Chapter 533 Timely Illness
Meng Dongyuan left Rongfutang with a frustrated expression, increasingly regretting that he hadn't insisted on his decision. If he had, and punished that wicked Chengxing, Dongshi wouldn't have divorced him, and he wouldn't be forced to marry Zhaoshi, that shrew. Not only was she not gentle and considerate, but she was also two-faced and deceived his mother's trust.
He grew angrier the more he thought about it, his face tense, and he hurried toward his own yard.
Not far away, Meng Chengzhang learned that his father and stepmother had gone to Rongfutang to serve tea, so he had been observing their movements. Not long ago, he saw his stepmother, Zhao Shi, pass by with a smile on her face. Now, seeing his father's ugly expression, he knew that his stepmother's methods were superior to his father's. Not only was she not bullied by his father, but she had also angered him quite a bit.
Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded behind Meng Chengzhang: "Second Brother, what are you looking at here?"
Meng Chengzhang's face stiffened, and then he turned his head and saw Meng Chengxing looking at him with a probing gaze. He turned his head back and said in a low voice, "I think Father doesn't seem to be in a good mood."
Meng Chengxing followed his gaze and saw his father's hurried departure. He seemed to be deep in thought: "Father is not satisfied with this marriage. No wonder he's in a bad mood. But for us, this is a good thing. What do you think, Second Brother?"
Meng Chengzhang frowned: "What do you mean by that, Third Brother?"
Meng Chengxing scoffed: "Second brother, don't play dumb with me. Father and Zhao Shi are at odds, and Zhao Shi wouldn't dare to mess with us. Otherwise, if we complain, Zhao Shi would definitely suffer. This is not like Dong Shi. Back then, Dong Shi was favored by Father, and Father always favored her."
Meng Chengzhang said, "Third brother, don't talk nonsense. Aunt Dong has never mistreated us." He paused for a moment, then changed the subject, "The Lingshan Academy's assessment will begin in six days. Third brother, you have been studying hard for half a year, so you must be very confident. I congratulate you in advance."
Upon hearing this, Meng Chengxing's face froze. In the past six months, he hadn't studied much because he knew it would be useless; he couldn't possibly pass the test. But his brother's words made him feel guilty, and he said with an awkward smile, "Second brother, the test hasn't even started yet, and I'm not sure I can pass it either."
Meng Chengzhang patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him with a smile: "Third brother, you must have confidence in yourself. Grandmother and father have high expectations for you. Grandmother said before that you stay in the study and study hard every day after school. With such hard work, passing the Lingshan Academy's examination will be a piece of cake."
Upon hearing this, Meng Chengxing felt even more guilty. He was in the study, but he wasn't alone; the maids he had taken in earlier were also there.
Meng Chengzhang glanced at him, his smile growing even more meaningful, and said in a low voice, "Third brother, I have other matters to attend to and must take my leave first." With that, he turned and left.
Meng Chengxing's face darkened. His father didn't care whether he passed the test or not, but his grandmother did. His grandmother had high expectations for him, and he felt immense pressure.
Meanwhile, Meng Dongyuan returned to his courtyard, starving. When he saw the bowl of plain porridge brought to him by the maid, he immediately became furious: "Who said I wanted to drink plain porridge?"
Zhao smiled and said, "Husband, Mother said she would prepare some light food for you. I thought plain porridge would be light and good for your stomach. You drank so much wine yesterday and even fell down. You should abstain from certain foods for now."
Upon hearing this, Meng Dongyuan's face immediately darkened: "You did this on purpose?"
Zhao looked completely innocent: "Husband, I don't understand what you're talking about. I was just following my mother's instructions. You were there at the time, and I asked my mother beforehand."
The mere mention of her elderly mother deflated Meng Dongyuan. Looking at the plain porridge, his hunger intensified. He sat down with a dark expression, picked up the porridge, and wolfed it down. After finishing one bowl, he wanted to eat more, but the maid brought him another bowl. His face darkened further. He slammed the bowl down, snorted coldly, stood up, and walked out of the house to his study to calm down.
Zhao didn't stop him. If her husband didn't want to eat, so be it. It wasn't her who would go hungry anyway. Actually, there were other better, lighter dishes, but she prepared them according to the worst standards. The reason was simple: this wretched thing didn't deserve the meal she had carefully prepared. She prepared a bowl of white porridge, which was also prepared according to her mother-in-law's instructions to be light. No one could find fault with it.
The maids looked at each other in bewilderment.
Zhao said gently, "Lord, you've finished eating. Please clear the dishes."
The maidservant quickly stepped forward to tidy up.
Afterwards, Zhao summoned the maids in the courtyard. One of the maids, seeing that she was not favored, arrived late. Zhao immediately made an example of her to intimidate everyone and solemnly explained her rules.
The maids knew that even though she wasn't favored by the Earl, she was not someone to be trifled with. Moreover, she had gained the Old Madam's approval and been entrusted with managing the household affairs on the second day after she married into the family. She was a powerful mistress of the house, so they had to think twice before messing with her.
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Two days later.
Madam Meng was thinking of having Chengzhang take Chengxing to Lingshan Academy, so that they could look after each other along the way. Chengzhang would go back to school, while Chengxing would go to take the exam.
Little did anyone know that on the night before his departure, Meng Chengxing suddenly fell ill with a high fever.
Upon hearing the maid's report, Old Madam Meng was instantly wide awake. She was extremely anxious, got out of bed, dressed herself, and hurriedly went to her grandson's courtyard. When she arrived, the family physician was taking Chengxing's pulse. Her daughter-in-law and Chengzhang were both there, anxiously watching over him by the bedside. She was secretly pleased; Chengzhang still cared about his younger brother, and her daughter-in-law was also very good to Chengxing.
But she didn't see her son, so she asked, "Qianyi, where's Ayuan?"
Zhao stammered, “My husband… he was with Aunt Zheng. When he learned that Chengxing was ill, I sent a maid to look for him, but he couldn’t find her. I originally wanted to go myself, but I was worried about Chengxing, so I came here first.”
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng's face darkened. She knew that her son was deliberately refusing to see the maids because he disliked Zhao Shi and therefore refused to see even Zhao Shi's maids.
Zhao lowered her eyes slightly to hide the smile in them. In fact, the maid could have notified her directly, but she ordered the maid to find the person. She had also calculated that her husband would not see the maid. Everything was under her control.
On their wedding night, her husband fainted, so she had no choice but to sleep in the bridal chamber. From the next day onwards, she stopped sleeping in the bridal chamber and went to the concubine's quarters. But she didn't mind. The concubine might like such an old man, but she didn't. She had the power to manage the inner quarters and the approval of her mother-in-law, so the maids had to respect her.
However, she didn't want that scoundrel to live too carefree. If necessary, she would use a little trick to cause him some trouble. And here it was, the opportunity had arrived. She was sure that the scoundrel would receive a scolding from his mother tomorrow.
Meng Chengzhang glanced at his stepmother without making a sound. He felt that his stepmother was sly and mischievous, but this kind of slyness was quite endearing. After spending the past two days with her, he also knew that his stepmother was not a bad person at heart. She was probably treating his father this way because she didn't like him.
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