Chapter 323 - Chapter 323: Chapter 331: Miscellaneous People (1/2)
Chapter 323: Chapter 331: Miscellaneous People
“Father, Mother, what happened to Third Brother?” Su Wenyue asked knowingly. In fact, she had already heard what had happened from Han Yu, but she hadn’t expected that Third Brother and his wife would be so determined to follow them to the prefecture, even in their condition. Su Wenyue noticed a flicker of annoyance on Han Yu’s face, clearly thinking that Han Lin hadn’t fallen hard enough. It was one thing for Mrs. Li to come along, but what was her cousin doing here?
“That disappointing Third of ours, always dragging through his days. The other night he went to play cards after drinking, somehow he fell and broke his leg. But that fall seems to have knocked some sense into him; he’s much wiser now. His dad and I told him to stay home and recover, but he insisted on coming. He said it would be improper to refuse the warm invitation from his younger brother and sister-in-law. He’s aware he’s done many wrongs in the past and hopes you will be forbearing and not hold it against him. After all, we are brothers, and ‘bones may be broken, but the sinews are still connected’.”
Mrs. Yang did indeed intend to speak up for her son, and truly, it was Han Lin who had said these words. Mrs. Yang, deceived by her third son’s act, thought he had truly changed and was delighted. She hoped for a reconciliation between her sons. Despite her favoritism, she couldn’t stand seeing how miserably Third Child’s family was living and felt uneasy in her heart.
Su Wenyue neither agreed nor disagreed with Mrs. Yang’s words. It wasn’t just that she didn’t trust Han Lin—people like him don’t just make mistakes out of ignorance. They are rotten to the core. In her previous life, she had no quarrel with Han Lin and had even treated the Third House well, giving them many benefits, only to be conspired against by that husband and wife. Only a fool would believe that Han Lin genuinely repented this life. He was merely eyeing their increasingly prosperous life and trying to ingratiate himself for personal gain.
Seeing her daughter-in-law’s silence and her son not echoing her sentiments, Mrs. Yang realized that her words weren’t believed. Recalling what Third Brother and his wife had done in the past, she couldn’t blame Fourth Child and his wife for their reaction. Mrs. Yang gave a few embarrassed laughs, didn’t pursue the topic further, and thought that, since they were staying in Fourth Child’s home, Fourth and Fourth Daughter-in-law would certainly see if Third had truly changed.
As for Mrs. Li’s cousin, neither Su Wenyue nor Han Yu mentioned her, as if they hadn’t noticed her presence at all. This left Wang Fangru, who was trying to keep a smile on her face, feeling extremely frustrated. Even more unexpected for Han Yu and Su Wenyue was that another person came down from the horse carriage—Jiang Chunlan, who had just been released from prison not long ago. Su Wenyue’s expression soured, but she held her displeasure inside, as the House was purchased in her name. Any action she took could lead to speculation, so she watched for Han Yu’s reaction.
Su Wenyue believed that Han Yu disliked these additional guests more than she did, and indeed, his expression darkened further, having already been stern when seeing Third Child and his wife, but turning outright grim upon Jiang Chunlan’s arrival.
Recovered from her initial shock, Mrs. Yang could tell things were not going well by her son’s expression. Worried Han Yu might say something unpleasant or even send them away, she quickly interjected, “Fourth child, let’s go inside. It’s truly cold out here, but it’s warm inside the house.”
The women of farmhouses cannot be compared to the Madams of wealthy families. They work outside even in winter, and Mrs. Yang, who was dressed warmly, was not truly cold. Her concern was merely an excuse, but as she was their Mother, and they had traveled a long distance to get here, likely having left in the middle of the night, Han Yu could not bring himself to say something harsh, though his expression remained rather dark.
Neither the Main House nor the Second House spoke up for Mrs. Yang, feeling somewhat frustrated by her overindulgence and interference in a situation that was supposed to be a happy visit to the prefecture for the New Year. They blamed Mrs. Yang’s leniency for the awkward scene, especially Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Li, who were displeased to see the relationship between their Mother-in-law and the Third House warming up again with Third Child and his wife sweet-talking their Mother-in-law around.