Chapter Fifty-One: The Wife is Domineering
grees to it too."Meng Jin Yao asked in a soft voice, "Indeed, you are stubborn. Your father had no choice but to agree, but how do those people outside speak of our Gu family Have you paid any attenti...Sun's whole person was in shock, his emotions were evident, that unwilling face was undisguised.
Meng Dong looked far ahead, then immediately frowned and asked with an unpleasant expression: "Madam, don't you want to"
Sun came back to her senses, facing her husband and mother-in-law's domineering attitude, she stammered, "Husband, this, this dowry is my personal property, how can...how can I use my dowry to make up for it"
Listening to this, the words both spoken and unspoken were filled with reluctance. Madam Meng's face darkened as she retorted, "Sun, since you have married into Lord Yongchang's manor, you are a member of Lord Yongchang's family. How can members of the same family speak ill of each other"
Sun shi choked up, thinking to herself that Zhou shi had also married into Yongchang Bo Fu, she was also a member of Yongchang Bo Fu. How could Zhou shi's dowry be allowed to be taken away by Meng Jin Yao, that little shrew
"Is she the woman who was forced to marry under pressure from her father Meng Dongyuan saw Sun's face full of grievance, and softened his voice: "Madam, this is also a last resort. After our Yongchang Bo Mansion recovers, we will definitely compensate you. If we take all the silver from the mansion, our family will be even more struggling."
Sun Shi fell silent, knowing that as the daughter-in-law of the Meng family, she would have to live there for the rest of her life. She had already lost the hearts of her husband and mother-in-law, and life in the future would surely be difficult. If her husband took a few more beautiful concubines, it would be even harder for her.
After much deliberation, Mrs. Sun endured her grievances and managed to squeeze out a wry smile, nodding in agreement: “Alright, I will follow my husband and mother’s wishes. After all, we are family, and we shouldn’t dwell too much on these matters. It was just that I was being narrow-minded earlier.”
Lady Meng nodded in satisfaction: "It's good that you think this way. When Chengzhang and Chengxing take the imperial examinations and enter officialdom in a few years, our family's life will improve." She paused, gritted her teeth, and said, "It's not too late to avenge our past humiliation then.
Sun Shi listened, and her eyes also lit up. When her son Cheng Xing passed the imperial examinations and became a jinshi, there would be a day when he could hold his head high. Meng Jin Yao, that little shrew, wouldn't have children, and who knows how miserable she would be in the future.
Old Madam Meng urged again, “These days, you mustn't go out. Ah Yu too, don't go out unless it's necessary. Wait until the wind passes before going out.”
Mrs. Sun nodded in agreement, she didn't need her mother-in-law to remind her. She wouldn't be going out anytime soon. Going out meant exposing herself to others and letting them ridicule her at will. Just thinking about Meng Jin Yao's triumphant smirk made her gnash her teeth with anger.
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Changxing Houfu.
Meng Jinyao was in a good mood. She even ate half a bowl of extra rice at noon. When she put down her chopsticks, she let out an unladylike burp. Seeing Gu Jingxi look up at her, she raised a faint smile.
For some reason, she always felt Gu Jingxi was making fun of her. She blushed, visibly red in the cheeks, pursed her lips and averted her gaze, pretending to be dead.
Gu Jingxi heard about what happened this morning. Seeing that she was in a good mood, he teased her, saying, "Madam, you have quite an appetite today."
Meng Jin yao glanced at him and nodded. "Well, it's pretty good, and I'm in a pretty good mood."
Gu Jingxi chuckled softly. He could tell that the little girl was walking with wind in her steps now, clearly showing how happy she was.
Meng Jinyao frowned: "Why are you laughing, husband"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Madam is indeed different from others. She lives so transparently. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't be able to eat now."
“Without expectations, there will be no disappointment,” Meng Jingyao said softly. When she was still a child, she had expected it and tried to please them. But after being repeatedly rejected, she understood that no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn't gain the love of her father and grandmother. So she stopped expecting anything and treated them as familiar strangers.”
Gu Jingxi was silent for a moment, looking at her with a gaze that held a touch of the pity an elder feels for a hapless younger generation.
Meng Jinyao met Gu Jingxi's gaze, and both fell silent. She didn't need to look at her with those eyes, making her want to call out: Uncle Gu.
She's actually not pitiful. At least she's never gone hungry, she's much luckier than the little beggars on the street.
Life is full of ups and downs, nothing can go perfectly as planned. If you want to live a happy life, you need to adjust your expectations based on reality. When you don't have the warmth of family, you can aim for basic necessities like food and shelter. Once those are met, you'll find contentment within yourself.
For a moment, she withdrew her gaze and said, "I've finished eating. Husband, please continue." She then rose to her feet and left the table.
Meng Jinyáo returned to her inner room and casually flipped through the ledgers of her mother's dowry, land, and accounts. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a sandalwood box next to it. It was given to her by Gu Jingxi and contained bank notes, warehouse keys, and some other private assets entrusted to her for management.
After a while, Gu Jingxi came in. Seeing her holding the wooden box and staring blankly, as if deep in thought, he walked over to her and asked curiously, "What's wrong, my wife"
Meng Jin Yao looked up at him and handed him the wooden box, saying, "Husband, I'm not short of money now, so I'm returning this to you."
Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback, then replied, "Madam has silver, it belongs to Madam. I'm not so poor that I can't even support my wife. Who would allow their wife to rely on her dowry after marriage Madam's silver can be deposited in a money house to earn interest, or she can do some small business like other ladies to pass the time. As for my private property, Madam should take care of it first and gain experience. In the future, she will have experience managing the Houfu's finances."
He spoke softly, with an air of self-importance, as if it were simply a matter of duty and trust between a husband and wife, nothing more than that. There was no question of romance involved.
When Meng Jingyao heard him say "managing the Hou Mansion's accounts," she was slightly taken aback. Then, she quickly recalled that after the three branches of the family split up, as Gu Jingxi's wife, she should be in charge of managing the "accounts." She accepted the responsibility of handling Gu Jingxi's private property. After the split, this property would become common property, and she would eventually have to manage it.
Just...
She thought of the thirty thousand taels of silver bills and hesitantly asked, "Husband, you gave me all the money, so how will you entertain guests"
Gu Jingxi looked at her with strange eyes: "Who said I gave you all the money"
Meng Jin Yao was stunned: "Husband, you have private money"
Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow playfully and retorted, "Could it be that a husband can't have some private money My wife is quite domineering, managing even this"
Look at how she's talking, as if she were some ferocious tigress.
Meng Jin Yao instantly blushed, her face full of discomfort. How could she possibly manage Gu Jing Xi She shook her head repeatedly, explaining: "That's not what I meant. I was just asking if my husband still has money on hand to spend. Since my husband has money, then I can feel at ease accepting this silver note."
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "I have something to do outside. Let's talk later." Then he went to get a piece of clothing, changed behind the screen, and left the room.
Today's weather is nice, it's indeed a good day to go out.
Meng Jin Yao rested for a while, and also instructed someone to prepare a carriage, taking Ning Dong and Qing Qiu out.and try them.""Will Xuan Ling still cook"Meng Jin Yao was very surprised. Even though she was a neglected daughter, she didn't need to cook by herself, so she couldn't cook or make sweets.Chen smiled...