Wu Tanhua said, “Sister, you are mistaken. Although Xu Rao is a fifth-rank Tongzhi, there has never been a prefect in Ganzhou. He has the final say in all matters, big and small. He has been Tongzhi for so long, why doesn’t the court send a prefect there? Sister, the emperor’s mind is hard to fathom. We only need to know that Xu Rao is currently favored by the emperor. As for Xu Rao’s wife, I think this Third Madam is an excellent person. She has a good temperament and excellent medical skills. Sister, she is a very capable person. As for that Di Ge’er, this boy is no ordinary person. He will definitely rise above others in the future. Why not befriend such a powerful family?”
Madam Wu said, “But what about my Shao’er? My Shao’er has never been favored by the old lady since she was little. The old lady treats Shao’er very coldly, but she is extremely good to that illegitimate son’s family. After Shao’er married into that family, she was tormented by her mother-in-law every day. She is my daughter whom I raised with my own hands since she was a child. She was ruined by that old hag. Yet no one in the mansion stood up for my Shao’er. How can I accept this? Take this time when Shao’er’s daughter got married, the old lady actually used those old jewelry to send people away, and the Marquis only gave a few silver notes. What kind of behavior is this? Where does this leave my Shao’er?”
As Wu spoke, grief welled up within her, and she wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Wu Tanhua said, "Sister, a married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. Back then, Shao'er married with such a large dowry. That dowry was more than enough to support not only her but also her entire husband's family. Yet, in just a few years, it's almost all gone. Why? Isn't it because your good daughter is incapable of handling household affairs and is all talk and no action? Sister, one should help in times of emergency, not in times of poverty. You can't support a married daughter forever."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu looked at Wu Tanhua in surprise and said, "Aren't you a member of my family? I was bullied by my husband's family, and you come here to say this?"
Wu Tanhua now felt that his brother-in-law had really had a hard time. He hadn't expected his sister, whom he hadn't seen for so many years, to be so unreasonable. But he still patiently said, "Sister, I'm only talking to you like this because I'm your own brother. You don't just have one daughter; you have three other children. You always say that Shao'er has had a hard time, but have your other three children had it easy? There's only one title. Have you ever thought about what will happen to the children who don't inherit the title after Wei'er does? After your daughters get married, their husbands' families will always make plans for them, but what about your other sons who don't have titles? You're supporting your married daughters like this every day; what about your daughters-in-law?"
Wu remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Wu Tanhua said, "Sister, life is hard for everyone. Wei'er is fine, he still has a title to inherit, but what about Quan'er? Have you thought about what will happen to him after you pass away?"
Madam Wu sat on a round stool beside the round table in the flower hall, saying nothing. Wu Tanhua didn't dare to say too much either. He had heard his mother say since he was a child that his older sister was like a stubborn mule. He had thought that after decades of marriage and so many children, her temper would have changed. Who knew that she was still like this? Wu Tanhua was now very glad that his sister had married into the Yongning Marquis's family. Everyone said that it was easy to be a daughter-in-law of the Yongning Marquis's family. It seemed that it was true. Putting aside everything else, just look at his sister's temper. If she had married into another family, who knows how much trouble she would have caused.
Wu Tanhua said, "We are siblings. As your younger brother, I always hope that you can live a good life. Please think carefully about what I'm about to say to you."
After Wu Tanhua left, Madam Wu sat there for a long time. Granny Li wanted to say something, but she was hesitant. Madam Wu's temper had been getting worse these past few days, and if she were to be scolded by Madam Wu, she would lose face in the courtyard.
Knowing that Granny Li had been standing behind her the whole time, Madam Wu asked her, "Do you think I went a bit too far?"
After thinking for a moment, Granny Li said, "Madam, you've already given a lot of your savings to the eldest daughter over the years. A few days ago, I went to the storeroom and found that several shelves had already been emptied."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu exclaimed in surprise, "Really? I don't remember giving Shao'er many things."
Granny Li sighed and said, "Madam, you haven't given the eldest young lady much each time, but she comes here so often. To raise money for Yan'er's dowry, she's come here several times in a row."
Mrs. Wu sighed and said, "I really don't think I gave her much."
Granny Li said, "The eldest daughter is married and lives far away. Every time she comes, she never leaves empty-handed. The second daughter is married far away, and every year during festivals, she sends us gifts by the cartload or two."
Thinking of her second daughter who had married far away in Tai'an, Wu felt a little sad and said, "For so many years, I haven't prepared any gifts for my Ru'er and the other children."
Li Mama said, "Madam, what your uncle said makes sense. You will still need to rely on the two masters and two mistresses to make a living in the future. You gave all the things to the eldest aunt. The eldest master and the fourth master can't say anything, after all, they are sisters. But what will the eldest mistress and the fourth mistress think? Madam, you should think about this carefully."
After hearing what Granny Li said, Madam Wu didn't say anything. However, in the afternoon, Granny Li sent someone to carry two carved rosewood boxes with intertwined floral patterns to Xu Rao's courtyard. After bowing to Zhang Zhaoci, she said, "Third Madam, these are some of the savings that Madam accumulated in her early years. Tomorrow is the auspicious day of our eldest young master's wedding, and Madam arranged for me to select a few good items to send over."
Upon opening the box, they found several unprocessed gemstones of excellent quality. Xu Rao and Zhang Zhaoci exchanged bewildered glances. Zhang Zhaoci said to Granny Li, "Granny, please go back and tell Mother that she is grateful for your kindness."
After seeing off Granny Li, Zhang Zhaoci said to Xu Rao, "Did the sun rise in the west today? Hasn't your mother always looked down on you?"
Xu Rao said, "You have to give others a chance to correct their mistakes, right? I guess it was that top scholar from the Wu family who said something to her. Otherwise, I'm worried that she might do something that would embarrass us at the family reunion ceremony the day after tomorrow."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "I'm not worried about that. After all, we're family. We can make a fuss behind closed doors, but we still need to save face in front of our relatives. That's the most basic quality of a qualified wife."
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