and Gu Xuan Ling, the second daughter of the concubine, arguing about something unknown.They were both fifteen years old, one with a proud expression on her face and the other timid and fearful. The...Seeing that she remained silent, Yang began to appeal to her sense of familial duty: "Sister, you're Berjun's only aunt. You must help him out, you know No one else will help him if you don't. Your older brother and I are both useless, and our family is barely making ends meet. We might not even be able to afford him a decent wedding."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun felt a bit heavyhearted, but unusually, she refused politely and stated directly: “Sister-in-law, you may not know, the Earl's Mansion is now struggling to make ends meet. Don't look at how well-off our family seems now; we're just barely holding on.”

Seeing Yang's face was pale and she seemed to disbelieve her words, she had much to say but couldn't. Her younger brother died young, leaving only one brother-in-law she could rely on. If her brother were still alive, their family wouldn't have fallen into such decline, and she would have another pillar of support.

Fortunately, her elder brother and sister-in-law were still kind to her. With the Sun family in such a state, her sister-in-law even argued with Meng Jin Yao, that little shrew, for her sake. She couldn't afford to have estrangement from her own family.

After a while, she added, "Sister-in-law, let me think of a way."

Yang, upon hearing this, immediately beamed with joy: "Ah, sister, your kindness towards Brother Jun will surely be remembered by him. If he passes the autumn imperial examination this year and becomes a scholar next year, entering official service in the capital, our Sun family will gradually improve. In the future, we can also ask Brother Jun to help his cousin Chengxing, so that our two families support each other and will eventually prosper together."

A smile appeared on Mrs. Sun's face. She didn't have any dowry now, and her children weren't successful yet. If her daughter married a good family, she could get some help, but now there was no progress on her daughter's marriage.

Her husband had grown tired of her, and the only people she could rely on were her brother-in-law and sister-in-law. If her nephew turned out successful, her life in her husband's family would surely be better.

She's figured it out recently, men are all about novelty. They get bored easily.

Years ago, Meng Dong was so in love with her that he even concealed the truth about Zhou's death for her. Now, because she sold his beloved concubine, he accuses her of jealousy and argues with her fiercely.

Back then, she didn't like Meng Dongyuan's concubine. She thought she was a flirt and directly found an excuse to sell her off. Meng Dongyuan even said he liked the way she got jealous, saying jealousy meant she cared about him.

Now everything is different. The same thing, the same approach, yet it yields drastically different results.

If Meng Dongyuan knew how the son of that wretched woman, Du Shi, died, would Meng Dongyuan...

Sun Shi frowned slightly, she didn't dare to think further, and secretly hated Du's (Du Shi) restless spirit for haunting her every night, preventing her from sleeping.

-

On the other side, Meng Jin Yao and her family of three went to Rongfu Hall to pay their respects to Old Madam Meng, then they didn't stay long and headed back home.

When Madam Meng, the original matriarch, learned that her eldest granddaughter had come to pay respects, she planned to give her a good scolding. Unexpectedly, she saw Gu Jingxi and Gu Xiuming. No matter how displeased she was with her eldest granddaughter for not helping her family, she couldn't say anything unpleasant.

On a horse-drawn carriage.

Meng Jiny Yao listened to the rising and falling shouts from outside. She lifted a hand to open the window curtain, peering out to see the various trinkets being sold by the street vendors lining the road.

Suddenly, Gu Jingxi's voice rang out beside her: "Madam, weren't they even crueler to you before"

Meng Jin Yao was taken aback, then lowered the curtain and turned to look at him, shaking her head gently: "Yang shi has never spoken to me so sharply. She always acts with a gentle manner and puts pressure on me, but it seems fair to treat both me and Meng Jin Yu. Anyway, it's just annoying. Of course, that was also because I used to be more docile, she didn't have the chance to speak to me so harshly."

After all, if she rashly clashed with the Yang family, she would be the one to suffer. No one would help her. If her grandmother found out, she would punish her directly. Even if she was in the right, her grandmother could say that she was disrespectful to her elders and deserved severe punishment.

Her second younger brother, Chengzhang, would feel sorry for her and sometimes even pleaded with their grandmother on her behalf after she was punished. However, the consequences were either that he also got punished, or he received a scolding, or she was punished even more severely. So, later on, her second brother stopped pleading for her out of fear that she would be punished even harder.

Gu Jingxi was a little puzzled: "You're not the isolated Miss Meng anymore. You are now the daughter-in-law of the Gu family, with the support of the Gu family. She shouldn't be worried about these things Why would she still come to bother you"

Meng Jin Yao raised a knowing smile. “There’s a reason she did this. She hit a wall here today, but she’ll find other benefits elsewhere. Do you believe me”

Gu Jingxi was stunned: "What's the benefit"

Meng Jin Yao let out a light laugh, mockingly saying: “My good stepmother would give her benefits, the kind that could compensate for her humiliation today.”

She had already discovered this problem. If Yang allowed her to be wronged, her stepmother would be happy. When she was happy, she would also take the initiative to give benefits to her family. Yang probably understood her stepmother's thoughts and knew that her stepmother disliked her.

Gu Jingxi seemed thoughtful.

Meng Jinyang remained calm and composed, saying leisurely, "It's nothing, take it slow. I have plenty of time. The Yongchang Marquis's mansion wouldn't have my mother's dowry to support it without her dowry. Now that the Sun family has no dowry of their own, if they want to help their natal family, they have to use the assets of the Marquis's mansion. What do you think my father would do if he found out one day"

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi asked in return, "Sun Shi doesn't seem like a fool. She probably wouldn't do something like that, would she"

No, she will

Meng Jinyao's voice was firm, a faint smile playing on her lips as she continued, "The Sun family has no dowry now, and besides, she is aging and losing her allure. Her haggard and listless appearance would even scare the dead. My father's affection for her is dwindling, and he doesn't even visit her room anymore. Meng Chengxing is only twelve years old, and Meng Jinyu's marriage hasn't been arranged yet. These two children are not yet grown enough to be her support, so why would she abandon her natal family Besides, the Sun family has always treated her natal family well."

Gu Jingxi listened and nodded knowingly: “It seems everything is within your mistress's expectations.”

Meng Jin Yao blinked and humbly said, "It can't be said that way. It's just that things are developing in the direction I want. To get a satisfactory result, I still need to push behind the scenes."

Gu Jingxi raised an eyebrow: "So, Madam already has a plan"

Meng Jin Yao honestly nodded: "After seeing the state of Mrs. Sun today, I have a plan."

Gu Jingxi saw the smile on her lips, her eyes curved into crescent moons, with confidence radiating from her every feature. She looked like she had everything under control, and the corner of his own lips also lifted in a smile.

His young wife was a patient and intelligent woman. She was assertive, insightful, but also insecure. When faced with challenges, she would become timid, hesitant, and indecisive, only daring to probe rather than take real action. She strived for careful planning, only moving forward when she felt completely confident.

For a moment, he said, "My wife, there are things you can let go and try. If you fail, I'll be here."

This is a test.

As an aside, I saw someone asking: "Is the male lead really that bad"

The author smiled meaningfully, “Can the male lead do anything”

The male lead's past injury that left him with a hidden ailment is true. And it can be cured, too.

The male and female leads develop feelings for each other over time. This story is a warm, everyday slice-of-life romance. Their love grows gradually, blossoming from small, everyday interactions. The author is working hard to bring the two leads together, and there are already signs that their love may blossom.leave. She hurriedly ordered the maid to prepare water for a bath. After bathing, she went straight to bed but couldn't fall asleep no matter what. After a long time, she heard movement outside, so sh...