…
Standing in front of Wang Shouzhe was a middle-aged woman dressed in exquisite clothing. She wore a hairpin with pearls and bracelets made of jade, and had on high-heeled cloud boots and a luxurious multicolored cloud-patterned silk dress, making her look like a noblewoman from the city.
Furthermore, she had carefully applied makeup before coming, with rouge on her lips. She didn’t look like a person in her forties at all, but rather a mature beauty in her late twenties or early thirties, indicating that she had been taking good care of herself. It was clear that Wang Shouxin doted on her.
However, her eyes were slightly red, indicating that she had cried recently.
What was extremely rare was that she was also carrying a large bamboo basket covered with red cloth.
Upon seeing Wang Shouzhe’s politeness, Xu Shi’s nervousness and hostility dissipated somewhat. She immediately bowed respectfully and said, “Xu Shi pays her respects to Fourth Uncle.”
“Don’t be so polite, Sister-in-Law.” Wang Shouzhe smiled sincerely. “Please come in and rest in the side hall. My mother is also there.” With that, he courteously led Xu Shi into the side hall.
Xu Shi’s expression tightened when she saw Gongsun Hui and hurriedly bowed respectfully, “Xu Shi pays her respects to Madam Hui.” She was usually proud and arrogant, being a direct descendant of the Xushi clan in Changning. Marrying Wang Shouxin was a step down for her. But even if she was arrogant, she wouldn’t dare to act that way in front of Gongsun Hui, the legitimate daughter of the Gongsun clan in Shanyang. Moreover, Gongsun Hui was the wife of the former clan leader and the stepmother of the current clan leader, making her Xu Shi’s senior!
“Oh, it turns out to be someone from the Shouxin family. What wind blew you here?” Gongsun Hui’s tone carried a hint of pressure, but she smiled and said, “Come, come, sit down and talk. Let’s taste the Shanyang Xiaoling tea grown by Shouzhe’s grandfather himself.”
She adopted an elder’s tone and used the phrase “the Shouxin family” to emphasize Xu Shi’s identity as Wang Shouxin’s wife, clearly warning her.
“No, no, no, how can I sit in front of Madam Hui?” Xu Shi laughed awkwardly. She hadn’t expected Gongsun Madam to be there. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to come and find Wang Shouzhe at this time.
Moreover, the tea they were drinking was obviously a kind of spiritual tea. As someone in the Changning Xushi clan’s hierarchy, how could she drink spiritual tea? As for marrying Wang Shouxin, that was even more embarrassing…
“Fourth Uncle, you are the pillar of the family.” Xu Shi showed a slightly flattering smile and handed over the basket, saying, “Sister-in-Law saw that you were practicing too hard, so she brought some fresh ingredients for you to nourish your body. I won’t disturb you and your mother’s conversation…”
With that, she put down the basket and prepared to leave.
“Sister-in-Law, please wait.” Wang Shouzhe smiled and stopped her. “You rarely come to this side, so please have a cup of tea first. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Big Brother Shouxin. I heard he’s back at the main house for something, so I’ll send someone to invite him over to have a meal and chat together.”
“This…” Xu Shi was somewhat flattered, but also somewhat fearful as she looked at Gongsun Hui.”Wang Shouzhe is the leader of the Wang’s Clan, so sit wherever you like,” Gongsun Hui said with a gentle tone.
Xu Shi reluctantly sat down, despite wearing luxurious clothing, she couldn’t show any extravagance in front of Gongsun Hui, who was dressed plainly.
Wang Shouzhe called Wang Gui and instructed him, “Tell the head chef to cook a large piece of pork from the pig that Fourth Uncle sent, don’t stew it too much. Also, find a skilled cook to set up a small stove in our courtyard and cut two pounds of Lingjiao beef. Oh, and bring that jar of Ling wine too. As for the rest of the fresh fruits and vegetables, handle it as you see fit.”
“Yes, Clan Leader. By the way, Sixth Uncle sent a fresh Red Scaled Eel to our clan’s ice cellar, and the most precious Ling Eel blood has been made into blood tofu. He said it was caught by you personally and belongs to your private food stock, only for you to eat,” Wang Gui reminded him.
“Hehe, just ignore him,” Wang Shouzhe laughed, “Cut a section from the best part of the Red Scaled Eel, and bring the blood tofu too. The rest will be put into the public stock and distributed as needed for everyone to taste. After you arrange everything, go and invite my trustworthy brother to come over.”
“Yes, Clan Leader,” Wang Gui took the order and left.
“Fourth Uncle, this…this is too sumptuous…and too expensive for you,” Xu Shi’s body was trembling, weakly saying, “Make it simpler, simpler.”
“What are you saying, Big Sister-in-law? Wang Shouxin is my elder brother, and you are my sister-in-law. How can we have a family gathering and not enjoy a good meal?” Wang Shouzhe personally poured her a cup of Ling tea, “Try this Shanyang Small Ling variety, it’s best to drink it hot.”
Xu Shi trembled as she took a sip of the tea, feeling the bitterness and unique flavor of the Ling tea that overwhelmed her heart. For nineteen years as a girl in Changning Xu’s family and twenty-one years after marrying into the Ping’an Wang’s Clan, she had never had the fortune to drink a cup of Ling tea. The first cup of Ling tea in her life was actually offered by Wang Shouzhe.
She had come here with the intention of begging him. If it wasn’t possible, she was prepared to make a scene and alarm all the clan members.
For her son, she didn’t care about anything and was willing to do anything.
But she never expected that as the leader of the clan and the legitimate descendant, Wang Shouzhe would treat her, a sister-in-law, with such respect and hospitality.
“Fourth Uncle, that…that matter…” Xu Shi suddenly found it difficult to speak. Wang Shouzhe’s friendly treatment towards her and her husband might lead to a turning point in the situation.
“Big Sister-in-law, are you talking about Zong Wei’s matter?” Wang Shouzhe didn’t avoid the topic, but instead smiled and said, “I have already considered it. Let’s talk about it when my elder brother arrives. Big Sister-in-law, have some snacks first to fill your stomach.”
“Yes,” Xu Shi hurriedly swallowed her words back. Wang Shouzhe’s attitude didn’t seem like he was going to hold onto the matter, but she still felt uneasy.After a short while, the clan’s cook arrived. After greeting Wang Shouzhe, she was about to light a fire in the small kitchen in the courtyard when Wang Shouzhe stopped her. “No need to work too hard. Just cut the fresh ingredients and slice the Ling Qiao beef and Red Scale Eel thinly and arrange them on a plate. The thinner, the better. Also, use high-quality charcoal to light a fire and prepare a clean copper basin with water and some salt.”
Although the cook was puzzled, she dared not disobey the clan leader’s orders and went to work as instructed.
“What are you making, Zhe’er?” Gongsun Hui asked curiously. “Why are you lighting a fire in this hot weather?”
“You’ll see later, Auntie,” Wang Shouzhe replied with a smile. “This is a cooking method I read about in ancient books. It’s unique and very delicious.”
“You, I can never figure you out. Just don’t waste the precious spirit food,” Gongsun Hui suppressed her curiosity and began to chat with Xu Shi. She was very surprised by Wang Shouzhe’s handling of Wang Zongwei’s affairs. At least he did not use the clan leader’s authority to oppress others with brute force.
However, she knew Xu Shi well and knew that she would not give up easily. Therefore, Gongsun Hui was even more curious about how her son would handle things in the future.
After a while, Wang Shouxin rushed over with Wang Gui’s guidance. As soon as he entered the room, his face turned cold and he scolded Xu Shi, “You ignorant woman, how dare you come to find Shouzhe…”
Wang Shouxin was already forty-three years old, with a square face and a beard, giving him an imposing appearance.
Unexpectedly, Xu Shi did not buy into his act at all. Her temper, which had been suppressed by Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui, suddenly exploded. “Wang Shouxin! What nonsense are you talking about? Since Zongwei is like that, can I not come and ask your brother to let him go? Zongwei is my son. Can I just watch him being beaten to death by you? Or watch his future being taken away by that… by Wang Luotong?”
Under normal circumstances, she would have blurted out the insulting words. But in front of Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui, she dared not say it and swallowed it back.
“You… Shouzhe is the clan leader, and that little beast deserves to be punished,” Wang Shouxin said angrily, his face turning red. “If it wasn’t for you protecting him, I would have…”
But obviously, his words could not suppress Xu Shi.
“Niece, elder brother,” Wang Shouzhe stopped them from arguing any further and said, “We’re all family. What’s the point of arguing? Let’s sit down and have a meal and slowly talk things over.”
“Yes, Uncle,” Xu Shi immediately obediently put away her fierce aura, sat down, and said gently, “I’ll listen to Uncle. We’re all family. Let’s not argue and reason together.”
“Hiss!”
Wang Shouxin took a deep breath, feeling puzzled and uncertain. Had his fourth brother used some kind of magic? He had never seen Xu Shi so obedient and polite before. She even started talking about reasoning?