SGEIRS -Chapter 539 A Husband-and-Wife Quarrel

Meng Jinyao was not annoyed. Unhurried and calm, she asked, “When Second Sister was still an unmarried young lady, she did quite a few interesting things. Shall I tell Second Brother-in-law about them later? I’m sure Second Brother-in-law would be very interested in Second Sister’s past.”

Meng Jinyu’s expression tightened. She figured that today’s matter might barely be smoothed over, but if Meng Jinyao kept talking, she would definitely be finished.

A wise person knows when to yield.

No matter how angry or aggrieved she felt inside, she had to endure it. She immediately changed her attitude, lowered her head, and admitted fault. “Eldest Sister, I was wrong. Please don’t stoop to my level. I won’t dare to forge your letters again. Please, out of kindness, spare me this once, all right?”

Meng Jinyao shot her a warning glance. “If there’s a next time, I will not be lenient. And from now on, don’t loiter in front of me. Otherwise, I’m afraid my memory is too good, and I might accidentally tell Second Brother-in-law about Second Sister’s ‘interesting’ past.”

Cold sweat broke out all over Meng Jinyu. She nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Eldest Sister. I’ve disturbed you for quite some time today. I should return with my husband now. I’ll take my leave.”

Seeing how pliable and adaptable Meng Jinyu had become—so different from the Meng Jinyu she remembered—Meng Jinyao gave a soft scoff and said nothing more.

Over there, after Deng Yuanqing followed Gu Jingxi out of the reception hall, they didn’t really discuss anything, much less ask about the letters. They merely chatted about children. After all, Meng Jinyu was already five months pregnant, so it wasn’t an awkward topic.

Gu Jingxi was quite interested, every other sentence being about “my family’s Wanwan.”

Deng Yuanqing was a businessman with a silver tongue. Even though he had never met Wanwan, he could praise her until she sounded like a blossoming flower, which put Gu Jingxi in a very good mood—after all, no parent dislikes hearing their child praised.

Before long, Meng Jinyao and Meng Jinyu walked over.

Seeing them, Deng Yuanqing swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue and said gently, “A-Yu, Eldest Sister, you’re coming out as well?”

Meng Jinyao nodded lightly. “Second Brother-in-law, Second Sister suddenly remembered something she needs to handle and wants to return early.”

At the Changxing Marquis Manor, Meng Jinyu didn’t want to stay a moment longer. She nodded hurriedly. “Husband, it’s somewhat urgent. Let’s head back first. We’ll visit Eldest Sister and Eldest Brother-in-law another day.”

Hearing this, Deng Yuanqing glanced at his wife and frowned almost imperceptibly, then replied evenly, “Alright, then we’ll head back first and visit again another day.”

After that, the couple took their leave.

Deng Yuanqing supported Meng Jinyu considerately as they walked, as if worried that her pregnant body might tire easily.

Meng Jinyu felt both surprised and relieved. She hadn’t expected her husband to treat her the same even after what had just happened. The weight in her heart finally lifted—yet the gaze from behind made her scalp prickle, and she subconsciously quickened her steps.

Once they left the Changxing Marquis Manor and boarded the carriage, the smile on Deng Yuanqing’s face faded instantly. His expression darkened as he stared at Meng Jinyu seated opposite him.

Uneasy, Meng Jinyu asked, “H-husband, why are you looking at me like that?”

With a grim face, Deng Yuanqing asked, “A-Yu, your eldest sister said she’s never exchanged letters with you. So what exactly was going on with those letters?”

Meng Jinyu’s face went pale. At this point, she could only tell the truth. Hesitating, she said, “Those letters were… written by a maid at my side, and then I told you they were sent by Eldest Sister.”

Deng Yuanqing was furious. He suddenly recalled his father-in-law’s wedding day—when he had mentioned the letters in front of Gu Jingxi, Gu Jingxi’s expression had been somewhat odd, yet he hadn’t refuted it. And then today, when the letters came up again—when he spoke of them, Gu Jingxi and his wife must have been laughing at them inside.

His wife had forged letters, and the matter had even reached the rightful person. He himself had been dragged into this embarrassment.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. His face dark with displeasure, anger seeping into his voice, he said, “So your eldest sister never wrote you any letters at all. Then why on earth did you forge them? Could it be vanity at work?”

“You’re asking me why?” Thinking of her days at her in-laws’ home, Meng Jinyu felt utterly wronged. “Wasn’t it because your mother bullied me for marrying far away, knowing my natal family couldn’t reach me, and deliberately made things difficult for me?”

The angrier she spoke, the more heated she became. “If I hadn’t done this, she would’ve continued to make things hard for me. But once I mentioned that my eldest sister wrote to care about me, and I often brought up my eldest sister in front of her, she never dared to trouble me again. Even the rest of the Deng family changed their attitude toward me. Just a few letters were enough to turn the situation around. That was a good thing for me—wasn’t it? If you hadn’t brought this up, how would that couple have known?”

Listening to his wife, Deng Yuanqing’s face grew even uglier. “So now you’re blaming me? If you hadn’t forged the letters, would this have happened at all? And how was I supposed to know the letters were fake?”

He clenched his fists tightly, forcing down his rage, and continued, “Fine if you only mentioned it in front of my mother. But later, in front of me, you even took the letters out and read them again and again. I really thought you missed your eldest sister. Turns out you were just putting on an act. Reading the letters in front of me—was that to constantly remind me that you’re the own sister of the Changxing Marquis’s wife? Before there were any letters, I never mistreated you. Why did you have to go this far?”

Meng Jinyu retorted stubbornly, “Wasn’t it because I was afraid? I married far away. Even if you mistreated me, my natal family wouldn’t see it. My eldest sister’s status just happened to be enough to keep you in check. I did all this just so I could live a little better. Was I wrong?”

Deng Yuanqing shouted angrily, “Meng Jinyu, you’re utterly unreasonable!”

Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants—no matter how wealthy a merchant might be, his status was still low. Being able to marry the Second Miss of the Yongchang Marquis’s Manor—even though the manor had fallen into decline, and the Second Miss’s reputation had suffered due to her birth mother—he still felt he had gained a great advantage. She was a daughter of a noble household; her eldest sister was the Changxing Marquis’s wife. By marrying her, he became the Yongchang Marquis’s son-in-law, the brother-in-law of the Changxing Marquis’s wife, related by marriage to the Changxing Marquis—raising his own status to some extent.

Thus, even when Meng Jinyu had first married him and barely spared him a proper glance, he never treated her poorly. After all, he had married her status, married the benefits—and she was also beautiful, which pleased him greatly.

Since marrying Meng Jinyu, business dealings had gone far more smoothly for him, so he cared even less about her attitude. In any case, she had married far away to Yangzhou, confined to the inner quarters, unable to stir up much trouble. Later, when she became more obedient, he was even more satisfied.

Who would have thought that Meng Jinyu would pull something like this—making him lose all face in front of the Changxing Marquis and his wife? Heaven knew how agonizing it had been when he followed the Changxing Marquis out of the reception hall to talk—so awkward he wanted the ground to swallow him, yet he still had to pretend nothing was wrong.

Seeing her husband on the brink of fury, veins bulging at his temples as he glared at her with a near-devouring look, Meng Jinyu was instantly frightened into silence. The words at her lips were swallowed back down.

She sat as if on pins and needles, her thoughts in chaos, truly unable to imagine how the Deng family would treat her once they returned to Yangzhou.