Chapter 39 "Haven't you cried enough yesterday?"...
Cui Xintang could not stay at the estate for long and had to return to the city early the next morning.
On their way to Feng's courtyard for breakfast, Meng Yuanxiao spotted Meng Xu coming from the direction of Su's residence as soon as they arrived outside Feng's courtyard.
Yesterday they were being all lovey-dovey at the Lu family estate, and this morning they came out of Madam Su's room again. Meng Yuanxiao was almost amused by his elder brother's behavior and immediately went to greet him and ridicule him.
But as soon as she took a step, Cui Xintang pulled her back.
Meng Yuanxiao was displeased. "Brother Tang, what are you doing?"
Cui Xintang glanced behind her and said with a half-smile, "Stop fooling around."
Meng Yuanxiao then noticed that his sister-in-law had come over.
She glared at him angrily, broke free from his hand, went over and took her sister-in-law's arm, and headed towards her mother's courtyard.
Cui Xintang: "..."
He lagged slightly behind, and when Meng Xu approached, he glanced at him with a half-smile, "Was the wine at the Lu residence laced with something yesterday?"
Meng Xu's gaze had been fixed on Li Keying in front of him. Hearing this, he paused and gave her a cold glance.
Cui Xintang: "You should tone it down a bit in front of Yuanyuan."
Meng Zheng had always disliked him and often spoke ill of him to Yuan Yuan.
In Meng Zheng's eyes, he and Meng Xu were birds of a feather, and Meng Zheng would inevitably attribute the things Meng Xu did to him.
He looked down on Meng Zheng, but the tricks Meng Zheng played on him in front of Yuan Yuan were truly hard for him to handle.
If anything happens to Meng Xu and his wife, and Meng Zheng stirs things up a little, Yuan Yuan will go back and throw a tantrum at him.
"Did Lu Erlang come over yesterday?" Meng Xu suddenly asked.
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Meng Xu glanced at him, sneered, and said, "I regret it now."
What he regretted was self-evident. Just one sentence silenced Cui Xintang.
It wouldn't be good to offend both of her brothers-in-law, so when they arrived at the Feng family's courtyard and entered the hall, Cui Xintang pulled her to his side, preventing her from getting involved with Meng Xu and his wife.
But she still offended Meng Yuanxiao, and she refused to touch the snacks he put on her plate for breakfast.
Cui Xintang, somewhat helpless, tugged at her hand under the table.
The breakfast was quite awkward. Meng Xu and his wife sat together, but neither of them spoke a word to each other. Only Meng Zheng ate happily as if nothing was wrong, and even occasionally served food to Meng Yuanxiao.
Halfway through breakfast, a maidservant suddenly came over and said, "Madam, our lady has been unwell these past few days, and it's gotten worse today. She can't even finish her breakfast."
Madam Feng glanced at Meng Xu, put down her chopsticks, and asked with a slightly cold expression, "What's wrong?"
The maidservant lowered her head and whispered, "Madam, our mistress has been feeling nauseous and rebellious these past few days for some reason..."
The maid spoke with alarm, and the dining hall immediately fell silent.
Meng Yuanxiao's heart pounded. She looked at her sister-in-law, then at her brother.
Li Keying remained expressionless, only lowering her head to eat the porridge in her bowl, as if she hadn't heard the maid's words.
Meng Xu's face was grim, as if he hadn't expected Su Shi to suddenly pull such a stunt, and he subconsciously looked at Li Keying.
Meng Yuanxiao knew perfectly well that Madam Su was doing this on purpose. She pursed her lips and said with disgust, "Madam Su ate quite a lot of roasted meat at the Lu family's estate yesterday, but why didn't you show any signs of nausea or rebellion? Ha, could it be that you ate too much?"
Cui Xintang: "..."
He glanced at Meng Xu across from him, then squeezed Meng Yuanxiao's hand under the table.
"We can't keep this up forever," Meng Xu said coldly, showing no mercy. "If you're not feeling well, go and call a doctor. What are you doing bothering your mother here?"
Having said that, the maid dared not say another word, and murmured her agreement before bowing her head and retreating.
The dining room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After finishing her porridge, Li Keying stood up and said, "Mother, please enjoy your meal. I'll head back now."
Without waiting for Madam Feng to speak, he turned and left.
Madam Feng's expression immediately turned sour. Meng Xu quickly got up to leave, but Madam Feng stopped him, saying, "Stop right there!"
An awkward silence fell over the dining hall. It was clearly inappropriate to stay any longer, so Cui Xintang asked in a low voice, "Have you finished eating?"
Meng Yuanxiao nodded. Cui Xintang took her bowl, ate the rest, and then pulled her up.
“Yuanyuan and I have finished eating. I have official business to attend to today and need to return to the capital. Please enjoy your meal, Mother-in-law.”
Madam Feng forced a stiff smile and nodded, saying, "Go ahead, official business is important, don't be late."
Meng Yuanxiao followed Cui Xintang back to her courtyard. Cui Xintang spoke to her along the way, but she ignored him.
Back in his courtyard, Meng Yuanxiao kicked off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the couch, propped his elbows on a small table, and frowned as he thought about what had happened in the dining hall earlier.
Judging from the maid's words, could it be that Madam Su is pregnant? If so, it's even less likely that my sister-in-law will forgive my brother.
Meng Yuanxiao became increasingly restless, worried that her sister-in-law would be upset, that her mother would be upset and harm her health, and that her sister-in-law's early departure from breakfast would anger her mother. She feared that if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a conflict, her sister-in-law would have an increasingly difficult time in the Meng household.
As she was thinking this, Cui Xintang sat in a round-backed chair, sipping tea, and coldly watched her furrow her brow as she struggled with her thoughts.
He only stayed one night and there was nothing to pack. What he said to Madam Feng earlier was just an excuse.
After looking at it for a while, Cui Xintang glanced at the sun outside the window and thought it was time to leave when he saw Meng Yuanxiao get off the couch, put on his shoes, and run outside.
He helplessly pulled her back, "Where is Yuanyuan going?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "I'm going to see my mother."
Cui Xintang frowned. "Didn't I tell you not to get involved in the Meng family's affairs?"
His words were indeed strange. Meng Yuanxiao frowned and said, "Brother Tang, I am also a member of the Meng family. Those are my mother, elder brother, and sister-in-law."
Cui Xintang paused, stared at her for a moment, wanted to say something but didn't, and finally stopped her.
As soon as he let go, Meng Yuanxiao left without looking back.
After thinking for a moment, Cui Xintang decided not to rush to leave and sat back down in the armchair.
Meng Yuanxiao rushed to her mother's courtyard. There were no servants guarding the corridor. Without thinking much, she was about to go in to look for her mother when she suddenly heard her mother scolding her elder brother from inside the room.
"There are only two of you in your room, and you're always making such a ruckus. I can't even find some peace and quiet. Your father isn't here, are you trying to drive your mother to her death?"
Meng Xu remained silent, while Madam Feng sneered, "Back then, your father and I disagreed with your marriage to Madam Li, but you insisted on marrying her. Are you satisfied now? I originally thought you were someone who would save me trouble, but who knew you would produce an illegitimate eldest son first. If word gets out, where will the Meng family's reputation be?"
Meng Xu's voice was indifferent: "Mother is overthinking it. I only stayed in Su's room once or twice, and I also had someone watch her take the contraceptive medicine."
Madam Feng scoffed, "Do you really think Madam Su is that obedient? If she were truly sensible, how could she have ended up in your bed in the first place?!"
Meng Xu paused, then asked ambiguously, "Does Mother mean that if Madam Su becomes pregnant, she should have an abortion?"
"Nonsense!" Madam Feng scolded. After a pause, she added, "I, as your mother, can't control you. You'll have to figure it out yourself. Take your people back to the capital first and find a doctor to examine you."
Meng Yuanxiao was shocked and was about to leave and come back later when he suddenly heard Madam Feng angrily say from inside the room: "Knowing that your little sister and her husband are here, you still have to make a scene in front of your little sister, deliberately making a fool of yourself!"
Meng Xu's tone was somewhat disapproving, "My little sister isn't an outsider, what's so funny about it?"
"Not an outsider?" Madam Feng sneered, "Your little sister is now a member of the Cui family. You may not care about your reputation, but I do!"
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned.
She stood there blankly in the corridor for a moment. She had originally come to comfort her mother, but now she couldn't stay there any longer.
When he ran back to his courtyard, he thought Cui Xintang had already left, but he found him still there.
Meng Yuanxiao was angry with him, but when she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes, and she buried her face in his arms.
Cui Xintang paused, then raised his hand and gently patted her back. "What's wrong?"
Meng Yuanxiao buried her face in his chest and refused to speak. After a long while, she said in a muffled voice, "Brother Tang, are you going back? I'll go back with you."
"...Didn't you say you wanted to stay a few more days?"
Meng Yuanxiao shook her head, wiped her tears on his chest, and said in a muffled voice, "I don't want to stay."
Cui Xintang was both amused and exasperated, and teased her, "If you go back like this, your mother-in-law and Meng Xu might misunderstand and think I'm bullying you."
Meng Yuanxiao got annoyed and glared at him with her head tilted back.
Cui Xintang raised his hand to wipe away the tears on her face and said helplessly, "We should at least give you a heads-up. Get yourself together and I'll go talk to your mother."
Although Meng Yuanxiao refused to say anything, Cui Xintang probably guessed what was going on. He waited until Meng Yuanxiao had tidied himself up before he got up to go find Madam Feng.
Upon hearing that Meng Yuanxiao wanted to go back with him, Madam Feng looked surprised, but also visibly relieved.
She politely tried to persuade him to stay a few more times, and finally nodded and said, "Go back if you want. It's not good for you two to be apart for too long. Be careful on the road. I've had some things from the farm prepared. They're not expensive, just a token of my appreciation. Take them back and enjoy them. Please give my regards to your mother."
Cui Xintang agreed, and after leaving the Feng family's courtyard, he went to see Meng Xu, exchanged a few words, and then it was time for him to go back.
Madam Feng, Meng Xu, and Meng Zheng all came to see her off, but Meng Yuanxiao didn't even look at them. She ignored Cui Xintang's offer to help her into the carriage and instead lifted her skirt and stepped onto a footstool to get into the carriage herself.
Cui Xintang was wrongly blamed and felt somewhat helpless. He bid farewell to the Meng family and got into his carriage.
As the carriage drove out of the village, Cui Xintang pulled the person onto his lap.
Meng Yuanxiao didn't say a word, but just hugged his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
The carriage drove for a while and arrived in front of the Lu family's estate. Cui Xintang bounced her on his lap and teased her, "Shall we go to the Lu family's estate and say hello to Lu Erlang?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
Normally, she would have definitely argued with him about what he said, but today she was not in the mood and just hummed a couple of times in his arms.
After the carriage had traveled a short distance, Meng Yuanxiao asked in a low voice, "Brother Tang, did you already guess this?"
So, even though he was about to leave, he stayed to wait for her.
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "Yes."
Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but feel wronged, and a few tears fell down her cheeks.
Cui Xintang said helplessly, "Don't interfere in the affairs of the Meng family or the affairs of Meng Xu and his wife in the future."
Meng Yuanxiao nestled in his arms, not responding, but still unwilling to give up. So after a while, she lifted her head from his embrace, pursed her lips, and asked, "Did Mother say anything?"
She was asking him if his mother had tried to stop him when he went to say goodbye to Madam Feng and told her that she wanted to go with him.
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "No."
Mr. Feng did say a few words, but he didn't feel it necessary to tell Yuanyuan.
Yuanyuan is young, and he couldn't bear to be too blunt with her, but there are some truths she will understand sooner or later.
Meng Yuanxiao's eyes reddened again. She sniffed and glared at him resentfully. "Brother Tang, you won't even coax me a little."
Helpless, Cui Xintang raised his hand to wipe away her tears and said, "So, every time you want to go back to the Meng family, doesn't Madam Chen remind you to get an invitation first?"
Furthermore, the Cui family also prepared many things for the Meng family's estate that day, so as not to be impolite.
After saying that, he teased her, "Didn't you cry enough yesterday?"
Meng Yuanxiao, who was already feeling down, blushed instantly upon hearing this.
She was thinking about her elder brother and sister-in-law. Her elder brother had been drugged while socializing with others, which led to his affair with Su.
But Meng Yuanxiao didn't really believe it. She said, "Brother Tang, would someone really do such a thing when they're drunk?"
"Um?"
Meng Yuanxiao said, "I've heard people say that there's actually no such drug. Adding it to wine just makes people get drunk more easily. But I've also heard people say that when people are drunk, they don't have those kinds of thoughts at all."
Cui Xintang looked at her with a smile in her eyes, raising an eyebrow, "Who told Yuanyuan that?"
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
Cui Xintang: "Lu Erlang?"
Meng Yuanxiao fell silent.
She had indeed heard Lu Erlang say those words.
Her elder brother had a one-night stand with Su Shi, which caused a conflict and a cold war between him and his sister-in-law.
She felt sorry for her sister-in-law. Once, when she was playing with Mingyue and the others, she was sullen. Lu Erlang came over and asked her what was wrong. She hesitated for a moment, then asked him about it indirectly.
Lu Erlang's face stiffened for a moment, and after a long silence, he said these words to her.
Lu Erlang said he had been drunk before, and when he was drunk, all he wanted to do was lie down and sleep. He had also seen people act crazy when they were drunk, but he had never seen anything else.
She remained silent, while Cui Xintang smiled at her, saying cryptically, "It seems that Lu Erlang is quite the gentleman."
Meng Yuanxiao frowned and glared at him, while Cui Xintang raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that right?"
What Lu Erlang said wasn't entirely correct, but he didn't intend to say it to Yuanyuan.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Your brother Tang often goes out for business dinners, and perhaps someone has drugged his drink without his knowledge."
Meng Yuanxiao immediately became anxious, "Brother Tang, then you..."
Cui Xintang chuckled and said, "What do you think?"
Meng Yuanxiao remained silent for a long while before asking, "Brother Tang, you won't end up like my eldest brother, will you?"
Cui Xintang: "..."
He didn't speak, and Meng Yuanxiao's eyes couldn't help but redden again.
Cui Xintang sighed and pinched her cheek. "Yuanyuan doesn't have to believe everything Meng Zheng says."
Meng Yuanxiao: "Heh."
Cui Xintang gently stroked her back, looked at her for a while, and suddenly said, "If Ruotang applies for a transfer after the [unclear text], would Yuanyuan be willing to go with her?"
Meng Yuanxiao was stunned. Her brother Tang had asked her this question back in Huai Shu Village. She didn't know why he was so concerned about it. She was indeed angry today, but she still couldn't bear to part with her mother.
So she blinked and said, "Brother Tang, can't you just not let it out?"
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, but didn't say anything more about it. Instead, he asked, "What did you and Madam Li talk about yesterday at the Lu family's estate?"
Meng Yuanxiao looked at him, puzzled.
Cui Xintang said, "Meng Xu went looking for you yesterday. He came back alone, his face ashen."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
So, her brother overheard her conversation with her sister-in-law yesterday?
Or... the sister-in-law deliberately wanted the brother to hear it.
She pursed her lips. "I don't remember."
The carriage traveled slowly for an hour and a half before finally returning to the capital.
Frustrated, Meng Yuanxiao retorted defiantly, "The Meng residence isn't my home, nor is the Cui residence, so my own house is my home, isn't it?"
She was the only daughter in the Meng family. When she got married, the Meng family gave her a generous dowry, which included a three-courtyard house.
"...How is the Cui residence not your home?"
Meng Yuanxiao stubbornly said, "I just don't want to go. Brother Tang, you come with me."
Helpless, Cui Xintang compromised, saying, "I can only stay for one day. I'll return to my residence tomorrow to avoid gossip and to prevent my mother-in-law from worrying."
Meng Yuanxiao held up two fingers, bargaining, "Two days."
She had her reasons: "I've never bothered with my own shops and estates; I've just left them to my nanny to manage. With the New Year approaching, I should at least check on them."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com