Standing in front of Wang Shoujie was a middle-aged woman dressed to the nines, with a pearl hairpin and jade bracelets, wearing high-heeled cloud-patterned silk shoes, looking like a noble lady from the city.
Moreover, she had carefully made up her face before coming, with a layer of powder and a hint of red on her lips. She didn't look like a 40-year-old at all, but rather a mature beauty in her late 20s, showing that she usually took good care of herself. And Eldest Brother Wang Shouxin must have spoiled her rotten.
It was just that her eyes had some red threads, obviously having cried not long ago.
What was even more surprising was that she was carrying a large bamboo basket, with something covered in red cloth inside.
As soon as Mrs Xu saw Wang Shoujie being so polite, their originally tense mood and hostility in their heart immediately dissipated a bit, and they sincerely returned the courtesy: "Respects to Fourth Uncle."
"Please, don't be so polite, Eldest Sister-in-law," Wang Shoujie said with a very sincere smile. "Please come in and rest for a while. My mother is also here." As he spoke, he politely led Mrs Xu into the side hall.
Mrs Xu's expression tightened, and they hurriedly paid their respects to Gong Sunhui: "Respects to Lady Gong Sun." She had always been proud and arrogant, as a direct descendant of Changning's Xu Clan, and marrying Wang Shouxin was considered a step down. But no matter how proud she was, she didn't dare to show off in front of the Shanyang Gongsun Clan's direct descendant.
Moreover, the Gongsun Clan was the wife of the previous clan leader and the current clan leader's mother, making her a senior!
"Ah, so it's the Mrs Xu who's come. What wind has blown you here?" Gong Sunhui's words carried a hint of pressure, but she was all smiles as she said, "Come, come, sit down and chat. Let's try some of the Shanyang small spirit tea that my father-in-law personally planted."
"No, no, I wouldn't dare sit in front of Lady Gong Sun," Mrs Xu said with an embarrassed smile. She hadn't expected Lady Gong Sun to be there, otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to come find Wang Shoujie at this time.
Moreover, the tea they were drinking was Lingzhong Spirit Tea, which, given her position in Changning's Xu Clan, she shouldn't be able to drink. As for after marrying Wang Shouxin, it was even more unthinkable...
"Fourth Uncle, you're the pillar of our family," Mrs Xu said with a slightly flattering smile, handing over the basket. "My sister-in-law just wanted to send some fresh ingredients to supplement your body, seeing how hard you work on your cultivation every day. I won't disturb your mother-son chat..."
After speaking, she put down the basket and was about to leave.
"Wait a moment, Eldest Sister-in-law," Wang Shoujie said with a smile, stopping her. "You've come all the way here, let's have a cup of tea first. And I haven't seen my Eldest Brother in a while, I heard he's back at the main residence, I'll have someone go invite him over, and we can have a meal together."
"This..." Mrs Xu was somewhat surprised and delighted, but also looked at Gong Sunhui with some trepidation.
"He is the master of the Wang Clan, if he lets you sit, then sit," Gong Sunhui said, her tone slightly softer.
Mrs Xu then sat down, although she was dressed in luxurious clothes, but in front of the more simply dressed Gong Sunhui, she couldn't show off her noble aura at all.
Wang Shoujie called Wang Gui over and instructed: "Tell the head chef to cook a large piece of pork sent by Fourth Elder, don't overcook the meat. Also, find a skilled chef to set up a small stove in our courtyard, and slice two pounds of Spirit-Horned Yak meat. Hmm, and bring that bottle of spirit wine too, and the rest of the fresh fruits and vegetables, you handle it."
"Yes, master. By the way, Sixth Elder sent someone to deliver a fresh Red Scaled Eel to the family ice cellar, and the precious Spiritual Eel Blood was processed into blood tofu, saying it was caught by you personally, and it's a private ingredient for your personal storage, only you can eat it," Wang Gui reminded on the side.
"Heh heh, don't mind him," Wang Shoujie said with a smile. "Cut a piece of the best Red Scaled Eel, and bring the blood tofu too. The rest will go into the public storage, to be distributed as needed, so everyone can have a taste. You arrange it, and then go invite my Eldest Brother over."
"Yes, master," Wang Gui replied and retreated.
"Fourth Uncle, this is too extravagant... and too wasteful of your resources." Mrs Xu's body was trembling, and she said weakly, "Let's keep it simple, just a simple meal."
"What are you talking about, Eldest Sister-in-law?" Wang Shouxin asked, "I'm your Eldest Brother, and you're my Eldest Sister-in-law. We're all family, and it's rare for us to gather together for a meal. How can we not make it a special occasion?" Wang Shoujie personally poured a cup of tea for Mrs Xu, saying, "Eldest Sister-in-law, try some of this Shanyang small-batch tea. It's best to drink it while it's hot."
Mrs Xu trembled as she took a sip of the tea, and the bitterness and unique flavor of the tea struck her heart. For a moment, she felt like crying.
In the nineteen years she had been a daughter-in-law in the Changning Mrs Xu, and the twenty-one years she had been married into the Ping'an Wang Clan, she had never had the good fortune to drink a cup of such fine tea. And now, the first cup of fine tea in her life was being offered to her by Wang Shoujie.
Originally, she had come here prepared to beg him, and if that didn't work, she was ready to make a scene and cause a big commotion to get everyone's attention.
For the sake of her son, she was willing to do anything, and she didn't care about losing face.
But she never expected that Wang Shoujie, as the respected patriarch of the family, would treat her with such respect and hospitality.
"Fourth Uncle, about that matter..." Mrs Xu felt like she couldn't speak anymore. Wang Shoujie's kind treatment of her might just change the course of events.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, you're referring to Zongwei's situation, aren't you?" Wang Shoujie asked, not avoiding the topic at all, but rather smiling and saying, "I've already thought of a plan. Let's wait for Eldest Brother to arrive, and we can discuss it then. Eldest Sister-in-law, please have some snacks to fill your stomach."
"Yes." Mrs Xu quickly swallowed her words, looking at Wang Shoujie's attitude, which seemed to indicate that he wasn't going to make things difficult for her. But she still felt a bit anxious in her heart.
Not long after, the family's cook came in, and after paying her respects to Wang Shoujie, she was about to start a fire in the small kitchen in the courtyard. However, Wang Shoujie stopped her, saying, "Don't bother with too much, just slice the fresh ingredients thinly, and arrange the thinly sliced spiritual cow meat and Red Scaled Eel on a plate. The thinner the better. Also, use high-quality charcoal to start a fire, and prepare a clean copper basin and some salt."
The cook was puzzled, but she dared not disobey the master's orders, and so she followed his instructions.
"What are you doing, son?" Gong Sunhui asked curiously, "Why are you starting a fire on such a hot day?"
"You'll know in a bit, Mother," Wang Shoujie replied with a smile, "I saw this cooking method in an ancient book, and it's supposed to be very delicious."
"You're getting more and more unpredictable, just don't waste the precious spirit food," Gong Sunhui said, suppressing her curiosity, and began to chat with Mrs Xu. She was very surprised by Wang Shoujie's handling of the Wang Zongwei situation, at least he wasn't using his authority as patriarch to bully people.
However, based on her understanding of Mrs Xu, she shouldn't give up easily. Therefore, Gong Sunhui was even more curious about how her son would handle the situation next.
After a while, Wang Shouxin arrived in a hurry, led by Wang Gui, and as soon as he entered the room, his face turned cold and angry, and he scolded Mrs Xu, "You foolish woman, how dare you come to find me about this...?"
Wang Shouxin was already forty-three years old, with a square face and a beard, giving off an air of authority.
But Mrs Xu was not intimidated by him at all, and with Wang Shoujie and Gong Sunhui's calming influence, her temper suddenly flared up, "Wang Shouxin! What nonsense are you talking about? Zongwei is already in such a state, and I can't just sit back and do nothing. Zongwei is my son, and I can't just watch him get beaten to death or have his future ruined by that... by Wang Luotong?"
Normally, she would have already cursed him out, but in front of Wang Shoujie and Gong Sunhui, she dared not say such a thing, and she swallowed her words in her anxiety.
"You... you... you..." Wang Shouxin's face turned red with anger, "I should punish that little beast. If it weren't for you protecting him... I would have..."
But his words were clearly not enough to intimidate Mrs Xu.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, Eldest Brother," Wang Shoujie intervened, waving his hand to stop them from arguing further, "We're all family, what's the point of arguing ? Let's sit down and eat first, and then we can talk slowly."
"Yes," Mrs Xu immediately put on a gentle and obedient face, and sat down, saying softly, "I'll listen to you. We're all family, let's not argue, and let's talk reason."
Wang Shouxin on the side took a deep breath, his heart full of surprise and doubt. Had Fourth Brother used some kind of magic? He had lived his whole life and had never seen his wife so obedient and reasonable, suddenly controlling her temper and talking about reason?
[Heartfelt thankyou for the support! SlaySaga]