder brother and sister-in-law.

But after they married, their relationship remained lukewarm. She always treated him coldly, and over time, the warmth in his heart dissipated.

The reason they still hadn’t had a child was that they only slept together two or three days a month. Sometimes, when it was Bai Yanqing’s menstrual period, they avoided even touching each other.

Not long after, the letter Chen Qinghuai wrote arrived at the Bai family. Mrs. Bai was extremely anxious when she received it. She had worried about her daughter suffering grievances when she married into a family so far away, where she couldn’t keep an eye on her. Now, the Chen family was actually disdaining their daughter!

"Earlier, I said we shouldn’t marry her off—we should have found a live-in son-in-law to stay with us and inherit the family business. But you insisted otherwise. Now, look—it’s been three years since the wedding, and there’s still no sign of a child. The in-laws must have written to scold our daughter!"

"Impossible. My mother-in-law isn’t that kind of person. It’s more likely that Bai Yanqing is overthinking things."

"You—you don’t even care about your own daughter, yet you expect others to care?"

Dean Bai rubbed his temples and said, "You know Bai Yanqing’s temper. She’s not one to tolerate grievances. You’ve spoiled her too much over the years."

"Then I’ll go to the capital and bring Yanqing back."

"Don't you dare! Do you really want Bai Yanqing to divorce?"

"If divorce is what it takes, then so be it. Are you saying we can’t live without the Chen family?"

"You—you…" Mr. Bai’s beard trembled, and his chest ached with anger.

Mrs. Bai quickly brought him a cup of tea and helped him drink it. "Fine, I won’t bring her back. Don’t be angry."

"Indulgent mothers raise spoiled children!" Mr. Bai knocked the teacup from her hand and scolded, "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. You want your nephew to marry into our family and seize the Bai family’s property."

"What nonsense are you saying, Husband? Changshan grew up before your eyes. He’s an honest and dependable child, and he and our Bai Yanqing have been childhood friends."

"Give up on that idea! If I hadn’t overheard him talking in a tavern about how he would send me, this old fool, away once he inherited the Bai family’s estate, I wouldn’t have known what you were scheming!"

Mrs. Bai’s face turned pale. "How… how could that be…"

"If you keep entertaining such thoughts, you might as well leave too. The Bai family has no room for someone who betrays their own family!"

"H-Husband! Are you divorcing me?"

Mrs. Bai covered her face and burst into tears. "I’ve been married into the Bai family for twenty years. All these years, I’ve handled all matters in the household. Even if I haven’t done great deeds, I’ve worked hard. How can you talk of divorcing me?"

Mr. Bai retorted, "Have I ever said a word about you secretly providing for your maiden family? When you gave birth to Bai Yanqing, you had a difficult delivery that left you injured. The doctor said it would be hard for you to have more children. When Mother wanted me to take a concubine, I refused outright. Have I ever neglected you in the slightest all these years?"

Mrs. Bai didn’t dare say another word, only wiping her tears and shaking her head.

"Why are you so insistent on having Bai Yanqing divorce and marry your good-for-nothing nephew? What’s wrong with Qing Huai? He’s a Jinshi degree holder, a talented man! His family are fourth-ranking prefects. A family like that is worthy of marrying a princess—are they not good enough for your pampered daughter?"

Only then did Mrs. Bai snap out of it. She had been deluded, always worrying that if her daughter married out, the family estate would eventually fall into someone else’s hands.

But now, thinking it over, even if her daughter married a son-in-law living in our home, if he treated her poorly after she and her husband passed away, there would be nothing they could do. The family estate would still end up in the hands of an outsider.

"Husband, I was wrong... Lin Changshan approached me several times, saying that if he could marry into our family, he would treat us like his own parents in the future. I never imagined he was the kind of person who says one thing to your face and another behind your back. If I had known he was so ungrateful, I would never have agreed!"

Mr. Bai sighed. "No one needs to worry about the Bai family’s estate. I’ve already made a will. After I die, half will go to Bai Yanqing, and the rest will be given to the clan to develop the academy. No one else will get a single penny."

Mrs. Bai understood perfectly. She wiped her tears and said, "I was too narrow-minded before, only thinking about keeping my daughter by my side without considering the bigger picture. I’ll send someone to talk to my family. Tomorrow, I’ll go to the capital myself and make sure Bai Yanqing and her husband live together peacefully."

"That’s how it should be. She’s a grown woman now. If she doesn’t change her temperament, no one will be able to stand her! When you go, advise her to stop being so willful. If she refuses to listen, bring her back and have her become a nun. Better that than let her cause trouble for others!"

Mrs. Bai covered her face and began crying again. She hadn’t expected her husband to be so furious that he would threaten divorce after twenty years of marriage.

But she had been in the wrong. She could only blame herself for poor judgment.

The next day, Mrs. Bai departed for the capital.

After several days of travel, she arrived at the Chen family. Seeing her daughter depressed all day, she pulled her aside and asked, "I remember you and your husband got along rather well when you first married. How did things come to this?"

"I feel like Qing Huai doesn’t like me. I’m afraid he already has someone else in his heart."

Mrs. Bai was shocked. "Do you have any proof? When we arranged the marriage, the in-laws assured me multiple times that the Chen family had no tradition of taking concubines. That’s why I agreed to the match. If he already has someone else, it’s better to divorce early!"

"I... I have no proof. But ever since we married, the times he... he has slept with me are few and far between... My mother-in-law wrote to say I can’t have children, but how is that my fault?" she wept bitterly.

"Tell me, how have the two of you been getting along these past few years?"

"We've always treated each other respectfully, like guests," she said.

Mrs. Bai frowned deeply. "Could it be that you're unwilling to even sleep together with your husband?"

Bai Yanqing's cheeks flushed red. "Such matters... how can they be discussed openly?"

"Let me ask you, who is running the household now?"

"Nanny Huang is handling them. There are too many miscellaneous matters in the household, and managing them is such a hassle..." This Nanny Huang was her wet nurse who had accompanied her as part of her dowry and was also an old servant of the Bai family.

"Then have you ever cooked a single meal for your husband? Or mended any of his clothes?"

Bai Yanqing shook her head. "Those are servants' duties. Why should I do them?"

"Silly girl, I think reading has made you foolish. Husband and wife are the closest people to each other. While he works outside, you should manage the household well. People's hearts are made of flesh—if you treat him well, how could he not treat you well? If you don’t keep him in your heart, and only focus on your reading and poetry every day, over time, his heart will naturally grow cold."

"Then... what should I do?"

"Since you’ve only been married for three years, there’s still time to fix things. Your husband, Chen Qinghuai, is a man of upright character and would certainly not have another woman outside. But if you keep throwing tantrums like this, I fear that over time, his heart will grow cold. If he really takes a concubine then, that’s when you’ll truly have something to cry about!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yanqing threw herself into her mother’s arms and wept. "Mother, I don’t want things to be like this. Perhaps it would be better to just separate..."

Mrs. Bai knew that her daughter had been spoiled by her, but she could no longer indulge her. She pushed her daughter away and said, "Separate? The Chen family has not treated you poorly. If you really don’t want to continue this marriage, then ask Chen Qinghuai for a divorce paper!"

"Mother?" Bai Yanqing looked at her mother in disbelief.

"Your father said that if you come back after a separation, he will send you to become a Buddhist nun. Don’t even think about returning home anymore—the Bai family can’t afford this shame!"

Only then did Bai Yanqing truly break down in genuine despair. Seeing that her mother was about to leave, she quickly grabbed her sleeve. "Are you and father abandoning me?"

Mrs. Bai also felt heartbroken. She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "How could I abandon you? But your father and I can’t be with you forever! Do you remember your cousin Changshan?"

"I remember..." Her mother had previously mentioned wanting him to marry into their family as a live-in son-in-law.

"He only wanted to marry you for our family’s wealth. Before, I was blinded and thought that your uncle’s family would never harm us. I never expected that behind our backs, he actually talked about seizing the Bai family’s property and then driving your father and me away."

"How could he say such things!"

"So, don’t even think about separating and setting up your own household anymore. Life is already hard for women in this world. Even if you were to bring a live-in son-in-law into the family, without your parents’ support, your future life might not necessarily be better." Mrs. Bai stroked her daughter’s hair. "Listen to your mother’s advice: live well with Chen Qinghuai. He’s a good man and will surely not let you down."

Finally, Bai Yanqing listened to reason and nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Bai stayed for a few days before returning home. However, after she left, Bai Yanqing seemed like a changed person. The first change she made was to take charge of the household management herself, disciplining several servants who had been embezzling.

Then, she took the initiative to visit her elder brother's wife’s home, seeking to build a closer relationship with Wang Ying.

Wang Ying was naturally straightforward and warm-hearted, especially toward her sister-in-law. As they interacted more, the two gradually grew closer.

Over time, Bai Yanqing grew fonder and fonder of this sister-in-law.

Not only was she beautiful, but she was also skilled in business and even wrote books! For someone who loved reading, this was incredibly appealing. Through Wang Ying, she also learned many methods for managing a household and even mastered a few home-cooked meals, which she specially cooked for Chen Qinghuai.

The relationship between the couple gradually improved. By May, Bai Yanqing suddenly began experiencing stomach troubles—she would vomit whenever she ate. Chen Qinghuai immediately took her to a doctor.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a pregnancy. Chen Qinghuai was thrilled and promptly sent news to both sets of parents. The young couple’s life was finally back on track.