Mother and Daughter Late-Night Talk, Father-in-law and Son-in-law Conversation

When the mother and daughter returned to the room, little Bai Zhi was already fast asleep.

Tang Bansha walked on tiptoe to strip off her outer clothes and snuggled up beside Su Nan, a sudden wave of attachment welling up inside her heart.

Just as she used to do when Tang Bansha was a little girl, Su Nan patted her daughter's head and pulled her into her arms. "Zai-zai, be honest with Mama. How does Wen Mubai really treat you?"

She was afraid the child would sugarcoat the situation just to spare them from worry.

Among her three children, this youngest daughter was the one she felt most guilty toward and cherished the most. When she learned that her daughter had been implicated by her and Tang Minxun and forced to marry some random man in the countryside, she had been nearly out of her mind with anxiety.

Yet during their last meeting, not knowing what the future held, she could only put on a show of blessing so that Zai-zai would be happy and free from worry.

This time, she had no idea what methods Zai-zai had used to persuade the organization to transfer them to Guyue Village, but she knew it could not have been easy.

Filled with a mix of guilt and pride, Su Nan said, "If he treats you poorly, you must not hide it from Mama."

"Ma, what are you thinking? Am I the kind of girl who lets herself get taken advantage of?" Tang Bansha muttered in a muffled voice.

"Bai treats me very well. He listens to me in everything, and I make all the decisions at home. Things are just fine the way they are," Tang Bansha said.

She meant every word. She was thoroughly satisfied with her current marital status; she was married, yet she remained entirely her own person.

She even had a man who occasionally let her unwind and appreciate some good looks—wasn't that enough?

As for money, she was perfectly capable of earning her own, so she had no particular financial demands for her partner.

When all was said and done, she had married for amusement, not to find a provider.

Su Nan looked down at Tang Bansha. Seeing the smile on her face and not a trace of reluctance, she felt her own heart relax a little.

Sharing Tang Bansha's perspective, once a woman became strong and independent, she no longer looked at material wealth when choosing a man; instead, she looked at appearance and her own peace of mind.

"What about his family? How much do you know about them?" Su Nan pressed on. "When I asked about his family today, his reaction didn't look like he was telling me everything. He is definitely keeping something hidden regarding his family background."

Su Nan had seen right through it at the time, but she had chosen not to expose him.

"So what if he is?" Tang Bansha asked unabashedly. "I want Wen Mubai the person, not his family."

"If the day comes when Wen Mubai chooses his family over me, then let him go. I am not so desperately attached that I can't live without him."

It sounded cold-blooded, but this was Tang Bansha's attitude toward marriage.

Marriage was meant for mutual happiness, not for draining one's own soul from the inside out.

If by any chance Wen Mubai ever got into a dispute with her because of his family, she would simply let him go live with them. There were thousands of men in this world; nobody was irreplaceable.

She was certainly not the type of person to swallow her grievances and compromise just to keep the peace.

That simply did not fit her persona.

"Besides, Ma, didn't I tell you before? Wen Mubai married into our family, not the other way around. He's essentially a matrilocal husband." Tang Bansha offered Su Nan another reassurance.

"Really?" This was the first time Su Nan had ever heard of this.

"Of course. Grandfather and Grandmother both know about it," Tang Bansha said. "Surely you trust Grandfather?"

"Well, then there shouldn't be any problem." Su Nan's mind was finally put completely at ease. Since even Father had given his approval, Wen Mubai must genuinely be fine.

"Alright, Ma, stop talking about me. What about you and Dad? How have you both been this past year?" Tang Bansha asked.

Su Nan hugged her tighter. "We've been getting by."

Ever since her daughter's visit, Village Chief Mao's attitude toward them had improved slightly, and he had even arranged for someone to help repair their dwelling.

"Oh, right, do you two know Ah Meng? He helped your father and me quite a bit," Su Nan asked.

"I know him," Tang Bansha nodded, recounting how she and Ah Meng had crossed paths. "When I saved his son, I didn't have any ulterior motives. It was only after I returned to Guyue Village that I had this idea."

She and Ah Meng had traded supplies. Once the timing was right, she had dropped subtle hints about her parents. Ah Meng, being a clever man, naturally picked up on it and occasionally ran small errands for her parents or helped them buy things—otherwise, even with money, her parents wouldn't have been able to spend it.

Ah Meng had once hinted at this discreetly, and Tang Bansha was deeply grateful, sending a large batch of study materials for his son.

Lulled by Su Nan's gentle voice, Tang Bansha gradually drifted off to sleep...

Meanwhile, in the pharmacy, Tang Minxun and Wen Mubai, father-in-law and son-in-law, were wide awake.

A twin bed was still rather cramped for two tall, long-legged men. They lay side by side on their backs, hands crossed over their abdomens, as stiff as planks.

At the foot of the bed, a hot water bottle emitted a comforting, gentle warmth. Wen Mubai was actually feeling drowsy, but since the old man was still awake, he wouldn't dare fall asleep for the world.

"What's his name again... Wen... Wen something?" Tang Minxun spoke up first.

"Wen Mubai. You can just call me Xiao Bai," Wen Mubai answered honestly.

Actually, Tang Minxun knew his name very well. For the entire past year, that name had turned over and over in his mind, stabbing countless voodoo dolls in effigy—how could he possibly forget?

Asking like this was simply a way to establish dominance. "Tell me, how did you trick our Zai-zai into marrying you?"

His daughter had grown up seeing plenty of talented young scholars; how could she possibly have fallen for this soft-rice-eating pretty boy?

Granted, they had initially taken a fancy to his background as a martyr's orphan, but now that Zai-zai's class status had been cleared, this pretty boy still clinging to his daughter was entirely inappropriate.

Wen Mubai's eyelid twitched as he carefully weighed his words. "Back then, Bansha accidentally spilled pig-breeding medicine into my cup. I drank it without knowing, and Bansha, being kind-hearted, gave me a hand."

Tang Minxun: ....

What was this brat hinting at with that sarcastic tone?

"Hmph!"

Amused, Wen Mubai continued, "Bansha saved my life, so I had no choice but to offer myself in marriage to repay the debt."

After a couple of rounds of conversation, he had roughly figured out his father-in-law's personality: somewhat simple-minded, wearing his likes and dislikes right on his face, without any manipulative twists or turns.

"You call that repaying a kindness! That's returning kindness with enmity!" Tang Minxun grew furious. "My daughter is so wonderful, yet she ended up stuck with a lump of cow dung like you. How do you even have the nerve to bring it up?"

He simply couldn't stand the sight of this pretty boy living off his daughter's earnings, nor could he stomach the shamelessness of being a kept man.

Even though Zai-zai was capable of earning money and supporting the household, every parent felt protective of their own daughter.

Zai-zai could easily have found a much better man, yet because of him, she was stuck with this freeloader.

Instead of saying he was targeting Wen Mubai, it was more like he was plagued by guilt, feeling that he was the one who had ruined his daughter's life.

Thinking up to this point, he sniffed, fighting back his tears so he wouldn't become the butt of the joke in front of this punk. "Zai-zai is kind-hearted and hasn't the heart to abandon you, but I'm different."

"If I ever find out you've wronged Zai-zai, I—I'll have Nan Ge beat you to death!" Tang Minxun felt deeply helpless; he had suffered from tear-incontinence since childhood.

The moment his emotions stirred, the rims of his eyes would turn red, and the tears would start falling. Combined with his good looks, he had been bullied constantly when he was young, and if Su Nan hadn't protected him, he would have been bullied to death long ago.

Wen Mubai: ....

"Rest assured, by then you won't even need to act—I won't let myself off the hook either." There was a faint trace of a smile in his voice as he spoke.

Tang Minxun grew even angrier. Stirred by emotion, tears welled up, terrifying him into hurriedly trying to calm himself down. "Count yourself lucky!"

Wen Mubai smiled. "I am."

He was lucky. Back when his wife had been looking for a sucker, she had set her sights on him. He was lucky that he had fabricated a martyr's orphan background for himself back then, which was how he managed to attract his wife...

"Consider yourself slick!" Tang Minxun snorted, rolled over with his back to Wen Mubai, and stopped talking.

There was no help for it; he was afraid that if he kept talking, he would truly make a fool of himself in front of this kid.

The next day.

At a little past ten in the morning, the five of them finally got out of bed. After quickly whipping up some breakfast and finishing it, Old Man Su barged right in...