With the divorce proceedings finally settled, Shen Tangning found a house for her mother in the suburbs of Beijing. The location wasn't too remote, and the environment was quiet. Her mother was satisfied with the house and planned to move in on an auspicious day.
Upon hearing this, Chi Yan volunteered to help, but he was unavailable during the day and could only do so after his shift ended.
Upon learning of her parents' divorce, Chi's mother sighed for a long time and comforted Tang Ning several times: "When a couple reaches this point, it's better to separate and live their own lives. Your mother must have made this decision after careful consideration, so you don't need to worry too much."
She greatly admired Madam Xie's courage, after all, not everyone has the courage to divorce. Families of higher social standing value their reputation more and do not allow their children to do anything out of line.
Secondly, it's also about saving face. Even if you're not doing well, you can't let outsiders laugh at you. You can only swallow your tears and pretend to be happy, and endure it until the end.
Clearly, Madam Xie didn't care about these things.
Shen Tangning knew what her mother-in-law had misunderstood. She probably thought that her mother-in-law would be somewhat depressed because of her parents' divorce. Little did she know that this was exactly what she wanted to hear, but she accepted her mother-in-law's good intentions nonetheless.
Although they were related by marriage, Madam Chi did not interact with Madam Xie frequently before, simply because she knew that she came from a merchant family and those noble ladies actually looked down on her from the bottom of their hearts, so she simply knew better than to be tactful.
But after Madam Xie's divorce, she went to visit her a few times with Shen Tangning. Over time, they became acquainted and felt like they had known each other for a long time. They even made an appointment to visit her often for tea and a chat after she moved.
Shen Tangning was very pleased to see this, as it meant her mother wouldn't be lonely in the future.
...
On the day of the move, Shen Tangning and Chi Yan both came to the Shen family home.
Unfortunately, Shen Chang was also there. Because of the divorce, he has become increasingly unpopular lately. In the past, his colleagues would invite him to dinner after work, but now it seems that they are deliberately ostracizing him.
His Majesty's act of standing up for the Xie family has won widespread praise among the people. Since the Xie family can no longer threaten him, he can also gain a reputation for valuing and respecting old ministers. Why not?
At the same time, Shen Chang was secretly cursed by many people. After all, everyone knew that he had gotten to where he was today step by step with the help of his wife's family. When Grand Tutor Xie resigned from his post, he turned around and divorced his wife. He truly deserved to be called ungrateful!
Shen Chang was furious, and his face darkened: "What are you doing here?"
Chi Yan didn't mind his cold face and explained with a smile, "Father-in-law, your son-in-law and A Ning are here to help your mother-in-law move things."
Shen Chang's face turned faintly ashen. He didn't say anything more, just gave a cold snort and turned to walk out.
After he walked away, Chi Yan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Father-in-law, you're in a bad mood, aren't you?"
Shen Tangning exchanged a glance with him and raised an eyebrow: "Let's go, come with me to see Mother."
Shen Ci was also there. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the group began to move.
Aside from her dowry and a few personal items, Madam Xie didn't take anything else with her, as she felt it would bring bad luck if it touched Shen Chang's hands.
The move was quite a spectacle, and even if Shen Chang wanted to ignore it, it would be hard to ignore. Watching boxes of things being carried out, as if they were going to empty the Shen family's coffers, he frowned deeply, feeling a bit uneasy.
He summoned his two concubines and gave them a meaningful look: "Go and see, she is not allowed to take anything from the Shen family!"
The two concubines exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with unspoken emotions, but they dared not disobey him and could only obediently comply.
Upon entering Madam Xie's courtyard, they saw that the people carrying were all their own dowry; what right did they have to stop them?
Both of them were personally chosen by Madam Xie. They bowed respectfully to her and explained their purpose.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xie sneered and immediately changed her mind: "Granny, carry out everything I've prepared for you and throw it away. Smash anything you can't take with you!"
She'd rather smash it up than leave anything to that bastard Shen Chang!
Shen Tangning smiled and said, "Why smash perfectly good things?" After a pause, she blinked and sincerely suggested, "Why not pawn them? You can get some money for that."
Chi Yan glanced at her with a half-smile, thinking to himself:
She's quite thrifty and good at managing the household.
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