The kitchen staff had prepared all the dishes for tonight's meal. She came out of the kitchen, said something to the people in the living room, and then went back to the kitchen.
The old lady got up, took the potatoes, and went to the dining room without saying a word. Mu Qinshu was used to this. Her mother-in-law was reserved and rarely showed her feelings. In fact, she often appeared fierce.
Mu Qinshu asked the housekeeper to go to the study and invite the two busy people inside to dinner.
She pulled Lu Wanzheng along to catch up with the old lady. She whispered to Lu Wanzheng, "Don't worry, the old lady may not say it, but she probably likes you a lot. She doesn't like to chat with strangers. Spend more time with her, and she'll naturally start talking to you."
Lu Wanzheng nodded upon hearing this. She rarely interacted with elders and felt somewhat awkward around the old lady, but since they would all be family from now on, she would naturally overcome these difficulties.
The two arrived at the restaurant. Xiao Junnan used to sit in the main seat, but now the host had changed. The old lady was sitting in the main seat. There was another person today, and Lu Wanzheng didn't know where to sit. Mu Qinshu seemed to notice Lu Wanzheng's helplessness and led her to the seat on the right side of the master bedroom and let her sit down.
This also gave Lu Wanzheng and the old lady many opportunities to interact.
Mu Qinshu sat opposite Lu Wanzheng, while the other two men naturally had to take the remaining seats.
Xiao Junnan appeared in the restaurant first. He glanced at the situation on the table, said nothing, and walked straight to Mu Qinshu's side, sitting down in the seat next to her. He didn't seem to care that the seat was rather out of the way. Now, only the seat next to Lu Wanzheng was left, but Xiao Qifeng still hadn't appeared.
Although there weren't many rules at the Xiao family's dining table, they still believed that the younger generation couldn't start eating until the elders had touched their chopsticks. So, the old lady kept her eyes closed, touching the potatoes in her hands, showing no intention of touching her chopsticks. Seeing this, the servants didn't bring the prepared dishes to the table.
A few minutes later, Xiao Qifeng hurriedly arrived, apologized to the old lady sitting in the main seat, nodded to her, and then sat down.
Lu Wanzheng witnessed this scene and realized that the most authoritative and influential person in the family was the old lady who was not often at home.
Once everyone was present, the old lady placed the potatoes on the ground and picked up her chopsticks. The servants kept a close eye on everything happening at the table, and as soon as they saw the old lady put the potatoes on the ground, they immediately brought the dishes to the table.
Seeing that there were many dishes that Lu Wanzheng liked on the table, Xiao Qifeng used serving chopsticks to pick up a shrimp, peeled it, and put it into Lu Wanzheng's bowl.
The old lady glanced up but didn't say anything.
The old lady has good teeth and eats without any difficulty, but given her age, she eats slowly and carefully.
While eating, Xiao Qifeng also kept an eye on Lu Wanzheng, occasionally picking out some dishes that were further away from her.
Seeing the young couple getting along so well, Mu Qinshu was naturally happy.
The boiled prawns on the table were made by Mu Qinshu, which Xiao Junnan knew long ago. Among all the people at the table who enjoyed eating prawns the most, besides Lu Wanzheng, it was Xiao Junnan. Seeing that there was only one prawn left on the plate, Xiao Junnan was ready to go. He had just picked one up from the plate and hadn't even had a chance to eat it yet when he saw that there was only one left. Without thinking, he reached out with his serving chopsticks to take it.
Suddenly, a serving chopstick reached out from the side and ruthlessly snatched the last shrimp from the plate. Xiao Junnan looked up, wanting to see who had taken the last shrimp.
The old lady took the serving chopsticks, picked up the last shrimp, and put it into Lu Wanzheng's bowl. At the same time, she glared at Xiao Junnan, silently cursing him for taking food from Xiao Junnan as an elder.
When Xiao Junnan met his mother's gaze, he immediately cowered, gave an awkward smile, moved his half-reached hand to the side, and picked up the salt and pepper ribs next to him, as if he hadn't been planning to add shrimp at all.
A shrimp suddenly appeared in her bowl, and Lu Wanzheng was somewhat flattered. She said softly, "Thank you, Grandma."
The old lady nodded. "Eat slowly, eat more, you're too thin."
This was the first time the old lady had spoken so much to her, and she was momentarily at a loss for words. She could only nod in a gesture of agreement, and then lower her head and silently continue eating.
After the meal, Lu Wanzheng held Tudou. Tudou had been eating cat food under the table with them while they were eating.
After finishing her meal, the old lady went back to her room. Lu Wanzheng placed the potatoes on her lap, and Mu Qinshu sat next to her. Xiao Junnan walked past her with a thick red envelope in his hand. Xiao's father did not give the red envelope directly to Lu Wanzheng, but handed it to Mu Qinshu instead.
"This is your first time celebrating the New Year at our home, so I've prepared some lucky money for you. Please accept it," she said, handing the red envelope to Lu Wanzheng.
Lu Wanzheng turned to look at Xiao Qifeng behind her. "Since it's New Year's money, you can take it." With Xiao Qifeng's approval, Lu Wanzheng accepted the red envelope. "Thank you, Auntie."
Mu Qinshu said with a smile, "This is just a little bit. When you get married, the red envelope will be much thicker."
Lu Wanzheng handed the red envelope to Xiao Qifeng, saying, "Then I'll trouble Mr. Xiao to keep it for me for the time being."
"Hmm." Xiao Qifeng picked up the red envelope and weighed it; it was probably around ten thousand.
Xiao Qifeng stuffed the thick and thin broth into his pocket. Seeing this, Mu Qinshu said, "This money is for Wanzheng to buy snacks. Don't keep it all to yourself."
Xiao Qifeng: "..." Does he really have to do something so degrading?
Lu Wanzheng held Mu Qinshu's hand and said, "Auntie, don't worry. I manage all the money at home. Consider this my allowance for him next month."
Hearing that Lu Wanzheng was in charge of the money at home, Mu Qinshu didn't say anything. "Then this month's allowance is a bit too much. You know, men with money tend to go bad. I think this money should be used as allowance for the next six months."
Xiao Qifeng: "..."
Lu Wanzheng covered her mouth and laughed. She looked at the thickness of the money and it was probably around ten thousand. You know, Mr. Xiao's allowance is five thousand a month. This money is only enough for two months. If it lasts for half a year, wouldn't he be living a very pitiful life? Just thinking about stretching one yuan a day to two days makes her feel like it's impossible.
She laughed out loud, quite unkindly, and responded verbally.
The old lady walked steadily down the stairs, carrying a box in her hand. Her hand was very thin, with slender fingers and prominent blue veins.
She walked over to Lu Wanzheng's side. Mu Qinshu was very perceptive and immediately got up and sat on the other side of Lu Wanzheng, giving her original seat to the old lady. The old lady sat down and, without asking if she wanted it, directly handed the box in her hand to Lu Wanzheng.
Lu Wanzheng looked at the very simple wooden box in her hand. It was completely different from the box she had previously used to hold the bracelet. The previous box had very intricate and exquisite patterns on its surface, but the patterns on this box were not visible on the surface. However, both boxes were made of very precious wood.
Lu Wanzheng didn't open it, but asked softly, "Grandma, what's in this box? I don't want anything valuable." She held the box and could clearly feel its weight; it was quite heavy.
The Xiao family was very wealthy and powerful in their early years, and the old lady probably accumulated a lot of things in her life. She probably put all the good stuff into this box.
Hearing that Lu Wanzheng did not intend to accept it, the old lady said with a serious face, "Take it. This is the face of being a daughter-in-law of the Xiao family. It is just my dowry back then. I don't have a daughter. When your mother-in-law came into the family, I gave her half. I thought that if there was a granddaughter, the other half would be given to her. If it was a grandson, the rest would be given to the granddaughter-in-law. Since Qi Feng has decided on you, you can accept these things."
Mu Qinshu chimed in, "Just accept what Grandma gave you. Once you and Qi Feng get your marriage certificate, I'll give you the other half too. If you have a daughter in the future, give all of this to her as her dowry. Just consider it as you keeping it safe for her."
Since that's what she's said, Lu Wanzheng naturally couldn't refuse. She handed the box in her hand to Xiao Qifeng as well. Xiao Qifeng found it a bit troublesome to carry the box, so he asked the housekeeper to take the things to his room.
Seeing that Lu Wanzheng had accepted the gift, the old lady nodded, got up and left. Being old, she was prone to feeling tired, and she slowly went back to her room.
Seeing that the old lady had left, Mu Qinshu placed Lu Wanzheng's hand in her own. "The old lady likes you. She put food on your plate during dinner and felt sorry that you were too thin. She just doesn't express her feelings."
Lu Wanzheng understood, of course, that the old lady's actions truly showed that she liked her.
The blessings of elders are one of the essential reasons why this marriage can last.
With fewer conflicts with her in-laws, her life will be more comfortable.
That evening, they had planned to watch the New Year's Eve concert together, but Mu Qinshu kept yawning. Xiao Junnan felt sorry for her and took her back to her room.
Seeing this, Lu Wanzheng and Xiao Qifeng didn't stay in the living room any longer and went back to their rooms as well.
Back in her room, Lu Wanzheng saw the wooden box the old lady had given her on the bedside table. Remembering the red envelope Mu Qinshu had given her, Lu Wanzheng looked at Xiao Qifeng and said, "Mr. Xiao, look how much money Auntie gave you. This is the first month of the new year, so I'm giving you a little extra pocket money."
Xiao Qifeng took out the red envelope from his pocket and handed it to Lu Wanzheng. The red envelope was a very ordinary one, with a picture of a chubby baby holding a koi fish on it.
Lu Wanzheng opened the red envelope, took out some money, and counted it carefully.
No more, no less, exactly ten thousand. "Mr. Xiao will have ten thousand in pocket money next month."
Xiao Qifeng: "There are quite a lot, so I can buy you a few more cakes."
Lu Wanzheng smiled and said, "Other men think about using their allowance to buy things they like, but you just like to buy things for me. I can't bear to deduct your money because of that."
Xiao Qifeng reached out and ruffled Lu Wanzheng's hair. "Isn't spending money on the woman you love something a good man and a good husband should do?"
“That makes sense.” Lu Wanzheng’s gaze fell on the wooden box on the bedside table again. “I wonder what Grandma gave us.”
"You open it and take a look, I'm going to take a shower."
Xiao Qifeng walked away, and Lu Wanzheng sat cross-legged on the bed, placing the wooden box in front of her. The wooden box was very heavy, and when it was placed on the bed, the quilt sank in quite a bit.
She opened the lid, revealing a wooden box with a smooth, polished interior. A pleasant woody scent wafted out. On the top shelf were numerous pieces of jewelry—gold and jade—all clearly antique and valuable. Lu Wanzheng felt a burning sensation in her hands as she held them. She removed the jewelry from the box and noticed several pieces of paper underneath. She took them out one by one; among them were share transfer agreements—the old lady's shares in Xiao's company, which she had transferred to Lu Wanzheng.
It's not just shares; there are also land deeds, all at addresses I don't know. But since they belong to the old lady, they're definitely not some random place.
She suddenly felt pressured. If the things in this box were lost, she wouldn't be able to pay it back even if she sold herself. It seemed that she had to put all these things in a safe.
When Xiao Qifeng came out after taking a shower, he saw Lu Wanzheng lying straight on the bed without a blanket. The air conditioner in the room was not set too high, and he shivered as soon as he came out.
Hearing a sound coming from the bathroom, Lu Wanzheng sprang up from the bed and told Xiao Qifeng what she had just seen in the box.
Xiao Qifeng didn't think so. "Grandma gave it to you, so just accept it. When Mom married into the family, she brought a lot of dowry with her. I guess you'll receive a lot more after we get our marriage certificate. Just accept it calmly."
"I immediately understood what the gap between the rich and the poor meant. No wonder everyone wants to marry into a wealthy family. Just the gifts they give can save people years of hard work."
However, as an ambitious young woman, Lu Wanzheng did not become obsessed with the things given to her by the old lady of the Xiao family, but instead carefully kept the box safe.
"Grandma and Mom both said that we can leave these things to our daughter in the future. It seems that we really need to have a daughter. Mr. Xiao's wish is probably going to be in vain." Xiao Qifeng had said before that he only wanted to have a son in the future because he was worried that his daughter would be seduced by a rascal. Now, in order to pass these things down, it seems that a daughter is needed to inherit them. Therefore, she started to tease Xiao Qifeng.
Xiao Qifeng was silent for a moment, his dark eyes filled with complex emotions. Finally, he sighed and pretended to be relaxed. "It's alright. If I have a daughter, I will naturally cherish her and love her dearly. If she takes a fancy to some scoundrel in the future, I'll let him marry into the family. It's not like our Xiao family can't afford to support him."
Xiao Qifeng was unwilling to see his daughter, whom he had raised with all his heart and soul, marry into another family. Marrying into the family was the only condition he could accept.
Lu Wanzheng shook her head inwardly. If that were really the case, then this brat would probably be completely exploited by Mr. Xiao in the future. She felt sorry for this son-in-law who probably hadn't even been born yet.
That night, Lu Wanzheng went to bed early. Before going to sleep, she sent several large red envelopes to the studio's group chat, chatted with everyone for a while, and then put down her phone.
The recent release of "The Great Journey" made her a star. Several TV stations contacted her studio, wanting to invite her to participate in their New Year's Eve concerts, but Lu Wanzheng refused them all. She didn't like participating in these things, and she had her own selfish reasons, wanting to spend every New Year with Xiao Qifeng.
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