Chapter 124 She Refused

These words shocked everyone present.

Zhang was startled. Meng Jinyao had been married into the family for some time, but her mother-in-law had never mentioned the matter of managing the household affairs. She thought that her mother-in-law felt that Meng Jinyao was too young to take on such a responsibility, so she had never brought it up. She never expected that it would be brought up today.

Chen wasn't too shocked; it was expected, just a matter of time. She glanced at Zhang and saw her expression change several times. She smiled almost imperceptibly.

Originally, her mother-in-law had her assist Zhang in managing the household affairs in order to balance the power between the first and second wives. Her husband was not too mediocre; he held the rank of fifth-grade official in the Ministry of Rites, unlike the first wife's empty-headed, low-ranking, and sinecure position, so he did not need to manage the household affairs to maintain appearances.

Not only did Zhang's expression change, but Gu Jingsheng's expression also changed slightly. After Meng Jinyao married into the family, he had heard Zhang's analysis that if their eldest branch lost its power in managing the household affairs, they would be inferior to the second and third branches.

A look of shock flashed across Meng Jinyao's face, but she then calmly observed the changes in the expressions of everyone present.

Seeing their varied expressions, Madam Gu knew without guessing what they were thinking, so she asked, "Do any of you have any objections to this matter?"

Zhang quickly regained her senses and smiled, "Mother, your daughter-in-law also feels it's time to hand over the household management to my third brother's wife."

Madam Chen glanced at the slightly forced smile on her face, her smile deepening, and gently echoed, "Mother, your daughter-in-law thinks so too. My third sister-in-law is the Lady of the Marquis, and sooner or later she will be in charge of the household affairs. Now that my eldest sister-in-law and I are not grandmothers yet, we don't have to take care of our grandchildren, so we still have time to help out. We will definitely help my third sister-in-law take charge of the household affairs as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu nodded slightly and made the final decision: "Since everyone has no objections, then the household affairs will be managed by A-Yao. A-Yao is still relatively inexperienced, so the eldest son's wife and the second son's wife can help out."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Jinyao's voice rang out: "Mother, I have an objection."

Everyone turned to look at her, puzzled.

Madam Gu asked suspiciously, "Ayao, what's your opinion?"

Meng Jinyao replied, "Mother, actually my sister-in-law mentioned to me a long time ago that she wanted to hand over the management of the household affairs to me, but I refused."

She paused, looked at Zhang and Chen, and said humbly, "I am still inexperienced and I am afraid I am not up to the task. My eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law are managing it very well. Why don't we let them continue to manage it? I will learn from them in my daily life, and it will not be too late to take over the management of the household affairs after I have learned it well. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned.

This was a golden opportunity to take control of the household affairs. Other women would have had to work hard to wrest control from their sisters-in-law, but she refused when her mother-in-law offered to hand over the household affairs to her.

The pigeon that was within her grasp flew away, and now it's flying back. In a short period of time, Zhang's mood went through ups and downs. She looked at Meng Jinyao in disbelief. Seeing that Meng Jinyao didn't seem to be pretending to refuse, she was puzzled and didn't understand why she was like this.

Madam Chen was also quite puzzled. If it were anyone else, they would have agreed immediately. Taking charge of the household affairs was a symbol of power and status for women in the inner quarters of wealthy and powerful families.

After a moment of silence, Gu Jingxi said, "Mother, since that's the case, let my eldest sister-in-law and second sister-in-law continue to manage the household affairs together. It's not too late to let Ayao gain more experience before she can take on the role."

Since her own son and daughter-in-law had said so, even if Madam Gu had doubts, she couldn't insist. She nodded gently and said, "Very well, the household affairs will continue to be managed by the eldest son's wife and the second son's wife."

Zhang and Chen smiled and replied, "Yes, Mother."

Afterwards, the family chatted for a while longer, but when Old Madam Gu got tired, she sent them away.

With different thoughts in mind, everyone left Shou'an Hall one after another.

Zhang and Chen walked together. Although the two sisters-in-law usually had their own rivalries, they could only chat about things like this with each other and couldn't tell Meng Jinyao.

Zhang glanced at Meng Jinyao, who had already followed Gu Jingxi down another path, and asked softly, "Second sister-in-law, what do you think is the meaning of Third sister-in-law's actions today? Judging from the commotion she's caused with her family, she doesn't seem incapable of managing the household affairs."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen paused slightly, gave her a meaningful look, and replied, "Whatever her intentions, for my sister-in-law, the result is the most important thing, isn't it?"

Zhang's face suddenly froze, and she scoffed, "Isn't this a good thing for my second sister-in-law?"

Madam Chen smiled and said, "No matter what the outcome, I don't care. After all, Second Master is quite capable. Our second branch doesn't need to rely on managing the household affairs to elevate our status in the mansion."

A seemingly casual remark struck Zhang's heart hard, and her face instantly turned ugly. Of the three brothers in her husband's generation, her husband was the most mediocre and incapable of taking on important responsibilities. He had spent half his life scheming but had not made any name for himself, and only had a sinecure with a salary. The status of their eldest son's family was only elevated because she took charge of the household affairs.

Seeing her dark face, Madam Chen's smile deepened, and she continued, "Sister-in-law, since Third Sister-in-law doesn't want to manage the household affairs, then we'll help her manage them properly, and hand them back to her when she wants to."

Hearing this, Zhang felt uneasy. What she was reluctant to let go of was something others could easily obtain. Although it was still in her hands, she would have to return it if others wanted it back.

Chen gently advised, "Sister-in-law, don't think too much. What doesn't belong to us is useless to worry about. Just cherish the present. At least we had it once, didn't we?"

Zhang took a deep breath, suppressing her displeasure, and replied with a smile, "Second sister-in-law is right. However, although our eldest master is not good enough, Xiuwen is quite good enough. He even had to be recommended by the third brother to the headmaster to get into Lingshan Academy."

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen's smile froze.

Seeing that she had finally turned the tables, Zhang's smile became more genuine, and her joy was palpable. Her Xiuwen had caught the eye of the third branch of the family and her mother-in-law. Perhaps he really would be adopted into the third branch as the heir? As long as her son became the heir, what did it matter whether she managed the household affairs or not? Xiuwen was her own son; wouldn't he help the first branch in the future?

Seeing her smug expression, Chen felt depressed and said with a half-smile, "Sister-in-law, some things are still far from certain. Be careful, the greater your expectations, the greater your disappointment. Maybe they haven't even thought about it, but you're overthinking it."

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhang paused for a moment, then pretended not to understand her words and replied, "How could I not understand what you're saying, Second Sister-in-law? What else could Xiuwen be thinking about when he goes to study at Lingshan Academy? Whether he can pass the imperial examination in the future depends on his own abilities; we, as his parents, cannot control the outcome."

Chen said meaningfully, "You really can't control the outcome. You can only wish your sister-in-law all the best."