The old lady of the Mei family's original surname was Gao, but she had been married into the Mei family for decades and was now the head of the family, so everyone was used to calling her Old Lady Mei.

Old Mrs. Mei was not very satisfied with either of her two daughters-in-law. She thought they were too soft-tempered.

For example, when her two sons wanted to take concubines, the two daughters-in-law agreed without saying a word. However, her mother-in-law got stuck on the matter and called the two daughters-in-law over and asked them repeatedly.

She felt that mothers-in-law like her were rare in the world, but her two daughters-in-law didn't seem to appreciate it.

Now she has come to terms with it. Forget it. Everyone has his or her own destiny and his or her own way of living. Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Maybe it's time to let go of her obsession.

After she relaxed, her two daughters-in-law seemed willing to talk to her openly.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Ma Jingling, said to her, "Mother, I know what you mean. You don't want Master to take a concubine. You want Master and I to have another child, or two or three more. But mother, if I have other children, let alone two or three, even if I have one more, I may not be so good to Yinshan. Your heart will be broken in two, or even three or four petals.

I have two or three children, but Yinshan only has me as his mother. If he were a good child, I could have other children, but he is not a good child. He is not born to be as good as others. He needs a mother, a mother who loves him wholeheartedly.

The eldest daughter-in-law burst into tears when she said this, and Mrs. Mei felt bad. When she was choosing a daughter-in-law, she chose the eldest daughter-in-law because she was a sincere child, but as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Mei family, she couldn't just rely on such soft intentions to get things done.

But could she say her daughter-in-law was wrong? She couldn't bring herself to say that. After all, she was a mother. When her youngest son died, she felt like she had lost half her life. Alas.

If the eldest daughter-in-law sometimes gets anxious, the second daughter-in-law, Yuan Zhixi, is as gentle as lukewarm water, never anxious or impatient, neither hot nor cold. If she had not given birth to four children in a row, she would have thought that the second daughter-in-law had the temperament of a monk.

This is where the strange thing happens. If you say that the second son and his wife have a bad relationship, they have four children and seem to get along well. But if you say that they love each other, the second son has taken two concubines in a row.

The second son took in his first concubine, a former maidservant. When he came to see her, he said that Zhixi had many children and was very busy, and this maidservant was used to serving him, so he was very good at using her. When Zhixi couldn't take care of him, this maidservant could take care of him. The second son said that by making this maid a concubine, he could share Zhixi's worries.

It seems that he took this concubine for his wife. Old Mrs. Mei was a little angry when she heard this, but Yuan Zhixi nodded and agreed, saying that this was a good idea.

I thought that the family would be at peace for a while after I took in a concubine, but within three months, I took in a second one. After this concubine came in, the second son brought her to meet his mother.

Old Mrs. Mei understood at a glance that this was a figure modeled after the second son’s deceased childhood sweetheart, Wu Shuangshuang.

It seemed that the second child hadn't gotten over the knot in her heart. She only asked, "Has your wife already nodded?" Mei Xuanqi said yes. Mrs. Mei didn't say anything else.

Although the second son had brought the concubine back, as long as Yuan Zhixi didn't give the nod, she, the old lady, would not let this woman in. Moreover, she had already said this to the second son's wife when they took in a concubine last time. As long as she didn't give the nod, the maid would be a maid until she died.

But the second son's wife just smiled and said, "It's okay, Mom, it's fine this way."

After the eldest son's wife Ma Jingling talked to her, the second son's wife Yuan Zhixi also opened her heart to her. Yuan Zhixi said: "Mom, the night I got married, the second master picked up my veil and told me that he could treat me with respect and be a husband and wife for the rest of his life.

But he won't like me, won't cry for me, won't laugh for me, won't worry about me, won't feel anxious for me, won't be heartbroken for me, and won't toss and turn for me.

And there was a girl named Wu Shuangshuang who had experienced all of this, including the heart-pounding feeling of their first meeting in this world. He would never experience such a heart-throb again. He told me not to cross his line, to abide by the rules, and to live our lives in harmony.

After hearing this, Mrs. Mei felt sorry for her second son's wife. She had never expected her son to be such a bad person, saying these things to his newly married wife on their wedding night.

Yuan Zhixi, in turn, comforted her mother-in-law: "Mom, it's okay. I think it's good that the Second Master can speak up in advance.

From that night on, all I wanted was a child.

I am also afraid that one day something bad will happen to my children and I will lose my only hope like my sister-in-law, so I think having two or three children is also good.

After I had two children, I felt great. I had never thought about having a third and a fourth child, but since I have them, then I have them.

The doctor said that I was easy to get pregnant. If I didn’t want to have children anymore, I should either drink some medicine after sex or not have sex at all.

I didn't want to take medicine. So after I had my second child, I asked the Second Master to take a concubine.

Since I can no longer serve the Second Master, he must have someone by his side. One or two? It won't make any difference to me after the wedding night."

The old lady of the Mei family was speechless.

Ma Jingling, the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest house, brought her son Mei Yinshan to the old lady. As usual, they paid their respects to the old lady and had breakfast with her. The eldest son Mei Xuanrui followed behind, also paid his respects to his mother and had breakfast with her.

The child is a good and well-behaved child. If he is not mentally deficient, he will be the eldest grandson of the eldest branch of the Mei family. Old Mrs. Mei sighed in her heart, not knowing what happened to the eldest branch.

A little later, Mei Xuanqi, the second master of the Mei family, also came to pay his respects to the old lady with his new concubine, Weng Hui. Weng Hui was extremely favored, and according to the old lady Mei's rules, concubines did not need to come to her house, but the second master of the Mei family now took Weng Hui with him wherever he went.

When Mei Xuanqi arrived, he met his wife Yuan Zhixi standing in the corridor in front of the old lady's yard waiting for him. The second master of the Mei family nodded when he saw her, but did not stop. He still held his concubine's hand with his other hand and walked past his wife. Yuan Zhixi followed silently behind.

The couple now have their own worries.

When Mrs. Mei saw the second master of the Mei family leading Weng Hui over, she hurriedly asked, "Where is Zhixi?"

Mei Xuanqi glanced back and said to the door in a slightly raised voice, "Hurry up, mother is waiting." Just then, Yuan Zhixi came in through the curtains. She raised her eyes and smiled, "Mother, it's my fault. I was just looking at the crabapple blossoms in the corridor and took a few longer looks."

The second master of the Mei family glanced at his wife, then turned his head back to concentrate on eating his breakfast, whispering to Weng Hui from time to time.