"My stepmother-in-law is a vengeful person. I have offended her and she will definitely take revenge on me. No, mother, you have to help me think of a way to reject her!"
Qin Mei spoke with confidence and seriousness, as if Xu Shichu had really sent a maid to her room, and she was almost getting anxious.
If Xu Shichu knew how worried Qin Mei was at this moment, he would definitely roll his eyes and think that she was suffering from paranoia. He didn't have the time to send a woman to her husband and was worrying about nothing.
Unfortunately, Xu Shichu didn't know this, so Qin Mei and her daughter were already treating her as a big enemy and were on guard against her.
"Is your stepmother-in-law in the mansion now? Mother will go to her in person to ask her not to send a woman to Luo Rui." Mother Qin said with a frown.
"She is a stepmother. Although it is natural for her to let her stepson take a concubine, it is not as legitimate as a biological mother. She will take the relationship with her stepson into consideration. So, mother thought, if I tell her that Luo Rui does not want to take a concubine, she can't force it, right?"
Qin Mei was not optimistic: "But my husband didn't say he didn't want to take a concubine!"
Mother Qin rolled her eyes at her and said, "Can't I just kill her first and ask for her consent later?"
"I can't wait any longer. I have to go and test her opinion now!" Mother Qin said, and she couldn't wait to visit Xu Shichu.
However, she came at an inopportune time. Xu Shichu was not at home. She was out inspecting stores, so Qin's mother had to return empty-handed.
Xu Shichu still didn't know that he had an unfounded blame waiting to be taken.
Qin's mother had originally wanted to stay and spend a few more days with her daughter, but she didn't expect that her own family had an urgent matter and asked her to go out to deal with it, so she had to come and see her daughter and then go back.
When she got home, she naturally had to mention her daughter's current situation, so Qin's mother told her family about her concerns about her daughter.
Qin Zhixing is a great and glorious male protagonist who is extremely protective of his family. When he heard his sister say that her step-mother-in-law might take advantage of her pregnancy to send a woman to her husband, he immediately became angry and went to find Luo Rui.
Luo Rui and he were good friends and both were young officials. Although they were not working in the same place, it was easy for Qin Zhixing to find him. So Luo Rui was stopped by Qin Zhixing as soon as he came out of his office.
"Brother!" Luo Rui was very happy to see Qin Zhixing, thinking that he came to him to share the joy of his wife's pregnancy. "Brother, you know about my wife's pregnancy, right? I'm finally going to be a father, and you're going to be an uncle too."
Qin Zhixing nodded with a cold face, and was not as happy as Luo Rui. Luo Rui felt something was wrong: "Brother, what's wrong? Aren't you happy for me and my wife?"
Qin Zhixing shook his head, pulled him to a secluded place, and asked directly: "Do you have the idea of taking a concubine? Has your stepmother even chosen a woman for you?"
Words passed between people may be inaccurate for various reasons. Qin Mei clearly only suspected that Xu Shichu might send a maid to her husband, but through the message from Qin's mother, when it reached Qin Zhixing's ears, it became that Xu Shichu had already chosen the candidate for the maid.
That's how rumors start.
Luo Rui was shocked when he heard what his brother-in-law said, and quickly denied it: "I didn't! I never thought about taking a concubine! And-"
He looked at Qin Zhixing in confusion: "Who told you that my stepmother has chosen a woman for me? My stepmother won't meddle in other people's business. She would rather live far away from us than go to the end of the world. How could she possibly interfere in my business?"
Luo Rui thought of Xu Shichu's appearance of trying to avoid him, and he felt that it was impossible for her to do such a thankless task.
"Really? But my sister said that your stepmother holds a grudge. My sister has offended her before, and she will seize this opportunity to take revenge on me." Qin Zhixing said uncertainly. He didn't know whether to believe his sister or brother-in-law.
Luo Rui said with a smile: "My stepmother is indeed very clear about right and wrong and holds grudges, but she usually takes revenge on the spot and won't wait until later. When your sister offended her before, she asked my father and I to punish your sister and refused to get involved in our affairs. It's even more impossible now. She won't do anything that hurts others and does not benefit herself."
He spoke so confidently, and Qin Zhixing thought of his sister's virtues, so the balance in his heart tilted towards his brother-in-law.
"Meimei is still young, she is lively and naive. Now she is pregnant, so she is prone to having unrealistic thoughts. Please bear with her, brother-in-law." Qin Zhixing said sincerely.
"She is my wife, I will naturally treat her well, big brother, don't worry." Luo Rui promised. Although he often regretted marrying Qin Mei, the matter was already settled and they even had a child. There was no point in regretting it, and he could only swallow his anger.
As the eldest brother, Qin Zhixing knew his sister's true character very clearly. He knew that his sister was not a qualified wife and mother, but people have different degrees of closeness and distance, and his sister is always closer to him than her husband, so he could only let her down.
It was precisely because he felt guilty towards Luo Rui that Qin Zhixing treated Luo Rui more attentively. Not only did he often advise his sister to be more understanding and considerate of her brother-in-law, he also worked harder to help her brother-in-law with his work, hoping to use his kindness to tie his sister to her brother-in-law's heart.
This unexpectedly achieved Luo Rui's original goal of supporting Qin Zhixing. The investment was considered a success, but he was the only one who had to endure all the hardships.
But as the saying goes, if you eat salty fish, you will have to endure the thirst. I believe Luo Rui can bear it.
After Qin Zhixing told Luo Rui about this, he rode away on horseback.
But he didn't expect to meet his sister's step-mother-in-law on the street.
The wheels of the huge and magnificent carriage were different from those of other carriages on the street. Qin Zhixing recognized it at a glance as the carriage of his brother-in-law's stepmother.
For some unknown reason, Qin Zhixing rode his horse to block Xu Shichu's carriage.
"Madam Luo, Qin wants to see you for something." Qin Zhixing said with a bow on horseback.
Xu Shichu lifted the carriage curtain and saw the person coming. He raised his eyebrows and thought: Isn't this our hero? How come he has time to come to me? I don't think I have offended him, right
"Lord Qin, do you have something to talk to me about?" Xu Shichu asked with a smile.
Qin Zhixing was dazed for a moment, dazzled by Xu Shichu's smile. He knew that she was extraordinarily beautiful and had seen her several times, but he could never get used to her and was always shocked by her beauty.
At this moment, Xu Shichu raised her small face with skin as white as cream, smiling as bright as a spring peach. She seemed like a banished immortal. This bustling street became extraordinary because of her.
Qin Zhixing clenched his fists, suppressed the restlessness in his heart, and reluctantly said, "Yes, there is something. Please follow me to a secluded place to talk."
Xu Shichu did not refuse. He let the carriage follow him and rode to a place with few people, then walked out.