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The fourth daughter-in-law of the He family, upon hearing this, thought she had misheard. She tilted her head and looked at Old Master He. “Father, guests? What guests are there in this house?”
Old Master He’s white beard trembled as he glared at her, scolding, “If your eyes are useless, then dig them out and throw them in the river to feed the fish!”
The fourth daughter-in-law of the He family was extremely confused and felt quite dissatisfied. “Father, isn’t it just my eldest sister in this room? Where are the guests?”
She even shot an irritated glance at Wan Chunmei.
Old Master He noticed this and slammed his hand heavily on the table, scolding, “You uncultured child! Your eldest sister is not a guest? Hurry up and serve tea! If you keep chattering, I’ll slap you to death!”
His fierce tone immediately stunned the fourth daughter-in-law of the He family. Old Master He had always had such a temper. No one in the family dared to argue with him, so as a young wife like the fourth daughter-in-law, she could only obey.
She stiffened her neck and glanced at her eldest sister, Wan Chunmei, who was sitting in the room. She was completely bewildered. What had happened to Old Master He? Just yesterday, he had been talking about teaching the Tan family a lesson. Why had he suddenly changed like this?
Wan Chunmei glanced at her and, for once, relished seeing her younger sister so speechless. She couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased.
“Fourth sister,” Wan Chunmei said, “Your father-in-law invited us, so don’t be rude to us.”
Old Tan, standing beside her, happily added, “If Fourth Sister really doesn’t want us here, then we’ll leave with your eldest sister.”
With that, Old Tan stood up, preparing to leave.
Old Master He quickly walked over and stopped him, saying, “Little Tan, don’t go, don’t go. Since we’re relatives, stay for dinner.”
Old Tan glanced at the fourth daughter-in-law of the He family, who was still standing there in a daze, and said, “Old Master He, it’s not that we don’t want to stay, but as you can see, some people aren’t too willing to see us.”
Old Master He immediately understood who he was referring to. He swiftly turned around and fiercely yelled at the fourth daughter-in-law of the He family, “What are you waiting for? Go!”
The fourth daughter-in-law of the He family was startled, quickly snapped back to her senses, and nodded in response, “Yes, Father, I’ll go right now.”
With that, she turned and left.
Old Master He didn’t forget to call after her, “Cut a piece of the cured meat and stir-fry some garlic leaves. Your eldest sister is staying for dinner!”
The fourth daughter-in-law of the He family paused in her tracks, her face turning ashen. There were only a few pieces of cured meat left in the house, and now he wanted to give some to her eldest sister. It wasn’t just cutting the cured meat—it felt like he was cutting into her very heart!
She gritted her teeth, seething with anger, but fearing Old Master He, she stamped her foot and went to the kitchen to serve tea.
Wan Chunmei, however, was genuinely a little taken aback by the unexpected treatment. She stood up and said, “Old Master He, we have several children at home, so we won’t stay for dinner. If there’s something you need, you can tell us now.”
Old Master He had never anticipated that the two people he wanted to reprimand would turn out to be the daughter and son-in-law of an old acquaintance. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond, remaining silent for a long time.
After a while, Wan Chunmei asked, “If there’s nothing, shall we leave now?”
Old Master He snapped out of his daze and smiled, “No, no. There is something. You see, our eldest daughter-in-law has always had issues with you, hasn’t she? The reason I called you here this time is to have her apologize to you.”
He continued, “And, after all, we are relatives. We should maintain the connection and keep in touch.”
He then lowered his head to glance at the baby in Wan Chunmei’s arms and smiled warmly, “You’ve just had a child, and we haven’t had the chance to congratulate you. When the eldest son arrives later, I’ll have her make two sets of clothes for your little one.”
Wan Chunmei had no intention of maintaining any ties with the fourth daughter-in-law of the He family and quickly declined, “There’s no need, Old Master He.”
Old Master He pretended not to hear her and cheerfully replied, “Girl, your little one hasn’t even turned a month old yet, right?”
Wan Chunmei casually responded, “Mm, but it will be soon.”
Old Master He continued to smile, “How many children do you have in total?”
“Six,” Old Tan answered on behalf of Wan Chunmei.
Old Master He nodded, “Many children, many blessings. Many children, many blessings. Is your oldest child a boy or a girl? How old are they?”
Old Tan replied, “A boy, fifteen years old.”
Old Master He responded, “A boy is good, a boy is good.”
Wan Chunmei took over the conversation, “Boys or girls, they’re all good.”
Old Master He quickly changed his tune, “Yes, yes, they’re all good.”
Indeed, to Old Master He, it was a different matter altogether when it came to boys. He had always favored having sons, hoping that all his daughters-in-law would bear him grandsons. Now, with Wan Chunmei, his attitude had shifted accordingly.
Wan Chunmei, not at all fond of the sudden excessive attentiveness, tugged at Old Tan, signaling that it was time to leave.
At that moment, the fourth daughter-in-law of the He family entered, carrying two cups of tea.