Chapter 282 The Mind is Made
Rongfutang.
Since the scandal at the birthday banquet, Madam Meng has been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures every day, spending most of her day in the Buddhist hall. She even unprecedentedly chanted sutras and prayed for the birth mother of Meng Jinyao, Madam Zhou.
Perhaps out of guilt for having mistreated his eldest granddaughter for so many years, or perhaps out of fear that Zhou's ghost would seek revenge on her and her family in the same way it had taken revenge on Sun, the scriptures copied for Zhou were all rebirth mantras, in order to help Zhou be reincarnated as soon as possible and prevent her ghost from lingering in the Meng family.
The old woman entered the Buddhist hall and walked to the side of Old Madam Meng, who was chanting sutras, and whispered, "Old Madam, the young master has arrived."
Upon hearing this, Madam Meng stopped reciting scriptures and asked in confusion, "Why did Chengxing suddenly come here?"
She replied quietly, "This servant doesn't know either, but the young master came in such a hurry that he must have something to discuss with you."
Old Madam Meng was most worried about this grandson, so she immediately left the Buddhist hall to see him. When she saw that her grandson had red eyes and a melancholy expression, she felt heartbroken, fearing that he had been wronged outside. She asked with concern, "Chengxing, what happened?"
Meng Chengxing glanced at the maidservants serving in the room but did not speak immediately.
Seeing this, Old Madam Meng waved her hand, dismissed the maid, and asked again, "Chengxing, what is it?"
Meng Chengxing countered, "Grandmother, I've heard that Father is planning to remarry. Is that true?"
Madam Meng paused for a moment, then nodded and said gently, "Grandmother is getting old and it is not appropriate for her to take care of the affairs of the inner quarters. There must be a lady in charge of the household. In the future, when the mansion is in operation and when the families have social interactions, a lady in charge will be needed to manage things. Your father is still young and should marry a second wife to manage the household affairs."
Meng Chengxing pleaded, "Grandmother, could you please ask Father not to remarry so soon?"
Old Madam Meng was somewhat puzzled: "Why?"
Meng Chengxing was not as shrewd as his sister Meng Jinyu and did not know how to speak tactfully. He said directly, "Grandmother, my mother passed away just last month. Her body is still warm. I cannot accept a new mother for the time being."
However, he also knew how to observe the elder's expression while speaking. Seeing that the elder seemed displeased, he continued, "It's not that I don't want Father to remarry, but could you wait two years before remarrying?"
The Meng family lost all face. Old Madam Meng was furious with Sun for all the evil deeds she had committed. Whether Zhou was dead or not was unimportant, and whether Sun had killed her was also unimportant. She was just a daughter-in-law. If she died, they could just marry another one. There were plenty of good girls in the world.
But the biggest mistake Sun made was that her jealousy led to the death of her eldest grandson. Originally, her twin grandsons looked exactly alike, were clever and lovable, and Chengzhang was a good student. If Chengyu were still alive, he would definitely be just like Chengzhang and bring honor to the family in the imperial examinations. With the three grandsons supporting each other, the Meng family would rise again sooner or later. Now that one brother is gone, one less helper is lost.
Now her eldest grandson has been killed by Sun, and her reputation has been ruined by Sun. Although outsiders sympathize with the Meng family, they also laugh at them because the Meng family is blind to people's true nature. Her son failed to recognize true character and married the poisonous woman who killed his first wife as his second wife. Later, he didn't even realize that his offspring had been harmed by Sun. It was only when the vengeful spirit returned to haunt Sun that Sun's mental breakdown was exposed.
Hearing her most beloved and cherished grandson mention Sun Shi and express his deep sorrow over her death, and with her thoughts still on her, Old Madam Meng became angry with her grandson for the first time, and sternly rebuked him: "Chengxing, Sun Shi acted viciously and lost all conscience. How can such a wicked woman be worthy of being your mother?"
Faced with his grandmother's anger, Meng Chengxing was stunned. He wasn't actually that sad about his mother's passing. He just felt that it was good that his mother was dead, that things would pass and everything would fade away with time. But Sun Shi was indeed his mother, the mother who had loved him for twelve, almost thirteen years. His grandmother's words still made him a little unhappy.
Madam Meng glanced at her grandson. In her opinion, her grandson had been taught by that poisonous woman, Sun, to be unable to distinguish right from wrong. He couldn't even tell what was important in such a big matter. Having such a mother was a disgrace. What was there to be sad about Sun's death? And to tell her father not to remarry for the time being was simply absurd!
That's why we want our son to remarry as soon as possible, to marry a virtuous second wife, and to properly educate our children.
With a stern face, she reprimanded in a deep voice: "Sun has committed many evils and deserves to die. You are a child who can distinguish right from wrong. You should know to draw a line between yourself and such a vicious woman. How can you let your father postpone his remarriage because of her? Don't worry, your grandmother will choose a gentle and kind wife for your father to be your mother."
Meng Chengxing opened his mouth, wanting to refute his grandmother's words, but then he felt that what his grandmother said seemed to make sense. At the same time, he also felt a little uncomfortable. The next moment, thinking of the scene of being ridiculed by his classmates at the academy, the discomfort in his heart gradually dissipated, and he agreed with his grandmother's words more and more. But what if his father wanted to remarry, and he and his second sister were mistreated by their stepmother?
With that thought in mind, he asked the question: "Grandmother, Father found me a new mother, but she also mistreats my second sister and me. Don't you feel sorry for us at all?"
Madam Meng frowned: "Nonsense, how could your new mother mistreat you? The person your grandmother chose for your father must be gentle and kind, someone who would treat you as her own children. Or is it that someone is gossiping about you, making you afraid of your new mother?"
Meng Chengxing never imagined he would have a good stepmother. What stepmother could be as good as her husband's other children? But he didn't dare say that to his grandmother, so he just lowered his head and remained silent.
Madam Meng softened her tone: "Chengxing, you are a sensible child, you wouldn't want to make things difficult for your elders, would you? Your father is still young, can you bear to see him alone? And our Meng family also needs someone to manage the household affairs."
Meng Chengxing was taken aback: "Father still has several concubines, how come there's no one to keep him company?"
Madam Meng disagreed, saying, "Concubines are something that can't be presented in public. They can be sent away at any time. How can they be compared to wives? Only wives are the ones who will accompany you for life."
Meng Chengxing: "But..."
"Enough!" Old Madam Meng interrupted him, her face darkening once more, and said in an unyielding tone, "You, as his son, should support your father's remarriage. Do you want to be that kind of unfilial son?"
Meng Chengxing shook his head repeatedly: "That's not what I meant."
Madam Meng said, "Chengxing, you don't need to worry about the elders' affairs. Just focus on your own studies. It's getting late, time for dinner. We're having vegetarian food here, so we won't keep you."
Meng Chengxing had no choice but to comply with his elders' wishes and leave Rongfutang. He hurriedly went to his sister's courtyard to tell her about the matter and ask her what her plans were.
Meanwhile, Meng Jinyu thought that her younger brother was crying and throwing a tantrum in front of their grandmother. She thought that her grandmother would feel sorry for her brother and would consider his feelings. She never expected her brother to be so useless.
Meng Chengxing: "Second sister, what should we do? Grandmother doesn't agree."
Meng Jinyu glanced at him, her face dark, and didn't reply. Since the elders had made up their minds and this plan wouldn't work, she could only devise another plan and look for opportunities.
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