That evening, after the family dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Wu kept Xiang Wan behind, as if they had something to say. Xiang Wan had anticipated this, and tugged at Wu Ziyu's sleeve, preventing him from leaving.

"Father, Mother, what can't you say in front of your son?"

Wu Ziyu's words to Xiang Wan at noon were still fresh in their minds; it was clear that Xiang Wan wanted him to stay. Wu's parents were truly devoted to their son, but with their new daughter-in-law, they had only just begun to establish proper etiquette, and now their son had interfered, making things rather complicated.

Mr. and Mrs. Wu exchanged a glance. Mrs. Wu turned to Wu Ziyu and teased, "You silly child, we just wanted to talk to your wife. What's there to worry about? We're not eating people. Xiang Wan should understand the rules of our Wu family."

Wu Ziyu seemed somewhat surprised. He had never heard of any rules in the Wu family since he was a child. He couldn't help but glance at Xiang Wan. Seeing her standing obediently beside him, he didn't know what to say for a moment. He could only reply, "Since these are the rules of the Wu family, let me hear them too. If Wan'er does anything wrong in the Wu family in the future, I can remind her."

Father Wu frowned, glanced at Xiang Wan, and seeing that Wu Ziyu really had no intention of leaving, he cleared his throat and said, "Yu'er, you are married today and will have a family from now on. You must prioritize your family and never act recklessly or bring trouble upon yourself."

As he spoke, Mr. Wu coughed somewhat awkwardly and turned his head toward Mrs. Wu, signaling her to continue.

Mother Wu straightened up and said, "Our Wu family only has Yu'er as its only son, so having children as soon as possible is the most important thing. Wan'er, I know you are a good child, but you are new here and don't know the rules very well yet. So, I'd like to explain things to you clearly here."

In our Wu family, the men have always been responsible for external affairs, while the women manage the household. You will need to spend a lot of time familiarizing yourself with the affairs and interpersonal relationships of the Wu family; you will need experience to learn. Now that you have entered the Wu family, you are a member of the Wu family. According to the rules of the Wu family, the dowry you brought from the Jiang family will be confiscated. Don't worry about it; we are old and will not covet your things. From now on, this Wu family will still belong to you and your husband. It will be convenient for us to manage it together for the time being. Only when you are able to stand on your own will we feel at ease handing the Wu family over to you.

Although the Wu family is not a prominent family, they still need to uphold the necessary filial piety. From now on, they will inevitably have to pay their respects to us morning and evening, and serving tea and water is also a daughter-in-law's duty.

A woman should submit to her husband after marriage. Although our Wu family does not emphasize the three obediences and four virtues for women, you should not contradict Ziyu to his face, even if you have different opinions. You can discuss it with him in your room.

Wan'er, did you understand?

At first, Xiang Wan agreed with Mr. Wu's words, thinking him to be a man of great principle. However, Mrs. Wu's words chilled her heart. If she hadn't watched so many TV dramas in modern times, she would have thought the couple was simply playing good cop and bad cop. Given the original owner's personality, she would have agreed after hearing these words, so no matter how she was treated, she never complained. As a result, she had no presence in the Wu family, could be manipulated or discarded at will, and lived without a sense of self, destined for tragedy.

Madam Wu put on airs and acted all high and mighty, but as soon as she entered the door, she revealed her true colors. Unfortunately, the original owner of this body was a simple-minded person who never thought things through and never received any guidance. She was thus tricked by the Wu family.

Wu Ziyu was quite knowledgeable, but he was, after all, a beneficiary of the Wu family's system, and besides, he had no feelings for the original owner of this body, so naturally he wouldn't warn her. How could this whole family be so shameless as to scheme against her?

"Uncle Wu, Aunt Wu, please forgive my rudeness, but I have a question to ask you."

Jiang Xiangwan looked up at the Wu family couple, her gaze calm yet undeniable. Before they could answer, she asked firmly, "You sons of the Wu family, are you willing to sign a written agreement that you will never marry anyone else in this life except me, Jiang Xiangwan, and that no other woman will bear children for you? Otherwise, may the Wu family's wealth be completely squandered and your lineage cut off."

"You vicious woman, how dare you curse my Wu family to be childless!" Father Wu slammed his hand on the table, nearly knocking over the teapot.

Wu's mother's feigned loving face twisted instantly, revealing her ugly side. Only Wu Ziyu looked at Xiang Wan with surprise, seemingly lost in thought.

Before the group could catch their breath, Xiang Wan continued, "Uncle Wu, Aunt Wu, please don't be angry. Let me finish what I have to say."

I, Jiang Xiangwan, am the only daughter of the Jiang family. Marrying me is equivalent to marrying the entire Jiang family. All the wealth my parents have built up will belong to me and my husband in the future. Since I've married into the Wu family, it's only natural that I should abide by the rules and fulfill my filial duties. However, this is the Republic of China era, no longer the feudal society where women were subservient to their husbands and men had multiple wives and concubines. We now pursue free love and value monogamy. I, Jiang Xiangwan, also want this kind of life—to marry only one person and remain faithful to only one person for life, but I must marry the right person.

Rather than harboring resentment later when Wu Ziyu is surrounded by women, it's better to make things clear from the beginning. I absolutely do not want my dowry to benefit whoever takes my place, nor will I allow my husband to have the opportunity to cheat.

If we had separated everything from the beginning, and if Uncle Wu and Aunt Wu didn't like me later, or if Wu Ziyu didn't love me, we could have peacefully divorced and gone our separate ways.

If you want to seize my family fortune, marry another woman, and raise other people's children, then don't blame me for being ruthless.

These words, though somewhat domineering, are also Xiang Wan's true nature.

Wu Ziyu has developed a vague affection for Nangong Pei, but Nangong Pei hasn't made it clear, and Wu Ziyu hasn't realized her own feelings yet. Now that Wu Ziyu's vague feelings are placed next to Xiang Wan's bottom line, this couple who were married in their previous life will inevitably face more obstacles, or even be cut off directly.

Xiang Wan wondered whether Wu Ziyu would rather stay at the Wu residence or pursue his elusive feelings. She stared intently at Wu Ziyu.

"You, you, this is simply outrageous!" Wu Fu pointed at Xiang Wan, his fingers trembling violently, while his mother whispered words of comfort to him.

Looking at Xiang Wan's distinctive personality, Wu Ziyu found it quite interesting. Without saying a word, a smile slowly crept onto his face.

"Yu'er, look at the woman you married! She's a vicious woman! She's only just entered the door and she's already made your father so angry. We were blind to have thought she was well-educated and sensible. Bah!"

Wu's mother could no longer pretend. She didn't care about her image anymore and was about to start cursing, but Wu Ziyu stopped her with a gesture.

“Mother, this is the Republic of China, marriage is free, what Wan’er said is not wrong.”