HNYWEF -Chapter 180 The Kind of Relative Everyone Hates

The room was full of people.

The old man and old woman sat at the head of the room. The younger brother-in-law sat beside the old man, while his wife sat at the far end holding their child, her eyes constantly darting around the room and over the people inside it.

Zhou Xiong sat in the guest seat, with Zhou Yi and Li Lizhi standing behind him.

From the moment she entered, the aunt had been sizing everyone up.

First, Zhou Xiong’s clothes.

She had never seen fabric like that before—smooth and sleek, with dark patterns that appeared and disappeared under the light. Even the finest cloth shop in Xiangzhou had never carried anything like it.

Then she noticed the jade pendant at his waist. The quality was dazzling. Her husband could work a whole year outside and still not afford a piece of jade like that.

And then the young woman behind him. The hairpin in her hair looked plain, but the craftsmanship and material were obviously not something an ordinary household could own.

Her husband tugged at her sleeve several times.

She ignored him every time.

After sitting for a while, Zhou Xiong finally spoke.

“We’re only staying one night. Tomorrow we still have to make a trip to Huazhou.”

The old man raised his head to look at him.

Zhou Xiong’s voice was rough and hoarse, calm and unhurried.

“She’s there. The brothers from Wagang Stronghold should’ve already handled the funeral arrangements for me. I need to go see.”

The room fell silent for a moment.

The old man nodded quietly.

The old woman lowered her head, her fingers tightening once against her knee before slowly relaxing.

The younger brother-in-law looked at Zhou Xiong, lips moving as though he wanted to say something, but nothing came out.

Zhou Xiong looked at the old couple again and spoke once more.

“If you’re willing… after everything’s done, would you come back to Chang’an with me?”

The room became even quieter.

The old couple exchanged a glance, but before either could speak, another voice cut in first.

“Oh my, to Chang’an?”

The aunt’s voice instantly brightened. The caution on her face disappeared at once, replaced by a broad smile so wide her eyes narrowed.

“Brother-in-law must be a high-ranking official in the capital now, right?” She leaned forward slightly, her gaze circling over Zhou Xiong’s robe again.

“I knew it. Clothes like this, this kind of bearing—you can tell at a glance he’s no ordinary person. Father, Mother, you two are finally blessed.”

She patted the child in her arms as she spoke. The child stirred awake and whimpered sleepily, but she didn’t stop.

“What official post does brother-in-law hold in Chang’an? How big is the residence? How many courtyards? How many servants do you keep at home?”

The younger brother-in-law’s face flushed red as he yanked hard at her sleeve.

“Can you stop talking already—”

“Did I say anything wrong?” She shook off his hand, her voice not lowering in the slightest. “Brother-in-law’s successful and wants to bring Father and Mother to Chang’an to enjoy life. That’s a good thing! I’m happy for them!”

She turned toward the old woman with a grin.

“Mother, you’ve finally made it through the hard years. Once you get to Chang’an, you’ll live in a grand estate and wear fine silks instead of staying here every day around the stove.”

As she spoke, she turned back toward Zhou Xiong again, eyes gleaming.

“Brother-in-law, Chang’an must be enormous, right? I heard the shops line the streets one after another and sell everything imaginable. Are houses expensive there? Your estate—”

Zhou Xiong sat there expressionless.

But inside, he was already regretting it.

Annoying relatives were the same everywhere.

To this woman, his clothes, the guards he brought, even Princess Li Lizhi herself—none of it looked like trouble.

It all looked like gold.

If his father-in-law and mother-in-law really went with him, what she cared about wasn’t that no one would stay behind to look after the house.

What she cared about was losing the chance to benefit from them.

When he asked the question earlier, none of this had crossed his mind.

He had only thought about one thing:

Bringing her parents back with him and fulfilling filial duty on her behalf.

But he had forgotten something.

Her parents were not only her parents.

In other people’s eyes, they were also a piece of meat fat enough to fight over.

He closed his mouth and said nothing more.

The old man’s face had already darkened so much it looked like water could drip from it.

He set his teacup heavily onto the table.

Bang.

The room instantly went silent.

“Are you finished yet?”

The aunt’s smile froze on her face.

The old man looked at her. His voice was not loud, but the weight behind it was harsher than outright cursing.

“In front of guests, is this all you can think about?”

The aunt opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but after seeing the expression on his face, she swallowed the words back down.

She lowered her head and patted the child in her arms without speaking again.

But the downturn at the corners of her mouth made her resentment impossible to hide.

The old man turned toward the younger brother-in-law.

“What are you still sitting there for? Go prepare rooms for your brother-in-law and the others.”

The younger brother-in-law stood up and glanced at Zhou Xiong.

There was apology in his eyes.

And helplessness too.

Then he turned and left.

Footsteps echoed beneath the corridor for a while, followed by the sounds of doors and windows opening in the back courtyard.

The room fell quiet again.

The aunt sat there holding the child, head lowered, still patting its back rhythmically.

But every so often, her eyes would flick upward, stealing a quick glance at Zhou Xiong before lowering again.

There was something in that look now.

Not the eager flattery from before.

It was more like grievance—

What did I even say wrong?

—and resentment—

You’re such a great official now, why are you stooping to argue with people like us?

The old woman looked at her, then at Zhou Xiong. Her lips moved slightly, wanting to smooth things over, but she had no idea what to say.

The old man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it back down.

Then he looked at Zhou Xiong and spoke again, his tone softer than before.

“You go do what you need to do. Don’t worry about us. We’ve lived in Xiangzhou for over ten years already. We’re used to it here.”

Zhou Xiong looked at him and nodded.

He did not bring up Chang’an again.

Outside the window, the sun slowly drifted westward. The light shining into the room shrank gradually toward the base of the wall.

The child in the aunt’s arms had fallen asleep again.

She kept patting it gently, over and over, lips pressed tightly together.

Standing behind Zhou Xiong, Li Lizhi watched everyone in the room.

She watched the old woman secretly glance at Zhou Xiong before hurriedly looking away again.

Watched the aunt sit there patting the child with lowered head.

Watched the old man sip slowly from a bowl of tea that had long since gone cold.

And suddenly she realized—

All the etiquette she had learned over the years as a princess, all the rules, manners, and careful ways of speaking and conducting herself…

At this moment, none of it was useful.

All she could do was stand there, watch, and wait.