Chapter 32 Even if all the men in the world died, I still wouldn't want my sister's man.
"Mother, please say less."
Guan Yi'an felt a terrible headache. Every time he thought about how Meng Huanyan had caused him to lose Meng Lingge, he felt so regretful that he wanted to slap himself.
But since things had come to this, there was nothing he could do.
His mother felt sorry for Meng Lingge's dowry and would remind him about it from time to time. Little did she know that every time it was brought up, he would feel sad again.
My mother is simple-minded, speaks rudely, and acts impulsively. Back in the countryside, she never suffered because of these traits, but now that he has entered officialdom, she still can't shake these habits, which has caused him a lot of trouble.
“Mother, I have only taken a concubine a few days ago, and it is not appropriate to discuss marriage in such a short time. Even if Meng Huanyan is my concubine, there is no reason to let a servant in the house die if he is seriously injured.”
"My son has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and is on the verge of promotion. We must be especially careful about our reputation. If someone with ulterior motives files a report accusing me of bullying the weak and abusing my concubine to death, my son's future will be ruined. In that case, I will have no choice but to take my mother back to the countryside to live the old life. If you truly care about me, Mother, please don't interfere in my affairs. You and Father should enjoy your retirement together."
Guan's mother had never been so contradicted by her son before, but Guan Yi'an's words that his future was ruined and that he could only take his mother back to the countryside made her somewhat afraid.
Before, when life was tough, living in the countryside wasn't a big deal. But now that she has the best food and things and is used to being waited on by servants, why would she want to go back to the hunger and cold of the countryside?
Despite her fear, she was still furious that her son had talked back to her because of a vixen, and she felt even worse if she didn't vent her anger.
Besides, my son said that it was the fox spirit's death that affected his reputation. So, treating her injuries and keeping her alive would be a waste of money for medicine and she would be eating the Guan family's food for free. It would be right to scold her a few times and make her do something.
Guan's mother plopped down on the ground: "An'er, I raised you, supported your education, and now that you've achieved something, you complain that I'm meddling. Who doesn't take wives and concubines to serve their parents and be filial to their elders? With your outstanding looks and status, the woman you chose didn't bring you a dowry, and you wouldn't let her do any work. Did you just want this vixen's seductive arts? My son, you're destined for great things, not just for things in bed..."
She cried and sobbed, pointing to the sky and cursing the earth, behaving like a typical country woman throwing a tantrum.
Before long, Guan's father was also alerted and came over.
After understanding the whole story, Guan's father and mother agreed that no one in the Guan family should be a freeloader. The women they brought into the family should either be given power or money, or if neither could be given, they should work hard.
Guan Yi'an was pestered by the two old men to no avail, so he had no choice but to agree to let Meng Huanyan help with the household affairs after she recovered from her injuries, and only then did he send his parents away.
...
Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming stayed at the Meng family home for a day. It wasn't until after dinner, when it was getting dark, that they said goodbye to their parents and prepared to return to the Prince of Anshun's Mansion.
Du Shiyin repeatedly urged her to come back and visit more often when she had time, and secretly slipped a stack of silver notes into her daughter's hand before turning her head to instruct Meng Xingyuan to see her daughter off.
Although she knew that Meng Lingge had not been bullied in the Prince of Anshun's mansion, and that the dowry she had prepared for her daughter would last for decades as long as it was not squandered, she still felt it was not enough.
They were worried that Wen Shizi's situation was special, and that if their daughter didn't have enough money to accompany her, she would be looked down upon in the Prince's mansion.
Meng Lingge knew that she would feel more at ease accepting her mother, so she did not refuse.
While she was at the Prince Anshun’s residence, all her food, clothing, lodging, and transportation were provided by the Prince’s residence. She didn’t actually need to spend money much, but since her mother wanted her to accept it, she would take it first, and she could take it out whenever her mother needed it in the future.
Meng Xingyuan personally escorted her and Wen Zhiming to the gate of the Meng residence, where Wen Zhiming helped Meng Lingge into the carriage.
“Lingge.” Meng Xingyuan said with a troubled expression, “Father has severed ties with Meng Huanyan. She is now just an orphan and can no longer harm you. You and the young master have just married. Being filial to your mother-in-law and taking care of the young master are the most important things. Don’t waste your time on irrelevant people and things.”
Meng Huanyan's actions were indeed excessive, and he didn't want to speak up for her.
But today, Aunt Lu cried for a long time, and her words revealed her worry about her daughter and her fear that the madam and Lingge would seek revenge. So he couldn't help but give her a few words of advice.
No matter what, they were his own flesh and blood, and he couldn't just stand by and watch the sisters kill each other.
An overwhelming anger surged within Meng Lingge, and her voice turned cold.
“Father, you are indeed largely to blame for how Meng Huanyan has become like this. You should either openly favor her or not give her any hope at all. But you insist on giving her sweet treats from time to time without giving her what she really wants, making her fantasize but never get what she wants. In the end, she can only resort to any means to achieve her goal.”
“It’s only natural for Aunt Lu to worry about Meng Huanyan and plead for her, but Father, you have no right to do so. Today, Meng Huanyan is not only trying to harm your legitimate daughter, but also your wife. If her plan succeeds today, Mother will only have one option: to die. She almost killed your wife, and you didn’t even comfort her. Instead, you were manipulated by Aunt Lu to stop here, for fear that I would take revenge on Meng Huanyan.”
"You want to favor your concubine over your wife, yet you still have your bottom line. You want to be fair and just, yet you can't let go of your personal feelings. Your indecisiveness and attempts to please both sides will ultimately lead you to lose out on both."
After saying all that in one breath, Meng Lingge slammed the carriage curtain down and whispered, "Return to the manor!"
She disdained to seek revenge when Meng Huanyan was seriously injured, but today's events have cemented the rift between them.
It would have been better if Meng Xingyuan hadn't reminded her; the reminder only made her more resentful of Meng Huanyan and Guan Yi'an.
Before Meng Xingyuan could say anything more, the coachman raised his whip and drove the carriage away.
He stood there, recalling Meng Lingge's disappointed expression and Wen Zhiming's angry glare, and felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
A young girl hiding behind the gate looked at him and sighed heavily: "Father is really senile. He actually spoke up for Second Sister in front of Eldest Sister. If he was really worried, he could have just sent a few people to protect her secretly. Instead, he asked for forgiveness in front of the victim. No wonder Eldest Sister was angry."
The one speaking was Meng Xiyao, the third daughter of the Meng family. Seeing Meng Xingyuan start to walk back, she was worried that he would discover her, so she quickly pulled her maid Yun'er to hide in a side path.
"Miss, didn't you come to see the eldest young lady? Why are you sneaking around?" Yun'er asked, puzzled. "You pretended to be sick and didn't show up during the meal. You clearly miss the eldest young lady a lot."
“You don’t understand.” Meng Xiyao frowned and shook her head. “My elder sister and I have been bickering in the manor for so many years, it’s become a habit. Whenever I’m with her, I can’t help but argue with her. Now that she has a husband and her status is different, if I don’t change this habit, wouldn’t I be embarrassing her?”
She and her eldest sister, Meng Lingge, had never gotten along since childhood, and they felt restless if they didn't argue for a day. But three days ago, after she accidentally discovered that her second sister was having an affair with Meng Lingge's groom, she was not happy at all, but instead felt indignant on Meng Lingge's behalf.
Only then did she realize that no matter how fiercely she argued with her older sister, she would still not agree to let others bully her sister when it mattered most.
Even if that person is her second sister.
In the days since her elder sister got married, she felt that the Meng residence had become much quieter, and she couldn't muster any energy for anything. Today, her elder sister returned to her parents' home, and she finally regained some spirits. But now that her elder sister was the Crown Prince's wife, if she didn't follow the rules and argued with her, she was afraid that her foolish brother-in-law wouldn't approve.
So until I get rid of this habit of arguing with my older sister, I'd better not see her for now.
Yun'er chuckled and said, "I thought it was because the young master was too handsome and dashing, and the young lady was shy, wanting to look but not daring to."
"Don't talk nonsense, you little brat!" Meng Xiyao pinched Yun'er lightly and said seriously, "Even if all the men in the world died, I would never want to be with my sister's man!"
She wouldn't be as foolish as her second sister. There are plenty of good men in the world, why would she want to steal her eldest sister's?
No matter how outstanding a man is, as long as he is already taken, she will never have any designs on him.
The same applies to the men of one's own sisters.
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