Chapter 167 What does this mean, Master?
This seemed like a trivial matter to Liu Yuanfeng and Yu Sanbao, but in the end it was brought to the attention of Old Lady Liu.
Wei Sanniang, who was still cooking in the kitchen, heard the news, wiped her hands quickly, and hurried to the front yard.
Old Mrs. Liu is nearly seventy years old, which can be considered a long life.
His hair was grey, but he looked in good spirits. He sat in the armchair, stroking the tiger head carved on the armrest, and listening to the eldest grandson's wife from the first house chattering while she hugged her fifth granddaughter Liu Xiaer.
"Grandfather, it's not my granddaughter-in-law who is causing trouble. Xia'er fell and was hurt, and she wanted to bear it. I don't know who brought this up in front of you, otherwise, we would definitely not say a word in front of you..."
The eldest grandson's wife, Xiao Lin, said half-truthfully.
Liu Yuanfeng's heart skipped a beat, but he held it in and said nothing.
If it wasn't for the people from the first wife deliberately gossiping about this in front of his father, would his father have known about it?
Liu Yuanfeng had suffered such a loss too many times from the first wife.
He also knew very well that his father always felt that his original wife died early, and the children left behind by his original wife were wronged because they had no mother.
His father always favors the eldest wife.
He might as well have said nothing.
Liu Yuanfeng lowered his eyes.
Old Lady Liu took the initiative to ask Wei Sanniang who had just arrived: "Sanniang, this is a guest from your mother's family, what do you say?"
Wei Sanniang raised her head and glanced at Old Lady Liu.
She said dryly, "...Master, I don't have anything to say."
Old Lady Liu then asked the woman who came with Wei Sanniang: "You are Sanniang's family, what do you think?"
Mrs. Wei vaguely heard that Old Lady Liu was not asking how to deal with the child's matter, but was asking about the relationship between the two families.
Mrs. Wei was thinking about how to start the conversation when Xing Xing spoke in confusion:
“Why are you asking us what we think?”
Xing Xing looked at Ju Ge'er blankly, and then at Old Lady Liu blankly, "…Whoever is at fault should just admit it, isn't that enough? She was the one who tried to grab the things first, and pushed Xing Xing first; when she fell, it was Ju Ge'er who was at the bottom, so we didn't fall. Now that Old Lady Liu is asking us what we think, does that mean we don't need to distinguish between right and wrong?"
Children speak without restraint, and the child's voice made Old Lady Liu open her eyes a little.
The room was silent.
This is what Mrs. Dalin, the eldest wife of the Liu family, heard when she hurried over after seeing off her guests.
She frowned and glanced at Wei Sanniang with dissatisfaction.
She thought that for a three or four-year-old child to say such words, it must have been taught by Wei Sanniang.
As soon as Dalin called out "Dad", she saw Old Lady Liu close her eyes and suddenly said, "I'm tired. You all should go back to your own courtyards."
Both Mrs. Da Lin from the first wife's house and her daughter-in-law Mrs. Xiao Lin were filled with rage.
Liu Xiaer called out "Mom" aggrievedly and shrank into Dalin's arms.
In front of her father-in-law, Old Lady Liu, Dalin couldn't be too shady towards Wei Sanniang and the others.
Dalin swallowed her anger and led her daughter, followed by her daughter-in-law Xiaolin, out of the front yard first.
Wei Sanniang and the others also walked very fast.
Old Lady Liu was watching from behind and couldn't help but ask the attendant who had been with him for many years: "...are they so unwilling to stay with me for a while?"
Chang Sui thought to himself, why did the young master and his mother react like this? Old Master, aren't you asking a question even though you already know the answer?
But he knew he couldn't say that, so he just advised: "The children are grown up now, how can they be willing to stay in front of their parents all the time? Isn't it like a cat seeing a mouse?"
Old Mrs. Liu snorted unhappily.
"They also said that Yuanfeng looks like me, but how is that similar..."
Old Mrs. Liu muttered.
"Now that you mention it, I remember something..." the long-servant said slowly, "Do you remember, when you were young, we went out hunting and got some furs, and you were so excited that you wanted to make a double sleeve for your parents. But the lady said that your eldest brother was away doing business all year round, so it would be better to give the furs to him. You just stood aside with your eyes downcast and your lips pursed, saying nothing. You didn't say anything good, nor did you say anything bad... Later, the lady had no choice but to let you go back to your room, but you walked very fast, as if something was blocking you from behind... Aren't you exactly like the fourth young master?"
This incident seemed to have opened up Old Lady Liu's dim memory.
He squinted his eyes and didn't speak for a long time.
…
Xingxing was a little nervous at this moment. After leaving the front yard, she whispered to Grandma Wei: "Grandma, did Xingxing say something wrong?"
Mrs. Wei smiled at her encouragingly: "That's not the case. Xingxing said it very well. It's just a matter of right and wrong."
Old lady Liu, who always favors the eldest wife, doesn't care about right or wrong.
Liu Yuanfeng has been feeling a little listless since he left the front yard.
Back in the backyard where he and his mother lived, Liu Yuanfeng hung his head and said sadly, "My father has always been partial to one of them, and it was Ju Ge'er and Xing Xing who were wronged because of me."
Yu Sanbao said, "Cousin, what are you talking about? We are right in this matter, and we have a clear conscience."
Liu Yuanfeng laughed at himself: "Actually, it's not so bad this time. If it were usual, my biased father might ask me, 'If you buy a set of figurines for Xia'er, will she be able to compete with others for them? In the end, you didn't think it through'..."
Liu Yuanfeng imitated Old Lady Liu's accent. After Wei Sanniang laughed, she felt a little sad.
She was cowardly and useless, causing her son to suffer injustice at the hands of his own father.
"Forget it... Wait until Yuanfeng gets married, and then we'll split up the house..." Wei Sanniang made up her mind, "The Liu family has a small courtyard in the suburbs. It's a little old, but it's still habitable. I'll take Yuanfeng and his wife there and move there."
When Liu Yuanfeng heard this, he became excited: "Great. I don't want to live with my brother and his family! It's boring and aggrieved!"
Mrs. Wei thought this was indeed a good idea.
But the problem is back.
The marriage of her nephew Yuan Feng...
It’s enough of a headache!
After dinner, Mrs. Wei had a private conversation with Wei Sanniang, asking her if she had any favorite family for Yuanfeng's marriage, and that since she was there during the New Year, she could help to inquire about it.
Wei Sanniang also became excited and mentioned three or four families.
"These families all seem pretty good..." Wei Sanniang explained to Mrs. Wei in detail, "Although they are all poor, they are all girls from good families. If I take Yuanfeng and move out separately, our lives will probably be much more difficult, and I will have to find a daughter-in-law who can endure hardships..."
As the two were talking excitedly, Old Lady Liu sent something over.
It was an envelope with some papers inside saying something.
Fortunately, Yu Sanbao could read, so he took the letter and saw that it was about the conditions of the daughters of several families.
After he finished reading, Wei Sanniang was also stunned.
What does this mean, old man?