Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Mengyu selected two personal maids, brought along eight chests of dowry, and quietly entered the home of the poor scholar, Liang Baishan.
Having welcomed a lady from an official’s family into their home, Madam Liang had originally intended to hold a grand celebration. Unfortunately, her pockets were empty, and she could only afford a few tables of food and wine.
Even the groom’s wedding robes were wrinkled and worn. Compared to the high-quality silk Mengyu wore, the mismatch between their social standings was even more glaring.
After her initial moment of triumph, Madam Liang began to feel dissatisfied.
She said to her son, “I don’t think your in-laws are any good. They married off their daughter so reluctantly. Otherwise, they should have brought out some silver to support you and make this wedding banquet look respectable.”
When Liang Baishan heard this, the wine he had just consumed turned into a surge of rage. His face flushed red and his neck thickened with anger as he charged toward the bridal chamber like a wild ox.
He kicked the door open, startling the two maids so much that they covered their mouths in shock.
Only the young lady sitting poised on the wedding bed remained as steady as a mountain; even the tassels on her bridal veil didn’t sway.
Liang Baishan’s intoxication immediately cleared by half.
Only then did Mengyu speak: “What are you standing there for?”
Upon hearing that voice, the other half of Liang Baishan’s drunkenness vanished, and his bones felt weak. He completely forgot his original intention to teach her a lesson.
He took the weighing scale from the maid’s hand and gently lifted the veil.
As the veil fell, Liang Baishan stared blankly.
He was a man of little experience and felt that the woman before him was not a mere mortal, but a celestial fairy descended from the nine heavens!
Mengyu was also carefully sizing up Liang Baishan.
Medium height, average looks-he was truly a very ordinary-looking man.
Seeing that Mengyu did not smile, Liang Baishan’s knees felt a bit weak.
His father had passed away early, and his mother had raised him as a widow. If she hadn’t been fierce, she wouldn’t have been able to protect the Liang Family assets. Consequently, he had been somewhat afraid of women since childhood.
Mengyu noticed his timidity, and her heart relaxed slightly.
She wasn’t afraid of a husband being incompetent; she was afraid of a husband being overly bold.
A man with no ability but great audacity was the most terrifying; at best, he would bankrupt the family, and at worst, he would lead them to ruin.
She reached out a hand as delicate as a spring onion and tapped the man’s brow. “Liang Baishan, will you listen to me from now on?”
In a marriage, it is always a case of one side prevailing over the other. Mengyu was unwilling to be the submissive one, so she had to establish the rules on their wedding night.
Madam Liang had grabbed a handful of melon seeds and sat cracking them, waiting to hear Mengyu’s cries of pain. She waited and waited, but even as the maids went to boil hot water, her dear son had yet to lift a finger to discipline the girl.
Furious, she cursed Mengyu repeatedly, calling her a shameless vixen.
Liang Wenxiu, however, did not echo her mother’s sentiments.
“They are a husband and wife who have bowed to Heaven and Earth. How are they shameless?”
Madam Liang, frustrated by her daughter’s lack of ambition, slapped the table and scolded her:
“You fool! In a marriage, the husband comes first, then the wife. I specifically provoked your brother’s anger just so he would assert his authority and suppress that little brat. And the result? I see that girl has quite the bag of tricks; your brother is completely under her thumb.”
Liang Wenxiu was a daughter who would eventually be married off, and she usually disliked hearing such talk.
“What kind of marriage is that? A husband and wife should be of one heart, and their combined strength could cut through gold! Instead of hoping for their well-being, you’re stirring up trouble. Why bother?”
“You really are a fool. Your sister-in-law has eight chests of dowry. If your brother controls her, one of those chests will naturally be yours. If they live in harmony, given your brother’s temperament, he’ll surely forget his mother once he has a wife. How much of an advantage would you and I get then?”
Liang Wenxiu finally understood. She was sixteen and currently discussing marriage prospects. If she could have one chest of dowry, her standing in her future in-laws’ house would naturally be much stronger.
“But Brother has been useless for more than just a day or two. It’s not surprising he’s been caught in Sister-in-law’s grasp.”
Madam Liang sneered. “Life is made of trivialities-firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. Is it really that hard to find something to complain about? As for your brother, he is my son after all. Even if he’s momentarily dazed by her, as time goes on, he will still stand on my side.”
Madam Liang plotted that tomorrow morning, she would definitely take the new bride down a peg and make her understand exactly who called the shots in the Liang Family.
The next morning, while Mengyu was washing up, Xiaowu leaned in and whispered everything she had overheard the previous night into her ear.
After hearing it, Mengyu made her plans but remained outwardly calm.
Once she finished grooming, she called Liang Baishan to go with her to offer tea. Madam Liang had prepared two red envelopes; she handed them to Liang Baishan and told him to rise.
However, she left Mengyu kneeling, ignoring her.
Liang Baishan wanted to speak up for Mengyu, but Madam Liang glared at him. He shrunk back, made an excuse about studying, and fled.