Chapter 535 I'll Divorce You Sooner or Later
Meng Chengxing's high fever subsided the next morning, but it returned around noon. It took another night for his fever to completely subside. He lay in bed looking listless and sickly, still saying that he was fine and that he was about to set off to participate in the Lingshan Academy's assessment.
His actions broke the heart of Old Madam Meng, who doted on her beloved grandson. She had to persuade him to stop after much persuasion and comforting. Once he was calmed down, she turned around and, finding her son displeasing, launched into a tirade of abuse.
Meng Dongyuan was wronged and felt very aggrieved. His unfilial son was sick and unable to participate in the assessment, but the blame was placed on him. He was accused of only caring about his concubine and not paying enough attention to his child, which caused the child to fall ill.
When Zhao heard her mother-in-law scolding her husband, she smiled almost imperceptibly. This was good. If there was a conflict between the mother and son, she would continue to act one way in front of her husband and another way in front of her mother-in-law. Even if her husband complained, her mother-in-law might not believe him.
Hearing that her mother-in-law was about to put out the fire, Zhao Shi left Meng Chengxing's room. Once in the outer room, she quickly said, "Mother, you can't blame my husband. It's hot now, and the child is prone to catching a cold. My husband doesn't want Chengxing to fall ill at such a crucial moment."
Madam Meng glared at her with exasperation: "You spoil him so much, no wonder he takes advantage of you and bullies you."
Meng Dongyuan: "?"
Who is bullying whom here? He was the one being bullied, and Zhao was the one taking advantage of him. How come it's Zhao now indulging him?
Zhao said softly, "Mother, you are too kind. My husband has never bullied me. Since I married into the Meng family, I have never suffered any grievances. I have never lacked anything in terms of food, clothing, or daily necessities."
Meng Dongyuan glared at Zhao Shi with annoyance: "Zhao Shi, it's such a waste of your talent that you're not going to perform in an opera troupe!"
Zhao looked at him blankly, opened her mouth, then lowered her eyes, seemingly unsure of what to say.
Madam Meng pursed her lips. Her daughter-in-law was indeed gentle and virtuous, and devoted to her husband. However, she was a bit too weak in front of her son. But that was good. She was much better than that vixen Dong. She was obedient and well-behaved, and she could also keep the servants in check. No one dared to offend her. This made her very happy. She was simply the ideal daughter-in-law she had always dreamed of.
She said, "Alright, no matter how much we didn't want it to happen, it has already happened. I won't pursue it anymore. You can all go back. I'll take care of Chengxing here. Anyway, I don't have anything else to do. Stay and try to comfort him."
Afterwards, Zhao followed Meng Dongyuan away. Once outside Meng Chengxing's courtyard and when no one was around, Zhao immediately straightened her back, quickened her pace, and left Meng Dongyuan far behind.
Meng Dongyuan snorted coldly: "You've only just arrived, and you can't even keep up the act anymore?"
Zhao paused, turned to look at him, and said calmly, "Husband, haven't you suffered enough yet?"
Meng Dongyuan was speechless with anger: "You..."
Zhao ignored him, turned around, and left without looking back.
Meng Dongyuan was so angry that his teeth itched. This woman was too good at pretending. He complained twice, and not only did his mother not believe him, but she also scolded him each time. He had lived for decades and this was the first time he had been bullied by a woman like this.
It was one thing for them to bully him when he was awake, but they didn't let him off the hook even when he was asleep. Yesterday, his mother ordered him to sleep in Zhao Shi's room. Even if he didn't touch Zhao Shi, he had to put on an act for the servants and act like a newlywed couple, otherwise it would be disgraceful if word got out.
Not wanting to disobey his mother, he went to rest in Zhao's room. Fortunately, Zhao was well-behaved and did not try to seduce him. She simply covered herself with a blanket and went to sleep. He disliked Zhao and kept his distance from her. He almost fell off the bed when he turned over, but he still slept soundly.
Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, he was suddenly kicked off the bed by Zhao Shi. He was in pain and confused at the time, and it took him a long time to react. He was so angry that he immediately got up and cursed, supporting his kicked waist.
Zhao, who has terrible sleeping habits, was fast asleep and even snoring. This made him even angrier. What kind of wife is so energetic in her sleep that she could kick her husband off the bed? He even suspected that Zhao did it on purpose, but he had no evidence.
He reached up and rubbed his still slightly aching lower back, gritting his teeth as he said, "One day, I will divorce you, you two-faced shrew!"
-
The Changxing Marquis's Residence.
This morning, Meng Chengzhang went out to the Changxing Marquis's residence to find Meng Jinyao and told her about what had happened after Zhao Shi married into the family.
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was quite astonished: "You mean, Grandmother actually reprimanded Father for Zhao Shi's sake? And between her son and daughter-in-law, she unhesitatingly chose to favor her daughter-in-law?"
Meng Chengzhang nodded: "Yes, Grandmother is very fond of Zhao Shi. There are no rules for her. Father has never gotten the better of Zhao Shi. He has been humiliated time and time again and is so angry that he is furious, but he can't do anything about her."
Meng Jinyao felt that her grandmother, who was so biased towards her daughter-in-law, was very unfamiliar. She had never seen how her grandmother treated her own mother, but she had heard that her mother was given rules after she married into the family, and Sun Shi and Aunt Dong were also given rules. Only Zhao Shi was different and received her grandmother's special favor, which was truly rare.
She laughed and said, "From the first moment I saw Zhao Shi, I felt she was not someone to be trifled with, and it turns out she really was." She looked up at her younger brother, then asked, "Second brother, how does she treat you?"
Meng Chengzhang truthfully said, "Actually, she's not a bad person. Her scheming was directed at my father. His behavior on our wedding night was too much and completely broke her heart. When she learned that I was going back to the academy soon, she prepared a lot of things for me. I saw that none of the things she prepared were perfunctory; they were all carefully prepared. She did everything a mother should do."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao was somewhat surprised. She originally thought that even if Zhao Shi wouldn't mistreat her brother, she wouldn't be very devoted, and that it would be enough if things were just superficially acceptable. She didn't expect Zhao Shi to treat her brother so well. Whether Zhao Shi was kind-hearted to begin with or because of her, it was all good.
She said gently, "Second brother, she treats you like her own son, so you must be filial to her."
Meng Chengzhang nodded: "Big sister, put yourself in my shoes, I know what to do."
Meng Jinyao asked, "She also has a daughter, the same age as my third brother, but seemingly a little younger. I didn't see her on her wedding day. Has she been brought over yet?"
Meng Chengzhang shook his head: "Not yet. I see that Zhao is busy every day, so she probably can't find the time yet. After all, it wouldn't be good to leave the child unattended after taking her over. She should be able to take her over after she finishes these busy days."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao immediately understood. Even though the Meng family had married a daughter to a Yangzhou merchant and had a son-in-law who was filial, the family's accounts were still a mess. Anyone who took over such a household would have a headache, and it was normal that they couldn't get the hang of it for a while.
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