jdhmnovel Chapter 171 Countermeasures
Chapter 171 Countermeasures
Grandma Yu: "I understand. Even when I go out, I'll carry a stick with me. If she dares to come any closer, I'll beat her to death! As for you, you used to be so submissive to her, letting her have her way with everything. Now, you can't keep going along with her, or you'll end up pushing your brother and Han-ge into the fire!"
In fact, when Meng abandoned her husband and children, the old lady was even somewhat pleased.
She had long since given up on having a daughter-in-law like that. She only tolerated it for Yu Han's sake; otherwise, she might have already told her son to divorce her.
Yu Han's mother was lazy, gluttonous, and petty. Furthermore, she lacked respect for her mother-in-law, care for her husband, and maternal love for her child. Fortunately, it was a son; if it had been a daughter, she probably wouldn't have even bothered to hold her when she cried.
Such a woman, who abandoned her husband and children, naturally brought Old Mrs. Yu joy and delight amidst her grief. Now, this woman, after her second marriage, still wants to harass her son and reconcile with him. How could that be possible? It's absolutely impossible. Even if her son were willing, Old Mrs. Yu would never agree!
Thinking of her former self, Madam Yu blushed instantly: "Mother, look at what you're saying! I'm not the same person I used to be! I've changed a lot since I was exiled to the Northwest, and you know that. If Madam Meng treated Han-ge'er well, I could be a little more polite to her for the sake of the child. However, she never really cared about Han-ge'er before, so I don't need to worry about her at all. If she dares to cause trouble at the General's Mansion, I'll beat her with a broom until she never dares to come near the General's Mansion again!"
Grandma Yu: "I hope you keep your word. With your temperament, I'm really a little worried. You should be soft-hearted depending on who you're dealing with. There's absolutely no need for you to be soft-hearted or pity someone like her! You must remember, your brother's future absolutely cannot be ruined by someone like that! If you're soft-hearted, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble for your brother and Han'er. You must remember my words!"
Madam Yu: "Mother, I understand. I won't pay any attention to that Meng woman. If I can't keep my word, then you can hit me!"
Grandma Yu: "You better remember your words! If you don't keep them, I'll really hit you! And I'll hit you in front of my son-in-law and Han-ge'er! Zisu, you be my witness, so your mother won't say I'm bullying her!"
Zisu couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, Grandma, I'll be your witness!"
To be honest, she was also a little worried about her mother, afraid that if that Meng woman cried and made a fuss, her mother would soften and bring her into the family. You see, before she was ten years old, her mother always suffered when she was with Meng woman. Compared to the cunning and eloquent Meng woman, her mother was an incredibly naive person.
As evening fell, Yu Zhe and Shangguan Mufeng returned together.
Upon hearing Zisu's words, Yu Zhe was immediately furious: "That shameless woman blocked my way at the yamen gate a few days ago. I talked to her for ages, clearly telling her that I would never want her again, and that Han-ge'er no longer has this mother. Yet, she still went to the General's Mansion! How despicable, utterly despicable!"
Grandma Yu stamped her foot and said, "What? She's already come to see you? Why didn't you tell me? Oh dear, you should at least have told me so I could be prepared! This time, she went to see your older sister first. If she had come to see me first, I would have been terrified."
Yu Zhe: "Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong. I originally thought she wasn't shameless enough to come to your house or to see my older brother. I never imagined she would be so shameless! We never realized she could be so shameless before."
Grandma Yu said, "I knew she was shameless a long time ago, but you just didn't believe it at the time." She had told her son a long time ago that Meng was not a good person, but her son didn't take it to heart and thought she was exaggerating.
Yu Zhe: "Alright, Mother, please don't be angry. I know I was wrong. Please rest assured, Mother, I will never pay any attention to that Meng woman. Even if I randomly picked someone off the street to marry, I would never let her step into the Yu family's doorstep!"
Grandma Yu: "Alright, since you say so, then I'm relieved! Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to eat tonight. Zisu, you must keep a close watch on Han-ge'er. Absolutely do not let her get close to Han-ge'er, and do not let her have the opportunity to spread rumors or distort the truth with him!"
Zisu: "Grandma, I know. I'll send Pan Kang to Wuliping first thing tomorrow morning. Don't worry, Grandma. I'll have Shen Laihui instruct the academy's gatekeepers not to see any strangers looking for Han'er and Yi'er, and to kick them out of Wuliping!"
Grandma Yu: "That's good, I'm relieved! In a few days, you should go back to Wuliping, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to eat or sleep properly."
Zisu: "Okay, I'll go back in three days. The day after tomorrow, I'll be attending the flower festival hosted by the Princess."
Grandma Yu: "Oh dear, I was so confused. You're fifteen years old now, you should be attending flower shows more often and choosing a good young man!"
Yu Zhe: "There's no need to rush. Han'er is eight years old now, a big girl. Some time ago, after I heard that Meng Shi had divorced again, I consciously told Han'er why her mother divorced me back then. Although Han'er is only eight years old, she was raised by Zisu and has experienced so much hardship, so she is a precocious child."
I believe he has a strong sense of right and wrong and won't be swayed by Meng! Zisu is a grown woman now; she can't stay in that mountain village of Wuliping forever. She needs to broaden her horizons and make more close friends. I think Zisu should stay in the capital for a while longer this time and not rush back to Wuliping!
Shen Laihui and Xia Tian are here, and Xiang Li is here too. Dealing with a shameless Meng Shi is no problem at all! Besides, let's take this opportunity to properly train Han'er, so that he won't be in trouble one day when Meng Shi suddenly blocks his way down the street! If Meng Shi were to shout in the street, Han'er, as her son, wouldn't be able to hit or scold her—that would be real trouble!
Most importantly, Zisu needs to introduce herself to more ladies and young women in the capital. Otherwise, if she still doesn't want to be with Prince Duan and Fang Heng in the future, her marriage will be in trouble.
Yu said, "How about this, I'll go to Wuliping with Pan Kang tomorrow!"
Zisu quickly reassured her, "There's no need for that. I'll go back to Wuliping as soon as possible. Who will take care of Father after Mother leaves? I'm Princess Yulin, and many people know me. Don't worry about not being able to get married!"
Yu Zhe: "You little rascal, how old are you? Still saying things like that, aren't you afraid people will laugh at you!"
Zisu: "Isn't this just saying that in front of you guys, I'm a proper lady in front of outsiders!"
Shangguan Mufeng tugged at her hair, his face full of kind smile.
Mrs. Yu was deeply moved: "You child, you are so good to your father! Oh, why don't you ever think of having your father take care of me?"
Zisu: "Mom, Dad takes care of you, but you have to be willing to do it yourself! Every time Dad says he'll massage your shoulders, you act like you've seen a ghost."
Yu smiled and poked her cheek with her hand: "You're so naughty, when did I ever say such a thing?"
Zisu: "Don't deny it, I've heard it several times! Otherwise, why would I say that if you leave, Dad will have no one to take care of him?" This mother is a typical virtuous wife and loving mother, taking excellent care of her husband.
Grandma Yu smiled with relief. Her daughter and son-in-law were living happily together, and her heart was filled with sweetness, making her happier than anyone else. In the past, when she heard that her son-in-law had died for his country, her daughter was heartbroken and devastated. Fortunately, the clouds had parted and the sun had set, and her daughter's suffering had finally come to an end. With Zisu being so capable and filial, her daughter wouldn't have to worry about the rest of her life.
The two families hadn't gathered together like this in a long time. The dinner table was filled with laughter and chatter, and everyone disregarded the rule of "not talking while eating." Where there's Zisu, there's bound to be laughter. Especially Grandma Yu, who couldn't stop smiling.
After the meal, everyone drank tea and chatted together.
Zisu whispered a few words to Madam Yu.
Madam Yu looked at Yu Zhe and said earnestly, "Second brother, you should hurry up and find a good girl and get married! Once you're married, Meng will stop bothering you! Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause!"
Grandma Yu nodded in agreement: "That's right, you're not in a hurry, but I am! Our Yu family has only had one son for three generations, and you're only twenty-seven, still very young! Take advantage of your youth and hurry up and get married. If you get married now, you can still marry a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. If you wait any longer, your pool of choices will narrow down, and you won't be able to marry a proper family's legitimate daughter!"
Madam Yu said, "We cannot marry a concubine's daughter. Most of them have learned the seductive tricks of their aunts. Moreover, they have learned those insidious methods, and they will surely bring disaster to Han'er in the future! If you are to marry, marry a legitimate daughter, even if she is from a merchant family!"
Zisu: "Mother, don't worry. Uncle is now a second-rank official. It's very easy for him to marry the legitimate daughter of a fifth or sixth-rank official!" Uncle is only twenty-seven years old. In the future world, a man like that would still be very young.
Shangguan Mufeng: "Zisu is right. There's no need to rush. We need to take our time in choosing. My dear wife, you should attend more social events during this period to help your husband find a good girl who is excellent in every way! Just like Zisu said, even if she's from a merchant family, it's fine. But she can't be an illegitimate daughter!"
Shangguan Mufeng also disliked illegitimate daughters. Many people wanted to give them to him as concubines, but he sternly refused. In other words, in many people's eyes and minds, illegitimate daughters were no different from lowly concubines, people who could be given away. It's clear how low the status of an illegitimate daughter was. To survive, illegitimate daughters would inevitably learn from their birth mothers and adopt some very low-class methods.
Yu Zhe: "I understand. I will not marry a concubine's daughter, not even a simple and kind farm girl. There are good concubine's daughters, but most of them are probably not presentable. If I marry a troublemaker, that would be terrible!"
While everyone was drinking tea and chatting, Zisu drew a portrait of Meng Shi: "Uncle, do you think this painting looks like Meng Shi?"
Yu Zhe took it and looked at it: "Hmm, not bad, it looks about seven or eight parts like her! Oh my, Zisu, when did you learn to draw portraits?"
Zisu: "Uncle, I learned it in my dream!"
Yu Zhe couldn't help but laugh: "You learned it in your dream? Don't tease your uncle, how could you learn to draw portraits in a dream?"
The others also looked unconvinced.
Zisu looked around and, seeing no servants, lowered her voice: "Uncle, you know what, I really learned it in a dream. Let me tell you, back when I was in the Marquis's mansion, someone pushed me into a lake, and I fell seriously ill and was unconscious for a day. In my unconscious state, I met an old immortal in my dream. He gave me some guidance and showed me many new and wonderful books."
Otherwise, how would I know that coal can burn? And how would I know that sweet potatoes and potatoes are good things, and how to grow them? Also, so many recipes and dessert recipes came from books I read in my dreams!
"Oh my, my granddaughter, it turns out she was enlightened by a deity!" Grandma Yu couldn't help but exclaim softly, her face full of excitement and joy.
Madam Yu exclaimed in surprise, "No wonder! I feel that ever since she recovered from her illness, she has become so strong and sensible! Oh, thank God, thank the old immortal, thank the Bodhisattva! At that time, it was fortunate that Zisu was enlightened by the immortal, otherwise, Yi'er and I would probably have been killed!"