A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

Seeing that no one responded, Liu didn't mind and continued praising her brother as if he were a unique and excellent man in the world: "Yaozu was just unlucky. He was the only one who wasn't blessed enough to leave behind three children. He was both father and mother to his family and managed to hold them up..."

The atmosphere in the main room quickly shifted from lively to somber and oppressive due to Liu's nagging.

Chen Wanxing ate her meal quietly, still feeling annoyed by the discovery that her personal belongings had been rummaged through. The incessant praise from her second aunt only made her feel more disgusted.

The silver chopsticks tapped against the rim of the bowl, making a soft sound. However, Liu seemed completely oblivious to the change in atmosphere, and the more she talked, the more convinced she became of her point, until she had started talking non-stop.

"And for us women, getting married is like being reborn. Someone like Yaozu, who knows how to care for others, is responsible, and has a small family, can take charge of the household immediately after marriage. How practical..."

"Bang!"

Grandma Chen tapped her chopsticks lightly on the table, the sound not loud, but it brought Liu's incessant talking to an abrupt halt. The old woman lifted her eyelids and looked at Liu calmly.

"Why are you talking about all this nonsense at the dinner table? Don't you have any self-control? Can't you even shut your mouth while eating?"

Liu Yaozu is your brother, and it's your kindness to remember him. But today's dinner table at the Chen family is for family members to eat and discuss their own affairs. No matter how good Liu Yaozu is, he's still a member of your Liu family. What does he have to do with the rest of us? Do you need to keep making a scene here?

Now that you're married, you should focus your attention more on your husband, children, and this family. Other people's affairs, whether good or bad, are their business; it's not your place, a married woman, to constantly bring them up at the dinner table.

These words were harsh, practically a direct rebuke of Liu's overly biased behavior towards her maternal family. Liu was stunned by this harsh reprimand, her face flushing red and then turning pale, filled with grievance and confusion.

The main room was silent, save for the soft sounds of chewing and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks. The second half of the meal ended in this unusually somber atmosphere; no one spoke, and even the children obediently finished their food quickly and slipped away from the table.

"Don't rush off yet," Chen Wanxing called out to them, and the children all stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

"I brought you all a few little things from my trip to the county town today." As she spoke, she walked up to Chen Yanxin and handed him a red paper packet. "I've already given them to the others, but this is for you, Brother Xin."

Chen Yanxin was somewhat surprised, but upon hearing that he would also receive a gift, he immediately became excited. He took the gift with both hands, opened it, and found a small, exquisite silver lock inside. His eyes lit up: "Thank you, elder sister."

Next came Bao Ge'er, Gui Ge'er, and You Cong. Each of them received a small silver lock. The three little guys were overjoyed, turning it over and over in their hands, and most of the unpleasantness at the dinner table had disappeared.

Finally, she took out a smaller red cloth bag and walked up to her sister-in-law, Zhang: "Sister-in-law, this is for Youjin. He's too small, and I was afraid the silver lock would rub against him, so I chose a small collar."

Hui Niang was surprised that Chen Wanxing even cared about her newborn son. She accepted the exquisitely crafted silver necklace, her eyes slightly red, and thanked her repeatedly, "Wanxing, this is too much trouble. Thank you for thinking of me, sister-in-law."

Everyone else stared in shock as Chen Wanxing took out one silver ornament after another. Judging from her words, it seemed that her younger sisters had also received some today.

My goodness, that's a huge investment! How much money must this have cost?

The children were all beaming with joy as they received their gifts. Chen Wanxing smiled at them and said, "Alright, you've got your things. Go out and play, but be careful not to lose them."

The children cheered and carefully carried their new treasures out of the main room.

Aunt Chen's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she looked at the silver lock in her two sons' hands. Seeing them run out, she was worried about leaving them alone and wanted to call them back, but seeing Chen Wanxing still there, she didn't say anything.

The main room fell silent again, leaving only the adults. Chen Wanxing's gentle smile slowly faded. She walked back to the table but did not sit down. Her gaze calmly swept over each of the elders present: Grandma Chen, her father and mother, her second uncle and aunt, her third uncle and aunt, as well as her eldest brother Chen Yancheng and her sister-in-law Huiniang.

"Alright, now it's time to talk about my business."

Everyone looked at her. Grandma Chen's eyes were questioning, and Chen's parents looked concerned. Chen Wanxing's gaze finally landed on Chen's second aunt, Liu's face. Her gaze was calm and unwavering, but it made Liu feel a sudden panic for no reason.

Chen Wanxing's gaze calmly fell on his second aunt Liu's face, and when he spoke, his voice was completely direct:

"Second Aunt, when are you going to pay back the ten taels of silver you owe me?"

The main room fell silent abruptly. Everyone was stunned, especially Liu, whose eyes widened in disbelief and confusion: "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever owe you money?"

Chen Wanxing glanced at her expression; she showed no sign of guilt. It seemed the Liu family had stolen the ten taels of silver without telling her. In that case, she would have to change her approach.

"Oh? Since you didn't take it, then it must have been your family? Second Aunt, your family is dishonest; they stole ten taels of silver from me."

"What?"

Exclamations came from several people almost simultaneously. Liu jumped up from the stool as if she had been pricked by a needle, her eyes wide open and her face filled with absurdity and anger.

"Chen Wanxing, are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting? Who stole your money? How dare you slander my family?"

The rest of the Chen family were also stunned. Faced with Liu's outburst and the shock of the entire room, Chen Wanxing didn't even raise an eyebrow. She even calmly straightened her cuffs, as if what she was facing wasn't an angry accusation, but rather the commotion on a stage.

"Slander?" She repeated the word softly, a faint, almost mocking smile curving her lips. "Today, besides the Liu family, was there even a single unfamiliar face in the house?"

Mr. Chen shook his head in a deep voice: "No, it's just your second aunt's family." Mrs. Chen and her eldest brother also nodded in confirmation.

"Ten taels of loose silver have vanished without a trace, and my room's windows were not opened, the door was not broken, and there were always people in the house, so it's obvious that it wasn't an outside thief." Chen Wanxing spoke calmly, "If it wasn't an outside thief, then it can only be an inside traitor."

Since I returned home, not a single needle or thread has been missing from my room. But today, the Liu family came, and the silver was gone. Second Aunt, do you think this silver grew wings and flew off to visit some of your relatives?

"You...you're just making excuses!" Liu was trembling with anger, pointing her finger at Chen Wanxing's nose. "You have no evidence, so why are you blaming my family? Who knows if you accidentally lost it, or if you just hid it to try and extort money from us?"