Chapter 38

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Standing before Wang Shouzhe was a middle-aged woman dressed with great care. She wore a pearl hairpin, jade bracelet, and high cloud boots, and was clad in a luxurious, colorful cloud-patterned silk skirt, looking every bit the part of a noble lady from the city.

Moreover, she had meticulously groomed herself before coming, with rouge on her face and a touch of red on her lips. She didn’t look like a woman in her forties at all, but rather like a mature and beautiful woman in her late twenties, clearly well-maintained. Moreover, her brother-in-law Wang Shouxin must have doted on her a lot.

However, her eyes were slightly bloodshot, clearly indicating that she had been crying recently.

Remarkably, she was also carrying a large bamboo basket, covered with a red cloth.

Seeing Wang Shouzhe’s politeness, the tension and hostility in Xu Shi’s heart immediately dissipated somewhat, and she promptly and respectfully returned the greeting: "Xu Shi pays respects to Uncle Shouzhe."

"Big Sister, you’re too polite." Wang Shouzhe smiled genuinely, "Big Sister, please come in and rest in the side hall. My mother is also here." Saying this, he courteously led Xu Shi into the side hall.

Xu Shi’s expression tightened as she saw Gongsun Hui and hurriedly bowed respectfully: "Xu Shi pays respects to Lady Hui." She was always proud and haughty, being a direct descendant of the Changning Xu family. Marrying Wang Shouxin was a step down for her. However, no matter how proud she was, she dared not put on airs in front of the direct descendant of the Shanyang Gongsun family.

Moreover, Gongsun Hui was the wife of the former clan leader and the mother of the current clan leader, making her a senior to Xu Shi!

"Ah, so it’s the wife of Shouxin who has come. What wind has brought you here?" Gongsun Hui’s words carried a slight air of authority, but she smiled warmly, "Come, come, sit down and talk. Just in time to try the Shanyang Xiaoling tea that Uncle Shouzhe’s maternal grandfather planted himself."

She adopted a senior’s tone, using the term "wife of Shouxin" to directly emphasize Xu Shi’s identity as Wang Shouxin’s wife, clearly with a warning intent.

"No, no, no, how can I sit in front of Lady Hui?" Xu Shi smiled awkwardly. She hadn’t expected Lady Gongsun to be there; otherwise, she would never have dared to come to see Wang Shouzhe at this time.

Moreover, the tea they were drinking was clearly a spirit tea, which she, with her status in the Changning Xu family, could never have tasted. As for after marrying Wang Shouxin, it was even more out of the question...

"Uncle, you are the pillar of the family." Xu Shi smiled slightly, trying to flatter him, and handed over the basket, "Sister-in-law just thought you were working too hard and brought some fresh ingredients to nourish your body. I won’t disturb your mother-son conversation..."

With that, she was about to leave.

"Big Sister, wait a moment." Wang Shouzhe smiled and stopped her, "It’s rare for you to come here. Have a cup of tea first. Besides, I haven’t seen Brother Shouxin in a long time. I heard he just returned to the main residence for some matters. I’ll send a servant to invite him over for a meal and a chat."

"This..." Xu Shi was somewhat taken aback and looked at Gongsun Hui with some trepidation.

"Shouzhe is the head of the Wang family. If he tells you to sit, you should sit." Gongsun Hui’s demeanor became slightly more amiable.

Only then did Xu Shi sit down reluctantly, though her luxurious attire paled in comparison to the more modestly dressed Gongsun Hui, failing to convey any sense of nobility.

Wang Shouzhe called Wang Gui and instructed, "Tell the head chef to cook a large piece of the pork sent by the Fourth Elder, but don’t stew it too much. Also, find a skilled cook to set up a small kitchen in our courtyard and slice two pounds of spirit antelope beef. Hmm, and bring that bottle of spirit wine. As for the fresh fruits and vegetables, you decide."

"Yes, Master. By the way, the Sixth Elder sent a fresh red-scaled eel to the family ice cellar. The precious spirit eel blood has been processed into blood tofu, and it’s said that Master caught it yourself, so it belongs to your private store and can only be eaten by you." Wang Gui reminded him.

"Hehe, ignore him." Wang Shouzhe laughed, "Cut the best segment of the red-scaled eel and bring the blood tofu. The rest should be added to the public store and distributed as needed, so everyone can try it. After you’re done, go and invite my brother Shouxin."

"Yes, Master." Wang Gui bowed and left.

"Uncle, this, this is too lavish... and too much trouble for you." Xu Shi’s body was trembling, and she weakly said, "Make it simpler, simpler."

"Big Sister, what are you saying? Shouxin is my brother, and you are my sister-in-law. It’s rare for our family to gather for a meal, so how can we be casual?" Wang Shouzhe personally took a teacup and poured a cup of spirit tea for Xu Shi, "Big Sister, try this Shanyang Xiaoling tea. It’s best to drink it hot."

Xu Shi trembled as she took a sip of the tea. The bitterness and unique flavor of the spirit tea hit her heart, and she felt like crying.

For nineteen years as a young lady in the Changning Xu family and twenty-one years as a wife in the Ping’an Wang family, she had never had the privilege of drinking a cup of spirit tea. This, her first cup of spirit tea, was offered to her by Wang Shouzhe.

Originally, she had come here prepared to beg him. If that didn’t work, she was ready to make a scene and involve all the clan members.

For her son, she was willing to do anything and throw away all her dignity.

But she never expected that Wang Shouzhe, as the respected direct descendant and clan leader, would treat her with such respect and hospitality.

"Uncle, about that matter..." Xu Shi suddenly found it hard to speak. Wang Shouzhe’s friendly treatment of her and her husband might mean a turning point in the matter.

"Big Sister, are you talking about Zongwei’s matter?" Wang Shouzhe didn’t avoid the issue and smiled, "I have a plan. We’ll talk about it when Brother comes. Big Sister, have some snacks to tide you over."

"Yes." Xu Shi quickly swallowed her words, seeing Wang Shouzhe’s attitude, which didn’t seem to be confrontational, but she was still somewhat uneasy.

A short while later, the family cook arrived. After greeting Wang Shouzhe, she was about to start a fire in the small kitchen in the courtyard when Wang Shouzhe stopped her: "No need to do too much. Just slice the fresh ingredients, the spirit antelope beef, and the red-scaled eel into thin slices, as thin as possible. Also, prepare a fire pot with high-quality charcoal, a clean copper basin with water, and some salt."

Although the cook was puzzled, she dared not disobey the master’s orders and followed his instructions.

"Zhe, what are you doing?" Gongsun Hui asked curiously, "Why are you starting a fire pot on such a hot day?"

"You’ll see in a moment, Mother." Wang Shouzhe smiled, "I read about this cooking method in an ancient text. It’s unique and very delicious."

"You, you’re becoming more and more unpredictable. Just don’t waste the precious spirit food." Gongsun Hui suppressed her curiosity and began to chat warmly with Xu Shi, surprised by Wang Shouzhe’s approach to handling Wang Zongwei’s matter. At least he wasn’t using his authority as the clan leader to suppress the issue with brute force.

However, knowing Xu Shi, she wouldn’t give up easily. Therefore, Gongsun Hui was even more curious about how her son would handle the situation next.

A while later, Wang Shouxin, led by Wang Gui, hurriedly arrived. As soon as he entered the room, his face turned cold, and he angrily scolded Xu Shi: "You ignorant woman, how dare you, how dare you come to see Shouzhe..."

Wang Shouxin was already forty-three years old, with a square face and a beard, giving him a naturally authoritative appearance.

However, Xu Shi didn’t back down. The temper that Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui had suppressed suddenly burst out: "Wang Shouxin! What nonsense are you spouting? Zongwei is in such a state, how can I not come to beg your brother to let him off? Zongwei is my son. Can I just watch him be beaten to death by you? Or watch his future be taken away by that... by Wang Luotong?"

Under normal circumstances, she would have blurted out "that money-losing deal," but in front of Wang Shouzhe and Gongsun Hui, she dared not say it and swallowed the words in a moment of panic.

"You, you, you... Shouzhe is the clan leader, and that little brat deserved to be punished." Wang Shouxin’s face turned red with anger, "If it weren’t for you protecting him... I would have..."

However, his words had no effect on Xu Shi.

"Big Sister, Big Brother." Wang Shouzhe, to prevent the argument from escalating, immediately waved to stop them, "We’re all family. What’s the point of arguing? Let’s all sit down and have a meal, and talk while we eat."

"Yes, Uncle." Xu Shi immediately reined in her aggressive demeanor and sat down obediently, speaking gently, "I’ll listen to Uncle. We’re all family, no arguing, let’s talk reasonably."

"Hisss!"

Wang Shouxin drew a sharp breath, his heart filled with doubt. What kind of magic did his fourth brother use? He had never seen Xu Shi so obedient and reasonable in his life, instantly suppressing her temper and speaking rationally?

...