SGEIRS -Chapter 535 Sooner or Later I’ll Divorce You

Early the next morning, Meng Chengxing’s high fever finally broke. But by noon, it flared up again. It wasn’t until another night had passed that the fever fully subsided. He lay on the bed looking listless and sickly, yet still insisted that he was fine, clamoring that he should set off at once to take part in the Lingshan Academy assessment.

This nearly broke Old Madam Meng’s heart. Doting on her precious grandson, she coaxed and persuaded him for a long while before finally getting him to stop. After comforting him again and again until he was temporarily settled, she turned around, found her son displeasing to the eye, and launched straight into a scolding.

Meng Dongyuan suffered this disaster for no reason at all, feeling utterly wronged. His unfilial son falling ill and missing the assessment was somehow blamed on him—he was accused of only knowing how to fool around with concubines, not caring enough about his child, and thus causing the boy to fall sick.

Hearing her mother-in-law berating her husband, Madam Zhao curled her lips into a barely perceptible smile. This was quite good. With tension between mother and son, she could keep one face in front of her husband and another in front of her mother-in-law. By then, even if her husband complained, her mother-in-law might not believe him.

Only when she sensed that her mother-in-law’s anger was about to subside did Madam Zhao leave Meng Chengxing’s room. Reaching the outer area, she hurriedly said, “Mother, this really can’t be blamed on my husband. The weather is hot, and children naturally crave coolness—catching a chill by accident is quite normal. My husband wouldn’t wish for Chengxing to fall ill at such a critical moment either.”

Old Madam Meng shot her a look of exasperation. “You just indulge him like this. No wonder he dares to push his luck and bully you.”

Meng Dongyuan: “?”

Who was bullying whom, exactly? He was clearly the one being bullied, and the one pushing her luck was Madam Zhao. How did it suddenly become that Madam Zhao was indulging him?

Madam Zhao said gently, “Mother, you’re being too harsh. My husband hasn’t bullied me. Since I married into the Meng family, I haven’t suffered any grievances. I’ve never lacked for food, clothing, or daily necessities.”

Meng Dongyuan glared at her irritably. “Madam Zhao, if you didn’t go perform in an opera troupe, it’d truly be a waste of talent!”

Madam Zhao looked at him blankly, opened her mouth, then lowered her eyes again, as if she didn’t know what to say.

Old Madam Meng pressed her lips together. This daughter-in-law of hers was genuinely gentle and virtuous, treating her husband as her heaven. But in front of her son, she was perhaps a little too soft. Still, that was fine—far better than that fox-like Dong woman. Obedient, well-behaved, and able to keep the servants in check so that no one dared offend her. This alone greatly pleased Old Madam Meng. She was practically the ideal daughter-in-law in her eyes.

She spoke up, “Alright. No matter how unwilling we are, what’s done is done. I won’t pursue it further. You can all go back. I’ll stay here with Chengxing. I don’t have anything else to attend to anyway, so I’ll keep him company and talk things through with him.”

After that, Madam Zhao left together with Meng Dongyuan. Once they were out of Meng Chengxing’s courtyard and no one else was around, Madam Zhao immediately lifted her chin, straightened her back, and quickened her pace, leaving Meng Dongyuan behind.

Meng Dongyuan snorted coldly. “We’ve barely walked any distance—can’t keep up the act anymore?”

Madam Zhao halted, turned to look at him, her expression calm. “Husband, haven’t you suffered enough yet?”

Meng Dongyuan choked with anger. “You—”

Madam Zhao didn’t bother with him anymore. She turned around and walked off without looking back.

Meng Dongyuan ground his teeth in fury. This woman was far too good at putting on an act. He had complained twice, and not only had his mother not believed him, she had scolded him every time. In all his decades of life, this was the first time he’d ever been bullied like this by a woman.

Being bullied while awake would’ve been bad enough—but even in his sleep she hadn’t let him off. Yesterday, his mother had ordered him to sleep in Madam Zhao’s room. Even if he didn’t touch her, he still had to put on a show for the servants—at least look like newlyweds. Otherwise, it would look improper if word got out.

He couldn’t defy his mother, so he went to rest in Madam Zhao’s room. Fortunately, Madam Zhao behaved herself—she didn’t throw herself into his arms or try to curry favor, simply covering herself with the blanket and going to sleep. He despised her and stayed far away, nearly rolling off the bed every time he turned over. Still, he slept soundly.

Who would’ve thought that in the latter half of the night, Madam Zhao would suddenly kick him off the bed. He woke up in pain and confusion, and it took him quite a while to realize what had happened. Furious, he immediately scrambled up, clutching his kicked waist, ready to curse.

Meanwhile, Madam Zhao—whose sleeping posture was atrocious—slept like a log, even snoring. That only made him angrier. What kind of wife kicked her husband off the bed in her sleep? He even suspected she’d done it on purpose, but he had no proof.

He rubbed his waist, which was still faintly aching, and gritted his teeth. “Sooner or later, I’ll divorce you, you two-faced shrew!”

—

Changxing Marquis Manor

Early this morning, Meng Chengzhang went out and headed to the Changxing Marquis Manor to see Meng Jinyao. He told her everything that had happened since Madam Zhao married into the family.

After hearing it, Meng Jinyao was greatly astonished. “You’re saying Grandmother actually scolded Father because of Madam Zhao? That between her son and her daughter-in-law, she didn’t hesitate at all and chose to favor the daughter-in-law?”

Meng Chengzhang nodded. “Yes. Grandmother is extremely fond of Madam Zhao. She didn’t even set rules for her. Whenever Father faces off against Madam Zhao, he never gains the upper hand. Time and again he ends up suffering losses, so angry he’s practically fuming, yet there’s nothing he can do about her.”

Meng Jinyao found this grandmother—who favored a daughter-in-law so openly—quite unfamiliar. She hadn’t seen how her grandmother treated her own biological mother, but she’d heard that when her mother married in, rules were immediately imposed. The same had happened to Madam Sun and Aunt Dong later. Only Madam Zhao was different, enjoying her grandmother’s exclusive favor—something truly rare.

She smiled and said, “From the first moment I saw Madam Zhao, I felt she wasn’t someone to mess with. Turns out I was right.” She raised her eyes to look at her younger brother and asked, “Second Brother, then how does she treat you?”

Meng Chengzhang answered honestly, “Actually, she’s not bad at heart. Any scheming she does is aimed at Father. Father’s behavior on their wedding night was too excessive—it completely chilled her heart. When she learned that I’d soon be returning to the academy, she prepared quite a lot of things for me. I looked through them—there wasn’t a single item that was perfunctory. Everything was prepared with care. She’s done everything a mother should.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao was a little surprised. She had thought that even if Madam Zhao didn’t mistreat her brother, she wouldn’t be especially attentive—just enough to keep appearances. She hadn’t expected Madam Zhao to treat him so well. Whether Madam Zhao was kind by nature or doing this because of her, either way, it was a good thing.

She said gently, “Second Brother, since she treats you as her own, you should also be filial to her.”

Meng Chengzhang nodded. “Eldest Sister, I understand. I know how to act with empathy.”

Meng Jinyao asked, “She also has a daughter, about the same age as Third Brother—perhaps even a little younger. I didn’t see her on the wedding day. Has she been brought over yet?”

Meng Chengzhang shook his head. “Not yet. Madam Zhao has been busy every day recently—perhaps she hasn’t had the time. After all, if the child is brought over, it wouldn’t be right to leave her unattended. Once things settle down in these next few days, she should bring her over.”

Meng Jinyao understood at once. Even if the Meng family had married a daughter to a Yangzhou merchant and received filial support from a son-in-law, the household accounts were still a complete mess. Taking over such inner household management would give anyone a headache. It was normal that she couldn’t get a handle on everything right away.