Chapter 132: Rudeness

Lu Man and Jiang Zhanwei were invited to the old lady’s courtyard, while Mama Wang, Hong Ling, and Manager Li remained temporarily in the carriage without showing themselves.

Jiang Zhanwei entered the hall first. Tall and imposing, clad in elegant attire, with a coldly handsome face exuding an aura that kept others at a distance. He respectfully bowed to the old lady and Lu Fangrong, addressing them as “Madam Lu” and “General Lu.”

As it was Jiang Zhanwei’s first visit to his in-laws, proper etiquette dictated that he should kneel and kowtow to the old lady and Lu Fangrong, addressing them as “Grandmother” and “Father-in-law”.

His arrogance and rudeness made the old lady and Lu Fangrong uneasy, causing them to feel uncomfortable, and even the prepared “apology red packets” went ungiven. However, they dared not reprimand him, especially upon seeing the stern-faced son-in-law who lacked a smile and showed no warmth.

The old lady thought Jiang Zhanwei was still upset about Lu Man’s bridal chamber incident, cursing Lu Man, the troublemaker, multiple times in her heart.

On the other hand, a hint of amusement flashed in Mrs. Xiao Chen’s eyes. Seeing a man who didn’t even bother to show respect to his own family members, she realized he didn’t hold her in high regard either. Hmph, losing both a man’s heart and his family’s approval—she wondered what fate awaited that wretched girl.

Lu Fangrong felt helpless. In the military camp, Jiang Zhanwei never treated him as a father-in-law, always addressing him as “General Lu” and only discussing official matters. Even if Lu Fangrong tried to bring up personal matters, Jiang Zhanwei would cut him off, saying, “We’ll talk about that later at home.”

So far, none of their camp comrades knew about their relationship as father-in-law and son-in-law. While it was acceptable in the military camp due to their hierarchical roles, at home, even if he was displeased with his own daughter, he couldn’t tolerate such disrespect.

Suppressing his frustration, Lu Fangrong introduced Lu Fangming and then pointed to Mrs. Xiao Chen, saying, “This is your mother-in-law.” His tone had turned icy.

Seemingly oblivious, Jiang Zhanwei did not bow to Mrs. Xiao Chen, but simply took a seat next to the men.

Lu Man also took her seat directly. Her status had risen significantly, now seated below Mrs. Xiao Chen and above Lu Yu.

Lu Man kept a low profile that day. After respectfully bowing to the elders, aside from Mrs. Xiao Chen, she sat quietly, sipping her tea. She noticed that Bao Qin was not present.

Lu Fangrong was filled with dissatisfaction and helplessness, while the eldest Lu couple were all smiles, demonstrating their servility. However, Mrs. Xiao Chen seemed quite intrigued, enjoying the spectacle before her!

The old lady, adept at adjusting to situations, smiled at Jiang Zhanwei, saying, “Have we spoiled Man too much, causing no trouble for our grandson-in-law?” Her tone was very deferential.

Jiang Zhanwei first took a sip of tea before responding, “Manman is wonderful, showing respect to the elders at home and treating her younger relatives well, earning the love and respect of everyone in the family.”

The old lady chuckled awkwardly, “That’s good to hear, that’s good to hear.”

Mrs. Ding chimed in, “Oh, Second Son-in-law is so dignified and noble, hailing from a prestigious background, excelling in both literary and martial arts, achieving success at a young age. Man is truly fortunate.”

Seeing Jiang Zhanwei disrespecting his mother and Mrs. Xiao Chen, Lu Fangrong was infuriated, clenching his fists. Despite his dislike for Xiao Chen Shi, he couldn’t stand others looking down on her. Disrespecting her was the same as disrespecting him.

With a stern expression, he stated, “General Jiang, regardless of your background or official rank, you are my son-in-law, my mother’s grandson-in-law, right?”

Jiang Zhanwei nodded and cryptically replied, “Father-in-law, do you remember Renhe Hall?”

As his words sank in, old lady Lu and Lu Fangming paled.

Lu Fangrong explained, “Oh, Renhe Hall was part of Man’s mother’s dowry.” Suddenly realizing the greed of his mother and Mrs. Xiao Chen, he blushed and asked, “So, did Renhe Hall not accompany Man as part of her dowry?”

Jiang Zhanwei smirked and said, “Apparently, Father-in-law wasn’t aware. It’s said that Renhe Hall now exists as a small side building of two zhang in size, while the original Renhe Hall has turned into a textile workshop, surprisingly becoming the Lady Chen’s property.”

Lu Fangrong was taken aback, his gaze shifting to Mrs. Xiao Chen, as he sternly demanded, “Explain, what’s going on?”

At that moment, Liu Xin, Mama Wang, and Manager Li entered the room.

Upon seeing Mama Wang and Manager Li, old lady Lu immediately sensed that Xiao Chen’s greed regarding Renhe Hall had been exposed. She quickly remarked, “Grandson-in-law, this is all due to the incompetence of this old lady in managing her daughter-in-law, resulting in her grave mistake. This old lady, due to the significance of Renhe Hall, didn’t wish to air the family’s dirty laundry and suppressed the matter, causing distress to Man. Both my sons are unaware of this issue, so if you want to blame someone, blame this old lady.” She then suggested, “Grandson-in-law, could we, the elders, discuss this matter? Family matters should not be made public, so please understand, and we will ensure that Man doesn’t suffer any losses.”

Jiang Zhanwei shook his head, saying, “Let’s discuss it here. It’s already come to this, and any attempt at collusion won’t work.”

The old lady, visibly flustered, turned to Lu Man and asked, “Man, would you mind going elsewhere with Grandson-in-law to rest?”

Lu Man declined, saying, “I’ll follow my Third Young Master’s lead. If he doesn’t wish to leave, I won’t either.”

Lu Fangming quickly had Lu Xin take his siblings out, stating that the adults needed to discuss important matters. Only the old lady, the two brothers, Mrs. Ding, Mrs. Xiao Chen, Jiang Zhanwei, Lu Man, and the two trusted maids remained in the room.

Before leaving, Lu Yuan directly addressed Lu Man, “That textile workshop was originally my mother’s. You, a dead person, married into a wealthy family but still think about your maternal home.” This was genuinely her belief.

Ignoring Lu Yuan, Lu Fangming turned to the old lady and suggested, “Mother, if General Jiang and Man don’t want to leave, let them stay. We are all family, let’s discuss this together.”

He understood that the couple had returned to settle scores. By secretly bringing back Mama Wang, they planned a surprise attack, preventing the Lu family from strategizing. Blaming the greedy and foolish woman who didn’t clean up her mess, he wondered if the Wang family would even survive.

The old lady, feeling helpless, turned to Mrs. Xiao Chen and said, “Second Daughter-in-law, just admit it. Bring out the deed for that shop, and I’ll have it changed to Man’s name. That was part of the dowry left by the He family.” She then warned, “If this matter comes to light, you’ll end up in jail. If you can repent, Man and her husband will spare you some dignity, considering you are still Man’s mother.”

Mrs. Xiao Chen, upon seeing Mama Wang, grew alarmed but remained defiant, stating, “Mother-in-law, how can you say this? Renhe Hall was sold to me by the He family through a proper transaction for five thousand taels of silver. I have all the documentation. If you don’t believe me, go to the authorities.” She was confident they wouldn’t dare take this matter to the authorities. If they did, it would spell trouble for the Lu family, and Lu Man would be seen as disobedient.