Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Waiting for You to Avenge Me

Madam Wang’s feelings toward the Grand Matron were complicated. At times she felt the Grand Matron was a loving grandmother who truly cherished Tang Mo; at other times she felt the Grand Matron was as hateful as Tang Gang, and she could not bring herself to be fond of her at all.

Tang Mo’s head was still full of his promotion, his color already better than before. He said offhandedly, “Grandmother is very good.”

Madam Wang smiled. Xin An handed her tea and asked, “Mother, do you think Grandmother said all that just because my husband was promoted?”

Madam Wang nodded. Xin An immediately understood why Madam Wang’s earlier smile had been so forced. She said, “Has Mother heard the story of the woman with two sons? One sold umbrellas and the other sold cloth. When it rained, she worried the younger son’s cloth would not sell; when the sun came out, she worried the elder son’s umbrellas would not sell. She fretted so much that she fell ill in the end, and both sons resented her.”

Madam Wang put down the teacup, understanding Xin An’s meaning. “So your grandmother is like that?”

“I think so,” said Xin An. “Grandmother says she wants to take her ease, yet in truth she has never let go. She hopes everyone in the household will do well, and she rejoices in the good while worrying over those who are not. But how can everything in the world go as one wishes?”

Madam Wang thought it over and found it somewhat true. In some families, grand matrons who dislike a useless grandson will not even spare him a few words. She told herself to be content.

Ping Qiu came to report that still more people had sent gifts to visit Tang Mo. Madam Wang rose to receive them. Xin An returned to the bedside and asked, “Do you want to sleep a bit more?”

“No,” said Tang Mo, taking her hand. “Am I really promoted just like this? I can hardly believe it. Is it so easy?”

“What is easy about it?” said Xin An. “These months you have worked from dawn to dusk until you are a different man; that alone should leave Commander Liao with a good impression. Besides, there is my relationship with Sister Xu. The ten thousand taels had to have an effect, and now Sister Xu and I are partners in business, so the ties are reliable. Do you think pillow talk does not work?”

Grinning, Tang Mo would not release her hand. “How wonderful. From now on I will be a deputy commander with men under me. Just thinking of it feels grand.” He added with satisfaction, “No wonder everyone wants to marry a good wife. I am truly fortunate in this life. Do you think it was Grandfather’s spirit in heaven who could not accept the outcome of the marquisate in our previous life and purposely sent you and me back?”

Xin An suppressed a laugh and said, “It is possible.”

“I think it is,” he declared. After basking in it for a while, he asked whether anything had happened at home while he was gone. “Did next door make a move?”

He feared they would strike while he was out of the capital, leaving Xin An to face it alone. Even knowing she could handle it, he still worried.

“They did,” said Xin An. She told him everything that had happened over the past two days, including the time Tang Gang had flung a teacup to smash at her. “It must have been a hasty strike, full of holes. I could handle it; there was nothing to worry about.”

Tang Mo’s face darkened. “That is only because you have weathered storms and know their tricks. If it were the old you, would you not have suffered a great loss?” He had entered to find them arranged like an interrogatory tribunal. “Slander works by seizing the initiative and crushing the other side with momentum so they have no mind left for the ploys within and let themselves be led by the nose. Once a conclusion is set, how difficult it is to overturn it. They chose their time well.” As for his father’s stance, he was not surprised at all. “Grandmother may be occasionally partial, but she is generally fair. I am truly afraid; if Mother had not held fast, what use would your ability have been to you? A single character, ‘filial,’ would have pressed you down. And in this household, how many people can that old man call to his side? With the doors shut, they could quietly deal with you…”

Xin An had spoken lightly, but Tang Mo was sincerely frightened, so she had to comfort him in turn. He held her hand and said quietly, “Do not confront him head-on in the future. He is petty. Who knows what he might do.”

Frustrated, Tang Mo said, “I really want to ignore everything and move out, to save myself the annoyance.”

“Why did you not go?” asked Xin An. They had agreed before to leave and roast his old father over the fire, sizzling with fat.

“Because Mother persuaded me,” said Xin An. She admitted that her earlier thinking had been incomplete. “Mother treats me well; I cannot fail to consider her. If we just leave without a care, the consequences will be serious. Grandmother will not agree either. The second day I went out to the opening of the general store and returned late, and Grandmother already sent people to the Xin residence to find me. If I truly moved out, would Grandmother not personally come to invite me back? What would the outside say about me then? If we leave, we leave Mother alone in the residence to face so many people. We were mistaken before. If anyone should leave, it ought to be the people next door. Why should I be the one to go? I am waiting for you to come back and avenge me. I have no intention of letting it go.”

Tang Mo felt stifled. The character for filial piety was weightier than the heavens; he could not truly move against his father, but as for Tang Rong, that he could handle. “Let me think it over. I will make sure to vent your anger properly.”

At that moment Qin Bai arrived, and the two fell silent. After examining the wound, he said they should watch it for three more days. If there was no pus or swelling, then there was no major problem. “You still have to take the medicine. Do not lie in bed all the time. You are young; an arm wound does not require you to be bedridden.”

“It is rare to have a chance to lie down; let him lie for two days,” Xin An said, holding back a smile.

Qin Bai grunted twice, wrote a new prescription, gave his instructions, and hurried off. The Herbal Cuisine House had new dishes today, and he was going to taste them.

Xin An sat back at the bedside and asked, “Was it really to suppress bandits?”

“It can be counted as suppressing bandits, but there must be something inside it. Liao Zhi did not tell me,” said Tang Mo.

“Then do not inquire,” said Xin An. “Too much curiosity is not good. Letting you pretend to be gravely injured makes it easier to ask for credit on your behalf. Whatever his purpose, this counts as owing him a favor. I will prepare some good gifts, and we will pay a visit together to thank him.”

“I will do as you say,” said Tang Mo. Seeing Xin An again made his heart settle. “I left too hurriedly that day and did not have time to come back and tell you.”

“Sister Xu sent someone to inform me,” said Xin An. She added, “If you want to accomplish great things, you cannot hide at home. You cannot have both fish and bear’s paw. There must be trade-offs. I am prepared for it.”

“How realistic you are,” said Tang Mo, feeling a pinch in his heart. They had just consummated their marriage and were at the height of affection; at such a time he wanted to go nowhere and to stay in the courtyard with her every day. Yet this woman did not cling to him in the least. “Not even the slightest bit reluctant to part from me?”

“What then,” Xin An laughed, “should I cry and refuse to let you go?” She added, “I will perform one for you right now,” then pinched a kerchief to her eyes and pitched her voice thin as she declaimed, “Husband, how miserable you are, boo-hoo-hoo~~~ Husband, you frightened your concubine half to death; how can your concubine live without you, sob sob sob~~~ Tomorrow I will report to Mother that duties in the Northern Garrison Army are far too dangerous. How can Husband go to such a place? Your concubine has plenty of silver. From now on we will stay at home and go nowhere, whimper whimper whimper~~~”