Chapter 149: Late-night private conversations between the Xie family women
Tranquility gives Tu Huan the space and inspiration to create.
Starting from random drawings and repeated deletions, revisions, and random drawings again, a hint of inspiration will slowly take on a rough draft model as the drawings are made stroke by stroke.
She didn't actually expect to complete the main part of the work tonight.
But that’s what creative work is like. Good things always come from repeated collisions through different attempts before, at some point, people find that moment of “Right!” or “That’s it!”
It is very important for Tu Huan to find the moment that belongs to her through repeated practice.
Once you find the perfect entry point, subsequent creation will always come naturally.
The sounds of the Xie family women talking to each other beside her gave Tu Huan a magical sense of closeness and comfort.
It's like having an old friend by her side. This inexplicable sense of connection between her and the Xie family makes Tu Huan's writing smooth and full of spirit.
Occasionally, when she got tired of painting, Tu Huan would unconsciously turn her head to look at them.
It felt like her eyes had seen something but her soul hadn't caught up yet. After Tu Huan looked at it two or three times, she suddenly caught up with it the last time.
She stopped painting.
This time, she listened carefully to the conversation of the women of the Xie family.
Old Madam Xie was old, so after dinner she lay down in her sleeping bag to rest, even holding her little great-grandson Xie Jiarui in her arms.
Those who were chatting in low voices were Xie Yuchuan's mother Zhou and others.
"Sister-in-law, why do I always feel that Xiaoliu has become a little more serious after he came back? Is it because that Wang Chong abused his power and forced him to do something?" Zhang looked at Xie Yuchuan who had gone to bed early in the distance and muttered to Zhou.
As a mother, how could she not know if there was something abnormal about her child?
Zhou sighed and said, "I discussed this matter with the old lady during the day."
"What does the old lady say?"
"My mother-in-law said that no one can remain unchanged after such a disaster. Yuchuan's rank is not high, and he has had a lot of people like his father and brothers supporting him since he was a child. Now, those people are gone. It is not easy for him to keep the Xie family's ambition alive. Give him time to slowly adapt." Zhou repeated.
Zhang sighed, "Actually, I think Yuchuan is having a hard time right now."
"His temper is completely different from when he was little." He then added to his eldest sister-in-law, Zhou, "How stubborn he was when he was young! Even when his second uncle was bowing his head to kowtow to the family gods, he would still knock the second uncle over."
Zhou also recalled the scene in her memory and chuckled. "Who says it isn't? He's the youngest in the family, and he's the most stubborn! Everyone else listens to the rules passed down by our ancestors, but he has his own ideas and even asks questions that the elders can't refute."
Zhang also laughed: "Yes, yes, I still remember that his second uncle was choked by his twisted logic many times and was speechless." After laughing, she wiped the corners of her eyes and said with tears in her eyes, "If his second uncle were still alive, knowing that our Xie family has worshipped the gods for over a hundred years, and that the gods have finally appeared, and that Yuchuan, the kid who least believes in family gods, has become enlightened, I wonder what he would do."
Upon hearing this, Zhou looked at her sister-in-law Zhang's still young profile with soft eyes.
"The days of exile are too hard. You had the chance to leave home. You really shouldn't have done this again. Why do you have to endure all the hardships?" Zhou still felt sorry for her.
Zhang tutted her tongue, "Sister-in-law, you're bringing this up again. Wasn't it all over long ago?" She tapped her niece-in-law, Ruan, who was helping Third Madam Shen with her marriage, with her slender fingertips. "Anan's family is so good, she's the one who should go home. Why don't you let your daughter-in-law go home, but instead persuade me, someone without a family to return to? Humph."
This was an unexpected disaster. When Ruan heard it, she turned around and said, "Second Aunt was chatting with Mother, why did she bring up her niece-in-law? When has Anan ever been unfilial to you? Second Aunt is dragging me down like this."
Zhang hugged her and said, "You are the one with sharp ears and sharp tongue, aren't you? You are such a heartless little girl. Isn't Second Aunt always bad to you?"
"Okay, okay, okay!" Ruan couldn't argue with her.
Zhou pulled her aside and said, "Don't tease her. We're talking about your own affairs. If you can't go back to the Marquis' Mansion in the capital, you can always go back to your maternal grandparents' home in Jiangnan. Mother can handle anything with just a letter."
Zhang lowered her head and lightly brushed off her tattered robes. "Mother can agree, but I won't. I just like being Erlang's wife and being a sister-in-law to you, my eldest sister-in-law."
Zhou was about to say more, but Zhang interrupted her and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, it's too late to say this now. We've come this far, and you're still thinking about leaving home?"
This got to the point, and Zhou let out a long sigh.
Zhang was open-minded and pulled some scraps of cloth from Shen's side to help her tidy up.
"Ever since the day the Duke's Mansion raided my house and put me in jail, I've known for a long time that the Xie family is hated by the palace. As a wife of the Xie family, I find it too filthy to live in a filthy place like the Marquis' Mansion. Even if I return to my maternal grandparents' home in Jiangnan, I'm not sure I'll have a good life there."
Shen, who was doing needlework, looked up at her second sister-in-law.
She had never seen any trace of these words on Zhang's face.
Zhang's words touched a nerve in her, and she unconsciously looked at her daughter Xie Zhen who was talking to Xie Wuying, Xie Wenjie and others on the other side.
Isn't the situation that Zhang predicted exactly what Xie Zhen has already experienced?
Shen lowered her head and listened while she finished her work.
Zhang also noticed the change in her third sister-in-law and reached out to gently pat Shen's wrist. "I'm not talking about Xie Zhen, third sister-in-law, don't take it to heart."
"I know." Shen smiled slightly.
Zhang handed the sorted rags to her and said to Zhou, "I know exactly why the Marquis's family married me to the Xie family, but I refuse to go along with their wishes. Even if I die, I will never leave my mother's dowry to them."
"I had already offended the Marquis' Mansion the day I got married. There's no need to go back. I don't want to cause trouble for my grandfather if I go back to Jiangnan."
She looked up and smiled at Zhou: "Sister-in-law, the Xie family is my home."
Zhou's expression was moved, and she gently held her thin shoulders, "Sister-in-law, you are wrong. Don't say such nonsense again."
Zhang snorted softly, "Exactly. Why don't you persuade your third sister-in-law? Is it because she has a daughter and I don't?"
"Look at your mouth, you're really unforgiving! How could I treat you like that?" Zhou glared at her, "Sister-in-law is wrong."
Zhang chuckled for a long time. "If you try to persuade me again next time, I'll go to my mother and complain about you!"
Zhou couldn't help but laugh.
The two sisters-in-law chatted with each other, and Shen and Ruan couldn't help laughing.
A few people brought other female relatives and did things that they didn't have time to do during the day while chatting.
As she spoke, Zhang suddenly thought of something and asked curiously, "Tell me, last time we asked Yuchuan to offer something to the household deity, would the household deity like what I offered?"
When Tu Huan heard this, she twirled the pen with her fingertips, chuckled, and responded, "I love it!"
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