Chapter 58 Let's take care of your grandmother together.
"You slut! You idiot! Are you happy now?"
As soon as they returned to the Begonia Courtyard, Min Rong slapped Wu across the face.
Wu was knocked off her feet by the sudden slap and bumped into the corner of a table. She immediately clutched her stomach and gasped for breath in pain.
Cuixiang, the personal maid, came forward to help, but was stopped by Wu Shi by raising her hand.
It took Wu a while to recover before she sneered and mocked Min Rong: "Is the Marquis going to shift the blame onto me again?"
"Was it my idea to divide the family property? It was the old lady's idea! When the Marquis heard about the division of the family property, wasn't he so happy that he couldn't sleep all night? What, now that the division is over, the Marquis regrets it?"
"You shameless woman!" Min Rong was furious. "It's all your fault! Spreading rumors and sowing discord. You complain every other day that the old lady's expenses are too high! You even accused her of embezzling the Marquis's estate!"
"You insisted on taking control of the household management from the old lady back then, and now look what's happened! Are you going to cover the expenses of the Marquis's mansion from now on?"
"Ha, what are you saying, Lord Marquis!" Madam Wu sneered. "Am I the only one who wants the power to manage the household? Wasn't it you, Lord Marquis, who supported me in taking over the power from the old lady?"
"Furthermore, am I the only one questioning the old lady? Didn't the Marquis think the same way back then? I was just speaking his mind!"
"I'm afraid that when I speak, the Marquis will be grateful to me in his heart!"
"Ha, how come now, the Marquis is shifting all the blame onto me again?"
Wu was never one to accept things passively, and she didn't hold back in responding to Min Rong's accusations.
Min Rong was furious and raised his hand to hit Wu Shi again.
Wu was no pushover either. She turned her head to the side and yelled, "Come on, hit me! Hit me here! If you don't kill me today, I'll go back to my parents' home tomorrow with this bruise on my face! Hit me then!"
"You bitch!" Min Rong was furious, but in the end, she didn't bring her hand down to strike.
Just then, Min Yuexi, who had heard that her parents had returned after dividing the family property, entered the house. When she saw Min Rong's raised hand, she was so frightened that her face changed drastically, and she quickly stepped forward to protect Wu Shi.
"Father, what are you doing? Didn't we say we had divided the family property? Isn't dividing the family property a good thing? Why are you hitting Mother as soon as you get back?"
Min Yuexi had a serious illness and lost a lot of weight. Even after recuperating for so long, her complexion hadn't improved much. She still looked pale and weak.
Upon seeing Min Yuexi, Min Rong suppressed his anger slightly, sighed, and said in a deep voice, "I have other matters to attend to. You should speak with your mother."
After saying that, he turned around and quickly left the courtyard.
"Mother, what happened? Didn't you say that Second Uncle and Third Uncle had successfully separated from the family? Why is Father still so furious?" Min Yuexi asked, puzzled.
Madam Wu was not one to suffer in silence. She immediately recounted the whole story of the family division, including her and Min Rong's schemes against Min Qiao for control of the household, and her suspicions about Min Qiao's embezzlement of the Marquis's estate.
Then he complained to his daughter, "Your father instructed me to do everything, but I'm the one who takes the blame. Now that your grandmother is angry, your father is taking it out on me. Tell me, is there any justice in this world?"
As she spoke, Wu began to sob and cry.
Min Yuexi sighed deeply, wiping away Wu's tears as she comforted her, "Mother, now is not the time to be sad. The most important thing now is to win back Grandmother's heart."
"As you said yourself, the Marquis's mansion has been living off Grandmother all these years. Now that Grandmother's support is gone, how will the Marquis's mansion survive?"
Mrs. Wu nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're right. Your father is unreliable! If you ask me, your grandmother is much more reliable, capable, and wealthy!"
Yes, the key point is that you have money!
Min Yuexi looked at Madam Wu with a complicated expression. "Mother, you should be more sincere to Grandmother in the future. If you are only thinking about how to get Grandmother's money, I'm afraid Grandmother will not give you a single penny."
After a moment's thought, Wu nodded frantically, "You're right. Your grandmother already disliked me. Now she's been thoroughly angered by me and your father. She probably won't even want to see me anymore."
At this point, Wu changed the subject, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Min Yuexi, "But your grandmother loves you! From now on, try to spend more time with your grandmother. Even if she only scrapes together a little bit, it'll be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."
"If you ask me, don't count on your father for your marriage. It's more reliable to count on your grandmother."
At this point, Wu paused, and her expression visibly became dejected.
"Back then, I was misled by your father's nonsense, saying that the grandson of the Minister of Works was of noble character and that the Minister's family was a good match for our Marquis's family. That's why I was so bewitched that I helped you go to the old lady to ask for the annulment of the engagement."
"If the marriage with the Lu family hadn't been called off, none of this would have happened."
Looking at Min Yuexi, Wu felt an indescribable sense of guilt. Her eyes reddened as she said, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so wicked, I wouldn't have let Wu Cheng seduce Feixu, and Feixu wouldn't have poisoned you later… It's all my fault!"
“Mother, all that is in the past. From now on, let’s live our lives well and take good care of Grandmother. One day, Grandmother will forgive us.” Min Yuexi’s smile was bitter, but her eyes were clear.
Without experiencing those hurts, she would probably still be that arrogant and disdainful young lady from the Marquis's mansion.
Madam Wu nodded and hugged Min Yuexi tightly. "Yes, from now on, we'll all try to please—oh, no, we'll be filial. From now on, we'll all be filial to your grandmother! Not just us, but also your two younger brothers. The four of us, mother and children, will be filial to the old lady together!"
Min Yuexi hugged Wu Shi back, feeling both helpless and amused. Her mother was simple and straightforward. If it weren't for her father's influence, and if it weren't for her own reasons, she shouldn't have been disliked by her grandmother.
She suppressed the surging emotions within her and gently replied, "Okay, let's be filial to our grandmother together."
***
Compared to the chaos that erupted when the first wife returned, the second wife's family seemed much more harmonious.
Yang was still complaining that the inheritance she received was far less than she had expected.
But when she compared the enormous debts that the eldest son's family had incurred for no reason, and then thought about the dowry that the old lady left to Aunt Lin, she instantly felt at peace.
With Yang's family behaving themselves, the second branch of the family also quieted down.
Sure enough, the family of five was happily directing the servants to pack their things.
Ever since Lin took the initiative to propose dividing the family property, she had sent people to clean the house located at the border of the south and east of the city. It was a two-courtyard house, not very big, but it was more than enough for their family of five and about ten servants.
That was the dowry that the old lady had secretly prepared for her. It wasn't on the old lady's dowry list.
Now that the family has separated, the other house is all set up. They're just waiting for this place to be ready so they can move over.
"Auntie, is there anything I can help you with?"
Yang, with a smile on her face, moved closer to Lin.
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