Too high to reach

Chapter 165 Two Mothers-in-Law
In the Xu family home, a newlywed couple entered the house.

Everyone felt a tightness in their chest when they tried to breathe.

One was a flesh-colored robe with wide sleeves woven with purple peonies, and the other was a sky-blue round-necked long robe.

The woman is beautiful and the man is handsome; they are truly a perfect couple.

The key point is that there's absolutely no indication on their faces that something went wrong last night...

They were all secretly amazed: Xu Ke is really capable, she managed to appease him so quickly!

The bride is quite sensible and well-mannered. And most importantly, she's so beautiful.

That will give everyone a good impression.

Granny Xu hurriedly stepped forward, "New bride, pay your respects to your elders."

A maid placed a prayer cushion in front of the old master and old lady.

Xu Ke knelt and bowed with ink patterns.

Old Mrs. Xu, being of advanced age, loved colors the most. Seeing the bright and elegant ink patterns, devoid of any pettiness, her face lit up with a smile.

The gift for the two elderly people was a pair of shoes made by Mo Wen himself, using his own needlework.

After a quick glance, the old lady exclaimed, "Excellent craftsmanship! You're a skillful young lady!"

Old Master Xu secretly blamed Xu Ke for causing trouble, took a large envelope, and gestured to the person next to him to give it directly to Mo Wen...

A maid carried a brocade box with the lid open; inside was a set of kingfisher feather hairpins, a gift from Old Madam Xu.

Next, she kowtowed to her father-in-law and mother-in-law, offered them tea, and presented them with shoes as a gift.

Like his father, Lord Xu used large envelopes.

Madam Xu presented a jade bracelet, green and glossy, clearly a fine piece.

To be honest, Mo Wen has the Wang family's genes in her bones, and receiving these gifts has healed much of her grief and indignation.

Below that are my uncles and aunts, and then my older brother and sister-in-law.

The two elder brothers had nothing to give as gifts, but their sisters-in-law gave them hairpins. The second sister-in-law, in particular, although she was stingy, came from a wealthy family and was quite generous.

There are three unmarried girls in the family.

My eldest brother has a son and a daughter, and my second brother also has a daughter who is not yet two years old.

Mo Wen actually took out the purse that Mo Yi had given her.

Two of them have long straps, so little girls can also carry them diagonally.

The girls' eyes crinkled with smiles at the sight, and they started gesturing and comparing themselves to the models...

The two little nieces were even happier, wanting to put their snacks inside and carry them around, bringing the atmosphere to a climax.

After exchanging greetings with the Mo family patriarch, Elder Xu stood up. "You all continue your conversation. We'll go to the front. Xu Ke, you come too..."

After the men left, the old lady said, "You're all tired today, so go ahead and do your work. I'll keep my third son's wife here for a chat."

Everyone rose and took their leave.

Inside the house, only the old lady and Mowen remained.

“Good child, come, sit here!” The old lady pointed to the chair closest to her.

Mo Wen sat down gracefully.

After carefully examining the ink patterns, the old lady exclaimed, "What a beautiful baby! Such lovely hair!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Grandmother. My sisters all have beautiful hair," Mo Wen said with a smile.

"Hmm...Grandmother heard about what happened yesterday. No matter what, it's Xu Ke's fault. He couldn't even make proper arrangements for such an important event as a wedding."

Running away on his wedding night, how reckless! I'll spare him some face since there were so many people around. Don't worry, your grandfather will definitely scold him after he leaves!

"Thank you for your understanding, Grandmother. Although this matter is very embarrassing for me..." Mo Wen lowered her head and blushed, showing genuine embarrassment. However, she did not express any sense of being humiliated.

"But actually, my granddaughter-in-law can understand it too."

"Oh? You can figure it out?"

"Yes, Grandmother. The Xu family's background goes without saying, and my husband is exceptionally talented and favored by his elders. Outsiders would all assume he'd be a life of pleasure and luxury."

However, he was able to dedicate himself to the imperial examinations and even find an easier path for himself. His character, perseverance, and intelligence earned him the utmost respect from his granddaughter-in-law.

My husband is focused on his future, and I, his granddaughter-in-law, can only offer my full support. I would never blame him for a momentary oversight. I hope my grandfather will only offer a gentle reminder, and please do not scold him…”

The old lady felt incredibly pleased upon hearing this. "No wonder he took a liking to you; you truly are a sensible and good girl!"

In her heart, she thought, if she really married someone from a high-class family who was proud, or someone who was sensitive and thoughtful, who knows what kind of trouble would have ensued after yesterday's incident!
This girl has a really good heart.

"To be honest, Xu Ke has been smart and studious since he was a child, and he has never caused his parents any worry. Even your grandfather, who was strict, only praised him. He has had success in everything, so he is inevitably straightforward and sometimes... he may overlook the feelings of others."

He just got married and doesn't even know what it's like to have a wife yet. He'll get used to it! Grandma will teach him too.

"Grandmother..." Mo Wen said excitedly, "In the days before my wedding, I was filled with anxiety... I had long heard that you were a lady of noble character, but I never expected you to be so kind to your juniors. Wenwen is so fortunate to have such a husband and such a great-grandmother like you!"

"Good girl..." The old lady took off the bracelet from her wrist. "This bracelet was a gift from the late Empress Dowager. Keep it safe!"

"This...this is a precious item you always carry with you, how could your granddaughter-in-law possibly accept it? And that set of jewelry from earlier, your granddaughter-in-law..."

"Just take it! Ah Ling, go and get Curry's riding whip, and tell her to take it back to Lao San! From now on, you two should live a good life together!"

Mo Wen was truly moved, and his eyes welled up with tears.

He took the riding whip, bid farewell, and left.

As soon as they stepped out of the old lady's courtyard, Granny Xu was waiting outside.

"Third Young Madam, our Madam requests your presence."

"Please lead the way, Granny Xu."

Granny Xu noticed that she was holding two more boxes in her hands...

"It seems the old lady really likes the third young mistress! She likes to give gifts when she's happy," she joked.

"My grandmother was very kind and had a great sense of humor."

After passing through the garden, we arrived at Madam Xu's courtyard.

"Mother-in-law!" Mo Wen stepped forward and bowed.

Madam Xu smiled and said, "Please sit down."

"What happened yesterday was Xu Ke's fault. Just now, you did very well. For a new bride, it's not easy to do this."

My mother-in-law approved.

Mo Wen felt a pang of sadness. "Thank you for your consideration, Mother-in-law."

After a moment's thought, he remembered what Granny Zhao had said: one shouldn't be too concerned about saving face.

...Then, she said with a wry smile, "Actually, I'm extremely sad. You know, when the Xu family came to propose marriage, I couldn't believe it was true..."

Since becoming related to the Xu family, good things have been happening one after another in our household…

Madam Xu was quite pleased to hear this and nodded slightly. Her younger sister was going to be the Princess Consort of Qi, so this marriage couldn't be considered bad.

“But last night, my daughter-in-law was terrified and cried... She doesn’t know how to face today’s family reunion…”

Madam Xu sighed, "I understand."

"However... in the morning, the daughter-in-law heard a maid laughing softly in the courtyard. She was so angry that she laughed instead, but then she suddenly realized what was going on."

Madam Xu frowned slightly.

"The Xu family hired an official matchmaker, and the procedures were meticulous. For all matters concerning the Mo family, you, Madam, were always present and courteous. Moreover, the wedding cost so much money, and the bride was carried in a grand sedan chair by eight bearers, not to humiliate or mock her."

There must be a special reason why my husband went out.

If the daughter-in-law, heartbroken and humiliated, is provoked by that girl and starts making a scene without regard for anything else, then the whole family will become a laughing stock. The grandfather will punish the husband. The grandmother and mother-in-law will also blame the daughter-in-law for being unreasonable.

Then the Xu and Mo families wouldn't be bound by marriage, but rather by enmity.

That was a very firm statement.

The Mohist school today is not the same as it was when it first became engaged to the Xu family.

Humility is appropriate, but don't take me for granted!

Madam Xu nodded: "Xu Ke is intelligent and favored, and has had a smooth life for many years. Young people are bound to be a bit arrogant. They put their own feelings first in everything, which makes them not very reliable. I know that too."

Everyone goes through this process. As you get older and do more things, you become more stable.

“Mother-in-law is right,” Mo Wen nodded.

"Jinfang in your courtyard was originally from the old lady's room. Back then, she was a clean and clever maid. Over the years, she's been the only one in the courtyard; I'm afraid she's grown up and become arrogant!"

I'd heard a thing or two about it before. A girl like that, so clueless and always looking for trouble, can't be kept around. You've just come in, so take a look first. If you're still not up to par, then leave it to me!"

"Thank you, Mother-in-law." Mo Wen felt relieved.

“I and your sister-in-law are in charge of managing things at home. These are the rules, and you can’t know them. What’s important for you now is to get along well with Xu Ke. Once we have children, I will allocate a portion of my assets to the three brothers. Then, I will entrust them to you to manage. When you have time, learn more about it.”

"Yes. Thank you, Mother-in-law."

"This set of pearl jewelry was left to me by my mother. You can wear it!"

“Mother… how could I possibly accept this? Just now, Grandmother gave me all the bracelets that the Empress Dowager had bestowed upon me…”

Madam Xu was somewhat surprised: "The old lady likes sensible and pretty girls. You should keep them all!"

Stepping outside, Mo Wen felt all the pressure had vanished, as if she had been reborn…

(End of this chapter)