Chapter 004 No Regrets
There was a lot of people gathered at the gate of Ruan Mansion.
The neighbors knew that Ruan Qinghuan married into the prime minister's mansion, which was definitely a high-class marriage, but...
Some people knew that although the two were engaged, the Prime Minister was not actually satisfied with Miss Ruan, otherwise he would not have delayed the marriage until she was eighteen years old before reluctantly bringing her back home.
Fortunately, I didn't regret the engagement, which is already a rare blessing.
Zhou Yunzhi, supported by Mrs. Liu, looked out to the alley entrance and heard the second wife Jiang Qiaohui say in a strange tone, "Sister-in-law, tell me, the girl comes home early every three days, could it be that Qinghuan is not coming back today?"
Zhou Yunzhi glanced at him coldly, and Jiang Qiaohui looked away: "Why are you angry with me? This marriage is about our Ruan family marrying into the prime minister's mansion, so it is inevitable that we will suffer some grievances."
"It's far away. I just heard you chattering here. If you have nothing to do, go to the inner courtyard and do some work."
When Old Lady Ruan came out with a sullen face, Jiang Qiaohui immediately restrained her expression. Even though she was extremely unwilling, she still obediently returned to the inner courtyard.
Old Mrs. Ruan comforted her eldest daughter-in-law: "Don't worry, Qinghuan is not someone who will be bullied. It's still early, she will be back soon."
"Got it, Mom, I'm fine."
Zhou Yunzhi couldn't feel at peace for a moment when she couldn't see her daughter. She was against this marriage at first, but Ruan Chengfu, that bastard, was willing to break off the engagement no matter what.
For this reason, she even went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to sound out the situation, but to her surprise, the couple attached great importance to this marriage, which made her not know how to approach it.
The sound of a horse-drawn carriage interrupted Zhou Yunzhi's thoughts. When everyone saw the six carriages of return gifts from the Prime Minister's Mansion, they all exclaimed in amazement.
Even Zhou Yunzhi and the old lady hadn't expected that when Qinghuan returned home, the situation would be like this.
He'an got off the carriage first. When Ruan Qinghuan came out, he saw him raising his hand and waiting for him. After hesitating for a moment, he put his hand in his palm.
Seeing this scene, the old lady was filled with relief: "See, the Prime Minister treats Qing Huan well. As a mother, can you rest assured?"
He An stepped forward and said, "I have met my grandmother and mother-in-law."
Zhou Yunzhi supported the man and said, "It's good that you're back. Come into the house quickly."
"Sister, brother-in-law..." A childish voice came from behind. He An turned around and saw a little boy of three or four years old with two girls beside him.
Ruan Qinghuan introduced: "This is Qingchi, the son of my second uncle, and these two are my cousins, Ruan Xiaoyue and Ruan Xiaorou."
He An just lowered his head and picked up Qing Chi: "What did you call me just now? Call me again?"
He spoke quietly, but everyone around him heard him.
The grandmother and mother in front of him turned around. Ruan Qinghuan felt a little embarrassed: "My Lord, stop teasing Qingchi."
Qingchi was a child after all. He hugged Hean with a smile and called him sweetly several times: "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, brother-in-law..."
He An called Jiang Ming over, and Jiang Ming took Qing Chi over: "The adults have prepared a lot of toys for the young master, let's go and pick some out."
Ruan Xiaoyue had come to watch the excitement, but she didn't expect to see this scene.
Didn’t Prime Minister He say that he didn’t want to marry Ruan Qinghuan? Then what happened today?
Not wanting to see the two of them showing off their affection, she snorted coldly and turned away. Seeing this, Ruan Xiaorou wanted to call her, but her sister glared at her. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should follow her back to the west courtyard, or follow her grandmother and her group to the main hall to join in the fun.
Ruan Qinghuan hadn't seen his father since he entered the house. It was not until they sat down in the flower hall that Ruan Chengfu hurried over. As soon as they met, he started talking to He'an very warmly.
It has to be said that Ruan Chengfu is worthy of being one of the top merchants in Beijing. He is smart, smooth and has some skills. When he arrived, the atmosphere in the hall became much more lively.
Ruan Qinghuan looked at her mother, and Zhou Yunzhi held her hand with relief: "Qinghuan, are you used to your days in the Prime Minister's Mansion?"
"Mom, I'm fine." Although her mother was smiling, Ruan Qinghuan could see the fatigue and disappointment in her eyes.
Ever since my father brought Ye Fang home, my mother hasn't smiled since.
**
Soon it was time for lunch. Ruan Qinghuan helped her grandmother to the dining room and sat down. She and He An sat next to her grandmother.
While the maid was bringing up the food, Ruan Qinghuan kept glancing in the direction of the second room with an unfriendly look.
Seeing her expression, He An seemed to be thinking about something.
Feeling his gaze, Ruan Qinghuan subconsciously concealed his angry expression, but then he thought, He An was right there, there was no point in hiding.
The return banquet was lively and grand, with five large tables, and all the guests were direct relatives of the Ruan family.
As the oldest person in the Nguyen family, the old lady said a few words before the banquet began, and then it was the father Nguyen Lianfu who came to the banquet...
Zhou Yunzhi was in a bad mood and didn't say anything.
But Jiang Qiaohui in the second courtyard pulled her daughter over to toast: "Xiaoyue, Xiaorou, come and toast your sister and brother-in-law. You two are gentle and docile, not as powerful as your sister. We still count on your sister to take care of us in the future."
Zhou Yunzhi's face turned cold when she heard that. Jiang Qiaohui clearly wanted to expose Qinghuan's shortcomings, but because her son-in-law Hean was present, she didn't want to be laughed at, so she endured it.
Ruan Qinghuan smiled and raised his glass: "If you say so, Qinghuan would like to thank you. If you were not always thinking about things that you shouldn't be thinking about, Qinghuan wouldn't have to be on guard against you like a thief."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Qiaohui was completely overwhelmed. She had not expected that Ruan Qinghuan would dare to be so presumptuous in front of the Prime Minister.
Seeing her mother being scolded in public, Ruan Xiaoyue said angrily, "Sister, what are you saying? Mother has done her best for the Ruan family. How can you slander her like this?"
"I'm slandering you?" Ruan Qinghuan smiled calmly, "So, wasn't it Second Aunt who got the deeds to the two courtyards on West Street in Grandmother's room? And wasn't it Second Aunt who secretly withdrew the money lost by Ruan's Ruifeng Bank?"
He paused for a moment, his eyes sharp as he said, "Or is it that the day before my wedding, when Second Aunt took you to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office to change the land deed, your name wasn't on it?"
Ruan Xiaoyue was speechless, and everyone was shocked on the spot.
The old lady's face fell cold. She had only mentioned the matter of the lost land deed from her room to her eldest son. She did not make it public because she was worried that it was done by the second wife.
After all, the second wife has grandchildren, and she can't just ignore them.
But the matter of the land deeds and the bank was a serious matter. If the bank went bankrupt, wouldn't the people who had deposited money in the bank destroy the Ruan family?
"You, you, you...what nonsense are you talking about...I have never gone to a bank to withdraw money." Jiang Qiaohui pretended to be calm.
Ruan Qinghuan did not argue: "Don't worry, Second Auntie. You can't just listen to my one-sided story. I have already reported it to the police. The manager of Ruifeng Bank has probably been sent to prison. I will have news soon.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiaohui's wine glass became unsteady and the wine spilled onto her hands. How could she have been as successful as she had been when she was trying to sow discord?