Chapter 96: Dispersing Unhappily

  "It's nothing, Mother," Liu said, her eyes red and her face somewhat pale, looking quite pitiful.

  Zheng was originally in the Ye household, whenever she had a conflict with Wang's mother-in-law, Wang would pretend to be this way in front of Ye, making her lose face every time. Now Liu is only her sister-in-law, but the key to their dispute is still men, and it's about Zheng Pengju's emotional inclination. Liu's move was to pretend to be a weak woman to make men sympathize with her, which has the same subtlety as Wang's mother-in-law. So when she saw Liu like this, Zheng couldn't help but feel disgusted, saying: "Didn't you say that it was all a misunderstanding? You didn't mean it, and it was an unintentional remark, I misunderstood you. If so, what's the point of forgiving or not forgiving? Moreover, you're my sister-in-law and I'm your younger sister-in-law, how can a sister-in-law kneel to her younger sister-in-law? Are you still dissatisfied with my reputation being not bad enough?"

  Liu's face fell, and she suddenly sank down. However, she didn't say a word, but instead cast her gaze at Zheng Pengju.

  Zheng Pengju's eyebrows furrowed as he spoke, "Sister, your sister-in-law has come to apologize to you with sincerity, so don't be too stubborn. Originally, we were going to come yesterday, but because of what happened at Yu Zhuo Fang, we had to delay until today. We are siblings, and apart from Zhuo Er, I am the closest relative you have in this world. Your sister-in-law and your nephew and niece are all family members. It's normal for family members to have some conflicts when living together. Don't be too calculative, learn to tolerate each other, and understand each other, that's the right way to live. Alright, stop throwing a tantrum like a child. I've also spoken to your sister-in-law, she promised not to interfere with your personal matters again. From now on, she will treat you well. Now go pack your things and follow me back home."

  Zheng's face revealed a strange smile, seemingly with a hint of emotion and mockery. She let out a soft sigh and said: "Yes, it's all because of my bad temper. I'm not good at tolerating others, which is why things have ended up like this, with everyone disliking me. I'm already 42 years old, half my life has passed, and this temper of mine probably can't be changed anymore. Rather than constantly causing trouble for others, it's better to live alone in peace. So, I won't be going to your house. Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye have rented a small courtyard for me, and I'll move there later."

  "What?" Zheng Peng was taken aback, and his face changed color. "No way, I won't agree to it. You go pack your things right now and come back with me."

  "Zheng didn't get angry or annoyed, but quietly looked at Zheng Peng and said: 'I lived in the Ye family's second house for over a decade and suffered from other people's temper for over a decade. Now that I've separated and come out, I want to live more comfortably, why can't I? Since separating, I've been doing embroidery every day and earning my own food. If I can take care of myself, why do I have to rely on others like a beggar waiting for someone to give me a meal? Is it that I'm really born inferior?"

  She paused and said, "As the saying goes, 'First marriage follows father, second marriage follows oneself.' When I first got married, I had to follow my parents' arrangement because of their upbringing. Now that I've repaid the emotional debt, shouldn't I have some say in how I want to live? Besides, this isn't a remarriage, just wanting not to rely on others and look at people's faces, why can't you agree?"

  Upon hearing this, Zheng Pengju, despite being restrained by the presence of Ye Yuxiu and Guan Shi, couldn't help but burst out in anger: "What's with 'living off others' charity', 'looking at people's faces', and 'being rewarded with a meal'? Can you stop thinking that everyone else is as despicable as you? Even if your sister-in-law likes to nag, she doesn't have ill intentions; your nephew and niece are extremely respectful towards you. How did it become that in your words, our entire family seems like selfish, ruthless people who would squeeze you dry and then sell you out for money? Did I do something wrong by inviting your sister-in-law here today to apologize and make amends with you, hoping you wouldn't end up lonely and isolated?"

  He turned to Ye Yuqi again and said, "Uncle, you're not an outsider either. Look at her like this. If we say that the second house is giving her a hard time, in my opinion, it's all because she doesn't know how to get along with people. Speaking and acting like this without any tact, only thinking of her own comfort, without leaving any room for others, who can tolerate her temper?"

  This was just a quarrel between the siblings, and as a man, Ye Yuqi naturally didn't say anything, only chuckled and mediated: "She's just talking big, don't take it to heart."

  Guan was a straightforward person, extremely protective of her own. Moreover, she loved the house and its occupants because of Ye Zhen's relationship with her, so her heart was absolutely biased towards Zheng's family. So when she heard this, she couldn't help but speak up: "Zheng's nephew, it's not that I'm biased towards Manwen, but rather you should reflect on yourself. Manwen has been my niece-in-law for over a decade, and I know her character best. Although she is straightforward and won't say pleasant things, she always means what she says; she won't gossip or exaggerate. She's not the kind of person with a heart smaller than a needle, without any tolerance for others. If she said that living at your place was uncomfortable, it wasn't because she was narrow-minded or petty, but rather because you people made her feel uncomfortable in your daily conversations and actions."

  Although you are her own brother, you already have your own family. Perhaps in your consciousness, your wife and children are the people closest to you, while this sister who has been away for over a decade is just an outsider. You may not feel it yourself, but the distinction between insiders and outsiders that you reveal through your words and actions, Manwen must be able to sense.

  "Think about it, that day your wife and sister had a conflict, how did you handle it? Although I'm not clear what happened at the time, just from what you said earlier, 'Manwen has a childish temper', let her be more considerate and tolerant. I can already sense what kind of attitude you have. At the time, your first reaction must not have been that your wife was wrong, but rather Manwen had a tantrum again, didn't understand things, right? You say, with this attitude, it's strange if Manwen can feel comfortable in your home."

  Zheng Pengju was scolded by Guan's straightforward and unceremonious words, his face turned red and he opened his mouth without knowing what to say.

  Liu couldn't help herself. She wasn't Zheng Manwen, she had a way with her husband, and she knew the principle of being both gentle and firm, kind and strict at the same time. So when she came to the Ye family to apologize to Zheng Manwen, the main reason was that she wanted Zheng Pengju to be completely devoted to her. Since she was willing to humble herself and put the overall situation first, Zheng Pengju would definitely be more considerate and thoughtful towards her in the future; on the other hand, if she hadn't come, although Zheng Pengju wouldn't divorce her, he would certainly become estranged from her emotionally and distance himself from her.

  Moreover, in her opinion, although Zheng Manwen had a strong temper, at this time, apart from the Zheng family, she had nowhere else to go. This time's departure must have made her realize this truth. Since she knew that she would have to rely on others for everything in the future, she must have reined in her bad temper. Once she arrived at the Ye family, as long as she showed a slightly humble attitude, Zheng would definitely come to apologize and make amends, and wouldn't dare not treat her well in the future. In this way, she would gain both dignity and face, and be the biggest winner of this storm.

  So she agreed to Zheng Peng's suggestion to come to Ye's house.

  Who would have thought that when she arrived at the Ye's house, it was not what she had imagined. Zheng Manwen was not only as hard and smelly as the stones in the toilet, but even Guan Shi opened her mouth to help him say such things.

  She immediately stood up and said to Zheng Peng, "Since I and the children are disturbing you and your sister's relationship, we will move out." After that, she turned to Zheng Fangjing and Zheng Fanghui and said, "Fangjing, Fanghui, let's go." Then she turned around and was about to walk out.

  "Mother, what are you doing?" Zheng Fangjing hastily stood up and pulled Liu Shi back, then turned her head to look at Zheng Pengju, calling out for help: "Father."

  Sister is affectionate again, how can she be more intimate with the person who gave birth to her children? Zheng Pengju knew that Liu Shi was unwilling to stay in the Ye family anymore, so he stood up and said to Zheng Shi: "You feel that your brother and sister-in-law have wronged you and want to move out. I won't force you, do as you please." After finishing speaking, he took out a cloth package from his arms, opened it layer by layer on the table, and said to Ye Yuqi: "This is 40 taels of silver, temporarily returned to Uncle; The rest will be repaid in a few days." He looked at Zheng Fangjing again and said: "Also, Uncle's Jade Carving Workshop has no jade carver. If Uncle needs it, I can ask Fangjing..."

  The words had not been finished, and Liu was interrupted by a sharp voice: "Why don't you stay in the good Langyuan building, why do you want to run to the Yuzhen workshop? Others don't know that we want to help him, they think we want to take advantage of him. You're doing something that's not worth it, going out with a hot face and sticking to a cold butt. Fang Jing, Fang Hui, let's go." After finishing speaking, she pulled her two sons out, and when she reached the door, she turned back and said, "Ask them to make a receipt. Don't say we're playing tricks and haven't returned the money later." She stormed out with a huff.

  Zheng Pengju looked at Ye Yuxi with a embarrassed face, then cupped his hands and turned to leave.

  "Wait a minute, I'll write you a receipt." Ye Yuqi called out. Zheng Pengju had to stop in his tracks.

  As soon as Mr. Liu said that, Autumn Moon had already prepared paper and pen. Ye Yuqi wrote it in one stroke and handed the receipt to Zheng Pengju, who took it with a word of thanks and left the Ye's house.

  No one in the room stood up to see them off. After a moment of silence, Zheng said: "It's all because of my bad temper and not knowing how to talk, making things like this and causing trouble for Uncle and Aunt."

  "Hey, what's wrong with what you said? Are you going to swallow your anger and let them push all the blame on you? What's wrong with your temper? I like your temper. It's much better than those hypocritical people like Liu who say one thing but mean another. Besides, you didn't say anything excessive, it's just that they're not sincere, they came to apologize on the surface but behind your back they're saying you have a bad temper, is this what you call a sincere apology?" Guan said, still somewhat indignant.

  Thank you to Dongfang Fengyun for the New Year's red envelope, thank you stillia and Wōniú xx for the pink votes. The two "hurry up" votes from Guang Han Palace Master A have been seen, but as it's approaching the Lunar New Year, friends are returning from all over, and they're all calling to go out for meals and chat, so I'm really busy. In the past, I used to love playing with friends, but in the two years since I started writing, I've almost isolated myself, rarely participating in social gatherings. At this time, however, I couldn't push it off any longer. So, please forgive me for not being able to update more frequently.