Chapter 532 Meng's Father is Furious
Looking at the meek and obedient Zhao Shi, Old Madam Meng became more and more satisfied. None of her previous daughters-in-law had ever pleased her so much. Matchmaker Zhang was indeed the best matchmaker in the capital. The daughter-in-law she found for her was excellent. If her daughter-in-law pleased her, she would also make her daughter-in-law satisfied.
So she took the initiative and said, "Qianyi, why don't you pick up your daughter sometime? Little girls usually stick close to their mothers, and it's not good to be separated for too long."
Zhao was slightly taken aback. The Meng family had previously told her to marry into the family first and then bring the child over later. She had originally planned to bring up the matter with her mother-in-law after the three-day mourning period, but she did not expect her mother-in-law to bring it up on her own initiative. She quickly smiled and looked very grateful: "Daughter-in-law thanks Mother."
Seeing her daughter-in-law's grateful attitude over such a small matter, Madam Meng felt a surge of superiority, which pleased her. She then said, "As for which courtyard she should stay in, there are so many empty courtyards in the mansion. Have someone prepare one for her."
Zhao was somewhat surprised. She thought her mother-in-law would offer to let her daughter stay there, but she was surprised that she could choose. She quickly said gratefully, "Your daughter-in-law thanks you on behalf of Yunying."
Madam Meng's smile deepened. Although that girl was a burden, she was also a useful one. She was already fourteen years old this year and would be of marriageable age next year. So what if she was given the courtyard where Ayu lived before her marriage? She would only live there for a year or two at most. If she treated the girl well now, the girl would remember the kindness of the Meng family and repay the Meng family in the future.
She casually asked, "What are the two characters in the child's name?"
Zhao replied, "The child's father's surname is Qiao, and her name is Yunying. Yun means 'clouds reaching ten thousand miles high,' and Ying means 'jade with luster.'"
Madam Meng nodded and said, "The last character of each character contains the radical 'jade,' so Yunying is quite destined to be with her two older sisters."
Zhao Shi only had one daughter, so she naturally understood who her mother-in-law was referring to as her two older sisters, Meng Jinyao and Meng Jinyu. She said, "It must be a destiny ordained by heaven that made them sisters."
Old Madam Meng was a little sleepy. She talked with Zhao Shi for a while and then sent the couple away.
Meng Dongyuan said, "Zhao Shi, you go back first. I have something to say to my mother."
Zhao replied obediently, "Alright, then I'll go back first. My husband was in a hurry to come over and offer tea to my mother and pay his respects. He hasn't eaten anything since he got up. I'll go back and prepare something for him. I wonder what he likes to eat?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan's face darkened instantly. It wasn't that he was in a hurry to serve tea; it was clearly this woman who had escalated the matter of serving tea into a question of filial piety. How could he dare to bear the reputation of being an unfilial son? That's why he had no choice but to come on an empty stomach. Now this woman was feigning concern, which was utterly disgusting.
Madam Meng was quite satisfied, feeling that her son was sensible enough. Even if he was not satisfied with his daughter-in-law Zhao, he still cared about his old mother. He even skipped his meal to serve her tea and pay his respects. Turning to her son, she said gently, "A-Yuan, you are so thoughtful. Next time, eat first before coming over, so you don't go hungry."
Meng Dongyuan was taken aback by these words. His mother was so satisfied, he couldn't very well say that he had been forced to come, otherwise his mother would definitely be angry. He could only go along with what his mother and daughter-in-law were saying and say, "I didn't want my mother to wait too long, so I came first. Actually, I'm not that hungry."
"You silly child." Old Madam Meng shook her head and sighed softly, then said to her daughter-in-law, "He's not a picky eater, and he drank so much yesterday, so just prepare something light for him."
Zhao replied softly, "Yes, Mother, then your daughter-in-law will go back first."
She stood up, gave a slight curtsy to her mother-in-law, and then left with the wooden box that Old Madam Meng had asked the nanny to give her. She was very satisfied. Regardless of whether Meng Dongyuan liked her or valued her, the fact that she took charge of the household affairs on the second day after she married into the family meant that she had already gained the approval of the Meng family elders, and the servants in the mansion dared not disrespect her.
As Madam Meng watched Zhao's retreating figure, she nodded with a smile. The matchmaker was right; Zhao was gentle and virtuous, a good woman. Even though her son treated her so well, Zhao was still worried that her son would go hungry.
Seeing how satisfied his mother was with Zhao Shi, Meng Dongyuan was furious. After Zhao Shi left, he wanted to tell his mother, but because the maids were present, he said, "Mother, I have something to tell you. May I ask them to leave first?"
Madam Meng nodded and said, "You may all leave now."
After the maid left, Meng Dongyuan said urgently, "Mother, don't judge a book by its cover, Zhao Shi is no good."
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng's smile froze. She frowned and looked at her son, saying in a deep voice, "A-Yuan, your mother has eyes to see what kind of person Zhao is."
Meng Dongyuan said, "Mother, I didn't fall down last night because I was going to offer incense to Father. It was because..." He hesitated, "Anyway, I wasn't trying to offer incense to Father. Zhao Shi lied to you."
He should have kept quiet about it, because the moment he brought it up, Old Madam Meng flew into a rage. She snorted coldly, "I know everything that happened last night. Your wife has never lied to me. You really didn't go to offer incense to your father. You went because of that vixen Dong Huiyun!"
Meng Dongyuan was startled and his eyes widened suddenly. He hadn't expected that his mother knew the truth.
Madam Meng glared at him with displeasure: "For the sake of your reputation, and for the sake of our Meng family's reputation, I have to say that you wanted to offer incense to your father, but because you were drunk, you accidentally fell. Your wife is a sensible person. Even though she suffered such a great injustice on her wedding night, she didn't utter a single complaint and immediately accepted my explanation."
Meng Dongyuan opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected that this was a reason his mother had made up to cover up the truth.
The more Madam Meng spoke, the angrier she became: "A good daughter-in-law like Qianyi is hard to find even with a lantern. That vixen Dong Huiyun is not qualified to be compared to her. If she had any feelings for you, she wouldn't have divorced you in the first place. Only you, a fool, still can't forget her even now."
Meng Dongyuan immediately explained for his ex-wife: "Mother, Huiyun divorced me because of that wretched child Chengxing. If it weren't for that wretched child who caused her to lose her child, why would she have divorced me?"
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Meng's face darkened even further: "Chengxing did this because of you. Alright, let's not bring this up again. It's all in the past. Qianyi is a good daughter-in-law. From now on, you should live a good life with Qianyi."
Meng Dongyuan felt wronged. His mother was satisfied with Zhao Shi in every way, without caring about his feelings at all. Her heart was biased towards Zhao Shi. It seemed that this wife was not for him, but for his mother. It didn't matter whether he was satisfied or not, as long as his mother was satisfied.
He said unwillingly, "Mother, Zhao Shi is not as good as you think. She is two-faced and not a good person."
Madam Meng didn't believe a word of it and was furious: "Enough! I know you don't like Zhao Shi, but you don't need to make up stories to slander and defame her. I don't like hearing such things, and you are not allowed to say them again."
Meng Dongyuan: "Mother, I..."
He suddenly felt like he was swallowing a bitter pill, unable to express his suffering. He didn't know what kind of spell Zhao had cast on his mother, that now she didn't even believe her own son.
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