Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 454: Endure!
"Of course not!"

Grandma Sheng shook her head decisively, a sudden flash of wisdom and worldly wisdom appearing in her cloudy old eyes: "A head-on confrontation is the act of a reckless fool, and it's the worst possible strategy!"

"Right now, the enemy is strong and we are weak; the situation is beyond our control. The only option is to endure!"

"Tolerate?"

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu spoke in unison, their faces filled with resentment and disbelief.

"Yes! Endure!"

The old woman's tone was solemn, each word carrying immense weight: "Tell Hualan to grit her teeth and hold on!"

"Even if the sky falls, the Sheng family will hold it up for her!"

"Take good care of yourself! If you're sick, you must rest and recuperate properly, and don't neglect your medicine! Health is your most valuable asset; as long as you're healthy, you can always make a comeback!"

Although Old Madam Sheng also felt aggrieved, at this point, unless Yuan Wenshao could step up, there was really very little they, her family members, could do in these matters.

"If Madam Yuan wants to act like a mother-in-law, as long as Hua Lan's life isn't harmed and Shi Ge'er's safety isn't endangered, we must make sure she doesn't find the slightest fault in our behavior!" Old Madam Sheng continued, "We must make sure she can't find any fault with it! We must nail the word 'filial piety' to Hua Lan's forehead!"

"As for Shige'er, he is Hualan's lifeblood, and he must not be lost!"

She paused, her eyes gleaming even brighter, revealing a resolute determination to find a way out of a desperate situation: "Have Hua Lan's most trusted confidantes, such as the dowry maids and loyal servants she brought with her, do everything in their power to get as close to the child as possible!"

"In front of your child, talk more about the mother's good qualities and how much she misses him!"

“Hua Lan herself, under the pretext of ‘falling ill from missing her son’ and ‘worried about her mother-in-law’s health,’ burned incense and washed her hands every day, devoutly copying Buddhist scriptures to ‘pray for blessings’ for her mother-in-law and ‘bless’ for her son Shi Ge!”

"Make a big fuss! Make sure the whole Zhongqin Earl's mansion knows about it! Let everyone see Sheng Hualan's 'sincere filial piety' and 'deeply loving motherly heart'!"

"Put Madam Yuan under the scorching fire of morality! Make her hesitate to act rashly, and dare not openly separate them from their child again! If she dares to obstruct it, then she, as a grandmother, is unkind and heartless!"

The old woman's plan was full of humiliating wisdom and repressed forbearance. It was a desperate move, the only way to gain a breather and the high ground in public opinion when the power was overwhelmingly disparate.

She didn't paint any rosy picture or mention any specific timetable for a counterattack; she simply kept emphasizing the weighty word "endurance."

"Then... how long will this have to endure?"

Wang Ruofu pressed on, her voice trembling with sobs and despair.

Grandma Sheng's gaze slowly swept over Sheng Hong's face, which was filled with pain and helplessness, then fell on Wang Ruofu's face, which was filled with grief and indignation, and finally turned to the boundless, dark night outside the window.

Her eyes were deep and distant, and her voice carried a heavy, almost tragic weight—a weight she herself was not entirely certain of, yet had to bear as the pillar of the family.

"Wait...wait for a turning point...wait for the day when the Sheng family...can truly stand tall and have the power to make even a noble family like the Yuan family take notice, weigh their options, and be wary!"

The phrase "that day" is as faint as a cold star in the night sky, and as heavy as a boulder pressing on everyone's heart.

……

Inside Shou'an Hall, all was deathly silent, with only the flickering candlelight.

"Rustling..." Just as they were discussing, a series of hurried and disordered footsteps came from the corridor outside the door, accompanied by suppressed exclamations and sobs.

It turns out they are Rulan and Minglan.

The sisters also accompanied their grandmother and eldest daughter-in-law to the Earl of Zhongqin's mansion to visit their eldest sister today.

However, Madam Yuan was shrewd and only allowed them to sit in the flower hall for a short while. She served them exquisite tea and snacks, and her words were full of excuses such as "Hua Lan is resting and should not be disturbed" and "Shi Ge'er is sleeping," thus keeping them far away from Hua Lan and her son.

Although Rulan felt stifled, she took it as just a matter of etiquette. However, the perceptive Minglan keenly noticed the shifty eyes of the servants in the mansion and the unusually quiet atmosphere in Hualan's courtyard, which aroused her suspicions.

Upon returning home, they were shocked to learn of the great changes in the household. They discovered that their father and mother had gone to Shou'an Hall, which made them even more uneasy. So they went together to find out more.

As soon as they reached the door, they could vaguely hear snippets of conversation coming from inside—"hiring a thug," "crippled hand," "accidentally injuring the third brother," "torture," "Shige'er was taken away"...

These fragmented words, like thunderclaps, exploded in the sisters' ears!

Especially considering the strangeness I felt at the Yuan family's house during the day, a terrifying truth is about to emerge!

"Father! Mother! Grandmother!"

Rulan, being the most impulsive, was the first to rush in, her face drained of color, filled with disbelief and horror, her voice trembling: "What...what did you just say?"

"What hired killer? Who wants to harm Seventh Brother? Third Brother's hand... was it damaged by thieves?! And Eldest Sister... what happened to Eldest Sister at the Yuan family?"

"What happened to Yuan Jiaba Shige'er?!"

She fired off a barrage of questions, her voice trembling with shock and fear.

Minglan followed closely behind. Although she tried to remain calm, her face turned ashen in an instant. Her fingers, gripping the door frame, turned white at the knuckles and curled slightly as she exerted force.

Her clear, watery eyes were now filled with overwhelming shock and lingering fear!
With her sharp mind, she combined the fragmented information she had heard with what she had seen at the Yuan family's house during the day, and a complete and terrifying truth instantly took shape in her mind—Lin Qinshuang had actually gone so far as to hire someone to cripple Xiaoqi's hand!
As a result, a series of unforeseen events ruined Changfeng's future!
Meanwhile, the eldest sister, Hualan, whom they had just visited, was also suffering from her mother-in-law's deliberate torment and inhuman torment of being separated from her own flesh and blood!
Wang Ruofu was furious and felt sorry for her eldest daughter. When she saw her two daughters come in, she didn't care about anything else and her grief and anger found an outlet.

With a heavy sob and deep hatred, she recounted Lin Qinshuang's heinous crimes and Hualan's tragic experiences in the Yuan family, pouring out her heart in tears: "...It was that black-hearted, rotten-guts woman, Lin Qinshuang! She bribed the gatekeeper and hired thugs to come in and harm your seventh brother!"

"Heaven has eyes, retribution is swift, she harmed her own son! Your third brother's hand... was accidentally injured by those damned thieves! It's completely ruined! His future is destroyed! And your eldest sister..."

When Wang Ruofu spoke of Hualan's plight and the loss of Shige'er, she was overcome with grief and wept uncontrollably: "She...she was tortured to the point of near death by that old hag in the Yuan family!"

"Shige'er... my Shige'er was forcibly taken away by that old hag! She won't let me see him!"

"My God!"

Upon hearing this, Rulan felt dizzy and her vision went black. She screamed in shock, and then a surge of overwhelming anger rushed to the top of her head!
"Lin Qinshuang! How dare she?! She's not human! She's a demon in human skin! She deserves to go to the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated!"

"And my eldest sister... she's so pitiful! That old hag from the Yuan family! I'll fight her to the death!"

Her blood rushed to her head, and she was about to rush out without thinking, as if she were about to storm into the Yuan family to confront them. However, she was held back tightly by Liu Mama, who was prepared, and another burly old woman.

Minglan seemed to be nailed to the spot, her face pale and bloodless, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably.

Thank you to DaLaoYaoMeng and WoShiQingHuaYi for your support!