"I didn’t expect Second Brother’s life to turn so prosperous. Asking for help from the Retired Emperor was indeed the right decision," said Tong Sanlang.
"Exactly! When that little daughter was born, she weighed a full eight pounds! Your Second Brother was absolutely overjoyed." Speaking of his newborn granddaughter, Tong Tiehu’s usual stern face softened with a hint of a smile.
"What about Yangyang?" Tong Sanlang asked.
"Yangyang stays with , but your Second Sister-in-law treats him as her own son. She spoils him when he needs it, but also scolds him when he’s being mischievous. It’s quite good." Having witnessed Zhu Hongyun’s unreasonable behavior before, Tong Tiehu was very pleased with Liu Lanfen as a granddaughter-in-law.
"Sanlang, now your Second Brother seems to have settled down. You know his personality well. You’re about to be conferred as a prince, so about him..." Tong Tiehu said, turning his gaze toward Qiao Xiaomai.
Although the remark was directed at Tong Sanlang, it was actually seeking Qiao Xiaomai’s opinion.
Qiao Xiaomai had expressed multiple tis that she wouldn’t recognize the Tong family. Now, for Tong Sanlang to take care of Tong Erlang’s household, it required her first to nod in agreent.
"Whatever, anyway, Sanlang will be a prince in the future. As a princess, I can’t control him." Qiao Xiaomai said indifferently.
Previously, her unwillingness was due to being infuriated by those few insufferable individuals. Now that her perspective had widened and her family and business were flourishing, she no longer paid Tong Erlang any mind.
She didn’t care how much support Tong Sanlang provided; it was none of her concern.
However, her words seed contentious to the others present. Qiao Changshun began to persuade her, saying she was being immature. He pointed out she used to act childish due to her young age, but now she was nearing twenty, still childless, and had such strained relations with the Tong family—how could life go on like that?
Zhuang Lühe understood Qiao Xiaomai’s temper. But this ti, the quarrel between Qiao Xiaomai and Tong Sanlang had dragged on for far too long—two and a half years. Tong Sanlang hadn’t committed any serious mistakes, so it was ti for her to forgive him.
A group of people joined forces to persuade her, leaving Qiao Xiaomai no choice but to change her stance. She didn’t care how Tong Sanlang supported Tong Erlang or even Tong Xingda and the Zhang Family. From now on, as long as Tong Sanlang liked it, he could do as he pleased.
She had resigned herself to fate. She could not leave Tong Sanlang. She decided that even if she had to lower herself into the dust, she would stay with him. If Tong Sanlang wanted to treat his family well, she could only turn a blind eye to it.
However, she kept these inner feelings to herself, so her earlier comnts sounded even more contentious to the others. As the night deepened, the group, having failed to persuade her, could only retreat to their respective rooms to sleep.
Tong Sanlang and Qiao Xiaomai also bathed and went to bed. Having endured a month of travel, even though both of them were in excellent health, they were exhausted. The two of them didn’t even exchange words before falling asleep on the kang bed.
When they woke, the sky was already light. Firecracker sounds echoed from outside—it was the first day of the new year, a ti to bid farewell to the old and welco the new.
Qiao Xiaomai, with a cheery smile, gathered everyone in the residence together to distribute red envelopes, including her Guard Team. The guards had stayed back in the Capital City, each busy with their own affairs. After her return yesterday, they had all reunited at the Qiao Residence.
Just like the previous year, Qiao Xiaomai handed out red envelopes worth 1,000 taels silver to each person. However, she had now resolved to live well with Tong Sanlang, so it seed ti to disband the Guard Team.
During her visit to the Palace to wish Yang Wenxiao a happy new year, she inquired about the activities of the guards over the past year and requested Yang Wenxiao to arrange suitable positions for them.
Additionally, she planned to compensate each mber with silver to thank them for appearing when she had needed them the most.
Reviews
All reviews (0)