In order to verify what Ye Zelin said, Hua Fushu specially asked the people in the mansion. Sure enough, as Ye Zelin said, except for the people around the old general, all the housekeepers and servants were either respectful to Madam Ouyang or praised her highly.
Mrs. Ouyang's virtue was well-known in Beijing. In contrast, the old general had a bad reputation in Beijing circles. The fact that he bullied his daughter-in-law was the topic of conversation among the women after dinner.
Ye Zelin also said that his late grandmother loved Xu very much. If his grandmother were still alive, she might hate Madam Ouyang and bully her like his grandfather did.
Hua Fushu was extremely grateful that her parents-in-law were genuinely kind people who loved her very much. Since she got married, Madam Ouyang had never asked her to follow rules or serve her, and her father-in-law even doted on her like his own daughter.
If she had met an evil father-in-law and a bad mother-in-law, she would have left the Ye family long ago.
So, when she spoke of this to Madam Ouyang, Madam Ouyang simply said with some emotion, "Why should my daughter-in-law go through the things I've been through, the suffering I've endured? Every daughter is a precious treasure cherished by her parents, fearing they'll melt away. Now that you've entered my family, you're mine, and you're half my daughter. How could I possibly treat you unfairly? Besides, if I were that evil mother-in-law who bullies her daughter-in-law, which girl would dare to marry into my family, and which married man would dare to marry my daughter?"
Hua Fushu was very touched and felt that she had married into a good family.
Madam Ouyang added, "Lin'er likes you so much. If I bully you, he will definitely get angry with me."
Hua Fushu was shocked, "Mom, did you see that?"
Madam Ouyang smiled and said, "I've seen it for a long time. Lin'er is just being stubborn and won't say anything."
Hua Fushu was very curious, "When did you find out?"
Madam Ouyang approached Hua Fushu and lowered her voice deliberately, afraid that others would hear. She said, "That year, when you were about to come of age, Lin'er was trying to sneak away to Su Nian. I caught him, and after repeated questioning, he was reluctant to tell me."
Hua Fushu asked again, "Did my husband come to see me? Why didn't I see him?"
Madam Ouyang said, "He didn't make it. His father arrested him and sent him to the Ganzhou military camp. He stayed there for a year before returning. You know what happened next."
Hua Fushu knew what happened later. That year, when she knew she was going to marry Ye Zelin, she ran away and stayed away for two years.
Hua Fushu stayed in Rongliyuan for quite some time before leaving.
Feiyuan, main hall.
The old general sat on a wooden couch with a four-panel screen behind him. Ye Zelin first greeted him and then stood quietly.
The old general never wastes words, and gets straight to the point. "Are you going to drop out of school or not?"
Ye Zelin raised his hand and bowed, then replied respectfully, "Grandfather, I will not drop out of school."
The old general said, "If you don't withdraw, I will go to the Kong family myself to withdraw you from school."
Ye Zelin said slowly, "Grandfather, you are not qualified to withdraw your grandson from school. Not only you, but no one in the family has the right to withdraw me from school, including my parents who gave birth to me."
The old general stood up and became furious. "Ye Zelin, if you dare to go against the ancestral precepts of the Ye family, I will break your dog legs!"
Ye Zelin had always treated the old general with great respect. But this time, he had repeatedly blocked his imperial examination and oppressed his wife. He really didn't want to keep up the respectful facade anymore, so he simply threw it off. "Ye Changting, go ahead and hit me! Beat me to death if you can! As long as I'm not dead, I'll definitely go to the academy, and I'll definitely take the examination next year!"
The old general was slightly stunned. Ye Zelin had always been submissive to him and didn't dare to speak loudly, but this time he dared to speak to him like this. What was his attitude?
The old general was furious and couldn't help but say, "Ye Zelin, if you dare to take the imperial examination, you don't have to be a descendant of my Ye family, and your name doesn't have to appear in the family tree!"
Ye Zelin was surprised. Was his grandfather going to expel him from the Ye family?
Just because he wants to take the imperial examination, his grandfather is going to expel him from the Ye family?
He was unwilling, angry, and upset, but he had no regrets. He even felt sad in his heart. He was sad for himself.
Even though his grandfather hated him, disliked him, treated him badly, and humiliated him, he still treated him as his grandfather, respected him very much, and dared not neglect him.
But what about grandfather?
How did his grandfather treat him?
He didn't care when his grandfather beat and humiliated him, and he didn't care when his grandfather didn't treat him as his grandson. But when his grandfather wanted to expel him from the Ye family, he had to care and had to pay attention!
Even though Ye Changting is his grandfather and elder, why does he have the right to remove his name?
Ye Zelin said: "Whatever!"
The old general said, "Ye Zelin, if you don't agree to drop out of school today, you are no longer a descendant of the Ye family. Grandfather means what he says!"
Ye Zelin smiled calmly, "I don't mind being your grandson at all."
The old general was furious, "You!"
"Grandson, goodbye." Ye Zelin bowed and left easily.
The old general was really angry, and even after sitting down, his anger did not subside at all.
A man emerged from behind the screen. He was about sixty years old, dressed in dark clothes, tall and sturdy, with one sleeve bare. He had once been a subordinate of the old general. Thirty years earlier, during the Battle of Xichui, he had broken his arm while protecting the old general. Later, the old general had asked him to help with household chores, freeing him from guarding the border.
The one-armed general glanced outside the door. Ye Zelin had already walked out of the flying courtyard and was no longer visible. He said to the old general, "General, this is Little Lin. He's really a handsome boy. He looks like you! Brother Yun and Brother Yan have met them a few times, but I've never seen Little Lin. Of the three brothers, Little Lin looks most like you, especially like you in the past."
The old general kicked the one-armed general and looked at him with disdain, "Are you blind because of your age? The one who looks most like me is obviously the eldest."
The one-armed general showed off his glint in the eye. "I'm talking about temperament, not looks. Brother Yun looks a bit like you, but his personality is different. Brother Yan doesn't look like you, nor does he look like the general, nor does he look like Madam Xu. I don't know whose temperament he inherited. Of the three brothers, the one who resembles you the most is Brother Xiaolin. The tenacity in his bones is exactly like yours when you were young. It's almost identical."
The old general said unhappily, "Don't talk nonsense. Ye Zelin clearly looks like his mother and has the same temperament as his grandfather."
The one-armed general took a seat without asking for permission and said, "If you don't believe me, forget it. Xiao Lin looks gentle and humble, but he's actually very stubborn and obstinate. Look, wasn't he like that just now? You said you were going to kick him out, but he still wouldn't change his mind."
The old general couldn't help but think about it. When he was young, once he made a decision, no one could persuade him. Ye Zelin just showed stubbornness and determination, which was indeed a bit like his appearance when he was young.
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