her, she not only disliked her granddaughter but even treated her harshly, claiming it was to educate her unruly granddaughter. Every time Mistress Sun pretended to come forward and defend her, it onl...After the banquet, the guests gradually dispersed.

Meng Jinyo bid farewell to Princess Jingning, and then went to join her family to prepare to return home together.

Today, Lord Song's daughter is getting married. The Changxing Hou Mansion was also invited. Besides Madam Gu, who lives a secluded life, and Mrs. Jiang, who is pregnant and indisposed, and Gu Xiwen, who is still studying at the academy and has not returned for the holidays, everyone else came to drink wedding wine.

Not only Changxing Houfu, but also Gu Xuanyi's husband's Wuan Bo Mansion was also invited to the list.

Zhang saw Lady Wu'an and her daughter-in-law getting along harmoniously. Even though Zhang wanted to say a few words to her daughter, she didn't have the chance. Unless, of course, she saw Lady Wu'an treating her daughter poorly.

Seeing this, Zhang could only pretend to be unaware and exchange pleasantries with the in-law. When parting ways, she said to her in-law: "In-law, Xuan Yi has been spoiled since she was a child. If she does anything wrong, please feel free to tell me, and I will definitely discipline her well."

Lady Wu An also understood Zhang's meaning. Even if Xuan Yi had made a mistake, it was due to the education she received from her mother. She glanced at her daughter-in-law and saw that her daughter-in-law was slightly bowing her head, looking meek and submissive. She smiled and replied, "What my dear sister-in-law says is true Xuan Yi is a filial and sensible child, deeply loved by me. I am very grateful to you for raising such a good girl, Xuan Yi, who has become such a wonderful daughter-in-law."

“Well then, I was just afraid she wouldn't be sensible and cause trouble for the in-laws,” Zhang said, turning to look at her daughter with a heart full of worry. Neither of her sons had ever caused her this much concern. Her daughter, however, was willful. Now, facing such a difficult marriage, it filled her with anxiety and she couldn't rest easy.

Gu Xuyan looked at her mother-in-law praising herself, and she was furious inside. Yesterday, her mother-in-law said that she had a bad temper and should change it. She even said that there was no other daughter-in-law like her who was so unfilial. What made her feel even more wronged was that when she told her husband about this, he only said that the younger generation should give way to the elders, saying that two words wouldn't cost a piece of meat, and that she should be magnanimous and not care about what the elders said, otherwise, she would really be unfilial.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Lady Zhang and Marquis Wu'an's wife, she bid them farewell and went to meet her two sisters-in-law.

After Lady Zhang left, Lady Wu'an watched her daughter-in-law. This daughter-in-law was a compromise choice; she wasn't very satisfactory, but at least she came from the Changxing Hou Mansion and had an uncle like Changxing Hou.

Gu Xuanyi felt a shiver down her spine under her mother's scrutinizing gaze. She spoke softly, "Mother, perhaps we should return as well My husband and the others must be waiting for us at the door."

Lady Wǔ'ān Bó responded with a faint "Mmm."

Gu Xuanyi looked at her indifferent attitude, completely unlike the pleasant face she had shown to her mother just now. Her heart felt a little uneasy. She hadn't contradicted her yesterday either, so why was she still angry

"Xuan Yi, in front of your in-laws, I have also given you and your in-laws face. I didn't mention that you are disrespectful to elders, and even in front of my son, I only speak well of you. But you should really change your temper."

Gu Xuanyi didn't dare to retort, she could only nod: "Yesterday was the daughter-in-law's fault, mother is magnanimous and didn't hold it against me."

Seeing her well-behaved, Lady Wu An finally smiled: "Let's go."

Gu Xuanyi responded and followed her pace, a surge of anger rising in her heart. Yesterday, she had simply refused to shell chestnuts because her hand hurt, but her mother-in-law had accused her of being disrespectful to her elders, having a bad temper, and unwilling to help her elders even with something as simple as shelling chestnuts, calling her childish.

And as a junior member of the family, she dared not speak up in anger. She could only endure the pain and continue shelling chestnuts. Who would dare to bear the charge of being unfilial If it got out that she was unwilling to shell chestnuts for her mother-in-law, people would spit on her until she was drowned.

She also had bad luck, encountering such a vicious mother-in-law.

In mid to late December, as the year draws to a close, the household becomes bustling again. Preparations for the New Year are underway, including purchasing necessities and attending social gatherings with various families.

Zhang was in charge of the intermediary, handling household affairs with the stewardess in the Baozha Hall. She was so busy she couldn't stop, while Chen merely assisted her, making things much easier for herself.

While the two sisters-in-law were busy, Meng Jinyao spent her time in Weiruixuan making tea and reading, enjoying herself immensely. Life was pleasant.

When Meng Jinyao was engrossed in reading, Qing Qiu came over with a bowl of medicine and said softly, "Madam, please have your medicine."

The medicinal smell hit Meng Jin Yao, causing her to instinctively wrinkle her nose. She glared at the bowl of medicine with a bitter and resentful expression. After staring at it for a long time, she put down her book and resignedly took the medicine bowl, gulping down the liquid in one breath. The urge to vomit surged up again.

Seeing this, Ning Dong immediately brought a small piece of fruit preserve she had prepared earlier to her mouth and helped her eat it. This masked the bitterness of the medicine, forcing her to swallow it down. If she had spit it out, the medicine would have been wasted.

Qing Qiu took the empty bowl from her hand and, seeing her furrowed brows, asked with concern, "Madam, are you alright"

Meng Jinyo ate the candied fruit, the sweetness dispelled most of the bitterness, and the medicinal taste lingering between her taste buds dissipated somewhat. She felt much better instantly and shook her head slightly: "It's fine.

Ning Dong looked at her like this, his heart ached with pity. He said thankfully, "Thankfully you didn't decline back then, and didn't take over the managing of the estate. Otherwise, you would be busy exhausting your energy and tiring your mind while also taking medicine, and your body is already frail, that medicine would have been for nothing. Now that there are no worldly affairs tying you down, you only need to manage the Marquis's private assets and your own dowry. With more free time, you can recuperate well."

Meng Jinyao smiled and said, "At the time, I wasn't thinking that much. I just thought that life had been too tense before, and I didn't want to tire myself out too much. I wanted to relax a bit. Life as a wealthy and carefree person is pretty good."

At this time, Xia Zhu came in to report, saying: “Madam, the Fourth Master has returned, and Young Master Meng Er has also come.”

As soon as he said that, Meng Jin Yao's eyes lit up with joy. She knew the vacation dates for Ling Shan Academy and guessed that they would be returning today or tomorrow. She didn't expect her second brother to come back so quickly.

Meng Chengzhang had just arrived at Weiruixuan when he saw his elder sister preparing to go out. Seeing him, she quickly walked up and greeted him warmly.

He replied, “Big sister, don't worry, I'm fine.”

Meng Jin Yao nodded. "That's good, it's cold outside, let's go inside and talk."

Meng Chengzhang smelled a faint scent of medicine on her, his brows furrowed immediately. He asked nervously, "Big sister, are you sick"

Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyang's footsteps faltered for a moment before she lightly replied, "No, where would I have the energy if I were sick Haven't I always been feeling cold The doctor said my qi and blood are deficient, so I'm just taking some medicine to replenish them."

Meng Chengzhang was finally at ease. After entering the house, he took the initiative to tell his elder sister: “Elder sister, this year’s annual exam, I got first class. The teacher said that my current level can participate in next year’s academy exam.”

Meng Jinyao, upon hearing this, broke into a smile: "Since Master has said so, then we'll give it a try next year. Who knows, maybe our Meng family will produce the top student next year!"

Meng Chengzhang replied: "Elder sister, the top spot is probably out of reach, but the middle scholar should be possible."

Meng Jiny Yao said: "Next year, the second younger brother will only be fourteen. It's very excellent to be a Xiucai at fourteen."

During their casual chat, Meng Jin Yao learned that her younger brother hadn't returned home yet. So she came over to see her first. Her heart was touched, and she thought of her family affairs. She added, "By the way, father is planning to remarry. Now he is looking for a stepmother for us. I don't know who's daughter he will finally choose. Just be mentally prepared.

Meng Chengzhang was surprised: "That matter only happened not long ago, and father is already looking for a new wife"

Meng Jinyao nodded and said, "Sun's family died in September, and he found a matchmaker in October."

Upon hearing this, Meng Chengzhang fell silent. His father and Sun had been husband and wife for over a decade, appearing affectionate on the surface. In the end, there wasn't even a shred of affection left between them. This cold and selfish nature was completely at odds with his grandfather.y loyal to an evil woman like Mrs. Sun The family still needs a mistress to manage things, and there are children who need raising."Lo Yung-an fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What was Ah Yao's...