Chapter 543: Don’t Let Others Know

No wonder Sister-in-law Cheng complained that the courtyard was too small. In the countryside, three thousand taels of silver could build an extremely luxurious three-courtyard house.

After looking around the courtyard, Old Madam Cheng went out to stroll around the neighboring courtyard and asked around. She then learned that the three thousand taels of silver was indeed a great bargain.

Before long, the homeowner came with the property certificate and deed, paid the purchase price on the spot, signed and sealed the document, and the courtyard was registered under Cheng Zhao's name.

Old Man Cheng asked his neighbor for directions and went out to find a locksmith. The first thing he did after getting a new house was to change the locks, so that he would feel safe.

Grandma Cheng and Sister-in-law Cheng were cleaning the yard and tidying up some old furniture. Cheng Wanwan asked Cheng Jia and Wei Xiaohai to help tidy up as well.

Before they had been tidying up for long, a convoy of vehicles arrived at the gate of the yard.

The furniture was sent by Madam Situ and escorted by the steward of the Situ residence. More than a dozen carts were filled with tables, chairs and cabinets made of huanghuali wood.

Cheng Wanwan was surprised. Although the price of huanghuali furniture has only been inflated in modern times, it was not cheap in ancient times. Such a complete set would probably cost three or four thousand taels of silver. The Situ family is quite generous.

Cheng Zhao's expression also changed, and he stepped forward, saying, "Uncle Li, this is too much of a waste, I..."

“Young master, please don’t refuse.” Uncle Li said with a smile, “If this were a brand new set of huanghuali furniture, it would cost about three thousand taels of silver. But this is a set of furniture that the lady unexpectedly found at a bargain price. It only costs one thousand two hundred taels of silver. The Situ family has no shortage of such furniture. If you don’t accept it, the lady will have to sell it off at a low price.”

Cheng Wanwan stepped forward and took a look. There were indeed scratches on the octagonal table where they were dining. Although it was second-hand furniture, it looked no different from brand new furniture.

Madam Situ went to great lengths to reassure her son-in-law about accepting the housewarming gifts.

Cheng Zhao had no choice but to accept it. Li Bo chuckled and had the furniture carried inside, leaving a few servants to help clean the yard.

Watching the servants bustling about, Sister-in-law Cheng pulled Brother Cheng aside and muttered, "In our village, a set of furniture only costs a dozen or so taels of silver. This 'yellow flower' furniture is used by someone else, yet it costs over a thousand taels of silver. The capital is such a rip-off..."

"The fact that the Situ family is willing to spend so much money shows that they value our Zhao'er," Brother Cheng said with pride. "Zhao'er is so outstanding, his official position will surpass his father-in-law's sooner or later, and then the Situ family will be the ones who are climbing up to our Cheng family."

"It's obvious the Situ family is wealthy, and our daughter-in-law's dowry must be quite substantial." Sister-in-law Cheng's eyes gleamed. "Remember Er Gou's wife? I heard her dowry was worth thirty or forty thousand taels of silver. The Situ family's wedding will definitely be more extravagant than the Cao family's; fifty or sixty thousand taels of silver shouldn't be a problem. With our daughter-in-law being so rich, we won't have to worry about money..."

Cheng Zhao, who was sweeping the floor nearby, heard this and immediately stopped pointing.

He pursed his lips, put down the broom, and walked over.

Sister-in-law Cheng immediately stopped talking and asked with concern, "Zhao'er, are you tired? You are a scholar and you shouldn't be doing such rough work. With so many servants from the Situ family helping, we will definitely finish cleaning up before dark. You should go back and rest."

"Father, Mother, I have something to tell you," Cheng Zhao said solemnly. "Please sit down first."

Seeing his serious expression, the two assumed something important had happened, so they put down their work and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.

"Do my parents think that now that I'm a third-ranked scholar and have entered the Hanlin Academy, my future is limitless?" He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Of the three who ranked first this time, I'm the only one from a poor family. The other two are from prominent families in the capital. They'll have connections as soon as they enter the court and will be promoted within a year or two. Their official careers will be smooth sailing, while I might be stuck as a seventh-rank compiler for seven or eight years..."

Brother Cheng said in disbelief, "My son is so outstanding, if the Emperor doesn't promote him, then he's blind..."

"Father, you can't say things like that again. If outsiders hear you, you could be charged with a serious crime of disrespect, the lightest punishment being beheading," Cheng Zhao said sternly. "I'm not saying this to make you worry, but to tell you that my only backer in the capital is the Situ family. Lord Situ also works at the Hanlin Academy. Whether I get promoted depends entirely on my future father-in-law. If he's not happy with me, I'll only ever be a seventh-rank official..."

Sister-in-law Cheng smiled: "I think Lord Situ is very satisfied with you, there's absolutely nothing to worry about..."

"But if his daughter doesn't live well in the Cheng family, will he still be satisfied with me?" Cheng Zhao's eyes were sharp. "There are rules in the capital. A woman's dowry is not something her husband's family can use. If my Cheng family uses the Situ family's money, and this gets out, the Cheng family will be condemned by everyone, and the Situ family will become the biggest laughing stock in the city."

Sister-in-law Cheng and Brother Cheng's faces froze.

It seems their son overheard their whispered conversation and came to give them a warning.

Before the daughter-in-law even entered the house, the son was already defending her, which made Sister-in-law Cheng feel a little sour. However, she didn't dare to argue and nodded, saying, "Your father and I were just joking. How could we really touch your wife's dowry? Wouldn't that make the Situ family look down on our Cheng family? Don't worry, don't worry, after your wife enters the house, I will definitely treat her well and make sure she can't find fault with her."

Brother Cheng also repeatedly assured him.

“There’s another one,” Cheng Zhao said slowly. “All my businesses are registered under Cheng Ding’s name, and Cheng Ding’s indenture is in my second aunt’s hands. Mother, you should be more polite to my second aunt in the future. If you anger my second aunt, all my businesses will fall through.”

The only way to control his mother is by using financial incentives; other arguments won't work.

Sister-in-law Cheng gave a forced smile: "I've been very polite to her, haven't I..."

She had nothing, so how could she dare to be rude to her second sister-in-law? Look, even her son is protecting this second sister-in-law, so she wouldn't dare to do anything.

"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it in the first place." Cheng Zhao's gaze was sharp. "I could hear what Mother was saying behind my back, how could Cheng Jia and the others not hear it?"

Sister-in-law Cheng said awkwardly, "Okay, then I won't say it again..."

Second sister-in-law's mouth is too sharp; even Old Madam Situ is afraid of her. It's better for her to avoid her.

Looking at his parents' expressions, Cheng Zhao sighed.

He used to be oblivious to what was happening around him and didn't know about his second aunt's relationship with his family. Later, when he stepped away from the situation, he gradually came to understand.

On one side is the Cheng family who gave him birth and raised him, and on the other side is his second aunt who has been very kind to him. He hopes that the two sides can get along well, rather than become enemies.

This path is difficult, but it must be taken. He will gradually change his parents' attitude, and he will also gradually change his aunt's view of the Cheng family...

Cheng Zhao looked up and saw Cheng Wanwan coming over. She stood up and said, "The back courtyard has been cleaned up. Second Aunt can move in soon..."

Cheng Wanwan smiled and shook her head: "The main courtyard is your new house, the back courtyard is for your family to live in, and the side rooms must be reserved for the servants of the Situ family. I won't squeeze in here. The rented courtyard is quite comfortable. I'm only staying here for a short time anyway, so I'm too lazy to make any more trouble."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Sister-in-law Cheng quickly chimed in, "After our family moved here, his second aunt can use the yard next door too. It's spacious enough for her, isn't it?"

She was afraid that living under the same roof as her second sister-in-law would make her seem like the head of the household, while she would seem like a housewife doing manual labor.

Of course, Cheng Wanwan didn't want to live with the Cheng family either. She would feel strange looks whenever she ate anything, and she wished she could stay as far away as possible.