Madam Yao wiped away her tears and said, "Good child, we are relieved that you understand the good intentions of your father and me."
The mother and daughter came to the front yard hand in hand. The old lady smiled and said, "So you've finished your private conversation? Come, Tao'er, sit down and tell your grandmother whether your mother-in-law treats you well."
Xu Tao sat next to her grandmother on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Grandmother, my mother-in-law treats me very well. I was carefully taught by you, and I remember everything you said before I got married."
Seeing that Xu Tao seemed much more insightful than before her marriage, the old lady nodded and said, "It's best that you think this way. My child, you must remember one thing: life is something you make yourself. How you live it depends entirely on your heart. If you want to live well, then we can live well. If you don't want to live well, then life will be difficult. We women sometimes have to endure the grievances we deserve, but we must resist the grievances we shouldn't have to endure. No matter where you go, you must be an upright person and live a down-to-earth life."
Upon hearing this, Xu Tao quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to the old lady. Even the several unmarried girls sitting to the side also stood up and bowed to the old lady.
The old lady nodded and said, "Good children, your grandmother knows you are all good children. You are sisters, of the same blood. From now on, you must look after each other. No matter where you go, you will know that your roots are here. Children, from now on, no matter whether your sisters are doing well or not, you must remember that you are sisters."
The group of girls bowed in unison, and the old lady said, "Alright, alright, it's getting late, let's take our seats now."
After dinner, the family saw Xu Taogen's husband off at the gate before returning home.
Back in her own courtyard, Zhang Zhaoci, as usual, discussed Xu Tao's return to her parents' home with the children.
Xu Di said, "Young Master Feng is currently studying at the Imperial Academy and preparing for the next imperial examination. As for whether he will succeed, that depends on his abilities."
Xu Zhi said, "Brother, how confident do you think he is in passing the exam?"
Xu Di frowned and said, "It's hard to say. Yao Jijiu values the young master of the Feng family very much. He has really put in a lot of effort to ensure that the young master of the Feng family can pass the exam. It all depends on whether the young master of the Feng family can hold his ground this time."
Xu Zhi said, "My second brother-in-law doesn't look very strong. Can he keep going?"
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "Anyone who wants their child to take the imperial examination and has someone in the family who has already taken it will know how to train their child on a daily basis. Otherwise, how did Lord Feng manage to do it?"
Xu Di said, "This eldest son of the Feng family is usually a very low-key person. I heard that he is not particularly outstanding in the Imperial Academy. I just don't know if he is really honest or if he is treacherous."
Xu Zhi said, "So, do you hope he's genuinely honest or that he's hiding something treacherous?"
Xu Di said, "As for my brother-in-law, I naturally hope he is a truly honest man. As for him becoming a local official or some minor official, I naturally hope he is cunning. If he doesn't have a sharp mind, how long can he survive in the cutthroat world of officialdom?"
Xu Zhi said, "So, people are actually quite strange. They want this and they want that. They wish everything could go their way."
Xu Di said, "You can't have your cake and eat it too; you have to make a choice."
Xu Zhi said, "I overheard my second sister whispering to the sister who had married into the family that my second sister's husband originally had two concubines in his room. But because my second sister was going to marry into the family, they were sent to the estate early on. However, my second sister's mother-in-law wanted to bring them back three months after my second sister's wedding so that they could serve my second sister and her husband."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci frowned and said, "Is there really such a thing?"
Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Yes, I don't believe it either. My second sister just got married, and her mother-in-law already told her this."
Granny Lu said, "I think this Madam Feng is quite upright in her dealings. She says what's on her mind. After all, this concubine already exists. If she's sent away before the wedding and then not brought back, there's no reason for people to gossip, is there?"
Zhang Zhaoci said, "But Er Yatou has only just gotten married."
Granny Lu said, "What family's young master is like ours? Before marriage, we don't allow him to ruin his health. Even after marriage, unless he's forty and still has no children, he can take a concubine to have children. The couple just lives their lives behind closed doors. Look at this huge capital city, with so many big and small families. Which family doesn't have a little money and want to bring a concubine home? Everyone says that a concubine is just a plaything, but even a plaything has its own ideas. That's just how people are. If you give them one thing, they'll want two. Over time, their hearts become wild, and they want more things. Naturally, conflicts arise, and the household will slowly fall into chaos."
Zhang Zhaoci nodded and said, "Granny, that's exactly what you mean. It was only because the old lady saw the harm that she set the family rules to prevent the men in the mansion from keeping concubines or mistresses."
Granny Lu said, "Back then, because of this, the old lady was ridiculed by many families in the capital and suffered a lot of ostracism. Think about it, which man doesn't have a concubine or maidservant? They are all wives of the household. With these people around every day, how could they not feel annoyed? But the old lady broke the rules that no one else could break. Moreover, the old lady used her own guards to forcefully drive out the old marquis's concubines and illegitimate sons. Those ladies were envious, but they couldn't do what the old lady had always wanted to do, so of course they didn't want to be with her."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
