"Mother, what's wrong with you?"
Lu Baichuan was just figuring out how to win over his wife when his mother stormed in again, leaving him completely bewildered.
Sun glared at him, annoyed, and said, "Tell me, what did you do to upset your wife?"
"ah?"
"What do you mean? If you don't provoke her, will she be unhappy after leaving your place?"
Sun slammed her hand on the table, looked at her son who was struggling to sit up, and continued irritably, "Do you know how hard your wife has been all these years raising the dog? On the road to escape famine, she was a woman who forced herself to learn everything and protect our whole family. She has done us a great favor! You've only been back for two days and you've already upset her. You better watch out, or I'll kick you out!"
Lu Baichuan was extremely aggrieved: "I didn't..."
"You still won't admit it!"
Before he could even open his mouth, Madam Sun immediately interrupted him, launching into another lecture: "How have I taught you since you were little? A real man should be responsible for his actions! You've offended your wife and you don't even dare to admit it. What kind of wicked person have you been all these years?"
"What does the family motto say? If you can't even sweep your own room, how can you expect to sweep the world? You can't even please your own wife, how can you dream of accomplishing anything great!"
Lu Baichuan: ...
He felt wronged; he hadn't figured out why his wife had suddenly gotten angry, and now his mother was giving him a thorough dressing-down. It was really...
"Mother, I really didn't do anything to her. I don't know why she got angry. I'm just as upset as she is!"
He finally couldn't hold back and spoke up, because he felt that if he didn't explain clearly, he might be kicked out of his house that very night.
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun realized there was indeed something going on. She sat down at the table, crossed her legs haughtily, and said, "Tell me, what did you do?"
Lu Baichuan recounted how he had summoned He Jiuniang, from beginning to end, but still couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.
Sun, however, walked over angrily and slapped him on the head, saying with exasperation, "How could I have given birth to such a blockhead like you! Our son is so old, and you still don't understand what women are thinking!"
Lu Baichuan protested his innocence, saying that he had left home on the second day of his marriage!
Moreover, he has been away from home for many years and has not had any contact with women. He has always kept himself pure and chaste. It would be a problem if he could understand women's thoughts!
"Mother, your son really doesn't know where he went wrong."
He pouted, looking particularly aggrieved, and continued, "I just wanted her to sit with me a little longer, so I tried to talk to her more, and then she got upset."
Sun wanted to slap him again, but thinking of how pitiful he was, still bedridden, she silently withdrew her raised hand, repeating "my biological son, my biological son, my biological son" three times before slowly sitting back down. She said, "You left the day after your wedding, leaving her alone to raise the child by herself. If it weren't for Gou'er, you would be nothing more than a stranger to her, someone she only had a fleeting affair with. Why do you think she should sit with you any longer?"
"Besides, in your opinion, you just want her to sit with you for a while, but from her point of view, you just feel that there aren't enough servants at home, so you treat her like a servant."
Sun's words were like a wake-up call, and Lu Baichuan suddenly understood. He hurriedly explained, "But that's not what I meant! I didn't treat her like a servant."
Madam Sun nodded and followed his lead, saying, "That's right. You didn't treat her like a servant, but rather like the old woman in this house. She had to take care of your illness, serve you tea and water, and help you resolve the conflicts between you and your mother."
Lu Baichuan looked at his mother in disbelief, as if he had never known her before.
"What are you looking at? Did I say something wrong? She treats you because you're her husband, my son, and Gou'er's father. Even if she's unwilling, she has to help you. She brings you tea and water because she treats you like family. She brings you the good things she makes to try, which she does willingly, no matter how hard or tiring it is. But you even need her to persuade me to buy servants? Don't you have a mouth? Or did I give you a hard time, making you afraid to even speak to me? If you really want to, just buy them. Do you think I'm going to eat you? You're just making trouble out of nothing, being annoying!"
As she spoke, Mrs. Sun rolled her eyes and turned to leave: "The food is on the table, get up and eat! You really don't know how lucky you are. If I were her, I wouldn't have waited for you all these years. I would have remarried and enjoyed a life of luxury long ago! Humph!"
Then, he slammed the door shut.
The room fell silent again. He could hear everyone eating, drinking, and laughing together in the front yard, but he was all alone. Not only did his wife ignore him, but he also got a scolding from his mother.
In that instant, he felt as if he had married into the family...
He did take Sun's words to heart; he realized he hadn't handled things well, causing her to misunderstand him and leave in anger.
He endured the pain and got out of bed to eat. The dishes were plentiful and made one's mouth water. There was also a large bowl of bone broth, which his mother had prepared to nourish him.
He sat down to eat, pondering his mother's words, while also feeling happy that she was so protective of his wife.
In the years he was gone, if it weren't for her mother protecting her and the dog, she doesn't know what would have become of them.
So, now that you know why your wife is angry, what should you do next?
He took a sip of the soup, feeling somewhat dejected. "Oh, it smells so good..."
After eating, he went back to lie down, thinking that he must find a chance to explain the misunderstanding, otherwise his wife would definitely be even angrier.
Before Lou Chong and his men left, they came to see him one last time. He took the opportunity to instruct, "Find me a few reliable servants tomorrow, and you can choose them yourself."
"Don't you want young maids?"
Lou Chong asked instinctively, only to be met with a glare: "Stop talking nonsense, just do what I tell you to do!"
"Understood, boss!"
"Also, go and ask if all the gold and silver retrieved from the Taoist temple have been registered. Send over my wife's share as soon as possible, and give her mine as well."
"Okay, okay!"
Lou Chong readily agreed, then asked, "Can I come over for a meal tomorrow after I finish these things?"
Lu Baichuan looked at him leisurely: "You've gotten addicted to leeching off others, haven't you?"
"Hehe, it's all because the food at home is so delicious! If I wasn't so full, I would have loved to have two more big bowls! Those fried baby potatoes, one bite at a time, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, tsk tsk tsk, they're so fragrant..."
Lou Chong's mouth was watering as he spoke, but Lu Baichuan frowned in disgust and said irritably, "Take care of things first."
"Don't worry, boss, I'll definitely get it done for you!"
After saying that, Lou Chong ran out in a flash.
Lu Baichuan overheard the boys outside asking Lou Chong, "How's it going? Can he come again tomorrow?"
...
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