TIPS – Chapter 56

“Then what else could it be?” Yang Shuangjiao stared at Yang Shi, waiting for her to finally explain how they had become wealthy.

“Well, to be honest, your brother-in-law and I don’t have any money. All our wealth comes from our daughter-in-law,” Yang Shi admitted. She figured that sooner or later, Yang Shuangjiao would find out about Song Jingwei’s background anyway. It was better for her to explain it herself rather than letting her sister hear rumors and start talking nonsense in front of Song Jingwei, which could end up offending him.

Hearing this, Yang Shuangjiao’s mouth fell open in shock. She couldn’t believe such good fortune existed in this world. The Shen family’s main branch must have stepped in some serious luck! Just that mute son of theirs alone had managed to marry such a dazzling, wealthy wife?

Since it had to be said anyway, Yang Shi simply continued, “My daughter-in-law is the young master of the richest family in Lihua Town, the Song family. His family is indeed very wealthy.”

Yang Shuangjiao’s jaw practically hit the floor. It took her a long time before she stammered, “W-what… the richest family?” It didn’t even matter where—they were the richest, right? The wealthiest of them all? Oh, dear heavens. “Sister, how on earth did you manage to marry such a daughter-in-law?” She knew for a fact that the Shen family’s main branch used to be dirt poor. How did they even afford to marry the richest family’s young master?

“You’d have to ask my son about that. I suppose my daughter-in-law just took a liking to our Xi’er,” Yang Shi said somewhat bashfully. Of course, she knew it wasn’t entirely that simple, but seeing the utterly dumbfounded look on her sister’s face gave her an unexpected sense of satisfaction. In her heart, she silently apologized—How did I turn into this kind of person? This is sinful, sinful! But she couldn’t help feeling delighted. She just loved seeing others’ expressions of envy, jealousy, and frustration.

“Your daughter-in-law really is…” What kind of taste did he have? Yang Shuangjiao opened her mouth but ultimately didn’t finish the sentence. Whatever. They were already married, and the Shen family had already gotten rich—what was there left to say? She admitted she was jealous of Yang Shi, but so what? Who in this village wasn’t?

People were like that—when someone earned their fortune through hard work, others admired them. But when wealth came purely from luck, it usually attracted jealousy. She didn’t even know why.

“My daughter-in-law is wonderful,” Yang Shi said with a deliberately naive smile, pretending not to understand her sister’s complicated feelings.

After sitting together for a while, Yang Shuangjiao changed the topic. “Your house is newly built, right? Not bad at all. I’ll take a look around. That girl Niuniu better not get lost.”

Yang Shi stood up and said, “Alright, I’ll walk around with you, big sister.”

“Good!” Yang Shuangjiao responded eagerly.

The two of them stepped outside and strolled around the new house. The building was a courtyard-style residence that combined the best architectural features from various dynasties, blending historical elegance with modern conveniences. Naturally, it was unlike traditional ancient houses, but that didn’t stop it from exuding a unique charm and grandeur.

In all her years, Yang Shuangjiao had never seen such a spacious and exquisitely designed house. Even though her eyes were dazzled by the sight, she forced herself to maintain a composed expression, refusing to let her sister see her awe. When Yang Shi asked for her opinion, she simply said, “It’s alright. Our house is about the same.”

“This is the courtyard for me and Old Shen. My daughter-in-law named it ‘Glory Hall,’” Yang Shi said with a smile, leading the way. “Over there is my son and daughter-in-law’s courtyard, I think it’s called ‘Four Seasons Residence.’” She pointed off into the distance; it was quite far from their own living quarters.

Yang Shuangjiao wasn’t well-educated, so all these fancy names went right over her head. But they sounded cultured, so she pretended to understand. “Not bad. Looks quite nice. That’s the good thing about the countryside—land is cheap, so you can build as big as you want.”

Yang Shi nodded. “That’s true. All the land at the foot of Xiaoliang Mountain belongs to my daughter-in-law—a total of 150 acres. He can build as wide as he likes without worrying about space.” Her daughter-in-law even had blueprints for future construction projects, planning to develop even more of the surrounding land.

“Haha, yeah… if it’s your own land,” Yang Shuangjiao said dryly. So now he’s a landowner too? Yang Shi was just dropping one shocking fact after another, bit by bit. What was she trying to do?

“My daughter-in-law also employs fifty or sixty long-term workers. And over there is a school with another fifty or sixty students. I heard he’s planning to build a tea plantation—over a hundred acres of it. Just picking the tea will require hiring a whole lot of workers,” Yang Shi said with a touch of concern.

“…” Yang Shuangjiao swallowed hard. After a moment, she forced a laugh and said, “My husband works hard in the lumber business too. Even though he makes a lot of money, he’s constantly traveling and entertaining business partners—whether merchants or officials. He spends all his time making money and barely has any left for us.”

“That’s something you need to watch out for,” Yang Shi said seriously. “Business dealings involve a lot of socializing. You have to keep an eye on your husband—otherwise, one day, you might find a vixen has entered the picture.” She was being genuinely considerate with her advice, and she would have said the same thing even if it wasn’t her own sister.

However, Yang Shuangjiao’s expression darkened immediately, making Yang Shi wonder if something was already going on. She asked, “Wait… don’t tell me—”

“Nothing like that!” Yang Shuangjiao forced a smile, stumbling over her words as if she didn’t want to discuss it any further. Just then, she spotted her daughter, Wang Chunxing, wandering nearby. Seizing the chance to change the subject, she hurried over and called out, “My dear, where have you been running off to?”

Wang Chunxing wandered around the courtyard after coming out. The more she explored, the more she found it beautiful—spacious and uniquely designed. The more she walked around, the more she liked it. She started making her own little calculations and said, “Mom, this place is really nice. How long are we staying here?” Previously, they planned to stay for three to five days before heading elsewhere, but now she felt that wasn’t enough. If they had to hide for ten days or half a month, she would rather just stay here.

“Well, I’ll have to discuss it with your aunt,” Yang Shuangjiao said hesitantly. She also found her sister’s place very beautiful. If she could stay, she wouldn’t mind staying forever. But after all, it was someone else’s home. Though she was pretty sure Yang Shi wouldn’t refuse.

Hearing this, Wang Chunxing finally realized this wasn’t her own home. If she wanted to stay, she needed the host’s permission. So, she put on a sweet smile, held onto Yang Shi’s arm, and said, “Auntie, your house is so beautiful! It dazzled my eyes!”

Yang Shi had a soft spot for children. Holding her arm, she smiled and said, “If you like it, stay at Auntie’s place for two days. You can go back later.”

Wang Chunxing blinked her big eyes and said, “Thank you, Auntie! I want to stay a few more days. Is that okay?”

Yang Shi hesitated for a moment, but seeing the girl’s eager face, she felt that letting her stay for five or ten days wouldn’t be a big deal. So, she said, “Alright, alright, you can stay longer if you’re happy.”

“Thank you, Auntie! You’re so kind!” Wang Chunxing said sweetly, smiling with dimples on both cheeks. She really did look adorable.

Yang Shi had only one son, Shen Junxi, and had always dreamed of having a daughter. She thought to herself, If I had a daughter, she would probably look like Wang Chunxing.

“Good girl. Come, Auntie will show you the guest room.” Earlier, Song Jingwei had already given them a tour, explaining where the guests could go, where the private quarters were, and which areas were off-limits.

So, when Yang Shi introduced Sishi Residence, she only pointed at it from afar and didn’t take them there.

The guest courtyard was two doors away from the main residence, not directly in front, but rather off to the side. However, it was close to the entrance.

“It’s just been tidied up, so it may be a bit simple. I hope you don’t mind,” Yang Shi said as she led them inside, showing them the bathroom and various areas to make their stay convenient.

“It’s fine! Auntie’s house is already amazing,” Wang Chunxing quickly said, her bright eyes scanning the room. Compared to an average home, this place was much more than just good.

“As long as you don’t mind,” Yang Shi said with a smile. She let them put their bags down and then led them back to the main hall to continue chatting.

By noon, the three women were busy in the kitchen. To properly host her guests, Yang Shi had prepared several dishes in generous portions.

The students at the academy finished school early, and Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi returned together. They ran into Yang Shuangjiao and her daughter, and Yang Shi took the opportunity to introduce them.

Upon learning that these two were just academy teachers hired by the Shen family and not actual family members, Yang Shuangjiao didn’t bother being polite. She figured she was the real relative, while they were just paid workers—nothing worth showing respect for.

When Wang Chunxing first saw Pei Hongxuan, she thought he was incredibly handsome. Unlike her elegant cousin-in-law, he had a rugged, masculine charm. But unfortunately, he was lame. That instantly made her lose interest, so she didn’t bother looking at him again.

Then, she noticed Wu Xi’s attentiveness toward Pei Hongxuan and looked down on them even more. So, they’re a couple of men? In her eyes, a man who couldn’t marry a woman was worthless. That cripple and her mute cousin were both the same.

Pei Hongxuan had met plenty of people in his life. The moment he saw the way Yang Shuangjiao and her daughter looked at him, he immediately knew their attitude toward him. He wasn’t the kind to seek out disrespect, so he ignored them and simply went to the side to drink tea and snack on some pastries.

Seeing her husband act unbothered, Wu Xi eagerly followed suit. Those two were relatives of the Shen family, not theirs. If they got along, great. If not, there was no need to bother.

“Wife, is the food ready yet? I’m starving!” Shen Dongming returned, placing his hoe against the wall and fanning himself with his straw hat as he walked in. Seeing Pei Hongxuan snacking on pastries, he went over and grabbed a few pieces, munching away. “Mmm, these pastries are good! No wonder my daughter-in-law likes them.” The snacks at their house were handpicked by Song Jingwei—only the best made it to their table.

Yang Shi came in with a pot of soup and said, “Go wash up first! Look at how sweaty you are!”

“Heh heh…” Shen Dongming grinned sheepishly and started heading out. As he passed by Yang Shuangjiao and Wang Chunxing, they both wrinkled their noses in disgust at his sweaty scent. But he stopped and said, “Hey, is this my eldest sister?” It had been over twenty years since he last saw her, so he wasn’t entirely sure. He could only vaguely recall her appearance.

“Yes,” Yang Shi answered quickly, urging him, “Go wash up first, you can talk later.”

Wang Chunxing had already walked ahead, keeping a safe distance from Shen Dongming. She had assumed that, given her aunt’s wealth, her uncle must be a refined gentleman. But instead, he was just a rough, uncultured farmer.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go now,” Shen Dongming chuckled and left.