Liu's mother's eyes widened as she gazed at the mansion's scenery, her heart blooming with joy at the thought that it was now their home.
With such a residence, who would want to live in the countryside? She made up her mind not to leave.
Li Qingrou, knowing her mother-in-law was difficult, didn't even want to see her. She instructed the steward to arrange rooms for them.
While her mother excitedly roamed the mansion, ordering the maids around and enjoying the novelty, Liu Yixuan's intention was to appease his wife. However, the situation was more serious than he anticipated, as Li Qingrou refused to see him.
Upon learning that his wife's family was in the mansion, he quickly brought his mother to pay their respects.
Li老爷, injured, did not wish to see anyone. Li夫人 stepped out and, observing Liu's mother subtly inquiring about the Li family's assets, felt both annoyed and unsure how to respond. At the same time, she thought Li Qingrou deserved such a mother-in-law, wasn't she arrogant? The suffering was yet to come.
Leaving Li夫人's courtyard, Liu Yixuan hurried to ask servants for information. His news was limited in the countryside. Although he sensed something peculiar, he couldn't quite articulate it.
From the servants' mouths, he learned that the Li mansion had been raided, Li老爷 was beaten and injured, and was recuperating within the mansion. He was stunned, and Liu's mother was no better. In her understanding, her daughter-in-law's relatives were officials. Since they couldn't protect themselves, it meant they had committed a heinous crime. Would it implicate their own family? she thought to herself.
"Do you know what crime the Li family committed?" Liu Yixuan asked, weighing the pros and cons.
The servant hesitated, thinking everyone knew this matter, and it was widely rumored outside, so it was not a secret. Only the son-in-law, who had just arrived from the countryside, was unaware. He then informed Liu Yixuan of the Li mansion's offense.
This was like a bolt from the blue for Liu Yixuan. The distant Li mansion, which had collapsed so suddenly. He had hoped to leverage the Li family's connections for an official position.
Liu's mother's thoughts differed from his. The Li family was living here without any intention of moving. It seemed they had nothing left. Wasn't that spending the Liu family's money?
In her eyes, Li Qingrou was already married into the Liu family, and everything she had belonged to the Liu family. The thought of the Li family members living in the Liu family home, eating their food, drinking their drinks, and spending their money, made her heart ache.
"No, I must speak to my in-laws. It's not right to always live in someone else's house," Liu's mother said anxiously to Liu Yixuan, as she turned back towards the courtyard.
Liu Yixuan watched his mother's retreating figure without stopping her. He also wanted to see if the Li mansion had truly reached its end. If his mother caused a scene and they tolerated it, it would mean they had no other recourse. If they moved away, it would mean the Li family, even without any fallback, was not completely destitute. Then he could play the good Samaritan, claiming his mother was an ignorant woman.
"In-laws, in-laws..." Li夫人 felt a headache coming on at the sound of Liu's mother's voice. She truly did not want to deal with this unreasonable village woman, but it was not yet time to fall out. She immediately put on a smiling face. "In-laws, why have you returned?"
"In-laws, you lied to me, you lied so bitterly. I thought you were just here to see your daughter and stay for a few days. I didn't realize you planned to stay here permanently. While relatives should help each other, you can't expect us Liu family to support your Li family forever." Liu's mother spoke, her eyes darting around to gauge Li夫人's reaction.
"As far as I know, this is our Li daughter's dowry. When did it become your Liu family's?" Li夫人 suppressed her anger and said calmly.
"Qingrou is now a daughter-in-law of our Liu family, so her belongings are ours. In our village, if one constantly lives at their daughter's home, people will point fingers," Liu's mother said, a look of disdain appearing on her face as she saw they had no intention of leaving.
Li夫人 felt this was the first time in her life she had encountered such a situation, and she had lost all face.
No matter what harsh words Liu's mother spoke next, she did not engage. In this matter, she was unable to make any decisions anyway.
Seeing Li夫人 unmoved, Liu's mother stamped her feet in anger, and after saying, "You Li family truly have no shame," she ran towards Li老爷's courtyard, pushing past the servants who dared not truly stop her. She ran to Li老爷's door and loudly spoke unpleasant words.
Li老爷, listening to the shrew outside spewing vulgarities, accusing his family of having no shame, living off the Liu family and being supported by them, was speechless. He had long anticipated the coldness of human relationships and the saying "when a wall falls, everyone pushes it," but when faced with it directly, he became enraged, his veins bulging. Sudannovel.com
Liu's mother's commotion did not last long before Li Qingrou arrived. In fact, she had received news when her mother-in-law was bothering her stepmother. She even felt that Liu's mother wasn't being harsh enough.
She had some affection for Li老爷. She didn't care about others, but Li老爷 was recuperating, and she didn't want to disturb his peace.
"Mother, you might be mistaken about one thing. This is my residence, and the contracts of all these servants are in my hands. If you continue to make a scene, I will have them throw you out immediately," Li Qingrou said expressionlessly.
"I am your mother-in-law! It's my terrible luck to have such an unfilial daughter-in-law. I'll go find someone to reason with you, and you'll be drowned in spit the moment you step outside." After days of confrontation, Liu's mother knew Li Qingrou was not to be trifled with. She didn't care about her reputation and might actually throw her out. She hadn't enjoyed herself enough yet and didn't want to return to the countryside. Furthermore, if word reached the gossips in the village, she didn't know how they would mock her. While speaking these words, she put on a brave front, but her spirit had clearly weakened.
"Rou'er, you've finally appeared. Those servants said you didn't want to see me. I didn't believe them. They must have been lazy and didn't report it. We finally overcame so many difficulties to be together; how could you not want to see me?" Liu Yixuan, hearing the commotion, rushed over and lied with his eyes open, trying to appease Li Qingrou first.
Li Qingrou remained silent. She harbored no small amount of resentment towards Liu Yixuan. While he treated her well, he was also good to his family. Every time he faced his mother, Liu Yixuan would evade confrontation and never speak up for anyone, which wore her down.
Li Qingxuan had come to watch the show. After hearing about Liu's mother bullying her mother, she was first furious, and then afraid that Li Qingrou would side with the Liu family, making her and her mother appear as if they were being driven out and forced to sleep on the streets. At the same time, she couldn't stand Li Qingrou's arrogant and overbearing demeanor.
Seeing that if Liu Yixuan continued to talk, Li Qingrou might soften, she couldn't help but interject, "I heard something, I wonder if it's true? The other day, I was eating in a restaurant and overheard someone at the next table say their relative was a doctor in the prefectural city. They said a scholar named Liu from our town had his hand crippled, and would never be able to hold a brush again. From their description, this person sounded a lot like my brother-in-law. I'm just not sure if it was you or someone you resemble."
"How is that possible? Sister, you mustn't believe hearsay," Liu Yixuan replied with a smile, but his clenched fists betrayed his anxious mood.
Liu's mother's face was filled with panic. Although she tried to maintain her composure as her son answered, Li Qingrou saw through her.
Thinking of Liu Yixuan's usual behavior, she stared at him with disbelief.