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“Mother, are you all right?” Sun Qianru supported Mrs. Zhang, feeling somewhat guilty. If it weren’t for her, her mother wouldn’t have been humiliated by Marquis Beian’s Lady. Although she was afraid of Marquis Beian’s Lady, Sun Qianru’s vengeful nature hadn’t changed. She dared not confront Marquis Beian’s Lady directly, but she put all the blame on Su Wenyue.

“Rest assured, Mother is fine. We simply can’t afford to provoke the Su Family anymore. People like those from the Marquis Beian Mansion are not someone we can afford to offend. If it weren’t for Marquis Beian’s Lady willing to let us off this time, who knows how things might have developed? Your father is not a man of deep affection. If it really came to that, he would likely abandon us mother and daughter immediately for his career and family’s sake,” Mrs. Zhang said, a woman not particularly bright but with a clear understanding of certain things.

“Mother,” Sun Qianru said, seeing her own mother like this and feeling sad. Some words reached the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down. Since her father couldn’t be relied upon, she had to figure out a way to get her husband higher up in rank, at a minimum not lower than those legitimate children of the family. Seeing those legitimate offspring acting smug in front of her made her angry. But who told her to fall for Wang Dongsheng at first sight? It was impossible to keep today’s events from her father, but she had to try to make it seem less serious when explaining.

After Mrs. Zhang and her daughter left, it was not appropriate for Magistrate Chu and the County magistrate’s wife to stay any longer. Without such powerful backing, they couldn’t afford to offend the general magistrate, and though Madam Su and Su Wenyue tried to keep them with enthusiastic persuasion, they knew the predicament of Magistrate Chu and the County magistrate’s wife.

“Lady Yue, have that Mr. Han boy come in for a moment, so Grandmother can take a look at my granddaughter’s son-in-law,” Madame Su said, wanting to see Han Yu.

Su Wenyue saw that Madame Su hadn’t yet changed out of her imperial edict robes and noticed the undisguised displeasure when she mentioned Han Yu. With a sigh, she still called Han Yu to come in. Was Grandmother trying to test Husband, or was she trying to intimidate him?

It seemed Grandmother was also dissatisfied with the marriage arrangement Grandfather had made for her, given that Han Yu was just a poor country boy at the beginning. Even though he now held an official position from the Seventh Rank, he could not change his birthright. But she believed in her husband. After Grandmother met Husband, she would definitely see him in a new light. Her mother had done just the same.

“Grandmother, Husband is a very good person, and he takes even better care of me. Please don’t be harsh on him. After all, he is now your granddaughter’s son-in-law.”

“I know, girls are always siding with their husbands! For the sake of the child in your stomach, I won’t be too harsh on their father. I’m just looking out for you, making sure Han Yu knows that my granddaughter is not easy to marry. He needs to treat her well and cherish her even more.”

Madame Su had a servant girl call Han Yu over, but she didn’t let Su Wenyue stay in the room, preferring to meet him alone.

“Husband.” Su Wenyue, anxious, took Han Yu’s hand.

“Don’t worry. Your Grandmother just wants to test me. Trust your Husband. Go rest for now, and I’ll come find you later,” Han Yu said, comforting her and stroking Su Wenyue’s head, motioning for the servants to escort Su Wenyue back to her room to rest.

No one knew what they discussed in the room, but when Madame Su mentioned Han Yu again later, her attitude had softened considerably, and she seemed to acknowledge her granddaughter’s son-in-law. Presumably, Han Yu’s performance had satisfied Madame Su, after all, he was the future Prime Minister and clearly capable. Keeping an old lady happy shouldn’t have been a problem.

Su Wenyue and Han Yu stayed at the Su Family home for not even two days before returning. After all, Han Yu still had duties to perform and many matters to take care of. Madame Su originally wanted Su Wenyue to stay for a few more days, but Su Wenyue was also anxious about the pile of issues back at her own home, which truly was her family. As a married daughter, it was not appropriate to stay too long at her mother’s family’s home. Even though Su Wenyue knew that Han Yu was not petty-minded, she was worried about him overthinking things and insisted that they return together. Han Yu appreciated his wife’s consideration for his feelings.

It was good that Su Wenyue had gone back with him, because just a day later, Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang arrived in an ox cart, bringing a cartload of things. Because the journey was long and they were traveling by ox cart, they had set out before dawn and only arrived after nightfall. It took them a while to find Han Yu’s residence.

When Su Wenyue found out that her father-in-law and mother-in-law had arrived, she, pregnant and with a large belly, had the servant girl help her out to greet them. Han Yu had also returned by this time, helping Old Man Han unload the goods from the ox cart. Most of it was food, which they had a bountiful harvest of. The old couple thought of their son and daughter-in-law’s hardships outside, as they would have to buy everything, so they brought what they had to them. Mrs. Liu this time was not stingy, thinking of how their son and daughter-in-law hadn’t sent few things to their home in the past; she picked the best-dried food to be brought over by the parents-in-law and specially caught two fat hens and took a basket full of eggs. It was indeed very thoughtful.

“Father, Mother, if you were coming, why didn’t you send someone ahead to let us know? I could have sent a horse carriage to pick you up. Must have been tiring traveling by ox cart all the way,” Su Wenyue said.

“It’s no trouble, traveling by ox cart isn’t tiring at all compared to working the fields. It’s much more relaxing. There’s no need for a horse carriage. We didn’t want to trouble you and Yuer. The harvest is in, and we’re not rushed,” Old Man Han waved his hand dismissively, smiling cheerfully, delighted to see his son and daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Yang focused on Su Wenyue’s stomach, “Fourth Daughter-in-law, your belly is so big already. Going by the dates, you’re not even six months along, right? Why is your belly so huge? You shouldn’t over-nourish yourself; too big a baby is difficult to deliver.”

Mrs. Yang wasn’t worried about her daughter-in-law eating too much; the long-awaited grandson was finally on the way, and she wasn’t the sort to torment her daughter-in-law. Naturally, she hoped her daughter-in-law was well-nourished. Having experienced childbirth several times, she knew the larger the belly, the harder the delivery. Since the Fourth Daughter-in-law was having her first child and was quite petite, she feared they were too young and inexperienced to know that more isn’t always better.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, Mother means no offense. I’m not worried about you eating too much. I’ve given birth to many, and this comes from our elders’ experience,” Mrs. Yang said, hastening to explain for fear that Su Wenyue might misunderstand her intention. After all, the Fourth Daughter-in-law had a fierce temper, and if she took offense, that would be unfortunate. Mrs. Yang still remembered the unpleasantness at home earlier, so she was very careful with her treatment of Su Wenyue.

“Mother, don’t worry, I won’t take it the wrong way. The old women have said the same, and I’ve been careful with my diet. It’s just that I have twins in my belly, which is why it looks particularly large,” Su Wenyue, not one to be ungrateful, picked up on her mother-in-law’s concerns which were indeed valid, so she welcomed her mother-in-law’s kindness. But what was her parents-in-law’s plan for this visit?

Su Wenyue led Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang into the courtyard, and the parents-in-law were struck with amazement and admiration.

“Goodness, such a big courtyard. Renting this place must cost a good penny each month, doesn’t it?” Mrs. Yang remarked, her tone carrying some disapproval.