At the beginning, Fan Xiurong was looking forward to living in the Chen family as Chen Mengzheng's second wife, thinking of living a legitimate life with her cousin.
But on the day she moved in, she had to start paying her respects to her mother-in-law, serving her food and drinks every morning, and even pouring night incense to her mother-in-law who had difficulty walking!
In addition, she also has to raise Chen Wenxian and Chen Wenyun. Wenxian is picky about food, and Wenyun is three years old and still needs to be chased to feed her!
She endured all of this and tried her best to be a good wife to Chen Mengzheng. In the future, when her husband passed the imperial examination, she would be able to marry into a wealthy family and live a good life that everyone would envy.
However, she found that her cousin became increasingly cold towards her, and even explicitly forbade her to go to the study room again.
Fan Xiurong felt a huge gap in her heart and lost the energy to work. She started to use tricks to get by every day.
Chen Meng was preparing to leave for the provincial capital to take the provincial examination. While packing his bags, he opened his box and looked for clothes.
"Ma'am, why are my clothes all wrinkled?"
Fan Xiurong walked over and said, "Maybe he forgot to pull it apart when he was drying it."
Chen Mengzheng paused. His clothes used to be neat and tidy. Shen Shuyi folded them neatly and put them away...
"Let's be even next time."
"Okay, cousin, don't worry. I'll accompany you to the provincial capital to take the exam." Fan Xiurong didn't want to stay in this house for even a single day! Whoever wants to serve can serve her, she is not as stupid as Shen Shuyi!
Chen Mengzheng frowned and looked up at her, "If you come with me to the provincial capital, what will happen to mother and the two children?"
Fan Xiurong lowered her head, thinking that her mother-in-law was just pretending about her leg problems! She is obviously very good, and she just orders people to do this and that all day long, but she can't say that...
“Cousin, how about I ask my mother to come over and help cook every day?”
"Is that reasonable?"
Chen Mengzheng rebuked her sternly, "As a daughter-in-law, you should be filial to your mother-in-law and educate your children. Besides, I'm going to take the exam, not to have fun. Why are you following me?"
Fan Xiurong's eyes suddenly turned red. "Cousin, I was wrong. Don't worry, I will take good care of the family."
Chen Mengzheng waved his sleeves and went to the study.
Not long after he left, Chen Wenxian walked up to Fan Xiurong, his face looking unnaturally red.
"Mom, I feel so bad."
"What's wrong?" Fan Xiurong raised her hand and touched his forehead. It felt hot, so it might be a fever.
Chen Wenxian thought he might be sick, "Mom, do I have a fever? I don't want to drink bitter and smelly medicine."
Every time he got a fever, Chen Shuyi's wicked stepmother would force him to drink extremely unpalatable medicine.
Fan Xiurong was extremely annoyed by the troubles caused by this brother and sister. In addition, she was rejected and scolded by Chen Mengzheng just now. She was in a very bad mood and didn't want to pay any attention to this stepson at all.
"Okay, let's not take the medicine." She stroked Chen Wenxian's head lovingly.
"Go to bed, you won't feel uncomfortable after a good night's sleep."
"Well, that's great..." Chen Wenxian went back to his room and wrapped himself in a quilt to sleep.
Chen Wenxian was sleeping when he felt dizzy and uncomfortable. He shouted in agony, but no one answered.
He got up in a daze, accidentally fell to the ground and screamed.
"Mother...Mother, it hurts so much..."
Chen Wenyun was playing nearby. When she saw her brother fall to the ground, she ran out in a hurry.
"Grandma, grandma, my brother fell down."
Chen's mother, who was basking in the sun and eating melon seeds in the yard, was shocked when she heard this and hurriedly walked in on her crutches.
Seeing her eldest grandson lying motionless on the ground, she panicked, "Wenxian, Wenxian, how are you?!"
"Hurry, go call your father back!"
What happened next was similar to what Chen Shuyi saw in the county town. Chen Wenxian was sent by Chen Mengzheng to get treatment and medicine and saved his life.
Fan Xiurong was thinking about how to harm Shen Shuyi, and returned to Chen's house with a heavy heart. She didn't expect that what was waiting for her would be a scolding.
The mother-in-law's expression was extremely ugly, and the look in her eyes when she was staring at her was as if she wanted to tear her apart.
She paused subconsciously and said, "It was Wenxian who refused to take the medicine, so I... I could only coax him to sleep, but I didn't expect that he had a fever..."
"Shut up!" Chen's mother scolded, "Wenxian is still a child, what does he know? As a mother, you didn't take good care of him, and in the end you put the blame on a child. Do you think we are easy to fool?"
“I thought you were a good person, but I didn’t expect you to be worse than Shen Shuyi! At least she can take good care of the two children and treat me respectfully.”
Fan Xiurong's fingernails dug into her flesh, and she defended herself by saying, "I treat the two children as my own. If you don't believe me, ask Wenxian if it was him..."
"Pa!" Before she could finish her words, she was slapped by Chen Mengzheng.
"Why don't you go and boil the medicine?"
Fan Xiurong was slapped on the head and she looked at the man in front of her who had become an extremely unfamiliar person with shock.
Seeing her like this, Chen's mother pointed at her nose and scolded, "I finally understand. You are not even as good as your sister. You are not good at anything!"
"If you dare to fool us again next time, I will let Zheng divorce you!"
Chen Mengzheng took the opportunity to hit him, "When I'm not at home, you have to take good care of the family and don't be so careless."
He didn't want to slap her, but he was going to the provincial capital tomorrow.
Fan Xiurong went to boil some medicine, covering her aching heart. She finally understood that the Chen family would not tolerate her.
Should I divorce her? Dream on!
She would never leave the Chen family even if she died, and would become an official's wife in the future!
But before that, she had to make sure that Shuyi would never return to the Chen family again.
…
The first thing Chen Shuyi did when he returned home from selling ginseng in the county town was to discuss with his parents about sending his two children to elementary school.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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