Chapter 24: Strict Wife Management

Xu Nuo had finally found some time to rest, while Qi Lian’s side was bustling with excitement.

It is said that Qi Lian went out for studies at the insistence of his father. His mother was vehemently against it, let alone the family’s ancestors. The Qi family had a tradition of only having male heirs, and Qi Lian was the treasure of the entire family. Even the thought of him going to study abroad made both his mother and grandmother wish they could accompany him or bring him back home.

Qi Zhengxing couldn’t allow the Qi family to lack an heir under his watch. Thus, secretly, during the time when his wife and mother were at the temple offering incense, he hurried Qi Lian to pack his things and leave. Fearing that Qi Lian might encounter his mother and grandmother on the way, he chose the fastest horse and with a handful of silver sent him off.

The consequence was that when Madam Qi and Qi Mu returned, they exploded in anger and ordered the servants to bring the young master back. Qi Zhengxing, who was drenched in their scolding, still gritted his teeth and refused to reveal Qi Lian’s route. He even sternly commanded no one to pursue him. One can imagine how furious the two women were; they teamed up, ignoring Qi Zhengxing and treating him like air at home. It wasn’t until three months later, when Qi Lian’s letters started coming back, that their relationship mellowed out.

Today, hearing that Qi Lian was returning, the old lady and his mother started preparing a welcome feast early on. The entire residence was filled with laughter and joy, an atmosphere that had not been felt in a long time. All the servants worked hard today, and the old master watched them energetically, staying in his official residence all day to handle business, hoping to avoid nagging at home. Who would have thought that a dignified official would be suffering from bronchitis and have the lowest status at home?

When Qi Lian finally arrived at his front door, he saw lanterns hung all over. Through the open doors, he could see the courtyard brightly lit and adorned, quite festive.

“Old Lady! Madam! Young Master is back!” The gatekeeper saw and shouted loudly inside.

“Young Master is back!”

“Young Master is back!”

The voices of the maidservants echoed one after another in the courtyard.

“My son is back!”

“Quick, let me see my precious grandson!”

Madam Qi and the old lady hurried from the house to the door, their steps light with smiles on their faces.

Qi Lian felt a pang of fear, worried that these two ancestors of his might bump into something or fall. So, disregarding propriety, he dashed over to embrace both the old lady and Madam Qi.

“Grandmother, Mother, you must be careful! If you fall and get hurt, your grandson will be in trouble.”

The old lady was no longer thinking of herself; she tightly grasped Qi Lian’s hand with her wrinkled fingers, gently touching his cheek, tears brimming in her eyes. “My son has suffered! You’ve lost weight! It’s all that damned father’s fault!”

“Indeed, you’ve tanned and lost weight, and you’ve grown taller! Your clothes are worn out too. I don’t know what kind of days you’ve endured out there, how much hardship you’ve suffered!” Madam Qi spoke, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Qi Lian admitted that over the year he had tanned quite a bit and had indeed grown taller, but lost weight? That was absolutely impossible. He had been well-fed and well-cared for, at least gaining about four to five pounds while staying in Xu Nuo’s company, so how could his mother claim he was thin?

Qi Zhengxing, seeing it was dark and no one had informed him of the situation at home, had worries of trouble brewing. Just as he arrived at the door, he was greeted with this scene, and his tension eased slightly; however, his countenance stiffened unconsciously, brows furrowed, eyes glaring. “What kind of display is this? Crying and wailing at the front door? This is utterly shameful!”

Hearing this, the old lady’s anger flared even more, and she found an outlet for her frustrations. “You little brat, you’re still trying to make excuses! All of this is your fault. I’d say this family doesn’t need you anymore.”

After being away for a year and a half, besides missing his family, nothing was more memorable than the daily scene of his grandmother scolding his father. What could be happier than seeing his own father take a hit?

However, having battled wits with his father since childhood, Qi Lian knew that if he didn’t calm his grandmother and mother, that old man might come up with some underhanded tricks to deal with him.

“Grandmother, Grandmother! I’ve been living well outside, and I’ve met a lot of friends. I’ve learned so much from them, and tasted many new dishes! They were really delicious!” Qi Lian said, his mouth curling into a smile at the mention of Xu Nuo.

As the only grandson, Qi Lian had always been greedy for food, and the entire household was aware of it. The old lady and Qi Lian had always indulged him, changing up the meals to cater to his tastes. This made Qi Zhengxing even more dissatisfied, fearing that Qi Lian might be spoiled.

As Qi Lian coaxed his mother and grandmother into the house, he spoke of all the scenic places he had seen, the beauty he had admired, and the interesting people he had encountered.

Madam Qi and the old lady listened intently but felt a pang of bitterness; this child only shared good news, likely omitting the hardships, as he always saved the good stuff to share with the family. They thought quietly that they must make time to have a chat with those ‘friends’ he mentioned.

Worried that Qi Lian might be hungry, they quickly sat down at the dining table to eat. No one even glanced at Qi Zhengxing, as the old lady and Madam Qi kept piling food onto Qi Lian’s plate, making it seem like they wanted him to finish everything on the table.

Qi Lian looked at the mound of food in his bowl. “Enough, enough! Mother, you should eat too!”

“Hmph! No wasting! Eat everything!” Qi Zhengxing growled, and as he spoke, he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, only to realize something was off and quickly spat it out—it was a whole piece of ginger.

Fortunately, no one at the table noticed, nor did anyone laugh. The maid who saw it also kept quiet.

In the past, Qi Lian thought the cooks in his own household made really delicious food! But after tasting Xu Nuo’s dishes, he dared not speak again. For example, the eggplant; in his family, they simply steamed it with minced meat and added seasoning. But just a few days ago, Xu Nuo had made sweet and sour eggplant, and it tasted sweet and crispy—truly delightful!

Qi Lian wanted his family to taste it too. “Grandmother, there’s another way to eat eggplant. My friend makes it really delicious. Next time, we must all try it.”

Madam Qi and the old lady exchanged glances. “It seems Qi Lian indeed hasn’t suffered too much in terms of food while he was away.”

If it was enough to make their child praise it so, it seemed that this “friend” of his had some impressive culinary skills.