Chapter 205 - Chapter 205: Chapter 205: New Novelty (2/2)
Han Yu frowned. “Mother, you mustn’t talk nonsense. The Emperor is not someone we can mention lightly. If someone hears you saying this, our whole family could be dragged off to be beheaded. Troubles start from the tongue!”
“This… what?” The idea that a simple comment like that could lead to beheading stunned Mrs. Yang, leaving her somewhat frightened, and the smile vanished from her face. She looked genuinely scared — the matters of officialdom were indeed complicated, and a casually misspoken word could lead to heavy penalties.
Han Hu deliberately exaggerated the situation to make sure Mrs. Yang understood the seriousness. It wasn’t that he was trying to scare his mother. If someone with ulterior motives really heard such comments, it would indeed be a big trouble, and it was also a reminder for his mother to be cautious with words in the future.
“Mother, I’m not trying to scare you, but it’s different now that your son is an official. There are so many eyes watching behind the scenes, waiting to catch me on a misstep. One small blunder could lead to disaster.”
“I understand, I understand, don’t worry. From now on, Mother won’t talk carelessly!” If Su Wenyue had said this, Mrs. Yang might have doubted whether her daughter-in-law was using it as a scare tactic. But coming from her own son, Mrs. Yang didn’t question it at all, nodding repeatedly and assuring him eagerly, fearful of inadvertently causing trouble for the whole family.
Seeing Mrs. Yang frightened by Han Yu’s words, the diligent daughter-in-law Su Wenyue naturally wanted to console her: “Mother, Husband was just making a point. Don’t be afraid, we are all family here. Whatever is said won’t be spread outside. Just be a bit more careful in the future.”
“That’s right, Mother will listen to you.” At that moment, Mrs. Yang thought even more highly of her daughter-in-law, who not only brought them so much to take back but also helped her save face in front of her son, heaping praises on Su Wenyue. She even told Han Yu to take good care of Su Wenyue, her affection seeming boundless, and she almost seemed reluctant to leave.
Su Wenyue was someone who responded better to a soft approach than a hard one. When her mother-in-law was nitpicky, she genuinely disliked the unreasonable old lady. But now that her mother-in-law was kind to her, she felt slightly regretful for having been so confrontational and resorted to petty tactics previously. She became even warmer towards her mother-in-law.
Knowing that her father-in-law and mother-in-law wanted to give away sweet potatoes as gifts, Su Wenyue specifically asked the kitchen to hurriedly fry several pots of sweet potato balls, made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet stuffing. They were crunchy on the outside, yet soft and gooey inside, extra sweet and tasty. She packed them in two clean baskets and gave Mrs. Yang a stack of paper bags for giving them away, which were convenient, presentable, and attractive. Mrs. Yang felt there couldn’t be a more considerate daughter-in-law.
“Fourth Daughter-in-law, these sweet potato balls are really delicious, fragrant, crispy, sweet, and chewy. Even the snack shops in the county town don’t have anything this good,” Mrs. Yang said, unable to resist another sweet potato ball, eating it with evident delight.
“Mother, it’s good that you like it, but this freshly made snack is hot and eating too much of it can cause heartburn. You should let it cool before eating.”
“I know, I know. It’s just so delicious I can hardly resist,” Mrs. Yang giggled, helping the servant girl and maid pack the sweet potato balls, readying them to be loaded onto the horse carriage.
“Father, Mother, please take care on your journey, and visit us more often when you have time.”