Chapter 72: Treated as Family
Her pretentious look was really unbearable, and the key point was that Qianyan, the person she felt most sorry for, was not here at all.
Is she acting like this for her fourth uncle to see?
Chu Ci quietly turned his head and glanced at his fourth uncle not far away. As expected, his fourth uncle Fan Zengzhi's face was full of distress, which made Chu Ci speechless.
Chu Ci really wanted to make him sober up and tell him: [Everyone here is the victim. Her pure heart has been irreparably damaged. And you, Fourth Uncle, are feeling sorry for the culprit?]
Perhaps it was because Chu Ci's expression was too obvious, or perhaps it was because of Fan Zengzhi's appearance, even the other four male brothers of the Fan family could not bear to watch it.
As the eldest brother, Fan Chongchang frowned and simply interrupted his fourth aunt Liu's speech.
As the eldest uncle, it is not convenient for me to scold my younger siblings.
Chu Ci's father-in-law then turned his attention to his fourth brother: "Alright, admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is a great virtue. But you must remember that our Fan family was lucky to escape unscathed this time. Fourth brother, do you understand?"
Fan Zengzhi felt somewhat unhappy when his elder brother scolded him in front of the younger generation.
But as a descendant of the Fan family, the education he received since childhood finally played a role, or perhaps on the scale in his heart, the Fan family was more important than his wife Liu.
Although he was unhappy, he still had to respond: "Yes, I will definitely discipline Liu strictly in the future."
Fan Chongchang knew his fourth brother's temper and knew that this was his limit. So he simply waved his hand and said, "Go back!"
Fan Zengzhi naturally didn't want to stay any longer, so after getting his elder brother's permission, he took Liu away.
The show was over, and Uncle Fan and the others took their leave. Chu Ci was about to quietly leave with the main group.
Unexpectedly, the father-in-law suddenly said, "Daughter-in-law, please stay for a moment. Your mother and I have something to tell you."
"Yes—" Chu Ci didn't want to stay. She just wanted to find Qian Yan as soon as possible. However, she couldn't get away for the time being, so she could only wink at Qian Xue desperately. Wait for me, wait for me.
However, Qianxue was even more excited than Chuci. She simply ignored Chuci's gaze and pretended to help her fifth aunt get away.
Chu Ci and Qian Xue's little tricks were seen by Chu Ci's parents-in-law, but they pretended not to see them. After everyone left, Chu Ci's father-in-law asked with a smile: "Daughter-in-law, are you afraid of us?"
Chu Ci thought: Is this the standard opening line for conversations in the Fan family? Back then, Mrs. Fan, no, now I should call her Grandma.
My grandmother asked herself the same question.
But the flattery still needs to be paid: "The parents-in-law are kind and gentle, and have always been very caring towards their daughter-in-law. How could the daughter-in-law be afraid?"
After hearing this, both of them smiled, obviously very satisfied with Chu Ci's praise. The father-in-law even said to the mother-in-law happily: "See, my daughter-in-law is not like those vulgar people."
The mother-in-law smiled and nodded, then glanced at her father-in-law with a stern look before taking Chu Ci's hand. "Daughter-in-law, we know you are capable and we know you are speaking up for your family. But the emperor's heart is unpredictable, and so is the prince."
At this time, the father-in-law also restrained his smile, "Remember, don't take on everything alone. You must know that human nature is lazy. Over time, people are prone to greed!"
"That's right. Sometimes, you need to put some pressure on someone. For example, your father, or your fourth uncle."
Hearing the mother-in-law instructing her daughter-in-law on how to order him around, the father-in-law coughed deliberately. "Hmm, madam, let's get down to business."
She had never expected that her usually serious parents-in-law could be so interesting in private. How could she not have noticed it before? Chu Ci's eyes were filled with smiles, but she was thinking in her heart, are there some things that really need to be pushed?
If so, Chu Ci secretly calculated the usefulness of his father-in-law and several uncles in his heart.
However, Chu Ci didn't know whether it would succeed or not. So she tentatively asked, "If my daughter-in-law wants to open a Shibaozhai, can you support her, father-in-law?"
Chu Ci's father-in-law was stunned when he heard this. He had just wanted his daughter-in-law to trick his younger brothers, but he didn't expect that the same trick would be used on himself.
But his wife was still trying to sabotage him, "Just agree to it. After all, your daughter-in-law is the younger generation. If you agree, your daughter-in-law will have some confidence when she persuades others."
What else could Fan Chongchang do? On one side was his beloved wife, and on the other was his son. Both his mother and wife protected his daughter-in-law. "Okay, but no more than three paintings a year."
Although Fan Chongchang agreed, it was conditional.
Chu Ci had no complaints about this. Things like calligraphy and painting are valuable because they are rare. Otherwise, why is there a saying among the people that goes, "If you don't open for business for three years, you can make a living for three years after you open it"?
Since he had been tricked, how could Fan Chongchang let his brothers have an easy time? Thus, Chu Ci not only understood the expertise of his four uncles, but also knew their private preferences.
I never thought that my second uncle, who always had little presence, actually had a hobby of making weapons. When he was in the capital, he even co-founded a weapons shop.
My third uncle was very good at growing flowers and trees, and once cultivated a tree called "Er Qiao".
Fourth uncle, carving hairpins is just a superficial hobby. In fact, he likes embroidery, especially double-sided embroidery.
Chu Ci had a lot of contact with his uncle, Fifth Uncle, because of Qianxue, and Qianxue often mentioned her father to Chu Ci. But neither Chu Ci nor Qianxue knew that his uncle's greatest hobby was carving stones.
Being inspired by Fourth Uncle is all just an excuse.
Wow, each one of them is hidden so deeply.
It is true that where there is oppression, there is resistance. Although the Fan brothers did not resist openly, their secret resistance is also a form of resistance!
Thinking of this, Chu Ci couldn't help but feel some sympathy for them.
Even so, you still have to use the routine when it's time to do so. After all, the parents-in-law have spoken, and as a daughter-in-law, isn't it my duty to respect them?
Must? When did I have such a thought? Did I unknowingly treat the Fan family as my own family?
However, this thought only flashed through his mind, and Chu Ci quickly shifted his focus.
The rice in the fields needs fertilizer, and the wild boars in the pigpen can be moved to another place. If the piglets aren't sterilized now, they'll be difficult to handle once they grow up...
Chu Ci mentally counted the things he needed to deal with on his fingers. As expected, once a person gets busy, they lose their minds to think about anything else.
However, life is full of obstacles, and Chu Ci's thoughts have just been sorted out.
Doctor Hua and Chu Chengyun found her and said, "Ah Ci, there's a plague in Lianzhou. The master and his group are trapped. We need to get there as soon as possible."
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