NCCnovel Chapter 142 The Son-in-Law Has Arrived!
Chapter 142 The Son-in-Law Has Arrived!
Mu Xin Nuan frowned slightly. Liu Haiye is here?
A year ago, the father finally couldn't go against the old lady's wishes. She kept using the excuse of missing her daughter and not being able to eat, and he finally managed to use some connections to get Liu Haiye transferred to the capital.
However, this position didn't offer much of a promotion; it was more of a lateral transfer. Even so, the entire Liu family was extremely happy, not for any other reason than that their family would now have a permanent home in the capital.
The Liu family had no property in the capital, let alone a mansion! Originally, Mu Changqing's idea was to move to the Mu residence for a while before buying a house after finding one he liked, but the old lady of the Liu family was unwilling.
She knew about the Mu family's wealth, but precisely because of this, she felt that if she were to face the old lady of the Mu family, the difference in their social status would be immediately apparent, and she didn't want to lose face in front of her in-laws.
Left with no other choice, her father had to pull some strings and rent a two-courtyard house, which consisted of a front yard and a back yard. Because the house wasn't very big, Liu Xiuxiu and her brother Liu Zhuangzhuang continued to live in the Mu residence, so their two-courtyard house didn't seem so small after all.
Mu Xin Nuan smiled and casually placed a pearl flower in Tingting's hair. "Every time I give you jewelry, you never wear it. I don't know what you're thinking. You're thirteen now, why don't you know how to dress yourself up?"
Liu Tingting blushed. "My elder sister always criticizes me, but don't you also go without makeup?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xin Nuan raised an eyebrow and said, "You deserve a beating! You've started talking back now."
The three of them laughed together in the room.
"Alright, Zhuangzhuang, take the couplet you wrote. Let's go to Rongyuan together. Now that your uncle has come, you, as his children, should go and pay your respects."
"Yes, eldest sister."
Since moving in three years ago, the siblings have become increasingly accustomed to calling her "elder sister." Everyone in the Mu household has grown used to it; considering Mu Xin Nuan is the eldest, calling her "elder sister" isn't unreasonable. Although it's slightly against protocol, the old lady is pleased to see her granddaughter and grandson so close to Mu Xin Nuan.
What the old lady had her eye on was naturally the General's Mansion behind Mu Xin Nuan.
"By the way, where is my second sister?"
"Oh, my second cousin said she wasn't feeling well and went straight back to the courtyard to rest. When we were learning needlework together today, I noticed her cough a few times; perhaps her throat was sore."
It's strange how Liu Tingting and her brother always addressed Mu Xinnuan as "elder sister," but always called Mu Xinyao "second cousin." It wasn't that Mu Xinyao treated them differently; it's just that they always felt Mu Xinyao was too clever. How so? If we're talking about intelligence, they all thought Mu Xinnuan was the smartest, but Mu Xinyao seemed to have a penchant for using her cleverness in subtle ways!
Because of this, Liu Tingting couldn't help but want to stay away from her. Liu Zhuangzhuang, on the other hand, was almost the same as Mu Qingyuan; he simply felt that this older sister always exuded a kind of warmth that made people feel attracted to her.
When the group arrived at Rongyuan, they stood in the corridor. A maidservant went in to announce their arrival and then hurriedly invited the three of them inside.
"Anuan, come, sit here with your grandmother."
"Yes, grandmother."
Mu Changchun and Liu Haiye then looked directly at their two children.
“Father, this is the couplet I composed today. My teacher kept praising how well I composed it.”
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Liu Haiye immediately became interested, opened it to take a look, and sure enough, he broke into a smile.
"Hmm, it's well written. However, you can't be arrogant. Remember, learning is a lifelong process. Understand?"
"Yes, father."
Mu Xin Nuan sat quietly to the side, trying to minimize her presence. To be honest, she really couldn't feel any goodwill towards Liu Haiye. Three years ago, although she had managed to get rid of Madam He and even made things difficult for that illegitimate daughter, Liu Haiye himself was unsure whether this daughter was truly his own flesh and blood.
Fortunately, Mu Changchun was soft-hearted, and in recent years, she hadn't bullied Liu Furong too much. However, it was said that last year, the Liu family took in two new concubines. One was a maidservant who served Mu Changchun, and Mu Changchun arranged for her to have her face done. The other was someone she had taken a liking to outside and brought back to the mansion.
Mu Xin Nuan didn't really have much time to think about these things. However, if the interests of the Mu family were involved, she naturally couldn't ignore it! Moreover, after spending several years together, she had developed some affection for the siblings.
The group talked for a while longer in the room. The old lady could tell that her son-in-law had something else to say, so she sent Mu Xin Nuan and her brother and sister out.
Mu Xin Nuan left the room and immediately gave a wink to a maidservant who was guarding outside. Seeing the maidservant nod, she led them back to Jin Courtyard.
Surprisingly, neither Mu Changchun nor Liu Haiye left when they had dinner that evening.
Madam Li had naturally arranged dinner. Since everyone was family, they were divided into separate tables for men and women, set up in the east and west rooms of the flower hall. A passageway separated them, saving the need for a screen.
Hearing the lively drinking over there, the old lady lowered her voice and asked, "How are those two concubines doing now? Have they done anything improper?"
A bitter look flashed across Mu Changchun's face, then she shook her head. How could she say that? That her husband had barely entered her room a few times in the past year? Could she say that? After all, this was a matter between the two of them, how could she possibly say such a thing?
"What? He's not treating you well? You've fallen for that vixen's tricks again?" The old lady was displeased; she hadn't missed the look on her daughter's face just now.
Li's expression stiffened for a moment. "Mother, let's eat first. We can talk about it later when we get back to the room." As she spoke, she glanced at the children who were eating with their heads down.
The old lady knew that some things couldn't be said in front of the children, so she had to hold back what she was going to say for the time being.
"Are you still in charge of managing the household affairs?"
"Mother, it is I who manage the household. The two nannies you assigned to me have helped me a lot. In fact, it is the people around you who are most capable."
"You! Fine, let me ask you, how does that old lady treat you? Is she always trying to make things difficult for you in front of him?"
"No, not at all. This is the capital city after all; they have to consider my brother's feelings, don't they?"
"It's late today, so don't leave. Let's have a good talk tomorrow before you go back."
"Yes, mother."
Li merely raised an eyebrow slightly, saying nothing. Mu Xin Nuan, however, thought of the message the little girl had sent her earlier that day, and a flash of anger crossed her eyes!