Whether Madam Duan had something wrong with her mind or not, she blurted out, "How can the Guo family compare to our family?"
The Guo family is indeed not as good as the Duan family now, but the Guo family is not as bad as Madam Duan said.
After all, the Duan family was able to marry their sister to the Guo family, so the Guo family must have some ability.
Master Duan said angrily, "A doting mother spoils her son. It's all because of you that Kun'er has been wasted on you."
“Master, how can you say that? I’m only doing this for his own good. He’s my only son. If I don’t love him, who will I love more?”
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let him think it over carefully, so he doesn't cause trouble later and bring disaster to his family. You should go back now!"
Madam Duan was naturally unwilling: "Master, why for a mere child?"
Master Duan simply said, "You are too soft-hearted. Since you are so stubborn, then you should just rest."
Then he said, "Someone, take the lady back. Leave the affairs of the manor to your sister-in-law."
"Sir, what do you mean by this?"
Madam Duan was clearly incredulous; she couldn't believe that her husband could be so heartless.
"Take him back. He can come out again when he's thought things through."
With the year-end approaching, he couldn't keep her locked up for long. After all, he would need to entertain guests during the New Year. He could receive male guests who came to his door, but he still needed a woman to handle things in the backyard.
"Madam, the master has sent someone to say that he would like you to help manage the household for a few days."
Upon hearing this, Madam Duan asked knowingly, "What has my sister-in-law done this time?"
This is clearly not the first time we've encountered such a situation.
The maid, who was well-informed about the inner workings of the household, said, "I heard that the eldest young master made a mistake and was punished by the master by being confined to his quarters. The madam went to plead for him, but she was taken out of the study. As for what they talked about, no one knows."
"Duan Kun? What did he do?"
To be punished with a stay-at-home order during the year-end period must mean something serious has happened.
"This servant will go and inquire further."
Madam Duan said, "There's no need for that. Just observe the affairs of the eldest son's family. Knowing too much might not be a good thing. Since my elder brother sent someone to say so, let them bring the matching tokens."
"Yes, madam."
The person in charge of the Duan family became the Second Madam Duan.
You can imagine how Mrs. Duan felt, especially since the Lunar New Year was approaching and there was a lot of money to be made.
Madam Duan had managed the household before and quickly got the hang of it, so nothing bad happened at the Duan residence.
"Madam, Miss is here."
When Madam Duan heard that her daughter had arrived, her smile broadened.
She was tricked and injured her body when she gave birth to her daughter, so she only had one daughter. Master Duan the Second was better than Master Duan the First. Even though he had many women in his household, he still showed some respect for his principal wife.
In addition, the birth of his daughter was a painful experience, so the second master Duan's backyard seemed much more peaceful than the first wife's.
Madam Duan the Second devoted herself to raising her daughter. Master Duan the Second had once asked her to raise a son born out of wedlock, but she refused. As the principal wife, she had no further wishes once her daughter was married. As for herself, even if Master Duan the Second passed away before her, out of filial piety, her sons would not mistreat her.
Besides, she has her own dowry and doesn't need a son from a concubine to support her.
"Let her in quickly."
As soon as Duan Xinyue entered, she greeted her with a smile, "Mother."
Madam Duan placed all her joy in life on her daughter, and seeing her daughter naturally made her happy.
"Come quickly, come to your mother's side."
The mother and daughter talked for a while, and then Duan Xinyue asked, "Mother, what did Aunt do again?"
Madam Duan asked, "Did someone say something to you?"
Duan Xinyue said, "I ran into Xinru on the way here. Mother, you should know what kind of person my cousin is."
Madam Duan felt wronged because of her daughter.
Although her husband wasn't as much of a scoundrel as the old master, he was undeniably incompetent. He only managed to become a sixth-rank official through connections, and she figured that would be his fate for the rest of his life.
Therefore, the second wife lacks confidence when facing the first wife.
Because she lacked confidence, she mostly avoided the second wife. Xinru was the legitimate daughter of the first wife and was raised by Madam Duan to be quite arrogant.
Normally, there was nothing wrong with her at the Duan residence, since no one there could really control her.
The key point is that Xinru likes to compare herself with Xinyue. Xinyue looks like her mother and is gentle and lovely, but Xinru is different. Her features are somewhat like her father's. Although she is not ugly, she lacks the delicate and gentle nature of a girl.
This is also why Xinru dislikes Xinyue.
With Madam Duan and Duan Kun both confined to their homes, Duan Xinru, Duan's own daughter and younger sister, naturally gave Xinyue a good thrashing when they saw her.
When Duan Xinyue was little, she didn't understand and felt wronged. She was the younger sister, so why should she be criticized even if she didn't like her? And why should she?
As Duan Xinyue grew up, she understood that since the second branch of the family needed to rely on the first branch in everything, she had to be subservient to them.
Later, Xinru became increasingly unreasonable, and would complain to her about the slightest unhappiness, so she gradually stopped taking her seriously.
Madam Duan said with heartache, "I'm so sorry to have wronged my Yue'er."
Duan Xinyue didn't feel wronged at all; she had only gained a little advantage verbally.
“Mom, with my cousin’s personality, she’ll have a lot to suffer after she gets married. I don’t think she’s being wronged.”
Anyway, if Duan Xinru doesn't change, she'll eventually meet someone who will teach her a lesson.
What brings you here today?
"I missed my mother, so I came to see her."
"You silly child."
On the other side, Master Duan summoned his only legitimate daughter.
Duan Xinru rarely came to the front yard, especially her father's study, which she found somewhat intimidating.
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