This put Lian Nuannuan at ease.
The anxiety disappeared, and I even felt a little happy.
Why? Because they might not need to worry about money anymore.
According to Xu Yuanzheng himself, they could afford to pay their mortgages or buy their own homes. His father had already transferred some assets to him when he came of age, so even if he didn't work, he wouldn't starve. As for those assets, Xu Yuanzheng said they were all in the hands of his stepmother, who was also a well-known investor in China.
My assets now have probably increased several times over.
This made her extremely happy.
“You really think it’s that simple?” Mother Lian patted Lian Nuannuan’s head. “In ancient times, only daughters of noble families could enter such families.”
"What's wrong with that? In ancient times, it was said that a woman's virtue lay in her lack of talent. With my current education and level of expertise, don't I completely outshine the ladies from noble families?" Lian Nuannuan proudly puffed out her small chest.
"Ha, do you really think those young ladies from wealthy families don't read books?" Mother Lian sneered.
Even Xingwen became interested. As an engineering student, he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about history, but he still had a knack for gossip.
"They say a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. How can an uneducated woman manage the inner quarters, the entire family's assets and expenditures, personnel allocation, and who needs to visit during holidays and festivals, and what gifts to give? What gifts are appropriate and not inappropriate? What should she be mindful of when her husband is in a position of power..." Mother Lian listed off one by one.
When they counted the siblings, their eyes lit up.
“Mommy, Mommy…stop…what do those things have to do with me…” At this point, even Nuannuan couldn’t continue.
Mother Lian narrowed her eyes slightly: "Well, have you thought about whether it matters? There are some things you might not need to worry about, namely that there won't be several women vying for your favor in the inner quarters. Nor will there be a situation of one wife and multiple concubines. But what about your family's assets? What do you plan to do with them? Your biggest idea before was to buy a house, right?"
Do you know what people are thinking?
"What were you thinking?" Lian Xingwen asked quickly.
“Since the currency reform, back then, buying vegetables or eggs was calculated in cents or dimes. Now? You can easily spend tens of yuan on a fast food meal, and several hundred yuan on a proper restaurant. In the past, having ten thousand yuan was a big deal, but now, even a million yuan can't buy a house. Wealthy families aren't thinking about buying houses; they're thinking about preserving the value of their assets.”
Lian Nuannuan opened her mouth, wanting to refute.
But Lian's mother stopped him.
"Based on what you said, their family has a good tradition, so preserving their wealth shouldn't be too difficult for them; someone in the family should be able to do it. Even if no one does it, given their status and position, preserving their wealth shouldn't be a big problem. These are actually minor issues for you if you marry into their family. The real big problem is that you need to learn how to get along with their side of the family."
"Get along? I know how!" Lian Nuannuan perked up immediately upon hearing this: "I love making friends!"
Even if Nuannuan has a rather outgoing personality, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to win over a piece of wood.
Her personality and Xu Yuanzheng's personality are complementary in a way.
"It's not that simple. Like I just said, the people inside are all shrewd. Someone as naive as you probably wouldn't even realize what they're up to. Families like theirs have a lot of people wanting to ask them for favors. What you need to learn is how to fend off the constant barrage of sweet talk..."
Mother talked a lot throughout the night.
Lian Nuannuan only then realized that this matter was incredibly complicated. Etiquette and such were minor issues. The so-called etiquette was actually a test of obedience from higher-ups for those coming from below or those about to become higher-ups. If you passed the test, you would have the opportunity to join us, but it would still take some time. During this time, you would have to go through all sorts of tests and suppression. Only by enduring this period could you succeed.
Only then can you be considered to have entered this circle.
Once you enter this circle, you have the right to suppress younger generations.
As a result, excessive etiquette was cultivated in this way.
Of course, according to Lian's mother's analysis, she wouldn't need to go through all this, because the Wang family is already at its peak. If anyone's going to cause trouble, it'll be Lian Nuannuan causing trouble, not others causing trouble for her. The important thing is whether she can distinguish between what's beneficial and what's harmful when others approach her.
Yes, there are only beneficial and harmful, not good and bad. This is quite a test of a person's wisdom.
Even Nuannuan thought about these things all night and couldn't fall asleep.
The next day, I went to work with panda eyes.
Seeing her like this, Xu Yuanzheng asked curiously, "What's wrong with you...?"
"It's all because of your family... My mom said..." Lian Nuannuan rambled on, revealing everything her mother had told her the night before.
Xu Yuanzheng chuckled.
"What are you laughing at! Your relationships are a real pain!"
"I'm laughing at how silly you are." Xu Yuanzheng grinned, not laughing, but because Lian Nuannuan had pinched him: "I asked Second Aunt (Lou Xiao'e) about this."
"Why are you asking about Second Aunt?" Lian Nuannuan asked.
"Because my dad said that in the whole family, it's hard to say who's smartest, but if you're talking about who gets the most to the heart of the matter, besides my dad, it's my stepmother."
"What did Second Aunt say?"
"My second aunt said, 'He who has no desires is invincible.'"
"Being free from desires makes one invincible? What does that mean?" Lian Nuannuan didn't quite understand.
"Just ignore them all."
"Ignore them all?"
“Hmm.” Xu Yuanzheng nodded: “According to my second aunt, those who want to get close to me are most likely seeking favors from our family, wanting to exchange small benefits for larger ones. If our family is on the rise, those people will likely be useful, and I may need to negotiate with them, get to know them, and see which ones can join my camp.”
"But our family is already at its peak, and it's the kind of peak that can't be climbed any higher, so there's no need to cater to these people anymore. We just need to do our own thing. As for what I lack, whether it's a personal laboratory or anything else, even if I want to open a hospital, my second aunt says she can handle it. There's almost nothing our family can't handle, so there's no need to talk to those people who are only here for profit."
"Just do whatever you want, don't overthink it. If you don't like it, just say no."
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