Chapter 178
“Old woman, if you ask me, the third brother is right. You said that doctors often come to take our pulses and they all say that we are in good health. You must have spent a lot of money on these pills.”
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Third brother, that Taoist priest swore an oath in front of Mother, he's definitely a good guy."
After Liu finished speaking, she looked at the two maids standing at the door and was somewhat angry.
“It was that bitch who went to your place and spread those lies. Tell your mother, and I’ll beat her to death.”
The only people who knew about this were the two people serving him.
The two remained unfazed, since the indenture was in Yingxiang's hands and they obeyed her.
“Mother, this isn’t me telling on you. Ultimately, I’m the one who calls the shots in this family.”
After hearing this, he took the box back.
“I said you can’t eat it, so you can’t eat it. If you don’t listen, you can’t go out in the future. This garden is big enough for you to wander around.”
After saying that, he picked up the box and left. Liu was about to chase after him when she was pulled back by two maids and Old Man Wen. She immediately burst into a tirade of curses.
Upon hearing this, he immediately ordered his servant to dispose of the item, which meant throwing it away.
Back inside, his good mood vanished instantly.
"Mother is really confused."
Yingxiang listened without saying anything, only sighing.
What Wen Shi didn't know was that this wasn't the first time. When he and Xiao Wu moved to the city before, a similar incident had occurred, and Xiao Wu had given Wen's father a reasonable explanation.
Feng tried to persuade Liu, but was scolded by her. Xiao Wu was so angry that she almost locked Liu in the house. In the end, Liu promised that she would rather die than take the pills, and the matter was over.
Old Man Wen believed it, but he didn't know how Liu had secretly obtained these things recently.
Filial piety is of paramount importance, but if parents act absurdly, children should certainly manage and advise them. This was true for Wen Xiaowu, and Wen Shi was no exception.
With their parents relying on them, they certainly wouldn't speak ill of them, especially outside the home.
After all, without them, the elderly couple wouldn't have the good life they have today.
Liu cursed for a long time, and finally lay down on the bed, exhausted.
Old Man Wen originally wanted to beat someone up, but seeing his wife's eyes welling up with tears, he held back and could only sigh heavily before returning to his room.
The following morning, Wen Shi indeed had someone leave a few words with the gatekeeper.
He understood his mother; only practical actions mattered. When Liu was stopped at the door, she was truly angry, and she immediately went to find Yingxiang.
"Mother, I'm not the one who calls the shots in this family."
Yingxiang sat calmly to the side, showing no anger.
This old lady is really something.
It has to be admitted that she is quite lucky. She has given birth to so many sons, most of whom care about her. If Wen Shi indulges her and makes her happy, that would be really bad for her. Seeing that she could not persuade her, Liu Shi wanted to go back to her room, but instead ran to Shen Chu's courtyard not far away.
"grandmother."
Shen Chu bowed respectfully, then straightened her back, coughed, and went inside to look around. Looking at the furnishings, she thought of her own room and felt a little angry.
He wanted to reach out, but then he remembered the smell and pulled back.
Finally, when I got to the dressing table, I saw that there weren't many pieces of jewelry on it, and I managed to resist the urge to put on the jewelry.
“You are a young lady from a wealthy family, but once you marry into my family, you are one of us. From now on, you should do whatever your elders ask you to do; this is a matter of filial piety.”
Shen Chu nodded, indicating that he didn't care about being lectured.
"I've noticed my dear grandson has lost some weight lately."
"My husband is worried about the upcoming autumn examination. He is tired from studying, so his granddaughter-in-law often asks the kitchen to cook nourishing dishes for him. The weather is hot, and he doesn't have a good appetite."
"If the man is not good, then the woman is not serving him well."
Liu wouldn't understand such literary language.
“I am the elder of this family. Don’t learn bad things from your mother-in-law and be unfilial to your elders. Why didn’t you send the stewed tonic to my yard?”
Chen Chu was taken aback. Of course, she wasn't Ying Xiang. Etiquette and manners taught her that she couldn't talk back to her elders.
"It's my fault, granddaughter-in-law. I'll definitely send some to you and grandfather later as well."
The family uses a large kitchen for all their meals, but each courtyard also has a small kitchen that can be used. After Shen Chu married into the family, she didn't let the small kitchens sit idle. Sometimes, she would even make some pastries for Le Qian herself.
The couple's relationship is still harmonious, and lately, all his clothes have been made by Shen Chu.
Yingxiang still manages this household. She has nothing to do most of the time, so doing these things helps her pass the time.
Liu's eyes fell on the embroidery frame on the side. She picked up the embroidery frame from the table and looked at the pattern on it. It vaguely resembled bamboo.
"The craftsmanship looks mediocre."
"Alright, just do your job properly."
Liu was uncouth, and Yingxiang soon found out about her after she returned to her courtyard.
Shen Chu wasn't upset. Although this was her first time marrying into the family, Yingxiang hadn't asked her to serve them there before, saving her a lot of trouble.
If you don't take preaching to heart, then it's not a big deal.
"The old lady gave me a lecture, but didn't do anything else."
Yingxiang knew perfectly well that Liu was a bully who preyed on the weak.
"Find a servant to stand guard at the gate of that courtyard. It's hot, so tell the old lady not to come out and to make sure she doesn't catch a heatstroke."
It's already summer, so this makes sense; it's about caring for the elderly.
Liu often complained about her lack of filial piety in private, but it was no use. Wen Shi basically didn't care about these things; he wasn't blindly filial.
On the other hand, Yingxiang has begun to recall modern children's playgrounds, where most of the equipment could be made of wood.
She'll try drawing it first. If she can draw it and the carpenter can make it, then she can try renting a yard and renovating it.
Renting a shop is too expensive; a yard is the most suitable option. It's spacious, and you can add some sand and a shallow pool, which is great for playing in the water when it's hot.
She wouldn't be interested in wealthy families, and she couldn't do business with those kinds of people. Her target was ordinary people whose families only had a few rooms.
In the evening, Wen Leqian returned home. After studying, he went back to the backyard.
The room was very quiet, and it was still light outside. Madam Shen was sitting on the edge of the bed doing needlework. Upon closer inspection, the pattern on her needlework was green bamboo. Wen Leqian subconsciously looked at his cuffs.
They're all pretty much the same, but this one definitely has a better meaning.
What's even more remarkable is that after his wife married him, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to him, and these servants could certainly do the same.
He had said that, but Ms. Shen insisted that she had nothing to do at home.
"Take a break."
A cup of gentle tea was handed to her. Shen looked up at her husband's handsome and gentle face, put down what she was holding, picked up the teacup, and took a small sip.
There were no servants in the room at the moment. She usually preferred quiet, and the couple sat on opposite sides of the daybed.
“There aren’t many rules at home. My parents are very easy to get along with. If I feel bored, I can go out for a walk instead of staying cooped up inside all day.”
"It's been hot lately. It's fine in the mornings and evenings, but if you go out, be careful not to catch a heatstroke."
Shen Chu nodded.
“In a few days, a famous scholar will come to the academy. I may have to move back to live there for a while so that I can better learn from him.”
"My husband, you must also take care of yourself."
Le Qian nodded.
When Xinxin returned home from school, he ran straight to this courtyard before the servants could catch up with him.
"Big brother, sister-in-law."
The child's clear voice broke the silence in the room, and Leqian put down his teacup.
"I'll go to my study to study first. You can rest first and don't wait for me."
After watching Le Qian leave, Shen Chu called over a servant, showing no displeasure whatsoever.
These days are really good. There are no messy women around my husband. He has a similar temperament to me. He likes quiet and doesn't talk much.
Leqian took his younger brother out. You could say he's young, he really is, not even twelve years old, still a child. He's sensible, but he doesn't seem that sensible.
"Brother, I'll go to the study with you."
Wen Shigang arrived at the backyard and saw his two sons come out together. He immediately called Xinxin over.
"Go read your book, Xinxin, come here."
The little guy frowned, but dared not disobey.
Upon entering Yingxiang's courtyard, Wenshi immediately scolded his youngest son a few times.
"I'm going to visit my older brother. My sister-in-law doesn't dislike me. Dad, you're too busy."
Yingxiang was taken aback when she heard this. After she came to her senses, she pulled her son over and began to give him earnest advice.
“Sweetie, you can wait for your brother at the door of the study. You can’t just run into your sister-in-law’s yard like that.”
"Then I won't run away anymore. I'll wait for my brother in the front yard."
“That’s right. What if your sister-in-law is busy with something? Wouldn’t you just be disturbing her if you went in?”
“My brother is here too.”
Wen Shi took a breath, about to utter a scolding word, when Yingxiang spoke first: "Mother knows, but what you did was unruly. What a good child does is run around the house as soon as they come home."
"obedient."
"They have absolutely no manners."
"After dinner, come with Dad to the study and see how your studies went today."
Liu is currently unable to go out. At first, she would curse, but later she got tired and stopped. She likes big meals, but her husband made her eat simple porridge and side dishes because of her cursing. She had two days of peace and her diet returned to normal.
She also mentioned missing her other sons and wanting to go to Ping'an Village.
Wen Shi said he would invite his brothers over in a few days, since Old Man Wen's birthday is coming up soon.
Life went on like this, without any major ups and downs.
In the blink of an eye, autumn has passed and winter has arrived.
After the start of winter, the family received several invitations, and Yingxiang also went out frequently.
After finishing her work that day, she went to the carpenter's house.
The carpenter has already made a rough prototype of the toy that she had previously drawn.
The skateboard and swing are not difficult to make, but the main challenge is the play castle and the wooden balls that are needed.
With enough money, there's nothing that can't be done.
"Madam, what do you think?"
Yingxiang nodded.
"Good, it must be sturdy and stable."
"You can rest assured about my skills."
"good."
The courtyard is not hard to rent. As long as you can make all the fun things in the park, Yingxiang has nothing to worry about.
To be on the safe side, everything needs to be sturdy and heavy. She doesn't want anything to happen. Once these are done, she'll have someone order some soft padding from a tailor shop. She'll lay it down where necessary, and it would be best if it could be tied up securely. Safety is paramount.
It's not the final inspection stage yet, but it looks like it will be soon. Next, I need to go and check on the courtyard so that it's all set up before next spring, and then we can open for business and make money.
Thinking of this, Yingxiang was in a very good mood.
Money brings happiness.
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