Chapter 643: Daughter-in-law cannot live with her husband's family (Part 1)
Not long after, dinner was ready.
The Xi family treated Ruan Qi as one of their own and did not have a grand meal in the large dining room used for meetings. Instead, the whole family gathered in a cozy small restaurant.
Although the restaurant was small, the dishes were not perfunctory at all. The table was filled with delicious dishes, most of which were Ruan Qi's favorites.
Ruan Qi was held hand by Xi Xiaoyun and sat down at the dining table.
Just as Xi Jiu was about to go to her side, Duan Wei got there first and sat down on Ruan Qi's right.
Xi Xiaoyun also sat down on Ruan Qi's left side.
Xi Jiu: "..."
Xi Jiu was silent for a moment, then turned to look at his father, hoping that he could take care of his wife.
Xi Xiaoran gave him a helpless look.
In the Xi family, the old man held the highest status, with Duan Wei and Xi Xiaoyun tied for second. Third were all the flowers, plants, poultry, and livestock in the mansion. This father and son, however, barely made it to the bottom of the food chain; managing their wives was out of the question.
I dare not intervene, nor can I bear to intervene.
Xi Xiaoran ignored his son's gaze and sat down next to Old Man Xi.
Xi Jiu looked at this large family, and Ruan Qi who was so far away from him, and suddenly understood a truth in his heart -
A daughter-in-law cannot live with her husband's family.
There will really be conflicts if you live there for a long time.
It had only been half a day, and Ruan Qi was so pestered that she didn't even have a chance to talk to him. If they got married and lived here for a long time, would there still be a place for him by Ruan Qi's side?
It is right not to live with your in-laws.
It is not conducive to communication between couples.
The ancients did not deceive him.
Xi Jiu lowered his eyes calmly and began to think in his mind which of the properties under his name would be suitable as a wedding house.
Ruan Qi still didn't know that her post-marriage living arrangements had been clearly arranged. She held her chopsticks, her bowl already piled high with food from Xi Xiaoyun and Duan Wei.
Mr. Xi personally served her a bowl of soup.
"Xiao Qi, this soup is made by your Xi Bo's mother. She uses free-range chicken and adds a lot of nourishing ingredients. You are usually busy with work, so drink more soup to nourish yourself."
Ruan Qi quickly took the soup with both hands, "Thank you, Grandpa Xi."
"We're family, why are you being polite?"
Old Master Xi stared at the little girl with a smile on his face for a while. Suddenly, he remembered what Xi Jiu had said to him a few days ago and couldn't help but sigh, "Old Jiu has already told me about your family. I never thought your father would be that Cheng Boyan."
When Ruan Qi's parents were mentioned, the lively atmosphere at the table froze for a moment.
Ruan Qi put down the bowl of soup and said apologetically, "The Cheng family's affairs are quite complicated. I didn't dare to reveal more about my parents' identities, so I kept it a secret from you. Grandpa Xi, I'm sorry."
"What nonsense are you talking about, kid?" Old Master Xi waved his hand, looking at her with a hint of heartache. "Old Nine finished telling me about your family's affairs. I'm glad it wasn't too late. How can I blame you? This concerns the safety of my parents, so of course the fewer people who know, the better."
After saying this, he sighed again and said with some emotion, "In fact, when Old Master Cheng was still alive, the Cheng family had always been quite good. Old Master Cheng was a righteous man, and his eldest son Cheng Gu was also a good person. It's just that good people don't live long, and the father and son died in a car accident together. Otherwise, how could Cheng Qi take the position of the head of the Cheng family?"
Ruan Qi had heard Ruan Fengmian talk about the events of Old Master Cheng's generation.
Old Master Cheng had three sons. The eldest, Cheng Gu, was honest and steady, and had long been designated as the heir. The second, Cheng Rang, was devoted to art, staying away from the struggles of power and went abroad at the age of twenty. The third, Cheng Qi, the current head of the Cheng family, was extreme, selfish, scheming, and extremely ruthless.
Back then, Old Master Cheng disliked his third son the most. In order to allow his eldest son Cheng Gu to become the head of the family, Old Master Cheng sent Cheng Qi abroad when he was 20 years old.
But man proposes, God disposes. Old Master Cheng paved the way for Cheng Gu, but the father and son were involved in a car accident together.
His second son, Cheng Rang, also died in an accident abroad.
Three of the four members of the family died, and the only remaining one, Cheng Qi, naturally became the most suitable candidate to be the next head of the Cheng family.
However, the other branches of the Cheng family were no pushovers either. After Cheng Qi returned from abroad, he fought with them for several years. Finally, he schemed to marry Liu Qiuyu, gained the Liu family's support, and successfully ascended to the position of head of the family.
When Ruan Qi heard about the Cheng family's past, she felt that there were too many suspicious points.
She remembered that Mr. Xi and Old Master Cheng had a good relationship, so she couldn't help but ask her doubts: "Grandpa Xi, did Old Master Cheng and his two sons really die accidentally?"
She really wasn't being overly suspicious. Three of the four members of a family died, and the cause of death was all accidental. Even TV dramas nowadays wouldn't dare to portray it that way.
When Mr. Xi heard her question, he was stunned and then gave a wry smile.
"Whether it was an accident or not, who knows. Fifty or sixty years ago, technology was not developed, and there were no surveillance cameras on the road. Even if we suspected that Cheng Qi was responsible, we would not be able to find evidence. Moreover, when Old Master Cheng got into trouble, Cheng Qi was indeed abroad. He has a solid alibi."
But having said that, anyone with a discerning eye knows exactly how the Cheng father and son died.
But no one dared to raise any questions.
Because Cheng Qi's methods were too cruel.
He was only twenty years old at the time, yet he was willing to kill his own flesh and blood for power, even sparing his own father who had raised him. Who would dare to question such a cruel and ruthless person? Wasn't he afraid of being stabbed by Cheng Qi in the middle of the night while he slept?
Everyone was afraid of Cheng Qi's viciousness and dared not get involved in the Cheng family's affairs. Some people wanted to investigate the cause of Cheng's death, such as the Xi and Bai families, but they had no evidence.
So, in the end, the matter was left unresolved.
"Death is like the extinguishing of a candle. After Old Master Cheng's death, the imperial capital was shaken for a while, and everyone gradually forgot about it. Then Cheng Qi married Liu..." Old Master Xi paused, then changed the subject, "married your grandmother. You should know everything that happened after that."
As he spoke, he sighed and shook his head, saying to Ruan Qi, "Although Cheng Qi and I don't get along, Lao Jiu's grandmother used to have a good relationship with Liu Qiuyu. After your father was born, Lao Jiu's grandmother even gave him a Ruyi safety lock. But after Lao Jiu's grandmother passed away, our two families stopped communicating."
Old Madam Xi was not a traditional martial artist and died of cancer thirty years ago.
After Madam Xi's death, Mr. Xi was devastated and struggled to recover from the loss for years. Furthermore, the Cheng and Xi families had a strained relationship, and without Madam Xi as a liaison, contact between the Xi family and Liu Qiuyu and Ruan Fengmian was completely severed.
It was not until Cheng Qi brought Xu Qingya and his illegitimate child into the house, causing a huge upheaval in the entire circle, that Mr. Xi remembered Liu Qiuyu and Ruan Fengmian.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
