The four little ones rushed forward angrily and said, "My mother isn't jealous at all; she's the best mother in the world!"
"Father will never kick Mother away, and Father will never marry this wretched woman!"
"That's right, my dad will never let us marry a concubine, we don't want any other woman entering our family!"
"You all need to get out of here! Get out of here!"
Hearing what the four little ones said, Yao wanted nothing more than to grab them and give them a good beating. These four little brats, she didn't know how Ning Huan had raised them; they were becoming increasingly ill-mannered.
She's practically their grandmother, yet instead of taking her side, she constantly ruins her plans and tries to drive her away. Back when she was at home, she wasn't beaten as severely as she'd been.
Ning Huan seemed to sense Yao's lust for the four little ones and quickly shielded them behind her. Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Zhou Jing'an, who was lying on the bed, suddenly spoke up.
His face was ashen and cold as if he had just been dipped in a freezing pool. He asked in a cold voice, "Mother, does that mean a virtuous wife is one who agrees to let her husband take a concubine?"
The moment the question was asked, everyone was stunned.
The four little children immediately became sad: Could it be that Father wants to take a concubine and marry a young wife?
Does that mean Mom will have to argue with bad women every day from now on, and they can't let others bully Mom?
How could you ask such a question, Father? Mother is clearly so good!
Yao was the first to react; her sharp, shrewish face, which had just been about to unleash a torrent of abuse, instantly transformed into a beaming smile.
“Son, you’re right. A truly virtuous wife is one who can manage the household well and tolerate her husband marrying other women.”
She also wanted to take this opportunity to get Zhou Jing'an to divorce Ning Huan, and then said:
"Your wife is shrewish and domineering, doesn't know how to be considerate, and is so jealous. If you ask me, you won't find a worse wife for miles around. You might as well divorce her!"
"Not to mention that you, son, will definitely be a very capable person in the future, even if we were to choose a wife now, we should choose a virtuous and lovely one."
Liu looked at Ning Huan with a smug smile on her face, as if to say: Look, your man is going to marry a young wife, and there's no use stopping him now.
Ning Huan, however, looked on with amusement, wondering if Zhou Jing'an was really the kind of lecherous man who was up to something.
Besides, their agreement was to divorce, so there was no need for him to embarrass himself on the spot.
Sure enough, after Yao finished speaking a long string of bad things about Ning Huan, Zhou Jing'an raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, according to Mother's meaning, if Father were to marry a concubine, you would definitely agree, right?"
Upon hearing that Zhou Dashan wanted to take a concubine, Yao's eyes widened in fury: "This is outrageous! If Zhou Dashan dares to take a concubine and marry a young wife, I'll skin those two scoundrels alive!"
Yao was always domineering at home, so she was used to it and didn't think she had done anything wrong just now.
Ning Huan chuckled softly, then asked, "Since Mother doesn't agree with Father taking a concubine, how come I'm considered an unvirtuous wife? How did I become jealous?"
Zhou Jing'an glanced leisurely at the frozen Yao Shi, and continued Ning Huan's words, "Then isn't Mother just a jealous, unreasonable, and domineering wife?"
Only then did Madam Yao realize that Zhou Jing'an had gotten himself into a mess, and she immediately became furious: "You're a son, what are you comparing yourself to your father for! Besides, you're going to take the imperial examinations and become a high-ranking official, and you'll definitely be taking concubines and young wives in the future!"
"Go outside and ask around. Which official doesn't have a bunch of concubines and mistresses? They could even fill a whole table with mistresses! I'm doing this for your own good, you know?"
Upon hearing Yao's words, Zhou Jing'an felt that he should not continue talking to her. No matter what he said, Yao would probably only talk about herself as a son and a junior.
His eyes instantly turned icy, and he said firmly, "Unless you follow my wife's orders, no woman will be allowed into my house. Those who understand, come in; those who don't, get out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jing'an stared at the woman who had been stealing glances at him since she entered the room. She thought that just because she was good-looking and had some charm, she could win his favor? Did she think he, Zhou Jing'an, was some kind of lecherous playboy?
Lu Yan was so frightened by Zhou Jing'an's gaze that she couldn't speak. She had never seen such a scene before. She had always been pampered and spoiled by so many people and had never been treated like this before.
It's not like I'm coming here to serve her; if she doesn't want to come, that's fine. Anyway, she's not here to be a concubine. If Zhou Jing'an doesn't have that idea, I'll save myself the trouble of wasting my energy here.
So no matter how much Liu and Yao called her, Lü Yan simply ran away without turning her head.
Madam Yao was so angry that she felt as if a breath was stuck in her chest. She pounded her chest and stomped her feet, saying to Zhou Jing'an, "Third brother, are you trying to anger me to death?! I'm your mother!"
To everyone's surprise, Zhou Jing'an didn't even lift his eyelids, and coldly said, "If Mother didn't come to my house to cause trouble every day, she probably wouldn't be so angry."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yao knew that Zhou Jing'an was determined to make things difficult for her, and she was so angry that her vision blurred. Madam Liu quickly supported her: "Mother, are you alright?"
Seeing that Yao seemed unwilling to give up, Ning Huan spoke up to remind her, "If Mother doesn't leave soon, Father will probably be angry again when he comes back and sees you're not home."
Zhou Dashan sometimes goes home for lunch. Seeing that it was getting late, Yao gritted her teeth, glared at Ning Huan, and then left without looking back. Liu also hurriedly followed her.
Although Madam Yao had left, the four little ones were still upset about what had just happened. They ran to Zhou Jing'an and asked, "Daddy, will you take a concubine in the future? I don't want you to take a concubine..."
"Father, you won't marry another woman, right?"
Looking at the four little ones, Zhou Jing'an said almost without hesitation, "Father promises you that I will never take a concubine in the future."
Hearing this, the four little ones breathed a sigh of relief. Then they looked at Ning Huan, as if seeking praise from their mother.
"Mother, did you hear that? Father said he will not take a concubine."
"Don't worry, Mother, Father has already assured us!"
Ning Huan smiled and patted their little heads: "Mom heard you all. I left some snacks for you in the kitchen. Go and have a taste."
The four little ones were even happier, and they went to the kitchen hand in hand to eat something delicious.
Seeing the water bowl beside Zhou Jing'an's bed, Ning Huan subconsciously asked, "Are you thirsty? I'll go get you a glass of warm water."
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