After the commotion with Fang Yao and Xu Manjiang’s family, which had left Old Mrs. Xu so angry she fell ill, the matter of compensation was eventually dropped.
Although Wang Hua disapproved of her mother-in-law’s fickle behavior, as a daughter-in-law, she still fulfilled her filial duties. She visited daily to care for Old Mrs. Xu, preparing her meals and managing her daily needs, effectively shielding their side of the family from outside gossip.
Meanwhile, Fang Yao would close the door each day after Wang Hua left, undisturbed as she practiced her knitting techniques with needles in hand. Focused and undistracted, she completed the initial shape of a sweater in less than three days.
The final step was binding the edges, connecting the sleeves to the body. Fang Yao’s newly purchased crochet hook was exceptionally sharp, often catching the wrong threads, requiring extra time and patience.
Finally, by evening that day, her first project was fully complete. Holding the carefully crafted piece, she took off her padded jacket and tried it on directly.
As the saying goes, "A great teacher produces outstanding students." Standing before the mirror, Fang Yao examined herself. The bright red yarn was already vibrant, and the dense, even stitches paired with relatively intricate patterns transformed her appearance entirely!
Typically, a sweater like this would sell for over ten yuan in a department store—equivalent to a formal worker’s monthly wage. Fang Yao would never have been willing to spend that much!
But now, having only spent a little on needles and yarn and investing some time, she owned a high-value sweater at minimal cost, effectively earning money indirectly.
So Fang Yao began to wonder: if she sold sweaters to others, couldn’t she make a lot of money?
Wang Hua returned early from Old Mrs. Xu’s courtyard today, not waiting until evening. Hearing the door open, Fang Yao immediately brought out the finished sweater for her mother-in-law’s feedback.
“Oh, you finished it so quickly?” Wang Hua held the sweater, admiring it carefully, her smile deepening the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. “When you said you wanted to learn, I thought it was just a passing enthusiasm. I never imagined you’d actually succeed! Not bad—aside from the stitches being a bit uneven in places, everything else is fine. Just keep practicing!”
Encouraged by her mother-in-law’s approval, Fang Yao felt even more motivated to continue learning and planned to work harder that evening.
As Wang Hua headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, Fang Yao followed to help and casually asked, “By the way, Mom, why did you come back so early today?”
At the mention of this, Wang Hua’s lips curled upward again, unable to hide a hint of schadenfreude.
Fang Yao’s curiosity grew uncontrollable. Tugging at Wang Hua’s arm, she whispered playfully, “Just tell me what happened. Let me in on the fun too.”
Wang Hua couldn’t resist her pestering. With her son grown, she had long given up hope of him acting spoiled around her. But having a daughter-in-law was different—it was like a living, breathing daughter dropped from the sky, melting her defenses.
Gossip she wouldn’t share with outsiders was nothing to keep from a daughter!
“Your second aunt’s brother came by today with money and personally accompanied Man Jiang to bring Li Xuemiao back. Your grandmother’s illness vanished instantly, and she started bustling about to thank them, planning to host a dinner in her courtyard tonight. Seeing how things were shaping up, I quickly found an excuse to leave. I didn’t want to get involved in their affairs again.”
If anyone else had such a mother-in-law, whose moods changed as quickly as flipping a page, they might have held a grudge. But Wang Hua maintained a calm heart, simply avoiding the turmoil.
Fang Yao understood her and chose to offer her support right away.
“Exactly, getting involved with their family’s messy affairs only brings trouble! When I first married into the family, I thought Grandma treated me quite well. But through this incident, I’ve come to realize that once the scales in someone’s heart tip, they’ll keep leaning to one side. We shouldn’t rely on her. What’s practical is to focus on living our own lives well.”
Over these past few days, Fang Yao had also come to realize that many of her perceptions were still stuck in old patterns.
For instance, the shadow cast by Xu Manjiang’s family in her previous life subconsciously influenced her whenever anything happened. She would project their way of dealing with people and situations onto others and react defensively.
Little did she know that people are different from one another, and relationships come in countless forms.
This included Old Mrs. Xu. When Fang Yao was living with Xu Manjiang, the old woman had always favored Xu Jianshu’s family. As a beneficiary, Fang Yao had only seen her good side, overlooking the perspectives and feelings of Wang Hua and Xu Qingzhou.
Now that she had arrived on the dark side of the moon, so to speak, she could finally see the full picture. All she could do was adjust her mindset alongside Wang Hua, choosing not to care, so naturally, they wouldn’t be affected.
Fang Yao’s words resonated deeply with Wang Hua, who gazed at her intently for a long moment. A thousand thoughts finally condensed into one sentence: “You’re absolutely right, my daughter-in-law!”
Was it relief?
It was gratitude!
Compared to the chaos and drama between Xu Manjiang and Li Xuemiao, Wang Hua had a diligent and sensible daughter-in-law by her side, united in building the quiet life she cherished. She must have accumulated immense virtue in her past life to enjoy such incredible fortune!
After dinner, Wang Hua went to close the main gate, shutting out any further disturbances from the outside world. Fang Yao returned to her room, fetched her needle and thread, and immersed herself in learning new embroidery patterns from Wang Hua. Under the flickering candlelight, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law worked diligently side by side, their figures radiating warmth and harmony.
On the other side.
Li Xuemiao had received the bride price from Xu Manjiang, pacified her parents, and returned to the Xu Family with him.
Old Mrs. Xu arranged a meal with Xu Manjiang’s uncle, which indirectly served as a welcome for Li Xuemiao. During the meal, when the topic of Xu Manjiang borrowing money from him came up, Wang Daye waved his hand dismissively, generously declaring he didn’t want it back.
He even patted Xu Manjiang on the shoulder and promised to take him along whenever a suitable money-making opportunity arose in the future.
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Xu was overjoyed, her smile stretching from ear to ear. The spine she had bent in front of Li Xuemiao could finally straighten with pride!
Coincidentally, Li Xuemiao consistently played the role of the weak one, easily led by others—obeying her parents at home and showing deference to her husband in her Husband's Family, presenting herself as entirely malleable.
In the eyes of the domineering Wang Cuilian, she was nothing but a plump piece of pork—once in hand, it was pure gain!
“Don’t you worry, Mom! My brother never makes empty promises! If he says he’ll help Man Jiang make money, he’ll definitely deliver! Plus, with the connections of Man Jiang’s father-in-law and mother-in-law in the city, it’s a powerful combination! From now on, Man Jiang and Xuemiao won’t have to worry about living a good life!”
The more Wang Cuilian spoke, the more pleased she felt, her feet tapping excitedly under the table as if she couldn’t contain her glee.
As for Xu Manjiang, his career hadn’t even taken off yet, but his eyes already gleamed with arrogance and conceit. He made a solemn promise to Li Xuemiao: “Xuemiao, I won’t let your suffering these past days be in vain. Just wait and see. I’m going to make big money for you, buy a city apartment, and let you live comfortably as a wealthy lady!”
Li Xuemiao was coaxed by him into breaking out in goosebumps from head to toe, equally unable to resist the surging excitement in her heart.
Even if Fang Yao stubbornly refused to compromise on the pretext of switching bridal chambers, wasn’t she still the ultimate winner?
In just a few days, Xu Qingzhou would go from a respected officer to a broken, useless cripple, unable to even take care of himself in daily life. Fang Yao would have to serve him day and night, tending to his every need, unable to ask for a divorce—all that awaited her was resigned acceptance of her fate!