Chapter 24 Self-righteousness

"Okay." Shen Anan nodded.

Shen Changhe walked away, and before he could stop, he glanced at Meng Cheng standing beside him.

That look was definitely not friendly.

"Let's go." Shen Anan said to Meng Cheng, and the two walked onto the corridor together. Meng Cheng opened his mouth several times and finally spoke.

“Miss Shen, Brother Shen… don’t you like me very much?”

Shen Anan smiled, she also saw it, "Well, but you don't have to care, he probably won't like any Erlang related to me."

Meng Cheng was stunned when he heard this, then he pursed his lips and smiled lightly.

When he was almost at the banquet hall, he suddenly stopped and stammered, “Miss Shen, wait a minute.”

"Hmm?" Shen Anan turned around and looked at him in confusion, "What's wrong?"

"I, I..." Meng Cheng blushed and finally whispered, "The day after tomorrow, there will be lanterns on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Can I invite you to go and play with me?"

Before Shen Anan could speak, he quickly said, “My sister will also be there by then, don’t worry, it won’t damage your reputation.”

Shen Anan was silent for a moment, and Meng Cheng's palms were sweaty from nervousness.

"Okay, but my eldest brother will also go that day. If Master Meng doesn't mind..."

"Don't mind, don't mind, the four of us will be together."

"Okay then." Shen Anan nodded and agreed. Meng Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

The existence of a sequel means there is hope, at least it proves that the girl from the Shen family is still somewhat happy about him.

Back in the banquet room, the three of them turned their heads to look at them, all with loving and meaningful looks on their faces.

"You're back?"

“Mother.” Shen Anan bowed one by one and went to sit next to Madam Shen.

Mrs. Shen looked at her daughter deeply, and her smile gradually faltered.

After Meng Chengxing paid his respects, he also sat down. Mrs. Meng glanced at the blush on his neck and ears and frowned slightly.

Just one turn made Cheng'er so shy. It turned out that being too good-looking is not a good thing. He is really good at seducing people.

She smiled and patted her son on the back, lowering her voice and scolding him, "You are useless."

Meng Cheng's face froze. He looked up at his mother and immediately calmed down a lot.

Although Shen Anan and Madam Shen did not hear what she said, they saw the little movements of the two and could not help but feel that the young master of the Meng family was a little too afraid of his mother.

At this time, a maid reported that it was time to eat, and Madam Shen stood up and led the two of them to the next room.

The wealthy and powerful families all observe rules and regulations. They never talk or whisper while eating, and the meal is very quiet.

Shen Anan was a little annoyed by this kind of look and was absent-minded the whole afternoon. Fortunately, the mother and son of the Meng family said goodbye and left after sitting for a while.

Mrs. Shen had to accompany the eldest princess and couldn't leave, so Shen Anan sent the two of them to the hanging flower archway.

Shen Anan walked in front, leading the way for the mother and son. Madam Meng stared at her back with a look of scrutiny in her eyes.

Her family background is indeed good, but she is not very satisfied with her appearance. However, if other aspects are acceptable and her son likes her, she will not be too picky in the future.

Thinking of Madam Shen's enthusiasm today, Madam Meng immediately felt that this marriage was a sure thing. Moreover, her son just told her that the girl agreed to go out for a trip together on the Mid-Autumn Festival. It must be because she likes her son.

Thinking of this, she straightened her back a lot, and said softly, "I heard that Miss Shen grew up in Jiangnan since she was a child, and she suddenly returned to Beijing recently. Is she used to it?"

Shen Anan smiled and responded, "Jiangnan is a little more humid, except for the climate difference, there is no other difference, I am still used to it."

Madam Meng nodded. "The prosperity of the capital is incomparable to that of Jiangnan. If you have time, you can attend more banquets with your mother, go out for a walk, and meet those ladies."

Shen Anan's expression froze, and after a moment he nodded indifferently.

"I heard that you grew up with Madam Shen?"

"Yes." Shen Anan's expression had faded at this moment.

"The old lady was very famous in Kyoto back then. I'm sure she would teach Miss Shen by example."

Shen Anan, "Naturally."

Mrs. Meng smiled even more when she heard this.

"Mother." Meng Cheng lowered his head and gently pulled Mrs. Meng's sleeve, signaling her not to say anything more.

Mrs. Meng glared at her son with disappointment. She started protecting her before she even got married. As expected, beauty is a disaster. If she were to marry him, would she be no different from those concubines in the old man's backyard who used their beauty to serve men and flirt with other women.

She slapped Meng Cheng's hand away and continued, "With Madam Shen's guidance, Miss Shen will surely be talented. But Madam Shen has not been in charge of the family in Jiangnan for so long, I don't know if she has forgotten it. It may be a bit difficult for her to teach Miss Shen."

Shen Anan’s face was slightly gloomy.

Is this a disguised way of asking if she has learned how to cook in the inner chamber?

"Madam Meng, you are joking. I am the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, not a concubine's daughter, and certainly not from a small family. Aren't those things the basics that a lady should learn? My grandmother was also from a wealthy family, and she started learning from a young age. How could I forget something that is engraved in my bones? Why, Madam Meng, did you not learn it at your mother's house, so you are asking this question?"

There was a hint of coldness and sarcasm in her tone.

Madam Meng's face changed immediately. The Shen family was not a small family. She was also from a legitimate official family and the eldest daughter. Shen Anan's words were humiliating her.

"you--"

"Mom." Meng Cheng called her loudly, his face full of annoyance but he didn't dare to vent it.

Madam Meng glared at him fiercely and said indifferently, "I just asked casually, Miss Shen is sharp-tongued. With such a sharp temper, you must change it when you go to your husband's house in the future."

A daughter-in-law must have the awareness of a daughter-in-law, serve her parents-in-law, not disobey her husband, and be humble and submissive.

After all, every daughter-in-law goes through this, and everything will be fine once she becomes a mother-in-law.

"Then don't bother Madam Meng. You should use your enthusiasm to worry about your own family." Shen Anan paused at the hanging flower archway, turned around and said lightly.

Mrs. Meng's expression changed, and Meng Cheng's face turned slightly pale.

"You little girl, you are still angry, aren't you? Auntie is straightforward and speaks out because she likes you. Don't worry, you will be my biological daughter in the future."

Shen Anan dodged the hand that Madam Meng extended and smiled without saying a word.

Mrs. Meng was a little embarrassed for a moment.

The Shen family was of high status, and she thought she had been restrained enough today, and did not dare to say anything. However, this girl from the Shen family seemed to be more sharp-tongued and difficult to talk to than the previous girls.

As expected, girls raised in high-class families are delicate and spoiled.

It is true that she is dissatisfied with Shen Anan, but she is more attracted to the family background of the Shen family. She can tolerate other things, but if she can marry a girl from the Shen family to her son, even the old man will have to look at her face, and those bitches in the backyard will never be able to get ahead of her in this life.

“Cheng’er, go and have a word with Miss Shen. Mother will wait for you outside.”

Meng Cheng's face flushed with anger, but Madam Meng didn't care about him. She pushed his arm and left with the maid.

"Ms. Shen, my mother is always like this. She talks faster than she thinks. Don't be like her."

Shen Anan looked at Meng Cheng indifferently. She finally knew why he had not married after he came of age. It turned out that it was all because of his top-notch mother.

More importantly, Meng Cheng obviously listened to Madam Meng very much, or was afraid of her and had to obey her orders.

She had originally had a mediocre impression of Meng Cheng, but now she suddenly disliked him. The conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is an eternal problem. If a man cannot stand up for himself, the woman who follows him will be tortured for the rest of her life.

"Mr. Meng, you are joking. Madam Meng is a guest. It is not reasonable for me to argue with her."

Meng Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, but felt that Shen Anan's tone was too cold, and said worriedly, "Then the day after tomorrow, I will come to pick you up to enjoy the lanterns together."

“No need.” Shen Anan said calmly, “The Shen Mansion has a carriage, so I won’t bother Mr. Meng.”

Meng Cheng wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Shen Anan, "Mr. Meng, please leave quickly, don't let Madam Meng wait anxiously."

Meng Cheng opened his mouth, but finally left with his head down, thinking that it would be difficult for him to speak in front of the Shen Mansion, so he decided to wait until the next day when they went out to play before explaining in detail.

"Miss, this Madam Meng is too self-righteous. Does she really think that you have already married into their family?"

Shen Anan pulled her lips and smiled, "Let's go."

——

On the other side, Meng Cheng got on the carriage dejectedly. Mrs. Meng asked hurriedly, "How is it? What did she say?"

Meng Cheng raised his eyes to look at his mother, then turned his head to look out the window without saying anything.

"Why don't you speak? Are you mute?"

Meng Cheng shook off her hand that was pushing his arm and said angrily, "What am I saying? Don't you know what you just said?"

Mrs. Meng was stunned.

"Cheng'er, you are so capable now that you dare to talk to me like this. I am doing this for your own good. Have you forgotten how your father favored his concubine over his wife? If it weren't for me supporting him, you, the legitimate son, might have been kicked out of the house long ago."

"Please don't say anything more." Meng Cheng lowered his head and held his head with his hands, feeling helpless.

He silently repeated in his mind everything that Madam Meng was going to say next. After she had finished her complaints that had been repeated over and over again until they were almost chewed to pieces, he loosened his arms and lowered his eyes to stare at the carriage.

"She didn't refuse to go out the day after tomorrow, she just asked me not to pick her up."

Madam Meng heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this. "I said, this marriage is arranged by the eldest princess, so there is no reason why it won't be successful. The Shen family girl must like you, so why would she be unwilling just because of a few words?"

"Mother." Meng Cheng was helpless. "That's the Shen Mansion. Her father is the head of the military officers. It's not one of those small families in the past. If you continue to be like this, how can I get married?"

Mrs. Meng hesitated a little and muttered, "I know."

She was a little elated and lost her composure because she saw that everything was going smoothly.

"But you too." She glanced at her son with dissatisfaction, "I just saw her for the first time and you were already attracted by her beauty. You even dared to get angry with me. If I really marry her in the future, who knows how you will treat her like a baby and disobey me."

Thinking of his mother's difficulties over the years, Meng Cheng relaxed his expression and said, "What are you talking about, mother? How can a wife compare to you? You are the one your son loves the most."

Madam Meng snorted coldly, and her expression became much better. "It is said that only a virtuous wife can help her husband rise to the top. Look at the girl from the Shen family, she is gorgeous and charming, and her smile is dazzling. If she seduces you and you become addicted to women and stop making progress, what will you do?"

"Mother is thinking about your future. If it weren't for the Shen family's good background, I would never look down on such a charming figure."

Meng Cheng frowned, but did not argue with Mrs. Meng.

"Even if you marry her in the future, you can't hang out with her every day. You have to focus on your future. That girl has been spoiled to the point of being lawless. Mother has to teach her some good manners."

"Look at how she spoke to me just now. She was so arrogant and rude."

Meng Cheng turned his head impatiently and looked out the window. He also felt that Shen Anan's words just now were a bit harsh and he shouldn't treat his elders like that.

But their status and family background are there, so they have the capital to be proud. They are not like those small families who could be lectured and bullied by their mothers in the past.

Madam Meng was still mumbling, "When the Fourth Prince came, the guards around him said that Miss Shen came back from Jiangnan, and her etiquette and rules must not be very good, so people of equal status may not look down on her."

Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so lowly as to be in their family.

In that case, there's nothing wrong with her being a little bit polite.