Chapter 12 V2 : Turbulence on the Dinner Table (1/2)
“This knowledge doesn’t deserve the attention, but I hope that Mother will not take it too lightly!” Sang Wan smiled and gently explained the cooking process.
As Wang Shi listened, she praised Sang Wan and held her hand with her own hands. “You’ve done well to come up with such a recipe! I’d expect nothing less from a daughter of a scholarly family; a mind different from many others!”
Wang Shi was extremely pleased to have such a good daughter-in-law married into the family. She thought about when she should invite Old Mistress Zhuang over to enjoy her flower garden. At the same time, she would introduce Sang Wan to her and wrong her for mocking the ties between the Shi family and the Sang family.
The thought gave her a better impression of Sang Wan. Feeling more satisfied, she praised her daughter-in-law a few more times.
On her other side sat Gu Fangzi, who was extremely angry. Just recently, she had gotten wind of a great way to prepare bean curd with mahogany and was planning to cook it two days after Sang Wan had gotten into trouble with Wang Shi for the winter melon soup. However, things did not go her way; the winter melon soup was not served and Sang Wan was instead praised by her aunt. How did Sang Wan learn to cook the dish the exact same way as what she had discovered? And what’s more, Sang Wan had even beaten her to it!
Holding back her bitterness, Gu Fangzi remained silent. But upon seeing Wang Shi praise Sang Wan generously, Gu Fangzi blinked a few times before smiling. “Cousin Sang Wan sure is both virtuous and skilfull! Aunt Wang is right. None other than her filial daughter-in-law would have been able to come out with such a method to cook the dish that can please you! Still, did the winter melon soup happen to splatter on Cousin Sang Wan?”
The crowd could not help but turn their attention to Sang Wan, and Shi Fengju was no exception. Concerned, Shi Fengju asked, “Were you hurt anywhere?”
Before anyone else could speak, Gu Fangzi continued, jokingly saying, “Ah yes. Cousin Sang Wan, were you hurt anywhere? It would break my cousin’s heart if you were!”
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The broad smile on Wang Shi’s face immediately turned slightly sluggish.
Sang Wan did not feel anything amiss at first, but upon glimpsing Wang Shi’s annoyed expression, she was taken aback! No mother liked to see her son express his explicit concern towards his wife in front of her, even though that “explicitness” was Gu Fangzi’s own implication.
Shi Fengju secretly chided himself for being talkative and immediately clamped his mouth shut. Helplessly, he looked towards Gu Fangzi and managed a smile.
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To Wang Shi, that smile undoubtedly represented his agreement with Gu Fangzhi’s comment, and she could not help but feel a little annoyed.
Although Sang Wan was her son’s wife and Gu Fangzi was her son’s would-be concubine, Gu Fangzi was still her niece, who had been by her side for many years. As such, her heart was somewhat biased against Sang Wan. For her son to cast aside his cousin, whom he had spent lots of time with, and pay so much attention to his wife, who had recently married into the family, how could she feel pleased?
Sang Wan intentionally pasted a foolish smile on her face. Looking towards Shi Fengju, she spoke. “I’m fine; I wasn’t hurt anywhere! Anyway, I promise to prepare another bowl of winter melon soup for Mother-in-law! Mother-in-law’s son sure is filial, to remember in mother-in-law’s stead that if I were injured, I would not have been able to prepare another winter melon soup! Mother-in-law, be at ease, for your daughter-in-law shall prepare and serve winter melon soup personally tomorrow and guarantee that it’ll taste better than the one before!”
Once Sang Wan said her piece, Wang Shi immediately laughed and the tiny seed of annoyance disappeared.
“The days ahead for you as a member of our family are long. Though I’ll remember this, the thought is enough for now. You have your homecoming tomorrow, so I’ll not trouble you.” Though the words Sang Wan had spoken might have been a little exaggerated, it would not stop her mother-in-law from listening; or rather, it was something she liked hearing! And as for what Gu Fangzi had said just then, wasn’t it all just something she had said jokingly?
Wang Shi giggled to herself. As one aged, did they become more narrow-minded? To have treated a joke as if it were true!
Gu Fangzi followed along and laughed, but beneath that laughter was a sense of anger. She had wanted to craft a few more sentences to harass Sang Wan, but the thought of Shi Fengju made her endure. The bitter smile that he had produced just then… if she did not keep her act together, Shi Fengju might feel disgusted with her! She must not do anything that would put herself at a disadvantage!
At the same time, Sang Wan heaved out a sigh of relief discreetly. Look at that, that was the way Gu Fangzi was! A composed person who harbored ill intent; never could she lower her guard against such a person! That person’s words sounded pleasant to the ears; if not for the suffering she had experienced in her past life, she would not have thought too deeply and been incredibly inclined to foolishly listen to those pleasant words.
Afraid that Gu Fangzi might say something foolish again, Shi Fengju smiled at his mother and coaxed, “Mother, the food will turn cold if we talk any further; why don’t we start eating? As an old lady, aren’t you hungry yet?”
“Ah, yes! Yes! Let’s dig in, let’s dig in first!” Wang Shi smiled. Looking at Sang Wan slightly, she spoke, “My daughter-in-law, have a sit and let us eat together! You must be tired today after preparing these dishes! Quickly, have a seat!”
Sang Wan agreed humbly and smiled before sitting next to Wang Shi, but not without using a clean pair of chopsticks to serve her mother-in-law occasionally. In turn, this scored a few more points in Wang Shi’s heart.
Dinner ended perfectly with a gentle and relaxing atmosphere.
Together with Shi Fengju, Sang Wan left the courtyard. While holding her hand, Wang Shi had instructed Shi Fengju to accompany Sang Wan through the homecoming. Sang Wan had hurriedly given her thanks.
Everything ended the moment the chamber doors closed. With yesterday’s start and their purpose stated, they were now in the same boat and were now comrades-in-arms. With that established, it was much easier to get along this time around.
While laying the mattress on the floor, Shi Fengju chatted aimlessly with Sang Wan. In his mind, he acknowledged that even though they were a fake couple, Sang Wan did not have to serve his mother so faithfully, but that would be deemed as neglecting the duties of a daughter-in-law. However, seeing how much praise and respect Sang Wan gave his mother, his heart was delighted and grateful. After all, why would he dislike someone who gave respect to his own mother?