flstandardbreds Chapter 181 Welcome and Cleansing Ceremony!
Chapter 181 Welcome and Cleansing Ceremony!
The Mu family never expected that upon entering the mansion, they would be immediately subjected to a severe beating by the old master. What was even more infuriating was the old master's extremely firm attitude. Moreover, he actually confronted them in front of a room full of younger family members!
Although Mu Changping felt uncomfortable, that was his father, so what could he say? He could only silently accept it. Who told him to be so unlucky?
However, once they arrived at their respective assigned courtyards, things were not bad.
Mu Changping noticed that the entire west wing had been allocated to their second branch of the family. In addition to the two sons having their own courtyards, there were two small courtyards in the backyard that were empty. The space was quite large, and the decoration and furnishings in the house were also quite grand. In short, he had not been shortchanged.
Although the old master was not satisfied with Mu Changping, Li Shi still had to follow the rules and hold a banquet as required.
When Mu Changping had his first dinner, several elders from the Mu clan came to welcome him.
The women, including Li, used a separate room in a loft in the backyard. There weren't many people, and only two tables were set up.
“Sister-in-law, you’ve worked so hard in the household these past few years. My husband and I have often thought about our family members, especially our mother. I’ve never had the good fortune to be filial to our mother as her sister-in-law. Now that I’m back, I will do my best to take care of our father and mother.”
Mu Xin Nuan sensed the implied meaning in his words, smiled faintly, took a sip of soup, and remained silent.
Madam Li also raised her wine glass, saying, "We're all family, why be so formal? Please, sister-in-law."
After they finished their first drink, their conversation became more casual.
In truth, Madam Li knew that the old lady was extremely biased towards the second branch of the family. Although she felt resentful, there was nothing she could do. Besides, she now had both a son and a daughter, and especially with the addition of Mu Qingyang, she figured that as long as her own family was comfortable, that was enough. As for the old lady, as long as she didn't go too far, she could pretend not to see anything.
Jin was quite a beauty, but in terms of temperament and bearing, she was far inferior to Li.
However, Jin's advantage lay in her sweet talk; her flattering words, as if coated with honey and given away for free, continued to coax the old lady.
Since this was the first time Mu Changping's family had returned to the capital in many years, Mu Changchun's family was naturally invited to the banquet tonight as well.
Since Mu Changchun returned from here last time, he has completely changed!
In the past, she always obeyed Liu Haiye in everything, especially when he asked her for money, she never refused him.
But after returning last time, she became somewhat listless, and it took several days before she regained her energy. However, since then, she seems to have changed; at least, she no longer lets Liu Haiye run wild.
Mu Xin Nuan noticed the obvious changes in Mu Chang Chun, but just smiled. People either change willingly to adapt to a new environment, or they wait to be forced to change by others, and from then on, they lose all their dignity.
Mu Changchun, however, falls somewhere in between.
Changes have occurred, though! But Mu Xin Nuan knows that deep down, she's still a bit slow to grasp things. The reason for this obvious change is simply because the old man gave her a dressing-down, but who knows how long that dressing-down will last?
Whether Mu Xin Nuan cared about Mu Chang Chun's changes or whether things remained the same, she didn't really care. After all, Liu Ting Ting's marriage was now decided by her parents. Let them do whatever they wanted.
The banquet was almost halfway through when Mrs. Jin finally got down to business.
“Sister-in-law, you’ve really worked hard these past few years. I don’t have any other skills. When my husband was in office, he had a lot of social engagements and was busy with official duties. In the mansion, besides managing the household, I also took care of all the general affairs. If there’s anything you can do to help me, please just ask.”
Li's eyes flickered. This sister-in-law was really troublesome! She had only just returned to the manor and was already thinking of meddling in its affairs?
"Sister-in-law, you're joking. Your second branch is also a large family, how can you possibly worry about other things? Let's take care of your second branch first."
Although Li was smiling, her words were rather harsh. Not only was Jin unhappy with them, but even the biased old lady was displeased.
"Eldest daughter-in-law, isn't your sister-in-law also thinking about the Mu family? She's just worried about you! Now you have to take care of the children and manage the household, and she's worried that it will be too tiring for you. If you don't appreciate it, fine, but why make sarcastic remarks?"
"Mother, I'd like to refute that. Since I entered the household, apart from that Song woman who tried to harm the mistress and the young master, has anything gone wrong? If I've done anything wrong and you're not satisfied, please just say so. As for my second sister-in-law, she's only just returned to the capital and there are still many things to take care of. Are you sure you really have the time to help me?"
When the old lady heard her mention the deceased Song Shi, her face turned somewhat ugly. It was she who insisted on having Mu Chang'an bring her into the mansion. Now that such a thing had happened, the one who would be most ashamed was naturally her, the mother-in-law.
“Mother, that’s not what Grandmother meant. You are the eldest daughter-in-law in the household, and you’ve been managing everything here all these years. How could Grandmother have any other thoughts? She just feels sorry for you. However, now that you have your daughter who can help you, there’s no need to trouble Second Aunt anymore.”
Upon hearing such a gentle and pleasant voice, Jin couldn't help but glance at Mu Xin Nuan a few more times.
Mu Xin Nuan was beautiful, and thanks to years of upbringing, she possessed an ethereal elegance that made Jin Shi's eyes sparkle. A pang of envy welled up inside her; how fortunate Li Xin Lan was to have given birth to such an outstanding daughter!
"Ah Nuan is only fourteen years old this year, right? And she's already learning to be a housekeeper?"
"Replying to Second Aunt, Anuan has been learning for a long time. It's just that she couldn't help much before. It's only in the last two years that she's been able to barely share some of the burden with Mother."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Jin felt as if she had been hit on the forehead, and it hurt terribly!
How can a mere maidservant be in charge of the household? And I, the legitimate second wife of the Mu family, am not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the household? What's going on here?