"Ahem... We're having a reunion dinner, so let's all keep quiet." The old man sitting at the front coughed twice and changed the subject, "Brother Bo is already nineteen, and he only has one child, Brother Xu. The family is so small, we should quickly add some more people to the family."
It would have been better if the old lady hadn't said anything. The more she talked, the more she hit Wen Xian's sore spot. "What's the point of having a son? I already have two sons, Bo Ge'er and Xun Ge'er, both of whom are useless. Now Yin Yichen hasn't married yet, and Cheng Ge'er hasn't had a child yet. It seems that this fool is obsessed with having children. People say that you should establish a career first and then start a family. How could I have given birth to a thing like you who only knows how to take concubines?"
Wen Tingbo, who was sitting at the dinner table, finally couldn't help himself and retorted with a dark face, "Father, if you say that to me, I'd rather stay out and not come back."
"You insisted on coming back to embarrass yourself and now you are blaming your father." Wen Xian rolled his eyes.
Seeing that the father and son were about to quarrel, the old lady above quickly shifted her focus to Song Wanning, complaining, "Wanning, you don't even know how to persuade Brother Bai. I married you to supervise Brother Bai's success. But you have been married for so many years, and you don't have any children, but you can't even persuade your husband to make progress."
"Mother, please stop talking." Wen Xian interrupted the old lady, saying, "Today, during court, I heard reports from the border that General Song and General Xiao Song have defeated the enemy and recaptured all the lost cities. The emperor is very pleased, and General Song will be back soon. His achievements are far beyond the reach of a young general like Bo Ge'er guarding the border."
Wen Xian had long heard that Song Wanning and Wen Tingbai were not on good terms. He glared at Wen Tingbai and said, "If you continue to mistreat Wanning in your room like this, I'll just wait for your father-in-law to come back and see if he gives you a cold shoulder. I won't be able to protect you then."
Song Wanning was originally puzzled. Wen Xian had always ignored her, but now he was speaking up for her. It turned out that his father and brother had won a victory and were about to return.
Everyone at the table changed their expressions upon hearing this. Madam Wang, who was sitting next to Wen Tingbo, changed her expression the fastest. She smiled at Song Wanning and said, "Good boy, it's not your fault that Brother Bai is disobedient. It's because he doesn't listen to discipline. Just beat him and scold him. He will definitely not talk back."
Even Wen Tingbo was stunned for a moment.
Back then, he took advantage of the fact that General Song Jing was not in the court and dared to treat Song Wanning with such disrespect.
Huizhou was such a difficult place, but I didn't expect those two generals to return, and to return with military merit. Song Jing doted on his only daughter, a name known throughout the capital. If he came back and heard that she was living like this in the Marquis' Mansion, I'm afraid he would have a terrible ending.
Cui Xiaoxiao, who was standing aside, looked at Wen Tingbo's expression and secretly knew the seriousness of the matter. However, when she saw the change in the family's attitude towards Song Wanning, her heart felt as if ten thousand hands were scratching her, making her heart and lungs uncomfortable.
As a time-traveling woman, she should enjoy the best glory. Why is it that this unpopular woman is more glorious than her wherever she goes?
"I..." Wen Tingbai wanted to explain, but he felt that it was inappropriate. He just stretched out his chopsticks to pick up a shrimp and put it into Song Wanning's bowl. He looked at Song Wanning and said, "Wanning, you've worked hard recently. Eat more."
"Second Master, you forgot that I never eat shrimps. If I eat them, I will get rashes all over my body." Song Wanning's eyes fell on Wen Tingbai's face and she smiled faintly.
After hearing this, Wen Tingbai looked even more embarrassed. He just looked at Song Wanning and asked, "What does Wanning like to eat?"
Song Wanning retracted her gaze, but did not pick up any food. She said calmly, "Second Master, just eat what you like. I will pick up mine myself."
Just as Song Wanning finished speaking, Cui Xiaoxiao, who was beside Wen Tingbai, spoke up at an inopportune moment, "Tingbai, that shrimp was originally my favorite. I guess I got it mixed up. It's really hard for you to always remember what I like to eat."
After Cui Xiaoxiao finished speaking, she had a shy look on her face, and her eyes were almost tearing out when she looked at Wen Tingbo.
Wen Tingbai no longer dared to openly protect Cui Xiaoxiao at the dinner table. He shifted his gaze to Wen Xian's face, and sure enough, he saw that Wen Xian's face had darkened again.
Wen Xian slammed his chopsticks on the table and said coldly, "Useless thing, take your concubine and get out of here. If you come near me again, I'll beat you with a big stick, you stupid thing who doesn't know the difference between right and wrong."
After hearing this, Wen Tingbai had no choice but to stand up and pull Cui Xiaoxiao beside him, saying, "Hurry up and go."
Cui Xiaoxiao got up reluctantly. Just as they were about to leave, they heard Wen Xian say, "Come to the study later. I have something to tell you."
Wen Tingbai quickly turned around and responded, "Yes."
After dinner, Wen Tingbai went to the study room following Wen Xian's words. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Wen Xian glaring at him.
Wen Tingbo has always been afraid of his father, so he could only bite the bullet and pay his respects, "Son pays his respects to father."
"I see you don't even have me as your father." Wen Xian snorted coldly and looked at Wen Tingbo and said, "Let me ask you, do you want to be the Seventh-Rank Zuo Sijian for the rest of your life?"
After hearing what Wen Xian said, Wen Tingbo quickly explained, "I didn't mean that. I just don't know how to do it. I hope my father can give me some advice."
"If you have no such intentions, why do you ruin your reputation so much outside that you were given such an official position?" Wen Xian's face was still furious. "You spend all day not doing your job and hanging out with your concubine. You really bring shame to your father."
"Father, Xiao Xiao saved my life when I was stationed at the border," Wen Tingbai explained. "She is also gentle and charming, and she is the one I admire..."
"Bullshit." Upon hearing this, Wen Xian picked up the teacup on the table and threw it to the ground, saying angrily, "How could I give birth to such a useless son like you?"
"Father, please calm down. Father, please forgive me." Seeing Wen Xian so angry, Wen Tingbai quickly knelt on the ground. "Father, please give me some advice. I will definitely change."
"You can forget about climbing up the ladder now. If you continue like this, let alone relying on the Song family for promotion, I'm afraid Song Jing won't forgive you." Wen Xian glanced at Wen Tingbai and offered a suggestion, "On the other hand, if you divorce your concubine before Song Jing returns to the capital, and live a good life with Song Wanning, then when General Song returns, will you still be worried about not having an official position?"
"Father..." Wen Tingbai was about to explain but was interrupted by Wen Xian.
Wen Xian just waved his hand and said, "Don't talk too much to me. You can choose between a woman or a career."
"Yes..." Wen Tingbai stood up with a complicated expression and slowly walked out of the study.
Cui Xiaoxiao outside hurriedly left the wall.
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