Following the principle of knowing yourself and your enemy to win every battle, Jiang Ling immediately called Jiang Yushuang to inquire about her mother-in-law's temper and disposition.
Hearing her question, Jiang Yushuang sensed an impending conflict and eagerly shared her ten years of experience in 'battling wits and courage' with her mother-in-law.
After listening, Jiang Ling couldn't help but roll her eyes.
A single conversation with you feels like ten years of wasted effort.
In the ten years of marriage, whenever Madam Jian made a move, Jian Fan would block it before it even reached Jiang Yushuang.
Every time there was a conflict between mother and daughter-in-law, the husband would stand in front, taking the brunt of the attack. Jiang Yushuang, far from helping, often became a hindrance.
If Jiang Yushuang had truly followed the methods she described to deal with Madam Jian, she would have been crying within three moves.
However, this also highlighted how important it is to marry the right husband.
Even if one's own intelligence wasn't enough to handle a difficult mother-in-law, with a husband's support, life could still be very comfortable.
When Jiang Ling was filming "The Prince Becomes a Frog," the actor who played the second male lead, Xu Ziqian, was rumored among the crew to be a master of playing favorites, juggling multiple women with ease and appearing incredibly suave.
Many people, seeing him behave that way, thought he would become a notorious womanizer. To their surprise, after getting married, he became devoted to his wife, returning home punctually every day and never straying.
Not only that, but he also applied this skill to manage his relationship with his mother and wife.
Whenever conflicts arose between mother and daughter-in-law, he would placate his mother with a smile, saying, "Yes, yes, you're right. It's my wife's fault. I'll go scold her when we get back to our room."
Upon returning to their room, he would change his demeanor towards his wife and say, "Darling, it was my mother's fault. She's getting old and confused. I'll definitely stand by your side from now on. Please don't be angry, okay?"
By balancing both sides so skillfully, the conflicts between mother and daughter-in-law gradually disappeared, and soon they were as close as mother and daughter.
This demonstrated that the son is the key to harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships.
Many mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships turn sour because the son is inactive and doesn't know how to mediate the conflict between the two women.
Jiang Ling knew she wasn't Jiang Yushuang, and Jian Zhou wasn't Jian Fan. To deal with someone as troublesome as Madam Jian, she needed to use her own methods.
Instead of being a timid daughter-in-law who endures grievances, it was better to let her future mother-in-law know from the start that she wasn't to be trifled with, to avoid endless trouble in the future.
If violence wasn't an option, then sharp words would have to suffice.
When it came to sharp tongues, Sister Sa dared to claim the second spot, with no one daring to claim the first.
Jiang Ling quickly sought Sister Sa's help: "I'm in trouble, help me quickly!"
Sister Sa's expression changed: "What could possibly trouble you?"
"Jian Zhou's mother wants to invite me to dinner."
"Isn't it normal for Jian Zhou to invite you to dinner? What did he do to displease you? Why are you bringing his mother into this?"
Jiang Ling's lips twitched: "It's *his* mother who wants to invite me, not *him*."
Sister Sa: "..."
After a moment of stunned silence, Sister Sa laughed: "His mother wants to invite you? Isn't that a good thing? The ugly bride has to meet her in-laws; you can't avoid it."
Jiang Ling said, "Sister, it's a banquet of Hongmen. Jian Zhou's mother… pfft, his mother opposes my relationship with Jian Zhou. She's coming to play the villain this time."
As she spoke, Jiang Ling roughly recounted the information Jiang Yushuang had sent and Madam Jian's scheme.
"If it's about wealth, I'm not afraid at all. I'm just worried my tongue isn't sharp enough to outmatch her. That's why I need you, the master of verbal combat, to help me!"