Full House Spring

Chapter 124 Socializing
Xia Li didn't have a thorough understanding of Kuang Yulin, and the things she had done before were indeed disgusting.

But as long as she and Kuang Chengming don't get married, the division of the family will have to be delayed for another day. Instead of this, it is better to follow her wishes and send her away.

Xia Li had made up her mind, but when it came time to take action, she would not hesitate. She raised her chin slightly and said in a cold voice, "At the banquet in the prefecture, my elder sister did not perform badly. If she hadn't come to me and said nonsense, it would have been even more perfect."

Kuang Yulin knew that she could not get over this episode, and she regretted it so much that her intestines turned green, but what should and should not have happened had already happened, and there was nothing she could do except express her apology.

She twisted the handkerchief in her hand and said hesitantly, "Sister-in-law, I'm so sorry! I thought my elder brother was not worthy of you at that time, so I said something extra. If it was an unrelated outsider, I would not bother to pay attention to him. Don't worry this time, I will keep my mouth shut and will never run around with Yuru."

Xia Li looked at her a few times with pretended hesitation. Kuang Yulin held her breath nervously and dared not speak, for fear that her sister-in-law would be unhappy and not take her out.

Xia Li didn't have the habit of torturing people, so a little scare was enough. She retracted her gaze and said in a slightly cold voice, "Since you are related to my husband by blood, I will give you this opportunity. It's understandable that you want to leave a good impression in front of the ladies, but if you do something beyond the limit, I will never let you off easily. Do you understand?"

The pressure released by Xia Li made Kuang Yulin dare not move. She hurriedly assured: "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I promise to be obedient. My marriage still depends on you to worry about it. How dare I do anything reckless."

Xia Li didn't buy her tricks and said calmly, "You're not right. With Second Aunt and the old man here, it's not my turn to step in. I don't want to cause trouble for myself. Okay, go back and prepare your clothes for going out. They don't have to be too fancy, just be dignified and decent."

Kuang Yulin showed a bright smile on her face and said happily: "Thank you, sister-in-law. I will go back and prepare it now."

She bowed, turned around and walked out. Her light steps were full of joy, as if she was afraid that if she walked too slowly, Xia Li would regret her objection. Qingque stole a glance at the smile on the girl's face and felt relieved. If she was in a good mood, she would not take her out. This was enough.

Kuang Yulin was thinking about which outfit would be suitable for her. When she stepped into the west courtyard, she stopped and hesitated for a moment while looking at her mother's room. She thought that her mother was serving her second brother at the moment and had no time to take care of her affairs, so she simply said nothing.

But when she entered the room, she saw Cui sitting in front of the window, looking at her coldly. Kuang Yulin's heart suddenly tightened, and she bowed quickly and said softly, "Mother, why don't you go take care of my second brother? Why do you come to my place?"

A cold light flashed in Cui's eyes, and she sneered, "If I hadn't come here, how would I know that you ran to Fang Xiali's place? You are looking down on me even more now, and you won't tell me what you are thinking, right?"

Kuang Yulin curled her lips indifferently, lowered her eyes, and said indifferently: "Mother, your mind is on my second brother, how can you take care of me? Even if my eldest sister-in-law is not good, she can take me out to socialize and show her face. At least let those noble ladies know that there is such a person as me, and they can also find a good marriage for me. Isn't this a good thing?"

Cui slammed her palm on the table and said with dissatisfaction: "Did you at least ask for my opinion before doing this? Do you think Fang Xiali will really help you? You are dreaming!"

Kuang Yulin shouted unhappily, "I don't expect her to really plan for me. I just want a chance to show off. The prefect's wife is my eldest sister-in-law's cousin. I don't know how many banquets like this will be held. As long as I can go, I will get a good opportunity sooner or later. I don't know why mother is so angry."

Since Xia Li married into the mansion, Cui felt as if everything was out of control. The separation of her second son from her was inevitable, and she could not accept that her daughter was also alienated from her. She could not say these words, and snorted coldly: "I think you are not clear-headed. Even if there is a good opportunity, Fang Xia Li will only give it to Yu Ru, how could it be possible for you? Instead of pinning your hopes on an impossible person, you might as well count on your second brother."

Kuang Yulin glanced at her and said unhappily, "Do you expect my second brother to sell me out again? Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't ask you to buy me headgear or make me new clothes, so why do you have to intervene in my affairs?"

Cui was almost mad at her and said angrily, "Can't I ask about your affairs? What daughter is like you? You don't support your mother and brother, but side with outsiders. I think you don't know what's good for you."

Kuang Yulin turned around and walked to the bed and sat down, saying stiffly:
"My second brother is going to sell me off to pay off his debts, how can I stand by him? I have seen clearly that you only have my second brother in your heart and don't care about our future at all. You treat Chengzhi the same way, and you treat me the same way. Since you don't care about me, don't stop me from making my own plans. If we live better than my second brother in the future, just don't ask me to help him."

Cui gritted her teeth and shouted, "You are siblings from the same mother. Even if he asks you to help him, what can you do? I think you have grown arrogant and don't recognize your relatives, right?"

Kuang Yulin gave her mother a meaningful look and frowned, saying, "If I had grown stronger, I wouldn't have to nag you here. I hope that if I don't live a happy life in the future, you can ask my second brother to help me."

Cui didn't want to make things too awkward with her daughter, so she suppressed her temper and said, "I'm your mother. I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you. How could I not care about you? If you want to go to this banquet, you can go. It's not a bad idea to take advantage of the situation. But don't forget which side you are on. You have to know who to side with and who to guard against. Do you understand?"

Kuang Yulin still had to match clothes, so she was too lazy to talk to her and said perfunctorily, "I know. Don't worry too much. If you have any good headgear, lend it to me to help me look good. I heard that my aunt-in-law gave Yuru a lot of good things. You won't let me be outdone by her, will you?"

Cui did have two sets of precious head ornaments in her collection, which she prepared as a gift for her future daughter-in-law. She had not originally intended to lend them to her daughter, but she was afraid that she would really develop an unfaithful mind and be seduced away by Xia Li, so she reluctantly parted with them.

"The headgear I wore when I was young is still there. Go and pick one out for yourself. Wear the one that suits you best."

Cui was still reluctant to give it to her, but she could borrow it. Kuang Yulin had never expected such a good thing to happen. She smiled and said, "Thank you, mother. Please take me to see it quickly. I have to dress up beautifully when I go to the prefect's house. I can't let people look down on me."

Although the two sisters of the Kuang family had different starting points, they both put in their best efforts to dress themselves up. On the day of the banquet, Xia Li saw the two sisters and nodded with satisfaction.

Kuang Yuru didn't have much hostility towards Kuang Yulin. Her mother had talked to her about a lot of things in private. No matter how much the two families disagreed in private, they had to get along on the surface.

Kuang Yulin took the initiative to walk up to Kuang Yuru and said with a smile: "Sister, you are so pretty. Girls change a lot when they grow up. You look more and more bright and generous."

Kuang Yuru was a little uncomfortable with her transformation, and said casually: "I am not as good as my sister, but I don't dress up much on weekdays. I dressed up suddenly and you think it's new."

Kuang Yulin stroked her hair and said softly, "That's it. You should dress like this every day from now on. You will look pleasing to the eye."

Kuang Yuru secretly complained in her heart. It was not easy to hear the word "lovable" from her. Kuang Yuru was not going to play the sisterly love drama with her. She had her sister-in-law's support, so there was no need to play with her. She said slowly: "I am afraid of trouble. Let's just do whatever is comfortable on weekdays. It's getting late. We should set off."

She asked the last question while looking at Xia Li, who nodded slightly and said, "Let's all get in the carriage. It would be inappropriate to go too late."

The three aunts and sisters-in-law arranged two carriages together. Kuang Yuru chose to sit with her eldest sister-in-law without hesitation. Kuang Yulin didn't say anything when she saw it. She now thought it through thoroughly. How could a cousin from the next room be compared with a biological sister? He who knows the times is a hero.

The curtain blocked the view of people outside. Kuang Yuru couldn't help but laugh and said, "Sister-in-law, Kuang Yulin is really good at acting. She used to roll her eyes at me and never treated me well. But today, she greeted me with a smile. It's like she's a different person."

Xia Li raised his eyebrows and said softly, "How she acts is her business. If you are happy, just talk to her. If you are unhappy, ignore her. She won't stay at home for long anyway."

Kuang Yuru was surprised and asked, "Could it be that the eldest sister-in-law wants to arrange a marriage for her?"

Xia Li said with a smile: "I don't care about that. Kuang Yulin wants to get married, so she will do everything she can to achieve it. I guess Kuang Chengming's behavior also scared her, otherwise she wouldn't be so proactive."

Kuang Yuru nodded thoughtfully and said, "As long as she doesn't bring trouble to my reputation, it's fine. I don't want to leave home so soon anyway. Being someone's daughter-in-law is not as comfortable as being a girl at home."

Xia Li looked out the window, feeling an inexplicable sadness in his heart, with nostalgia for the past in his eyes, and said softly: "Being married is always different, so we should cherish this time."

After getting married, Xia Li lived a relatively comfortable life, but sometimes she still felt constrained and unfree. In her dreams at midnight, she would miss the days when she was working hard for freedom in the Duke's Mansion. She did not indulge in such emotions, but could only choose to move forward firmly.

Kuang Yuru noticed her sister-in-law's mood change and said nothing more. The carriage was very quiet for a while.

The Cao Mansion was not far from the Kuang Family, and they soon arrived. When Xia Li got off the carriage, the maidservant beside Fang Tangli came to greet him and said respectfully, "Hello, Madam Kuang. Our madam is not feeling well, so she asked me to welcome you here. There are still many other ladies who haven't come yet. Would you please come with me to the main courtyard and sit for a while?"

Xia Li was willing to do so. She said in a steady voice, "Please ask the girl to take my aunt in for a walk first."

Fang Tangli's maid smiled and said, "I'll arrange it right away. Please wait."

Kuang Yulin stood with Kuang Yuru in a reserved manner. When she saw the attitude of the maidservant beside the prefect's wife towards her eldest sister-in-law, she knew that the two sisters had a good relationship. Kuang Yulin was glad that she had come along.

When the maid leading the way arrived, Xia Li said to Madam Zhou, "Stay with the two girls. Tell me if anything happens."

Nanny Zhou knew the seriousness of the matter and quickly bowed to agree. Xia Li watched them enter the garden and then followed the head maid to the main courtyard. At this moment, Fang Tangli was sitting in the house eating bird's nest. Seeing Xia Li coming, she smiled and waved, "You are finally here. I have wanted to hold a banquet and invite you to come, but your brother-in-law was worried and was afraid that I would hurt the baby. How can I be so fragile?"

Seeing her rosy complexion, Xia Li knew that her morning sickness had passed, and said with a smile:

"Isn't it good for your brother-in-law to love you? Others can't even hope for that. I came here today and brought my two sisters-in-law with me. The older one is also of marriageable age. I brought them here to see if there are any suitable candidates for marriage."

Fang Tangli couldn't help but exclaimed, "The two wives of the Kuang family are still alive, why do you have to worry about such a mess?"

Xia Li lowered her eyes and said softly, "It doesn't matter if my mother-in-law doesn't mention it. If Second Aunt had connections, she wouldn't let her daughter follow me. Each family has its own difficulties. I am only responsible for taking them out for social events, and I won't interfere with other things."

Fang Tangli understood immediately and said calmly, "It's just that the Kuang family is too low-class. If your mother-in-law was capable, you wouldn't have to worry so much."

Xia Li chuckled and nodded, "There are pros and cons. If my mother-in-law were a powerful person, I might not be able to live such a comfortable life. Now that I have taken over the power of the family, how can I not do something?"

Fang Tangli put down the small bowl in her hand and said lightly: "Although my brother-in-law is not a bad person now, he will get better and better in the future. You stay with me later. I will say some things for her. I guarantee that the effect will be better."

Fang Tangli is an old hand at social occasions, and she knows all kinds of people and their mentality. Xia Li smiled and said sweetly, "Sister still loves me."

When the two sisters appeared, many guests had already come to the garden, including all the respectable ladies in Jiaozhou. Fang Tangli took Xia Li's hand and took her to greet the ladies. After some politeness, she introduced them with a smile: "This is my sister from the direct branch of my family. She just married into the Kuang family some time ago. My sister is the apple of my parents' eye. You must take her out to play in the future."

Everyone laughed when they heard this. Magistrate Zhou's wife was the most capable of handling things. She said with a smile on her face, "Why do we need to take Grandma Kuang out to play? I was afraid that she wouldn't take us out to play. The ten-mile red makeup we saw some time ago was so enviable. Today we finally get to see her in person."

Xia Li smiled reservedly, and Fang Tangli raised her voice slightly and said, "That's nothing. Madam Zhou's dowry has been talked about for years. For a family like ours, it's just icing on the cake."

Someone immediately agreed, "That's not the case. The amount of the dowry only represents how much the girl's family loves her. Whether she can live a good life is the key. Although the Kuang family is not very prominent, the head of this generation is a capable person."

"Military officers are promoted very quickly. Every man in the Kuang family has great abilities. It will be only a matter of time before Madam Kuang is awarded a first-rank imperial title."

"I've heard recently that the Dongyi people are restless and caused trouble a while ago. Why are they turning around and wanting to make peace with us? They definitely have bad intentions..."

(End of this chapter)