Once the Old Mrs. Huo spoke, no one in the room dared make a sound.
Only Huo Sijia, clinging to the old lady’s arm, complained, “It’s all because my sister-in-law fails to discipline anyone. The younger generation has no manners at all—they talk back to their elders.”
Song Wan was speechless. This woman’s talent for twisting the truth and playing the victim was truly first-rate.
Leaning on her cane, the Old Mrs. Huo reprimanded Huo Manting.
“As the eldest daughter of the Huo Family, you spoke without restraint, provoked your sister-in-law, and stirred up conflict. You are confined to your quarters for half a month and will copy the family rules one hundred times. Learn some proper conduct.”
Huo Manting drew a deep breath, clearly unconvinced.
But with the Old Mrs. Huo having spoken, no one had the right to argue. She could only lower her head and accept the punishment. ”Yes.”
Then the old lady turned to Luo Shuyi. “As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Huo Family, you have failed in your discipline and lost us face.”
“If you can’t manage this household, then hand it over to someone capable!”
Luo Shuyi was about to become a grandmother, yet she was being scolded by her mother-in-law in front of so many juniors.
For someone as proud and concerned with appearances as Luo Shuyi, this was harder to bear than a slap across the face.
But she could only swallow her shame and reply, “You’re right, Old Mrs. Huo.”
The old lady then looked at Huo Sijia. “As an elder, you failed to set an example and resorted to violence in public. You have lost all decorum. Confine yourself to your room for three days and reflect on your behavior.”
“Old Mrs. Huo?” Huo Sijia was deeply displeased. She had just been gloating—how could she be punished too?
But the older the Old Mrs. Huo grew, the more authority she commanded. Under her gaze, Huo Sijia could only pout.
“Understood.”
Watching this scene, Song Wan felt indignant on Madam’s behalf.
Strictly speaking, this whole affair had little to do with her in the first place. The real culprit was clearly Huo Sijia.
Yet Huo Sijia received the lightest punishment of all. How was that fair?
The Old Mrs. Huo was far too biased.
Song Wan seethed, but Luo Shuyi squeezed her hand and gave a slight shake of her head, signaling her to stay silent.
The Old Mrs. Huo had never liked Song Wan to begin with, treating her as if she were invisible.
Now that she was pregnant, she had finally caught the old lady’s attention. It wasn’t worth offending the Old Mrs. Huo over her own grievances.
Just then, Huo Jingheng, who had watched the entire farce with cold eyes, spoke without a ripple of emotion in his gaze.
His eyes swept over Huo Sijia, his voice low. “Grandmother, what my aunt did today wasn’t merely a breach of etiquette—she showed contempt for the Huo Family’s heirs and challenged the very foundation of our family rules. Three days of confinement is far too light.”
No one dared speak after the Old Mrs. Huo had set the tone—only Huo Jingheng.
The old lady’s brow furrowed, clear displeasure on her face.
Of course she knew the punishment for Huo Sijia was too light.
When that slap had come down, it might well have caused Song Wan to miscarry.
But since that hadn’t actually happened—Song Wan had dodged it—the old lady hadn’t yet spoken when Huo Sijia jumped in first. “A-heng, I’m your aunt. You want to punish me?”
Huo Jingheng didn’t spare her so much as a glance. “The Huo Family values nothing more than its rules and its heirs. In my view: one month of confinement, suspension of all social engagements and monthly allowance, copying the family rules three hundred times, and daily reflection—to serve as a warning to others.”
Huo Sijia’s face went instantly pale. “No! Absolutely not!”
The Old Mrs. Huo was silent for a moment. Then her cane came down heavily. Though displeased, she ultimately nodded. “You have a point. The Huo Family’s rules cannot be discarded. We’ll do as you say.”
With a single sentence, the matter was settled.
Huo Sijia swayed on her feet, utterly deflated.
She might be somewhat foolish, but she wasn’t a complete fool. She knew that her ability to throw her weight around in the Huo Family existed only because the Old Mrs. Huo was still alive.
If she were gone, with her brother’s temperament—Huo Sijia couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.
Huo Jingheng swept her with a cold glance, then looked at Old Mrs. Huo. “Grandma, I’ll take her back to her room now.”
Old Mrs. Huo valued heirs, but her attitude toward Song Wan remained lukewarm, her smile not reaching her eyes.
“Go ahead.”
Back in the bedroom, Song Wan noticed that Huo Jingheng seemed to have been up all night—there were dark circles under his eyes.
Recalling how Huo Jingheng had just pressed Old Mrs. Huo into punishing the younger aunt, leaving Huo Sijia deathly pale, Song Wan felt delighted.
She snuggled into Huo Jingheng’s arms, acting coquettish, her eyes sparkling.
“Good thing you were here, otherwise Mommy, big sister, and I would have been bullied to death.”
Huo Jingheng’s breath deepened, and he forced his gaze away. “As long as I’m here, no one dares touch you.”
“You never know. Little Aunt looks a bit…” Song Wan tapped her own temple, hinting that the woman wasn’t right in the head—who knew what crazy things she might do.
Thinking of what had just happened in the living room, Huo Jingheng fell silent for a moment.
Song Wan seized the opportunity. “How about I move out first, and move back once the babies’ situation is stable?”
“No,” Huo Jingheng refused instinctively.
Song Wan was pregnant with triplets. If anything unexpected happened, there would be no one to help her.
Besides, if word of this reached outsiders’ ears, they would only assume Song Wan had made some mistake and been driven out of the Huo Family’s old estate—it would be bad for her reputation too.
“But I’m scared,” Song Wan burrowed into Huo Jingheng’s arms, her voice muffled.
“What’s there to be scared of? Mommy will protect you too.”
Huo Jingheng’s body was a little stiff. He was a normal man—with soft warmth in his arms, it was impossible to remain unmoved.
“No, I only trust you,” Song Wan rubbed against him vigorously, her words full of trust.
“Just half a month. Not even that? Then we’ll move back, okay?”
Song Wan lifted her head from his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. “If you don’t agree, I won’t let go.”
“Let go,” Huo Jingheng said, his voice utterly lacking in menace.
“Nope. I’ll let go when you agree.”
Song Wan’s eyes were full of cunning. “I’m a pregnant woman, and you won’t even indulge me. Once the children are born, you’ll definitely bully me.”
As she spoke, a sob crept into her voice.
At first she was pretending to be aggrieved, but now she was genuinely upset.
Thinking of her sister-in-law who targeted her at every turn, her cold mother-in-law, the ill-intentioned younger aunt, and the biased grandmother—
The more Song Wan thought about it, the more wronged she felt, and her tears fell like pearls.
As if they had fallen into Huo Jingheng’s heart, he too felt a tightness in his chest.
“Fine, I agree.”
Song Wan was in the middle of feeling sorry for herself when she suddenly heard Huo Jingheng agree.
Tears still swirling in her eyes, she asked, “Really?”
Huo Jingheng laughed in exasperation. “No.”
Just then, Fang Jie knocked on the door with breakfast in hand. “Young Master, Young Madam, Old Mrs. Huo says breakfast will be eaten in your own rooms.”
“Come in.”
Fang Jie kept her eyes lowered, as if seeing nothing, and set the breakfast on the table.
Song Wan felt a little embarrassed and quickly wiped away her tears.
After all the commotion that morning, plus a good cry, she was long since hungry.
At the sight of the delicious-looking breakfast, her stomach growled loudly.
She said crossly, “This is all your fault.”
Huo Jingheng’s eyes were full of amusement. “Mm. You eat first—I have things to take care of.”
Before leaving, he handed Song Wan a wooden box.
“A belated meeting gift from the Old Master. It’s already been transferred to your name.”
When she had first married into the family, he had already given her a meeting gift.
Although it wasn’t particularly lavish, it was quite generous compared to what others had given, so her impression of the Eldest Master wasn’t bad at all.
But when she saw clearly what was inside the wooden box, she was too astonished to speak. “These… these are really for me?”
A gold shop, a prime storefront in Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, a garden villa on Bijia Mountain Road in Kowloon, and a bank card.
Song Wan covered her mouth in shock, afraid she might disgrace herself by drooling.
Good heavens, this was Hong Kong in 1979.
Even without knowing how much money was in the bank card, just the two shops and the villa alone showed how valuable this meeting gift was.
“Ahhh!”
Song Wan screamed inwardly, “I’m rich, I’m rich!”