Chapter 309: You don

The old lady went in for a while before coming out, "Ah, so white and plump, really delightful."

"Indeed, his parents are good-looking, and the child they bore is also good."

Feng'er was inside the house at this moment, cradling his child and laughing foolishly, his eye sockets slightly red, tears still in the corners of his eyes.

Having joined the Qiao Family at seven, more than a decade has passed; now he holds a high position in the court, has his own child, his wife is diligent, and their first pregnancy gave them a son—so the Jiang Family now has an heir.

In no time, Old Lady Defender Duke and the Old Duke's wife also came out, all of them with red eyes.

Outside, a circle of men sat; they were not allowed to enter the delivery room.

Qiao Mai looked at the Zhen Guo Gong family and said, "Since you've come and it's getting dark, have a meal at my place before you go back."

"Sure, sure, we've been craving your family's dishes for a long time; they're truly excellent. Since Yun'er's wedding, we've been thinking about your food constantly."

"I'll give orders below; shall we prepare the dishes just like on the wedding day?"

"Thank you, Mother, for your understanding."

That day, Feng'er Mu Xiu stayed at home accompanying her; he held his son in his arms, watching and laughing.

"But we're still alive, aren't we?"

"Brother, does this count as eating what's in the bowl while eyeing what's in the pot?"

Feng'er stormed to the Yuexian Pavilion courtyard entrance, took a deep breath, and walked in.

"Want to go pay respects at your parents' graves?"

"Your marriage, I spent five hundred thousand taels of silver; from age seven to now I've been on you—let's count it as one hundred thousand taels in total. Directly restore your original surname; you also have a house, so after returning, just move back into your house."

He found Yun'er and said, "I'll take your sister‑in‑law and child to pay respects at your parents' graves and fill the soil; will you go back?"

Feng'er turned pale and said, "Mother."

Seeing the crisp autumn weather, at this time Feng'er took a month‑long leave, planning to take his wife and child back to Tianshui Town.

"Mother."

"Stay, stay," he couldn't finish "stay at Jixiang Yuan."

Yun'er sighed; he knew whatever he said was reasonable, but couldn't persuade.

"I'll just pay a quick visit to my parents' graves, fill some soil, and casually tell them about our brothers' current situation so they can be at ease,"

Qiao Mai also accepted without ceremony; she simply did what an ordinary mother‑in‑law should have done in a previous life.

A good mother‑in‑law like this is impossible to find, even with a lantern.

"Mother, you don't want Dizi anymore?"

"Our parents are all here, Zu Fu and Grandmother are also here; why go back to Tianshui Town?"

Mu Shi still felt it was inappropriate, but said nothing; she was embarrassed, torn between the kind mother‑in‑law and her husband, not knowing whether to tell the mother‑in‑law about this.

"I understand, but I do have biological parents; going to the graves and filling soil isn't a big deal, right?"

Only after asking did she learn that the mother‑in‑law would watch the kitchen daily, sometimes personally cooking soup for her; moved, Mu Shi wanted to cry, and if it weren't for the rule that a woman in confinement shouldn't cry, she would have clung to the mother‑in‑law and wept properly.

"Yes."

"Hmm, something?"

Feng'er lowered his head, "No, I'm also afraid she'll get angry, so I don't dare speak."

"Mother, please speak."

"I have a suggestion; I'll say it out loud, will you listen to see if it's okay?"

During this month, she often added ingredients to her daughter‑in‑law's meals and drinks, all beneficial to health.

Murong immediately frowned, "I heard that when the child is young, visiting graves is not good; our own parents are fine, but if the wilderness gets contaminated with something unclean…"

"She isn't that petty; don't worry, you don't know Mother as well as I do."

Each time Qiao Mai reminded her of some precautions, both daughters‑in‑law liked chatting with the mother‑in‑law.

When Old Lady Defender Duke heard, she sent her finest set of jewelry from her dowry, dispatching someone to deliver it to Qiao Mai, thanking her for the meticulous care of her granddaughter.

"When you go back to pay respects at the Jiang family's parents' graves, will you stay at Jixiang Yuan or at an inn?"

"Those are all gifts from Mother; I don't want to hurt Mother's heart—she has given us so much. Moreover, have you reported your return to Mother?"

He was about to say that Feng'er was thick‑skinned, a white‑eyed wolf.

"Brother, I hope you still tell Mother about this; she's perceptive, and if you hide it from her when you go back, I'm afraid of Mother."

Qiao Mai was sitting in the courtyard reading at that moment; when she saw Feng'er, she was a bit surprised, as this eldest son had rarely come to see her alone since taking office.

Qiao Mai was stunned for a moment, then immediately thought of the reason.

Thus, the Zhen Guo Gong family, basking in the glory of Mu Shi bearing a child, stayed at the Qiao Family for dinner.

Mu Shi felt extremely happy at the Qiao Family, especially during confinement; the soup simmered in the kitchen was incredibly tasty.

"But forgetting our roots is even worse; after all, we also have biological parents, and no one tends their graves, burning paper—it's unfilial!"

Mu Shi could also feel it; every sip of soup, every bite of rice tasted different from usual.

Qiao Mai raised an eyebrow; at this moment Feng'er was a bit nervous, honestly he was somewhat afraid of Mother.

"Rong'er, once you recover, we'll return to Tianshui Town."

The next day, they sent various supplements; although they knew they weren't as good as the Qiao family's, they still felt it wasn't enough.

"I want to hold my son and go to our real parents' graves to pay them a sacrifice."

It always seemed that the husband wanted to return to Tianshui Town, but he never told the mother‑in‑law, as if it were secret.

"Dizi wants to go back to Tianshui Town with Rong'er."

"Just paying a grave, not changing a surname; is that necessary? That's unfilial!"

"Fine, fine, I'll go say it, okay?"

"I'm afraid of Mother?"

The Xiao Family also sent many supplements; those who were on good terms with the Zhen Guo Gong family also sent many gifts, nearly filling the Tingfeng Pavilion courtyard.

"Father and mother are buried in the ancestral tomb; they have Jiang Family's nephews filling soil on the tomb, that is, becoming Qiao Family's children, and must be single‑minded. Big brother, don't forget, without a mother, it would have been hard for the two of us brothers to survive back then; without life, where does the talk of going to the tomb come from."

"No, I now bear the surname Qiao, not Jiang, so I won't let them go to the tomb."

"Ah, that's great, thank you, mother‑in‑law."

"Calculating the Old Second's daughter‑in‑law's due date, it should be April next year; fortunately, the weather then will be neither cold nor hot, perfect for confinement."

"Now that you have all grown up, the original purpose of saving you was also to let you live, but I am a merchant; any investment must have a return, and you also don't want this branch of the Jiang Family to become extinct, so consider this: I will not take back your martial arts, I will not take back your energy, but the money I spent on you, you must return to me, and you will continue to be a descendant of the Jiang Family, okay?"

"The second son's wife, after handling the family matters, will also come over to join the chat group; her belly is already somewhat noticeable."

"We'll go during the day; it's not night, it's fine."

"Xianggong, is this really okay? You are now Qiao Family's Dizi."

"But I always feel that doing it this way is wrong!"

"Hmm, your wife has given you a Dizi; your Jiang Family's branch now has an heir, so you should go to the tomb and fill the soil."

"In the blink of an eye it's almost October; the eldest son's wife has finished confinement, her health has recovered well, and when there's nothing else she will hold the child and come over to chat with mother‑in‑law."

"Shui, you have constantly been kept out of the Jiang Family; rather than being in Cao's camp but with your heart in Han, it's better to directly help you fulfill a wish. If Yun'er also wishes to return to the Jiang Family, I won't stand in the way."

"When she said this, her tone was very flat, as if she had thought it over long ago."

"Mother"

"From now on, don't call me Mother anymore; I'm not angry. I understand your longing to go back, but a person can't eat what's in the bowl while looking at what's in the pot; you have to choose one, right?"

(End of chapter)