The relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is like ice three feet thick, which did not form overnight.
Wang was not satisfied with her second daughter-in-law from the beginning and she strongly opposed the marriage. However, she could not persuade either her husband or her extremely stubborn second son. She had to watch her son marry Jiang Yushu and they became mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
Since their marriage, Guo Honglei has been caught between his mother and his wife, mediating openly and covertly, a difficult task. Maintaining outward politeness between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who are naturally incompatible is even more difficult.
Jiang Yushu was always sober and never expected to be as close to her mother-in-law as her deceased sister-in-law. After all, she was not Wang's niece and could never experience the intimacy of a close relationship.
If you don't have extravagant expectations, you will avoid the trouble of disappointment.
"Is Mingcheng here?" Jiang Yushu remained calm, as if she hadn't noticed her mother-in-law's indifference. She said cheerfully, "You two continue your conversation. I'll go get Mingcheng first and bring him back to pay his respects to the old lady later."
"Well, go." Wang was angry and closed her eyes to rest.
Guo Honglei stood up with his wife and said loudly, "We are thousands of miles apart. It's hard for Mingcheng to come to visit us. We can't be rude. Uncle is here, where are the children? Quickly call the children and welcome the distinguished guest."
"Yes." Jiang Yushu smiled brightly, her steps brisk, and she urged the maid to go to the backyard to prepare to take the child to greet her brother. Whether it was blood relationship or family affection, neglecting her brother, who was nominally her mother's family in this life, would be like slapping herself in the face.
Wang raised her hand to support her headband and said tiredly, "I'm so angry about this evil creature Hongxuan that I'm getting a headache. You guys, hurry up and greet the guests and entertain them well. Don't be negligent."
"Yes." Guo Hongzhe obediently stood up, sighing quietly. He happily followed his brother and sister-in-law, fearing the awkwardness of staying in the hall and listening to his stepmother's incessant nagging at his younger brother. In recent years, Wang had constantly suspected the illegitimate son of hiding something, blaming his half-brother for failing to help his younger brother succeed, leaving him frustrated. He believed he had done his best, but his younger brother's repeated failures in the exams frustrated his mother and nearly brought the entire family into disgrace.
Jiang Yushu said to the hall, "Let's talk slowly." After that, she pulled her husband and said, "Azhe, let's go!"
"Okay." Guo Hongzhe was eager to leave and quickly followed. The few of them walked away in the blink of an eye.
Only Wang and Guo Hongxuan were left in the hall.
As the youngest son of a marquis, Guo Hongxuan had been pampered since childhood and was somewhat of a scoundrel. He wasn't afraid of losing face in front of his family, but he didn't want to be seen in such an awkward position by outsiders, so he smiled and asked, "Ahem, mother, we have guests today. How about we talk another day?"
Wang leaned against the low couch, leaning against the pillow, her face expressionless. "What? You also feel embarrassed?"
"Hehehe."
"You still have the nerve to laugh?"
Guo Hongxuan immediately covered his mouth with a respectful look.
"you--"
Wang studied her youngest son, lost in thought for a moment. Then, with a headache, she sighed and weakly scolded him, "Alas, you idiot! Look at you, you're so silly! You're not much different from when you were a kid. But you're not a child anymore. You're being scolded and beaten not for being naughty, but for not knowing what's good for you! A young man in his twenties, in the prime of life, yet you refuse to study or become an official, only to pursue a career in business? Do you even have a brain?"
Guo Hongxuan crouched closer, picked up the tea on the table beside the couch, and approached him attentively, "My son deserves to die. He is not doing his best. As long as it can make me calm down, you can beat and scold me as much as you want! Mother, are you thirsty? I've been scolding you for half a day, can you drink some water to moisten your throat?"
"Go, go!" Wang turned away, waving her hand to shoo away her youngest son like a fly. "If you are filial, study hard and don't worry about failing the exam. Your family will find a way to help you have a better future."
"Mom, please, I'm not cut out to be an official. To avoid getting into trouble and bringing trouble to my family, I absolutely cannot become one."
"You bastard, you're so confused!"
Guo Hongxuan was shameless and put on a smile, trying to please his mother in every way possible, serving her tea, fanning her, and asking about her health, which made his mother soften her expression.
After a long while, Wang Madam earnestly advised, "Mother knows that studying is hard. Mother also knows that you have a slow mind and lack patience. But you are so willful. Who will suffer in the end? It's you who will suffer. You didn't listen to advice about marriage, and you willfully lingered with prostitutes, so you couldn't marry a good girl of your social status. You didn't listen to advice about taking the imperial examination, and you willfully ran off to Qinzhou, so you missed the exam. And you didn't listen to advice about your future? My son, I don't know how much suffering you will endure in the future!"
"Xuan'er, your father and eldest brother and his wife are both gone. Your second brother was impeached by a villain and suspended from office. Although Ah Zhe was lucky enough to pass the imperial examination, he is frail and sickly, and I'm afraid he won't live long. Moreover, he has never been close to his mother since he was a child. Our family is not doing well, and you, a rebellious son, only know how to cause trouble!"
"Please calm down. There's still no response regarding my second brother. Just wait and see what happens and wait for news from the court. As for my third brother, I think he's incredibly filial. He's always been respectful to our mother, much more filial than I am."
"Too much respect, not enough affection."
Wang rambled on, fearing she'd be left alone in her old age. She continued to complain, "Of my two daughters-in-law, Yingru is too timid and useless, and Yushu is too opinionated and doesn't take her mother-in-law seriously. Alas, who will I, an old woman, rely on when I'm old and sick? You evil creature, why don't you just piss me off to death right now, so I don't have to suffer in my old age without anyone to rely on."
Older people are prone to sentimentality. The more Wang talked, the angrier she became. The more she thought about it, the more unhappy she felt her life was, and her eyes became red.
Guo Hongxuan knelt in front of the low couch, stunned by what he heard. He was at a loss for words and tried to comfort her, "Mother, what are you talking about? Although my father and my eldest brother and his wife are no longer with us, we still have my second brother and his wife, my third brother and his wife, me, and my nephews and nieces. My brothers and sisters-in-law are all very filial. How could you be left with no one to rely on in your old age? What are you afraid of? The poorest thing is begging. I swear to heaven: from now on, whether we are rich or poor, even if the Guo family is so poor that we have to beg for food, I will go begging on the streets every day and support you at all costs!"
The elderly have no worries about food and clothing, but what they lack most is the filial piety and care of their children and grandchildren.
"You little brat, you're such a bad mouth, you can't stop talking! You actually cursed your own family fortune, you deserve a beating."
Wang's eyes flashed with a smile. She raised her hand high, then gently brought it down, slapping her youngest son twice. She feigned anger and scolded him, "If you had listened to my advice, your future would depend on fate, but you would have had an 80% chance of a stable and leisurely life, and wouldn't have fallen to the point of begging to support your mother. Your mistake is that you are so willful and won't listen to my advice!"
Guo Hongxuan took the initiative to move his face forward, signaling his mother to hit him as she pleased, and apologized, "As for the marriage, I leave it to you to arrange. I will be happy to marry any girl you think is suitable, and ask her to be filial and serve you, and keep you company. I only ask that you please help me, and don't force me to study, take the imperial examination, or become an official."
"Hmph!" Wang's face suddenly darkened, and she seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Afterwards, Guo Hongxuan couldn't help but advise, "Well, my second sister-in-law is obviously very filial to her elders. She rarely raises objections to family matters and will most likely follow your wishes. It's rare for someone from her family to come over. You just, just now—" He paused and said carefully, "After all, the visitor is Ye'er's uncle. We can't be rude to him."
"Mingcheng is a good boy, well-mannered and honest. I heard he's also a successful candidate. Mother has no complaints about him. If you didn't have the slap mark on your face, you would have gone to greet the distant guest, to be polite."
Wang changed the subject and complained with a dark face, "I'm just dissatisfied with Yushu! Is there any daughter-in-law in the world like her? She's been married for ten years, and she's never set a rule in front of her mother-in-law, never done a piece of needlework for her, and still doesn't show any affection to her!"
"Besides, she has tamed Honglei completely. Just now, Honglei openly supported her and even encouraged you to give up literature and go into business—"
"Ouch!"
"Mom, you misunderstood."
Guo Hongxuan couldn't listen any longer and interrupted, "This is all my own idea. It has nothing to do with my second sister-in-law. Please stop making random guesses. If my brother and sister-in-law hear these words, it will hurt the relationship."
"Strange, they are mother and son, do they need to hide their casual conversation? Humph, Yushu relies on her official position and is 'busy with official duties' all year round. Not only does she not fulfill her duties as a daughter-in-law, she also doesn't respect her elders. Don't I have the right to say anything to her?" Wang had been dissatisfied with her second daughter-in-law for a long time and was full of resentment.
Guo Hongxuan scratched his head in embarrassment. "When did Second Sister-in-law ever disrespect you? What specific thing did she do that you didn't like?"
"Attitude! Her attitude isn't right. She's always just going along with the flow in front of Mother-in-law. She's not as caring as Qiaozhen and Mother, nor as respectful as Yingru to the elders. How can I be satisfied with her?"
"ah?"
Guo Hongxuan felt increasingly embarrassed and blurted out the truth, "Didn't you just complain that Third Sister-in-law was cowardly? No one is perfect. Second Sister-in-law is a female magistrate. Every time she comes home, she cooks for you and prepares your favorite dishes herself—"
"Oh, not for her mother-in-law at all. She always does it for the children, doing a little extra to earn the reputation of being 'filial'. Alas, ever since she became an official, she sometimes doesn't even take her mother-in-law into account. Honglei is henpecked, so he either pretends to be deaf and dumb or protects his wife. Mother has a miserable life."
“What a miserable life!”
"My mother's prejudice against my second sister-in-law is too deep?" Guo Hongxuan was shocked.
Wang came back to her senses, her face darkening. She snatched the fan away and slapped her youngest son a few times, saying angrily, "You rebellious son, you're so ungrateful. You've learned bad habits from her too. I must teach you a lesson today!"
In the final analysis, the Guo family fell into decline, Wang was no longer the marquis' wife, and was far less noble and glorious than before. However, the Jiang family did not fall into decline. Jiang Shisen was a high-ranking official in the court, and Jiang Yushu had an official position. The mother-in-law did not dare to order her daughter-in-law around at will, and she felt aggrieved and unhappy.
At the same time, the second door
"Oh, let's go pick up uncle!" Guo Ye had grown taller and was very excited. He pulled his cousin and ran, "Brother, hurry up."
Guo Yu, dressed as a scholar, looked like a handsome young man. He followed his cousin with a smile, "Slow down, be careful not to fall!"
Two wet nurses followed the crowd. Guo Xiaoyan nestled in her father's arms. Her delicate and delicate figure was adorable and she was always loved by her father.
However, Guo Jiong refused to be carried by anyone and insisted on walking on his own. He walked steadily forward in his tiger-head shoes, jogging from time to time, trying hard to catch up with his brother.
After a while, the door sill was in front of them. Jiang Yushu bent down and carried her little son out of the door, "Come, mother will carry you over!" When she put the child down, she kissed him. The child is the apple of the mother's eye, and no matter how much she loves and pampers him, it is not enough.
Guo Hongzhe looked up and said with a smile, "Look, Mingcheng is coming in! Hey, we're walking too slow."
The two groups stopped at the same time, looking at each other from a distance of several feet.
Guo Honglei was the first to call out, "Mingcheng, you're finally here. Your sister has been talking about you several times these past two days. Ye'er, that's your uncle."
"Sister, brother-in-law!"
Jiang Mingcheng smiled and strode closer.
Guo Ye was panting, stopped and shouted, "Uncle!" He ran and stopped not far in front of Jiang Mingcheng, looking up at his strange relative curiously.
"Yer, good boy!"
Jiang Mingcheng responded happily, picked up his nephew, and said with emotion: "I haven't seen you for a few years, and you have grown so big."
Jiang Yushu took her youngest son closer and asked with concern, "Did everything go smoothly along the way?"
"It went pretty smoothly."
Guo Honglei arrived and praised him, "I haven't seen you for a few years. Mingcheng looks much more mature. I'm really sorry that your sister and I couldn't return to the capital to attend your wedding and your success in the imperial examination."
"No, I know you're busy. I'm already very happy to receive the congratulatory gifts." Jiang Mingcheng held his eldest nephew in one hand, greeted Guo Hongzhe first, then responded to Guo Yu's greeting. Then he freed his hand and pinched the chubby cheek of his youngest nephew. "This must be my little nephew. Haha, he's white and chubby, much stronger than your cousin."
Jiang Yushu coaxed, "Jiong'er, quickly pay your respects to your uncle."
Guo Jiong is a big and strong boy, quiet and reserved, and he saluted his uncle awkwardly.
"Good, good boy!"
Guo Honglei instructed his daughter: "Xiaoyan, hurry up and say hello."
Guo Xiaoyan blinked her eyes and called out "Uncle" in a baby voice.
"Okay, okay, you're so good!"
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "Come on, sit down for a while and have a cup of tea, then I'll take you to see Ye'er's grandmother."
"Listen to your sister!" The eldest nephew is lively, talkative and cheerful. Jiang Mingcheng holds him all the way. The uncle and nephew are naturally close and get along very well.
So, the group of people were having a lively time, chatting and laughing, and having a great time.
Everyone went into the hall and drank two cups of tea, chatting briefly about some interesting stories from their journey. Seeing that the traveler was tired, Jiang Yushu led him to pay his respects to her mother-in-law, and then told her brother to go to the guest room to rest for a while, wash up and change clothes. She was busy arranging lunch, a welcoming dinner, and tomorrow's Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner, and was sweating from exhaustion.
After a long busy period, she inspected the banquet hall and was about to return to her room to change her clothes when she heard the sound of chaotic footsteps outside the door. The servants were anxious and reported in a flurry of voices:
"lady!"
"Imperial envoy, there is an imperial envoy!"
"County Magistrate Liu has arrived, accompanied by several strangers in official robes. They are said to be imperial envoys, and they are here to deliver an imperial decree to the Second Master."
"Second Master and the others have already gone out to greet them."
Once bitten by a snake, one will be afraid of ropes for ten years. The Guo family once received an imperial decree to strip the title and confiscate the property. Jiang Yushu will never forget the difficult days of exile and prison.
As her husband was being impeached, her heart skipped a beat and she hurriedly asked, "An imperial decree? What is it about?"
"They are in the main hall. I don't know where they are, but I've come to tell you the news."
Jiang Yushu frowned, without the time to change clothes, and quickly walked towards the hall, "I'll go take a look!"
She hurried as fast as she could, and when she reached the outside of the hall, she heard the words "imperial order". She rushed back into the hall and asked nervously, "What did the imperial edict say? Is everything okay?"
The whole hall was filled with smiles. Among them, the county magistrate who was in charge of leading the way bowed and said, "Congratulations, congratulations! From now on, you are the general's wife!"
In an instant, there was a chorus of “Congratulations”.
Jiang Yushu was stunned. "General's wife?"
Guo Honglei's eyes were bright as he unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict to show his wife.
She looked closely, her eyes lighting up as she asked in surprise, "'General Xuanwei'? You, you were given the title of general?"
"Yeah." Guo Honglei nodded.
Soon after, backyard
The maids and servants rushed to congratulate him, "Don't worry, nothing happened. The imperial edict didn't mention impeachment at all. It's good news. The Second Master has been appointed General. Congratulations, Madam."
"From now on, you are General Xuanwei's mother!"
"Oh?" Wang, who was sulking, smiled and asked excitedly, "What, what general?"
"General Xuanwei!"
"Hahaha, good, good! Where's the imperial envoy?"
"After drinking a cup of tea and receiving wedding money, Magistrate Liu invited me back to the yamen to rest. I heard they were having a banquet in the evening."
Wang nodded repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear. She instantly felt reassured, straightening her back and saying with satisfaction, "Honglei is indeed capable and knows how to bring honor to his mother. Quick, call him over. I want to see the imperial edict."
"Ah? Second Master is entertaining guests and chatting with Master Jiang. They will have lunch together later."
When Wang heard the word "Jiang", she was instantly unhappy again. Her smile faded and she thought to herself: Lei'er has a promising future. He can support the family alone. He doesn't need Yushu's salary. A seventh-rank official, what's so arrogant about it? She should just resign and go home to take care of the housework. That's the right thing to do.
Humph, it is expected that the more a woman shows up in public, the more restless she is and the more she will make the Guo family a laughing stock!
The author has something to say: Jiang Yushu: I am a small official, I cherish it, I save rice for the court o (╥﹏╥) o
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