Chapter Fifty-Three: Blind
Seeing the family getting along harmoniously, Old Madam Gu was in a good mood, especially when she saw Meng Jinyao next to her own son. The little girl spoke to Yaoling gently.
Overjoyed, she rewarded each of her daughters-in-law with a hairpin, showing no favoritism and treating them all equally. The hairpins were all carved from high-quality jade, and each one was quite valuable.
Both Zhang and Chen were flattered. On the second day after they entered the family, when they served tea to their mother-in-law, the mother-in-law gave the new daughter-in-law a gift. At other times, she never gave them anything, but their children did receive gifts.
"Thank you, Mother."
The three of them thanked Madam Gu in unison, all with smiles on their faces.
Looking at them, Madam Gu said gently, "The daughters-in-law next door are fighting amongst themselves, making their homes a mess. The men have no interest in pursuing their future. Fortunately, the daughters-in-law in our family are all good. Looking at you, I feel very comforted."
Upon hearing this, Zhang and Chen paused slightly, realizing that their mother-in-law was speaking to them. In other words, she was warning them not to compete with the third son's wife. As long as they didn't fight or grab, there would be no infighting.
However, they didn't show anything, and almost in unison with Meng Jinyao said, "Daughter-in-law will follow Mother's teachings."
The family was enjoying a happy time together, but before long, someone with no sense of propriety started causing trouble in front of Old Madam Gu, bringing up the very thing she didn't want to talk about.
Zhang looked at Meng Jinyao with concern and asked, "By the way, Third Sister-in-law, what exactly happened yesterday? I heard it was about dowry. Did Madam Meng bully you because of your seniority? If you have any difficulties, you might as well tell us. We can discuss a solution together."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone instinctively looked at Meng Jinyao.
Old Madam Gu glanced at Zhang Shi with slight displeasure. Not long ago, she had told them not to fight each other openly or covertly, but they had already forgotten and started fighting right away.
Meng Jinyao turned to look at Zhang Shi and saw that Zhang Shi looked concerned. But she knew that Zhang Shi just wanted to see her make a fool of herself, so she smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. It's not a big deal. I already took care of it yesterday."
Zhang looked surprised: "It's resolved? I didn't see the scene yesterday, but the maid described it as frightening. I don't really know what happened, but I was worried that my third sister-in-law would be bullied, so I asked her."
"Perhaps the maid made things seem more serious, causing my sister-in-law to worry about me."
Meng Jinyao spoke with a smile and calmly recounted the events: "Here's what happened. After my birth mother passed away, she left behind a dowry. I was young then, and my stepmother said she would manage it for me and make it into my dowry when I got married. However, a few days ago, when I was taking stock of my dowry, I couldn't find the dowry, so I had to go to their house to ask for it back. Yesterday, they sent someone to deliver the dowry over, and I had to take stock of it."
Her smile was serene, her expression open and honest, showing no sign of displeasure. She narrated the events in a light tone, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs, not her own.
Zhang's heart sank. She had known Meng Jinyao was difficult to deal with, but she hadn't expected her to be so composed. Faced with such a serious matter, anyone else would have been ashamed to even mention such a disgraceful family background, but Meng Jinyao acted as if nothing had happened. Zhang, on the other hand, felt like a clown stirring up trouble. She forced a smile and replied, "That Madam Meng withheld my third brother's wife's dowry, that's really true..."
Meng Jinyao nodded, as if she were talking about a trivial matter: "It's not uncommon for stepmothers to embezzle their stepdaughters' dowries. I just happened to be the one who suffered because of it. But it's not a big deal. I can just get it back."
Zhang said awkwardly, "Yes, thankfully my third sister-in-law got it back."
Meng Jinyao nodded again and took another sip of tea. If she were a few years younger, she might have felt embarrassed or ashamed, but she didn't care about such things now, so no one could use this to upset her.
Madam Gu was already satisfied with her daughter-in-law, and now seeing her defuse the awkward situation with just a few words, she was even more satisfied. Such a good girl was not good enough for that brat Xiuming, but was perfect for Yaoling.
Madam Gu sighed softly, "I'm getting old, I'm not as useful anymore. I'm tired after only a short while. You should all go back."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang felt a little uneasy. She was fine just now, so why was she so tired now? Could it be that he was dissatisfied with her? She hadn't said anything just now, and the matter with Meng Jinyao had already caused such a big commotion that everyone knew about it.
The three family members took their leave and left Shou'an Hall.
The second wife, Madam Chen, who was close to Madam Zhang, said meaningfully, "Eldest sister-in-law is being a bit too hasty."
Zhang's face froze, and she glared at her.
Madam Chen smiled and whispered a reminder: "It's not a pleasant feeling to want to see others make fools of themselves but end up making fools of yourself instead, is it? In front of Mother, it's best for you to be smarter, sister-in-law, otherwise you'll displease Mother and have to hand over your power of managing the household."
These words sounded like heartfelt, but they were extremely grating and ironic.
Zhang's face darkened, and she didn't reply. She quickened her pace with a cold expression. As soon as she left, her eldest grandson's wife, Jiang, naturally had to hurry to catch up with her mother-in-law. Gu Xuanyi also followed her mother's pace with her sister-in-law.
Madam Chen scoffed lightly, wanting to speak to her husband, but seeing the three brothers walking and talking ahead, she wisely didn't follow. Meanwhile, her son Gu Xiuhong was walking with Gu Xiuyuan and Gu Xiuwen from the eldest branch of the family, so she took her illegitimate daughter Gu Xuanling who was following behind and left.
Meng Jinyao strolled leisurely at the back, glancing at Zhang and Chen, who were parting ways ahead, and said regretfully, "What a pity, I was just about to see a good show, and it's over already." Then she whispered to Qingqiu beside her, "Qingqiu, which of the two do you think is more capable?"
Qingqiu replied, "In response to Madam's question, this servant believes that the Second Madam is more formidable."
Meng Jinyao nodded gently: "Yes, I think so too."
Qingqiu seemed to be deep in thought, and reminded her, "Madam, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. You still need to be wary."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao paused for a moment, then nodded. Wherever there's a conflict of interest, a struggle will ensue. Currently, the First Madam and the Second Madam share control of the household affairs, secretly vying for power. Who knows, one day her mother-in-law might want her to take over, and that would be troublesome.
After a long pause, Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "Alright, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. I'd better go back and calculate the total income of the estate and shops over the years so I can ask the Yongchang Marquis's mansion for the money as soon as possible. Money is more secure in your own pocket. If it's in someone else's pocket for too long, it might get spent one day."
Qingqiu smiled and nodded: "What you say is true, Madam."
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