Too high to reach

Chapter 166 The Third Day Return to the Bride's Home
When he returned to his own courtyard, Xu Ke had not yet come back.

Mo Wen didn't ask any questions, nor did he pay any attention to the commotion Jin Fang was making in the courtyard.

There was still a lot to do as soon as I entered the house: arranging the dowry. The gifts were almost filling the whole room; they needed to be stored and registered.

And the banknotes I just received...

When I opened it, I almost burst out laughing.

She handed it to Du Juan, saying, "Keep it safe!" She wouldn't give it to Xu Ke.

He was busy with the maids.

I ate lunch in my room because I didn't want to stop and overthink, so I didn't even take a nap.

Xu Ke didn't return until evening.

The two exchanged only a few polite words and said nothing else.

She changed her clothes again and went to the back to have dinner with her family.

The Xu family didn't have the habit of setting rules for their daughter-in-law; they simply had her sit down and eat.

Granny Xu also gave a special introduction to the delicious food prepared by the Xu family.

The dining hall was spacious and bright, with many servants, exquisite utensils, and the food was prepared with the same care as that of restaurants.

They ate quietly, no one spoke.

The mother's boasting, the third aunt's complaints, the eldest uncle and father clinking glasses and talking, Mo Qing's clamoring about eating this and that, and Mo Yuan's soft whispers...

It's all in the past now. My heart ached, and I forced myself to eat something.

After dealing with the situation, when she returned to the room, she could no longer open her eyes.

After washing up and getting into bed, I immediately fell into a deep sleep...

Xu Ke looked at her and breathed a sigh of relief; she was indeed easy to deal with.

In the blink of an eye, he saw the riding whip on the table and was overjoyed: "Wife, did Grandmother give this to you?"

Mo Wen rolled over. "Yes... Grandmother also gave me a bracelet that the Empress Dowager bestowed upon me..."

After saying that, she fell asleep...

Xu Ke picked up the riding whip, tested it, and was very satisfied.

He turned around and looked at the person on the bed.

Even with a thin blanket draped over her body, her beautiful curves were still impossible to hide.

Although the pressure from the princess left him physically and mentally exhausted, he had no desire for her beauty.

However, he still gave his wife a high level of approval.

The next day was the day for the bride to return to her parents' home.

Upon waking up in the morning, the first thing I did was identify the people in the room.

Jinfang had looked at all the maids around the new wife: none of them were particularly outstanding.

She knelt at the very front without hesitation, her eyes fixed on Xu Ke, as if they were childhood sweethearts.

After everyone had exchanged greetings, they had all recognized each other.

Mo Wen rewarded each person with two taels of silver.

The important maids and servants received exquisite silver earrings. Jinfang, being a concubine, received an extra gold hairpin.

Jinfang accepted the call and casually said thank you, but her expression clearly showed that she wasn't impressed!
Mo Wen seemed to understand the situation but was giving Xu Ke face and not holding a grudge.

She had to give face to the maid the old lady had given her. But with Madam Xu's words as a basis, once she had accumulated enough faults, she would ask her mother-in-law to help her resolve them.

Suddenly, she realized that she had suddenly become the mistress of the house, as if she had just had a breakthrough.

Xu Ke, being from a prominent family, was well-mannered from a young age and became somewhat displeased: "Jinfang, bring me the accounts from my private treasury and give them to the young mistress. Then open the storeroom..."

She then turned to Mo Wen: "She used to manage my private treasury, but now you can take it over. Mother and sister-in-law have prepared the gifts for today's homecoming. Go back to the storeroom and take a look, and add a few items as you wish."

So far, he is very satisfied with his new wife's behavior and is willing to be generous to her.

"Yes. Thank you, husband." Mo Wen didn't stand on ceremony and stood up with a smile.

Jinfang opened her mouth wide in disbelief, "But...Master..." she pleaded, refusing.

“Husband…why don’t you discuss it with Jinfang again?” Mo Wen’s tone wasn’t unpleasant, but the words were quite firm.

She's not made of clay!
Xu Ke looked at Jin Fang with a sullen face.

Jinfang was startled and quickly said, "This servant wouldn't dare!"

"If you dare not, then go and do it!" Xu Ke gave Jin Fang a sour look for the first time.

Jinfang lowered her head and left, inwardly seething with resentment. "They're quite something...we'll see!"

After tidying up, I went out.

Xu Ke was a little scared. As he went out, he glanced around, afraid of seeing the carriage he recognized but had no trace of.

Thankfully, they didn't come...

Princess Yu'an didn't come. She had been restless for two days, suffered from insomnia, and became depressed and irritable, eventually falling ill.

The Mohists remained cheerful.

A group of smiling faces welcomed the newlyweds into the house.

Mo Yi looked at the bride; she seemed to have aged a year in just two days.

The atmosphere is completely different from before.

Her smile was perfect, her eyes crinkled, and you couldn't tell anything about her situation at all.

When she's with her husband, they're neither too intimate nor too distant... their actions and movements are quite harmonious.

Before, whenever someone mentioned Xu Ke, Mo Wen would look happy and shy, but now that they're together, her emotions have become completely calm...

Is it always like this? "Mo Wen looks so beautiful today!" Mo Yuan whispered in her ear, "Look at her bracelet!"

Mo Yi took a closer look. Wow! It was transparent and had a shimmering sheen. Paired with her slender, fair wrist, it was absolutely gorgeous!
When the newlyweds greet their elders, Mo Rushan has collected many good books over the years. Those rare editions, while not necessarily extremely valuable, are certainly presentable.

Mo Ruhai, still sent the one he had carefully selected beforehand.

The newlyweds would give gifts to the younger ones; the jewelry given to the three younger sisters was taken from Xu Ke's warehouse.

He took it with a vengeful mindset.

Seeing his three younger sisters looking at it with shining eyes, Mo Wen felt both smug and regretful for his impulsive decision…

After a lively discussion, the women left, and the men continued talking in the living room.

"Wenwen, come to your mother's room first!" Madam Wang hurriedly pulled Mowen away.

Only the mother and daughter were left in the room. "How is it? Is your son-in-law treating you well?" Wang asked, her eyes reddening.

Seeing her mother's genuine concern, Mo Wen choked up as she said, "He treats his daughter very well..."

"That's good, that's good! I've been thinking about you so much these past few days!" Wang's tears fell again.

At this moment, Mo Wen's emotions were released, and she couldn't hold back anymore, bursting into tears.

"What's wrong, Wenwen?" Madam Wang asked worriedly.

"I...I just missed my mother!" She cried her heart out.

He didn't say a word about that matter.

After chatting for a while, Liu arrived with her entourage.

"Big sister! What's the Xu family like? Is it big? Is it luxurious?" Mo Qing immediately ran to Mo Wenwen's side. "Oh dear, why are you crying!"

“Who’s as heartless as you!” Mo Wen cursed at her, then replied, “It’s quite big. There’s a garden, and my own yard isn’t small either. There’s a tree and a flower bed. But I’ve only been there for two days, and I haven’t even been around the house yet. I’ve only been to the old lady’s and mother-in-law’s place, and the dining hall.”

"Do we have to set rules every day?" Mo Yuan asked.

"It hasn't started yet. My grandmother and mother-in-law both told me to settle things first. Dujuan and the others asked around, and there aren't many rules about this."

"That's because the two ladies are good to you! Wenwen is just so likable!" Madam Wang said with great pride.

"When can we visit you?" Mo Qing asked excitedly.

"Let's wait a while, I need to figure out which way is which!"

"Third Sister, this bracelet is so beautiful! Is it a gift for meeting you?" Mo Yuan asked.

"Yes, Wenwen, what gifts did you receive?" Madam Wang and Madam Liu were eager to know.

"Grandfather gave a thousand taels of silver, and Grandmother gave a set of kingfisher feather hairpins!"

"My goodness!" Wang exclaimed in amazement.

"My father-in-law gave me eight hundred taels, and my mother-in-law gave me a jade bracelet."

Amidst everyone's envy, she raised her wrist: "Later, my grandmother kept me behind for a private chat. Perhaps she was pleased, because she rewarded me with this bracelet... She said it was a gift from the late Empress Dowager. My grandmother wore it for many years!"

"Oh my, Madam is so kind and generous! This is really nice, even your aunt doesn't have one!" Madam Wang carefully touched it, genuinely happy.

Mo Wen's eyes lit up. "Later, my mother-in-law also gave me a set of pearl jewelry, saying it was for my maternal grandmother. It was really nice!"

"Now I can rest easy!" Wang said with great relief. "For us women, marriage is mostly about living with our mothers-in-law. As long as they treat each other well, life will be much easier! Just now, seeing you and your son-in-law standing together... my heart ached..."

She wiped away her tears, "You've managed to live such a wonderful life, and I have no regrets..."

Mo Wen gave a wry smile, his eyes looking somewhat lost.

Mo Yi's heart skipped a beat, and then she realized that Mo Yuan was stabbing her.

At lunchtime, Xu Ke noticed that his mother-in-law and wife both had red eyes, looking like they had been crying. He felt quite nervous, worried that she might say something.

But when his mother-in-law saw him again, she still showed him the same affection and tried to please him carefully, which made him feel relieved.

Mo Fan sat next to Xu Ke. Logically speaking, the two were of similar age and worked in the same place, so they should have a lot to talk about.

But when Mo Fan struck up a conversation with him, Xu Ke responded indifferently and showed no intention of continuing the conversation.

After the meal, the newlyweds left.

Mo Fan felt aggrieved and complained to Mo Yi, "...I don't know what's wrong with this brother-in-law. He's just going through the motions when anyone talks to him. He doesn't seem to have any real intention of having a conversation. He was the one who initiated the marriage between the Mo and Mo families. Who was chasing after him?"

Mo Yi smiled bitterly at the fact that Mo Fan could say such things.

"Don't even mention comparing him to Debao. Even the Prince... although the Prince is imposing, he doesn't mean any harm by being perfunctory!"

"Right?!" Mo Yuan, who had been eavesdropping, jumped out. "I also think they're not that good together! Right, Mo Yi?!"

Mo Yi could also tell that the newlyweds barely made eye contact...

"It just feels a little awkward... but... is this how it always is?"

"What?!" Mo Yuan said disdainfully, "Have you forgotten when Big Brother and Sister-in-law got married? The day after they met to recognize each other, their faces turned red when they looked at each other!"

It really is!
Mo Yi couldn't understand it either...

A few words from Xue Wei: Those of you who have read my books will find that it's rare to find truly exceptional characters in my writing.

Whether they are good people or bad people.

Because I'm not too keen on distinguishing between "good people" and "bad people".

Sometimes, it's just a matter of perspective.

Moreover, a person's personality is composed of many elements, not a single pattern.

For example, Xu Ke: He had an affair with the princess and wanted to marry a wife as a decoration. He was purely using Mo Wen from the beginning.

But he wasn't a person with no bottom line, like someone who indulged in drinking, gambling, whoring, and beating his wife.

She will strive and plan for her future. She will not tolerate concubines humiliating the principal wife.

He may be cold-blooded, insane, and arrogant, but he's not entirely lacking in manners. (Liang Han in the drama "The Story of Minglan" is a very well-developed character.)
Then there's Madam Wang, a simple and blunt person who treats Mo Yi with utter indifference, doing whatever she pleases. But she genuinely loves Mo Wen.

Perhaps the female lead, Mo Yi, wasn't written very well. Besides the lack of writing skill, there was also a bit of personal bias... Maybe it was to show that imperfect girls like us also have the possibility of living a good life through hard work and opportunities (although I personally can't accept the trope of a domineering CEO falling in love with menopause).
(End of this chapter)