Chapter 19: Clever Solution, Winning Initial Approval
The air in the living room seemed to freeze.
Su Wanqing's light-hearted question was like a stone thrown into the ice. Although there was no loud noise, it instantly froze the smiles on Qin Meilin and Lin Weiwei's faces, and cracked into fine lines.
"After all, this is my home and the Chief's. I think we still have our own ideas and preferences about how to decorate it. Don't you agree, Mom?"
The words, spoken softly and even mildly, carried an undeniable confidence and unyielding persistence. They cleverly circumvented direct conflict, shifting the core of the issue from questions of taste and right and wrong to the core of family sovereignty and the shared will of the couple.
A muscle on Qin Meilin's well-maintained face twitched slightly. She had obviously not expected this seemingly docile, even somewhat timid "substitute" daughter-in-law to dare to refute her so directly, and in such a way that made it difficult for her to refute it forcefully.
Directly denying it would be equivalent to denying her son's sovereignty in the family, and it would also make her, as the mother-in-law, appear overbearing and overbearing.
Lin Weiwei's arm around Qin Meilin froze. A flicker of disbelief and astonishment flashed across her eyes, quickly replaced by deeper jealousy. How dare Su Wanqing?!
There was a brief moment of dead silence.
Qin Meilin took a deep breath, suppressing the anger surging in her eyes. Her gaze, like an icy blade, swept across Su Wanqing's face once again. She sneered, her tone still sharp, but she no longer lingered on the arrangement. "You're so sharp-tongued! A daughter-in-law of the Huo family, you can't just talk!"
She turned her attention elsewhere, trying to regain control. "I heard rumors were going around the compound a while ago, saying that you were disliked by Tingxiao and that you were crying all the time at home and running around everywhere, causing gossip! Is that true?"
The labels of "unfaithful to one's husband" and "trouble-making" are quite serious.
Su Wanqing felt a chill in her heart, knowing this was the real challenge. Her expression remained unchanged, her eyes lowered slightly, and her voice slowed, yet clear and firm, "Mom, rumors stop at the wise. I know my words and actions are pure and honest, and I have never done anything to bring shame upon the commander or the Huo family. The commander... knows this, too."
She brought up Huo Tingxiao again. Although she wasn't sure if he actually knew about the rumors, her previous defense at Minister Li's house had given her some confidence. She cleverly transformed the accusation of "being disliked" into a "face-saving" defense, and hinted at Huo Tingxiao's knowledge (and perhaps even his tacit approval) of her actions.
Qin Meilin's eyes flickered, as if she was a little surprised. She didn't expect Su Wanqing to be so calm and even carry her son out.
At this moment, Su Wanqing changed the subject slightly, her gaze landing on the freshly placed vase of fragrant lilies. Her tone was filled with just the right amount of regret and worry, "Like these lilies, while they're fragrant, I've heard the pollen easily stains clothing and is difficult to wash off. The commander's uniform and formal attire are made of special materials and require extremely high care. If they're accidentally stained, sending them to the logistics department for processing would be very troublesome and might even delay important matters. Therefore, I usually don't dare display flowers with too much pollen at home."
Her words, seemingly referring to the flowers, were actually alluding to the potential "trouble" Lin Weiwei's bouquet might bring, and she reiterated her "duty" to prioritize Huo Tingxiao's work. While subtly expressing her disapproval of Lin Weiwei's "kindness," she also highlighted her own attentiveness and consideration as a wife, raising the severity of the issue to the level of "impacting the commander's military affairs."
Kill three birds with one stone.
Lin Weiwei's face instantly turned extremely grim, and her fingers, clutching the gift box, turned pale. The flowers she'd given had become a nuisance that might "delay her work"?!
Qin Meilin was also stunned. She had criticized Su Wanqing's tacky decor and inappropriate behavior, but she was actually taking a practical approach, considering her son's uniform and work convenience. This made all her subsequent accusations about "taste" and "rules" seem pale, powerless, and even ridiculous.
Should she say, "It's okay to get a little pollen on you" or "Military affairs are not as important as this little pollen"?
She opened her mouth, but couldn't find the right words to refute.
Seeing this, Su Wanqing took a step forward and picked up a sealed glass jar on the coffee table. Inside was the honey lemon slices that she had tried to pickle a few days ago. The color was crystal clear and looked very tempting.
She gently placed the glass jar on the coffee table in front of Qin Meilin, her tone becoming soft and sincere: "Mom, I know you care about me and the chief. This is the honey lemon I just learned to pickle a few days ago. I used the traditional method from my hometown in the south. I heard it's good for the throat and can relieve fatigue. The chief often stays up late for meetings, and his throat is easily uncomfortable. I thought of preparing some for him to make tea. You are knowledgeable, please help me take a look, is this pickled okay? Can I give it to the chief to drink?"
She took a step back to advance, took the initiative to show weakness and ask for advice, and led the topic from sharp accusations to the "practical work" of caring for her husband, and once again promoted Qin Meilin to the position of "knowledgeable" instructor.
This series of responses, from upholding sovereignty, to resolving rumors and accusations, to caring about her husband's practical work, and finally to humbly asking for advice, are closely linked to each other. She not only maintained her own bottom line, but also gave Qin Meilin a decent way out.
Qin Meilin looked at the jar of crystal clear honey lemon, and then looked at her daughter-in-law who had a respectful attitude and clear but tenacious eyes. The evil fire in her chest inexplicably dissipated for the most part.
She grumbled for a long time, but the other person's every word revolved around her son, even more meticulously and practically than she, a mother, could. What else could she say? Continue to scold her for being undisciplined? But everything she did seemed to be done with her son in mind. Continue to criticize her for having poor taste? But compared to the pollen stain on her uniform that delayed her work, those decorative taste issues seemed insignificant.
She was silent for a few seconds, her expression still unsightly, but her tone softened a bit, even carrying a slight hint of relief that she herself didn't even notice. "Hmph, you're kind enough to be thoughtful. Tingxiao's stomach is very delicate, so he can't just eat anything outside. You have to pay even more attention to the hygiene of anything you cook yourself."
This is almost... a disguised recognition?
Lin Weiwei watched in astonishment, nearly gnashing her teeth. She hadn't expected Su Wanqing to be able to defuse Qin Meilin's rage in this way, and even faintly win a hint of...goodwill from her?
Su Wanqing bowed slightly: "Thank you for reminding me, Mom. I will pay attention to it."
Qin Meilin also seemed to feel that it was a bit boring to stay any longer. She stood up, glanced at the jar of honey lemon, and said lightly: "Okay, I'm tired. I'm going back to the old house to rest first."
"Mom, I'll take you there." Su Wanqing said immediately.
"No thanks." Qin Meilin waved her hand. Her tone was still not enthusiastic, but it no longer had the initial sharpness. "You... take care of yourself." After saying that, she glanced at Lin Weiwei, whose face was pale and pale. "Weiwei, let's go."
Lin Weiwei forced a smile and left with Qin Meilin.
When she reached the door, Qin Meilin paused for a moment. Without looking back, she said, "Throw away those wild flowers if you don't like them. The vase... looks okay."
Su Wanqing stood at the door, watching the two people's backs as they walked away, and only slowly closed the door after the car drove away.
She leaned against the door and let out a long, gentle sigh. A thin layer of cold sweat had appeared on her back due to the shock.
The confrontation just now seemed calm, but it was actually dangerous. Every word needed to be carefully considered and measured.
Fortunately, she held on.
Not only did he resolve the difficulties, but it seemed... he also unexpectedly won a very weak, initial recognition from that icy mother?
Although the road ahead is still long, at least she was not defeated by this sudden storm.
She walked to the coffee table, picked up the jar of honey lemon, looked at the crystal slices inside, and a very faint but real smile slowly rose at the corner of her lips.
Resolve problems with ingenuity and overcome hardness with softness.
She has passed this stage.
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