Zong Wenxiu shook his head: "I'm not angry anymore. It's your strength to be good at comforting people, and it's my weakness to be easily comforted. You're not at fault, and I shouldn't blame you."
"Is... is that so?" This compliment made the little devil feel uneasy, wondering if his brother was heartbroken.
Zong Wenxiu said earnestly, "I understand Madam's actions. She exposed you not to deliberately oppose you, but to remind me to learn from you, to learn how you skillfully avoid the main issue when comforting someone."
"Ah?" The little devil was completely baffled.
Thinking about such complex matters was too taxing on the brain. Since his brother was no longer angry with him, the little devil quickly forgot about it.
"Come, brother, have some pastries."
"Alright."
Xu Wan entered and bowed, greeting her scoundrel of a father.
On the day she returned home after her wedding, Minister Xu had said he was busy at the Ministry of Justice and couldn't come back. Today, for Xu Lian'er's return, he arrived early, seemingly getting along well with his son-in-law. Thinking about it now, it was truly ironic.
However, she had never expected to receive paternal love from her scoundrel father, so she simply smiled faintly and sat down, listening to their conversation.
The new son-in-law took the initiative to greet her: "You must be the elder sister, right?"
Xu Wan was wearing a green dress today, a shade that was neither too dark nor too light. It was neither too formal to overshadow her sister nor too casual to appear disrespectful. Paired with her calm and composed demeanor, she looked elegant and graceful.
What a fine young lady, yet she had married into the Yangyuan Marquis Manor and became a widow.
Xu Wan nodded in response: "Brother-in-law."
She was also feeling uneasy, thinking that Chen Yunyu must indeed hold a grudge against her. If Duke Jin's Manor really caused trouble for her, retaliating would delay her efforts to educate the little devil, but enduring without retaliation would be truly frustrating...
Just as she was pondering how to resolve the crisis, she saw Chen Yunyu approach with a plate of pastries and say, "This is the Seven-Flavored Pastry, which is extremely hard to come by in the Capital City. Lian'er brought some back today. Would you like to try it, sister?"
Xu Wan smiled, accepted it with thanks, and took a small bite, thinking that even if Chen Yunyu had poisoned it, such a small amount shouldn't cause much harm.
Seeing that as soon as Xu Wan arrived, Chen Yunyu not only stopped talking to her father but also personally served her pastries, Xu Lian'er immediately felt displeased.
She said sarcastically, "Husband, although the Seven-Flavored Pastry is expensive, the Yangyuan Marquis Manor comes from a merchant background and is never short of money. They must have eaten it often."
Xu Wan was wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.
Here it comes, she knew this visit wouldn't go smoothly.
She really couldn't understand why Xu Lian'er couldn't just focus on her own affairs and stop causing trouble for others.
Did she know that her husband had kept a mistress before their marriage?
Had she established her position in Duke Jin's Manor?
If she had nothing better to do, why not read a few pages and prepare to educate her future children?
Xu Lian'er continued to make such remarks, and just as Xu Wan was about to retaliate, Chen Yunyu spoke up first and scolded, "Lian'er, how can you speak to your elder sister like that?"
Xu Wan: "?"
Was the sky raining red?
Family members were turning against each other?
This newlywed couple didn't seem to be on the same page.
Good, at least they wouldn't have time to cause trouble for her and waste her time.
Xu Wan sat and watched the show as Chen Yunyu began to reprimand Xu Lian'er, saying she was disrespectful to her elder sister and not as obedient as she was in Duke Jin's Manor.
Every word of his reprimand struck a chord with Xu Wan, making her want to stand up and applaud, saying, "Well said!"
Chen Yunyu didn't seem foolish, no wonder he had managed to keep his affair with a mistress so well hidden and was favored by many noble ladies in the Capital City.
It seemed Xu Lian'er was in for a rough time, with both her mother-in-law and husband not as easy to fool as her scoundrel father.
"Alright, Lian'er was indeed in the wrong today. Go apologize to your sister," Minister Xu finally spoke, though his expression was grim.
Xu Lian'er was aggrieved, but seeing her husband angry and her father displeased, she quickly came over to apologize: "Sister, it was my fault. I made you angry. Please forgive me."
Xu Wan rolled her eyes inwardly, thinking that even her apology was a trap. Who was she making angry? Clearly, it was her husband who was more upset.
But she didn't want to waste time on Xu Lian'er, so she pretended to be graceful and magnanimous, replying, "It's fine, sister isn't angry with you."
Seeing this, Chen Yunyu's expression improved slightly, and he added, "Sister, I apologize. In the future, I will make sure Lian'er treats you with respect."
Xu Wan let out an awkward laugh.
Thinking to herself, why should she be respectful to me? I'm not her mother.
Minister Xu couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Lian'er, take Yunyu for a walk in the garden. I have something to discuss with your sister."
"Alright." Xu Lian'er was secretly pleased.
She knew her father doted on her the most, and this time he was surely going to give Xu Wan a hard time.
She pulled Chen Yunyu out, but noticed him glance back at Xu Wan, which immediately made her suspicious.
Only the two of them were left in the room.
Minister Xu's face grew even longer, and he angrily scolded, "Today is your sister's return banquet, and you just watched her make a fool of herself?"
Xu Wan thought to herself, as expected of her scoundrel father, always taking sides.
She smiled and asked, "Father, wasn't it Lian'er who started the trouble? Wasn't it my brother-in-law who scolded her? I was just here to make up the numbers. What does this have to do with me?"
Minister Xu said, "When Lian'er and Yunyu were arguing, why didn't you say anything? If you had spoken up to smooth things over, Yunyu wouldn't have gotten so angry."
"Father, I don't have the ability to predict when my brother-in-law will get angry. Speaking of which, you seem to have thought it through the most and must be able to predict. Why didn't you stop it?" Xu Wan retorted.
Minister Xu was once again left speechless, his face visibly darkening. He said, "After managing the household at the Marquis Manor for a few months, you've started putting on airs here? Let me remind you, this is the Minister's Mansion, not your Yangyuan Marquis Manor."
"Of course, I know this isn't the Yangyuan Marquis Manor," Xu Wan said. "If this were the Marquis Manor, the old madam would have punished my sister by making her copy books, slap her hands, or kneel in the ancestral hall, not just a simple apology. And she certainly wouldn't blame the victim here."
"Father, if you don't care for me, someone else will."
In this world, not all relatives are bound by blood. Her biased and unreasonable scoundrel of a father wasn't even worth a finger compared to her mother-in-law.
"You... you... how dare you talk back to your elders..." Minister Xu picked up a long box from the table and hurled it at her.
Xu Wan stood firm, showing no fear in her eyes.
The long box flew through the air, heading straight for her face. If it hit, it would surely leave a wound.
But how could she let him succeed?
Cui Liu swiftly extended her arm and struck the long box, sending it flying back toward Minister Xu's face!
