SGEIRS -Chapter 536 Filial Son Wanwan

Meng Chengzhang suddenly remembered something important and said, “Eldest Sister, there’s something I almost forgot to tell you. Third Brother has fallen ill.”

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao was surprised. “On Father’s wedding day, I saw him and he seemed perfectly fine—didn’t look like someone with health issues at all. How did he suddenly fall sick?”

Meng Chengzhang smiled faintly. “Originally, yesterday was the day the two of us were to set off for Lingshan Academy. I was going back to resume my studies, and he was going there to take the assessment. But the night before last, he caught a chill and suddenly developed a high fever. His condition came on fiercely, and that very night it alarmed Grandmother and Father.”

Those words sounded rather meaningful. Meng Jinyao immediately understood—how could there be such a coincidence? Her useless third brother was probably trying to avoid the assessment at Lingshan Academy, deliberately finding a way to fall ill. As long as he was delayed and couldn’t go, he wouldn’t have to fail the assessment, and he could even save face.

She said meaningfully, “This illness came at quite the timely moment.”

Meng Chengzhang nodded. “Indeed. After the fever went down, he even said he wanted to set off at once and rush to Lingshan Academy—if he rode hard, he could still make it in time. But Grandmother saw how weak and listless he was lying in bed and felt sorry for him. She gave him a long lecture, and only then did she persuade him to stay.”

Meng Jinyao said, “The assessment’s been delayed, and someone’s even provided him with a convenient way out. He has a bit of cleverness, but he never uses it on proper matters.”

Meng Chengzhang said helplessly, “The year before last, when I went to take the assessment, he went too. This year the academy is recruiting students again, and he’s even scheming to create problems for himself just to delay things—so he doesn’t have to take the assessment at all.”

Meng Jinyao replied, “Some things are like going into battle. Strike while the iron is hot, and you’re strong; hesitate once and you weaken; hesitate again and you’re spent. Once someone has failed, they become discouraged, lose confidence, fear failing again, and no longer dare to try.”

She paused, then continued, “In the imperial examinations, most people don’t succeed every single time and eventually become jinshi. Someone like him, who gives up after failure and doesn’t dare try again, will never enter officialdom through the examinations. The only option would be pulling strings—but Father is useless and can’t open those doors for him. His life will end up just like this. Still, that’s not a bad thing—given his character, he isn’t suited to serve as an official anyway.”

Meng Chengzhang nodded lightly, then said, “Eldest Sister, I’ll be setting off to return to the academy tomorrow. I won’t be able to come back for Mid-Autumn Festival this year. The teacher plans to take a few students out traveling for several months, and I’m on the list. The next time I return should be toward the end of the year, when the New Year is approaching.”

When Meng Jinyao heard this, she felt genuinely happy. Which of the teachers at Lingshan Academy weren’t renowned scholars of immense learning? For her second brother to be included on the trip meant he was outstanding and had caught the teacher’s eye. She said gently, “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Just focus on learning with your teacher—there’s no need to worry about me. Everything here is handled by your brother-in-law.”

By noon, Meng Chengzhang stayed to eat lunch. After the meal, he played with his little nephew for a while.

Looking at the child’s face, Meng Chengzhang smiled. “Eldest Sister, Wanwan really looks like you—more and more so as he grows.”

“Because of that face, his father is much more tolerant of him,” Meng Jinyao said. As she spoke, she recalled yesterday, when her husband came back and picked Wanwan up, only for Wanwan to pee again. Although her husband had frowned in distaste, he still personally changed Wanwan’s clothes. In the end, he told her, “A-Yao, I’m doing this for your sake.”

At the time, she hadn’t understood and asked, “Husband, what do you mean by that?”

He replied, “If it weren’t for that face looking like yours, I would’ve scolded this unfilial son.”

Hearing his eldest sister’s words, Meng Chengzhang grew curious. “Wanwan is so little—what could he possibly do to make Brother-in-law be so tolerant of him?”

Meng Jinyao laughed. “Don’t underestimate a baby. Sometimes they’re quite detestable. More than once, he’s wet himself while being held by your brother-in-law. That’s a truly ‘filial’ son.”

At these words, Meng Chengzhang froze, staring at the little nephew in his arms with a strange expression.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao was a bit puzzled. “Second Brother, why are you looking at Wanwan like that?”

Meng Chengzhang lifted Wanwan up, revealing the patch of his clothes that had already received the nephew’s ‘filial devotion,’ and said, “Eldest Sister, look—Wanwan really is very filial. Not only to his father, but also to his uncle.”

Meng Jinyao lowered her gaze, then quickly took the child back and handed him to the wet nurse, instructing her to take him away to change his clothes. But there were no clothes in her courtyard suitable for a young man, so she thought of Xiuwen from the main branch, whose build was similar to her second brother’s. She said to Chunliu, “Go to the First Madam’s place and borrow a set of Third Young Master’s clothes.”

Meng Chengzhang, however, said, “Eldest Sister, no need to trouble yourself. It’s nothing. The weather is hot—these clothes will dry quickly. Besides, I’ll be heading back home soon anyway. I can change after I get back.”

Meng Jinyao frowned. “But how can you stay like this?”

Meng Chengzhang didn’t mind at all. “It’s just a small wet patch. It’ll dry in a bit, and in this weather I won’t catch a chill.”

He insisted, and Meng Jinyao more or less understood that he didn’t want her to trouble others. Unable to argue with him, she had no choice but to let it go, asking him to go to the guest room to take off the clothes and have a maid help dry them.

With the hot weather, the clothes dried quickly.

After dressing, Meng Chengzhang bade his eldest sister farewell and then headed home.

—

In the evening, Gu Jingxi returned.

After dinner, Meng Jinyao told him about the matters of the Meng family. At the end, she added, “Husband, it turns out my earlier guess was right—this stepmother of mine is not someone to be trifled with.”

Gu Jingxi was quite surprised. As far as he knew, women who married into the Meng family were all subjected to torment; none truly lived well. Even Madam Sun had been firmly controlled by Old Madam Meng. Though Madam Sun was authoritative toward the servants, she still had to keep her tail between her legs in front of her mother-in-law.

Gu Jingxi said, “To keep Father-in-law firmly under control, and to earn Grandmother’s trust—to the point that she would even scold Father-in-law for her sake—she’s certainly capable.”

Meng Jinyao sighed. “My father has married four wives. The first three were all made to follow rules and discipline starting from the very second day after marrying in. Even Aunt Dong, such a good woman, was constantly picked on by my grandmother. Yet after she married in, no such rule-setting ever happened. According to my second brother, Grandmother dotes on her greatly and praises her at every turn. She’s truly a remarkable person.”

Gu Jingxi said, “Perhaps only a woman with such a temperament could marry into the Meng family without suffering grievances.”

Meng Jinyao curled her lips into a smile, her tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude. “She’ll never suffer grievances. The only one who will is my father. A man like him deserves to be matched with a shrew. Rather than letting him bully others and make them suffer, it’s better for someone else to bully him.”

Seeing her sly, mischievous smile, Gu Jingxi’s lips also lifted. “A-Yao, if Father-in-law knew what you were thinking, he’d probably be furious.”

Meng Jinyao’s smile deepened. “He deserves it. Gentle women married to him suffered endlessly—now it’s time for him to taste what it’s like to suffer grievances himself.”