Chapter 31 The Thousand-Tael Marriage Contract (0916 Bug Fix) Chen Junbai listened...
After listening to the old man's explanation, Li Yang seemed to understand why her mother-in-law was so critical of her.
Perhaps it was disdain for her humble background that allowed her to marry into the Chen family, or perhaps it was Chen Junbo's every act of favoritism that reminded his mother-in-law of the pain of being abandoned by her childhood sweetheart.
It was just a youthful encounter that ended without a future, yet the mother-in-law, like someone trying to find a lost sword by marking the boat, etched it into her heart, ruining her own life to try and grasp at that unattainable dream... At this moment, Li Yang felt that Chen Junbo's mother was truly 'deeply affectionate and passionate,' beyond words.
She felt genuinely sorry for Old Master Zhang and truly sympathized with Chen Zhangshi for her bad luck in marrying the wrong person. However, under the repeated framing and slander, Li Yang simply couldn't bring herself to forgive her mother-in-law.
After careful consideration, she said softly, "Grandpa, don't worry. Grandma still has Chen Junbo. You raised him yourself, don't you know him well? He will definitely be filial to his elders and make Grandma's life comfortable."
I am someone who will leave the Chen family sooner or later. Whether they forgive me or not, it won't affect my mother-in-law's life in the future... But I can't say this to Chen Junbai's maternal grandfather.
"Look at me, I'm getting senile," Zhang Maolin sighed with a laugh. "You're a kind-hearted child. I was just being nosy about things between you younger generation..."
After a moment of silence, he continued, “When Ziheng was young, his father left home, and from then on, Lin Shuang became even more ruthless… When Ziheng was young, Lin Shuang herself was in a terrible state and couldn’t take care of him at all. There were often instances of servants bullying their masters in the house… Outsiders only thought that he was the only son of a salt merchant and must have been pampered and spoiled growing up… In fact, he had a hard life from childhood. When he was hungry or cold in the Chen family, no one cared about him.”
The old man's throat tightened. "Later, I took him to the Zhang family to raise. When he first came to the Zhang family, he was as thin and frail as a kitten... It wasn't until he took charge and took over the family business that he returned to the Chen family, afraid of being laughed at by outsiders... Now that you two are getting along, I'm relieved." As he spoke, his withered hand covered Li Yang's hand, and a long sigh followed as he closed his eyes and fell asleep, mingling with the wind.
Grandpa Zhang's rocking chair slowly came to a stop. Li Yang watched the old man fall into a light sleep, and his heart ached.
Is this how Chen Junbo grew up? How is he any different from an abandoned child in an alley? He seems to live under the same roof as his mother every day, but in reality, he has never felt her love. He seems to work in the salt industry with his father, but in reality, the father and son have not seen each other for years.
No wonder he could be so calm about marriage that he only weighed the pros and cons, and so casual about choosing a wife that he could just let the ball go wherever it landed.
He seemed to be carefully planning his marriage, but in reality, he probably only knew in his heart what constituted an unsuitable marriage, yet he had never experienced a happy life.
Lost in thought, he murmured softly: "Grandpa, Chen Junbo's hard times are over. From now on, it will be good times..."
Li Yang: "Chen Junbai..."
Chen Junbo: "My maternal grandfather..."
Inside the carriage, the two men spoke at the same time, both startled.
Li Yang touched his nose and said, "You go first."
"What did Grandpa say to you?" Chen Junbo lowered his voice, his eyes dark and intense, and moved a few steps closer to her.
Li Yang felt the man's body temperature on her shoulder, and her ears felt hot and itchy. She moved slightly away, turned her head away from him, and said in a deep voice, "Grandpa asked you to take good care of your mother-in-law."
To everyone's surprise, the man chuckled softly upon hearing this.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Yang asked, puzzled.
Chen Junbo said, "I'm afraid it's because your grandfather asked you to forgive your mother, and you're using that as an excuse."
How did he know?
Then I heard him say softly, "My grandfather also told me these things. He said, 'I will get married again, I will have a wife and children, and I will have my own family. But my mother only has me.' My grandfather worried a lot about my mother."
Hearing him say this, Li Yang felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, and he frowned and waved his hand, saying, "Actually, these things have nothing to do with me, and what I think will not affect my mother-in-law's future life."
Seeing the man's eyes flicker and his gaze fixed on her face, Li Yang explained, "Think about it, in a little over a year, once the engagement is over, I'll take the money and leave. In the end, won't you still be living with your mother-in-law in the Chen residence?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yang noticed Chen Junbo's expression freeze. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did I miscalculate the date?"
She kindly started calculating for him, "I married into your family at the end of February, and it's already mid-June. All told, our contract will expire in another twenty months, and you'll have to give me a thousand taels of silver then."
Seeing the man beside her staring at her silently, she nudged Chen Junbo's arm with her elbow and leaned closer to ask, "What, you haven't forgotten, have you?!"
The curve of Chen Junbo's lips was devoid of any warmth: "I haven't forgotten."
After saying that, he silently retreated to a corner of the carriage, frowned, and turned his head to look at the scenery on the street, no longer saying a word.
His narrow eyes tightened like ice blades, and the curtains of the car window were pulled into wrinkles as he clenched his fists.
Li Yang had originally intended to ask him why he wanted to register the tea shop under his own name, but seeing that he suddenly stopped talking, he gave up on the idea.
This person is good in every way, but he often falls silent.
Leaning against the carriage, she twisted her braids and pondered: This young master, who is neither loved by his father nor his mother, should I make him a bowl of sticky sesame dumplings tonight?
In the days that followed, she had basically figured out the ropes.
At home, Chen Junbo follows his mother-in-law's recipes, eating a simple diet of three dishes and a soup. When he doesn't eat at the Chen residence, he hosts lavish banquets for high-ranking officials and colleagues.
For ordinary people, the snacks they often eat at home for convenience are things he rarely has the opportunity to try.
No wonder when I asked him for a favor before, even a simple bowl of noodles or wontons could make him eager to help. It was truly a lucky coincidence.
When Mo Lian falsely accused her before, she even said that she made unclean food all day long, which would make her young master unhealthy... What, you didn't expect that... Your young master likes this kind of food! I'll make you furious!
She was arguing with Mo Lian in her heart when suddenly, Old Master Zhang's words came to mind again... Li Yang smiled slightly but then softened. Oh well, she had less than twenty months left in the Chen family, so she should treat Chen Junbo better during this time.
Li Yang thought for a moment and realized that the only help he could give was to look at the account books and make some snacks.
As the carriage swayed and rocked, her mind wandered so much that she drifted off to sleep against the side of the carriage.
Ever since moving into the Chen residence, she has been getting up later and later each day, rushing to her morning prayers right on time. After the recent incident in the woodshed, her mother-in-law also refused to see her and exempted her from the morning prayers, so she simply started sleeping until dawn every day.
If things turn out like this, and Chen Junbo dragged me to the Zhang family to shield me from the attack early in the morning, I might have to sneak back to bed for a nap this afternoon.
She herself found it strange that when she was selling wontons before, she would get up at the crack of dawn every day, sometimes even earlier than the rooster. She had inexhaustible energy and was reluctant to close up shop until late at night.
Is it really true that the wealthy breed idle people?
Now, things are getting worse every day.
Half-asleep, I heard a man's voice sigh softly beside me, "We're almost there, wake up." I was gently patted on the shoulder and woke up.
Li Yang smacked his lips, drooling, and opened his eyes, still dazed.
Chen Junbo's handsome face was right in front of her. She rubbed her eyes awkwardly and said, "We're here? Let me see..." She pretended to lift the curtain to look inside.
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Author's Note: My darlings, something came up today and I had to postpone the update to this morning. Starting tomorrow, updates will resume before 4 PM. Love you all! [green heart][pink heart][red heart]
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