......


    The closer they got to home, the more Meng Shaoxia''s heart swelled with both anticipation and nervousness.


    He wondered if his mother and grandmother were well.


    They must have missed him terribly.


    When they arrived at the Meng family home,


    The main gates of the Meng Mansion were wide open.


    Thest time they had been opened like this was to wee Old General Meng home.


    Meng Shaoxia expected there would be tears, hugs, head-patting, and thorough inspections.


    That had been the routine every time he returned home in the past.


    Thinking about it now made him a bit embarrassed, considering he was a married man now.


    But he was overthinking it.


    When he arrived home, his mother and grandmother were stunned for a moment, seeing how much weight he had gained - he hadn''t suffered at all, it seemed.


    They hurriedly pushed past him to see their daughter-inw (granddaughter-inw) and their first and second grandsons.


    He was relegated to the role of a mere guide.


    He watched, quite dramatically, as his mother and grandmother embraced Little Yu''er with tears in their eyes, sobbing.


    "Oh, child, you must have suffered so much."


    "Let me look at you. Oh my, my heart aches for you. It aches so much."


    "And these are our grandsons. Oh my, oh my, tsk tsk tsk, oh dear."


    They held on tightly, refusing to let go.


    Meng Shaoxia felt acutely as if he were adopted,pletely unrted to the scene before him.


    Watching his mother hold Little Yu''er so tightly, and seeing how naturally Little Yu''er nestled into his mother''s embrace, he felt a twinge of loss, but mostly joy.


    He knew his mother would love such a straightforward girl as Little Yu''er.


    They would surely get along well.


    Perhaps too well, as he seemed to have been forgotten entirely.


    Meng Qingshe also eagerly eyed his two grandsons. They had been raised so well - plump and fair, with chubby, dimpled hands. He was delighted and satisfied.


    Their looks were also remarkable. Though the eldest grandson had a square face, on a child it looked undeniably handsome.


    Moreover, the inws'' family''s good looks seemed destined to improve the Meng family''s gic pool.


    He felt the entire Meng Mansion looked more attractive because of it.


    After much fussing and cooing, they tidied up and went to eat.


    During the meal, Madam Meng and Old Madam Meng found themselves increasingly pleased with Jiang Yu.


    They had heard rumorsparing her beauty to Daji, and although their son had assured them that Little Yu''er wasn''t like that, and that he didn''t like such girls anyway, they couldn''t help but worry until they saw her in person.


    Now that they had met her, they were truly relieved.


    She was beautiful yet dignified, with a round face that suggested simplicity. Her words were sweet, direct, and pleasant to hear.


    They felt even more sympathetic towards the two children.


    The whole household came alive with activity.


    How could Madam Meng be ill now? She was the picture of health, full of energy, bustling about.


    Having been away from home for so long, Meng Shaoxia felt somewhat out of ce.


    He found himself thinking that his inws'' home felt morefortable.


    The chairs here seemed a bit hard.


    The chopsticks didn''t feel right in his hand.


    The bowls were a bit too hot to hold.


    There were no spare pajamas or slippers.


    The food tasted a bit too greasy.


    Before long, he had found fault with a whole list of things.


    At first, Madam Meng maintained a kind expression, but as she listened to her son''sints, she felt the urge to skewer him with the family''s halberd and toss him out.


    How annoying he had be.


    He had clearly been spoiled by his inws, developing so many quirks.


    He used to be so well-behaved, eating whatever was given to him, but now he had be picky.


    Seeing her mother-inw scolding her husband, Jiang Yu tugged at her sleeve and said, "Mother, please don''t scold him. He probably felt too polite to voice anyints at my family''s home, so he''s only letting it out now that he''s back."


    Hearing this, Madam Meng thought to herself that before seeing her son, she had worried he might have suffered hardships. But now that he was here, he showed no signs of hardship at all. In fact, he seemed to have been living quitefortably, almost forgetting his roots.


    "Don''t spoil him. Let me tell you, men can''t be indulged. They need to be kept in check asionally. Otherwise, they''ll get too full of themselves."


    Jiang Yu just smiled.


    Because her aunt-inw was tugging at her sleeve from behind.


    Having given birth and recovered well, Jiang Yu''s smile was radiant. Her white skin seemed to glow, and her eyes curved into crescents, making her utterly charming.


    Both Old Madam Meng and Madam Meng were very fond of her.


    Moreover, looking at her mother-inw, Mrs. Jiang, with her round face, she appeared kind and gentle - an excellent woman indeed.


    Her father-inw''s looks were perhaps a bit too striking.


    Fortunately, their daughter-inw took after her mother, which was preferable. They were pleased no matter how they looked at her.


    ncing at their daughter-inw''s sister, who resembled her father, they found her beauty almost too much to look at directly. She was certainly more beautiful than that Fairy Liu, hardly seeming human.


    Still, they preferred their own daughter-inw.


    The evening banquet was lively, and the food wasforting.


    Jiang Changtian carefully observed Meng Qingshe. Indeed, as the son-inw was of good character, so was his father. Like father, like son.


    He was very satisfied.


    This way, Yu''er should not suffer any mistreatment.


    However, too proper a family could also be problematic. He worried they might be too straightforward and easily taken advantage of.


    He felt an inexplicable increase in pressure. Before, he only had to look after his own family.


    Now he felt responsible for watching over the entire Meng family as well.


    Jiang Changtian had always been one to rise to challenges. Pressure motivated him, and he became even more energetic.


    Meng Qingshe dined with his inw.


    Seeing his handsome features and delicate build, typical of a schr,


    He had heard that from a young age, Jiang Changtian had been mistreated by Old Madam Jiang and falsely used of being unfilial, struggling to survive.


    The first time Shaoxia met them, they couldn''t even afford enough food.


    Although their circumstances had improved, watching his inw''s eating habits, Meng Qingshe noticed how carefully he ate, wasting nothing. His speech was soft and slow.


    Meng Qingshe felt that speaking too loudly might startle his inw.


    It pained him to think that such a good person had been forced to be a rebel.


    Fortunately, he had epted the offer of amnesty. It was said that he was an excellent official, caring deeply for the people. This year, Jingzhou''s tax revenue ranked among the top in the country. Even Inspector He, who came looking for faults, couldn''t find any and gave a positive evaluation.


    But thinking about it, such a good person in the Capital City would likely be bullied.


    Those sly officials in the capital had no shortage of ways to mistreat others.


    His inw had no background to speak of, so in the future, he would have to stand up for himself, with Meng Qingshe''s protection.


    Look at how they had fattened up his son and raised two chubby grandsons. They were truly a family of honest, good people.


    He suspected that things had gone so smoothly these past few years partly due to his son''s efforts. He had been somewhat useful.


    "The official circles in the Capital City areplex. In the future, when you go out, just mention my name. I''m a military official, and I''m not afraid of their tricks. If anyone bullies you, don''t be afraid, don''t cower. Our family has connections too."


    Jiang Changtian nodded repeatedly at his straightforward father-inw.


    "Thank you, father-inw. I was worried about being a neer without support. With your words, I feel at ease now. If anyone bullies me, I''ll certainly let you know."


    Meng Qingshe, excited by the food and drink, repeatedly patted his inw''s arm.


    However, seeing how thin he was, he patted gently, controlling his strength.


    Meng Shaoxia ate silently, not joining the conversation. He had already been scolded harshly by his mother for saying a few words earlier. If he spoke again now, his father would likely intervene physically. Better to just eat.


    My inws'' family is truly formidable, what kind of eyes do you all have?


    After praising his inw, Meng Qingshe went on to praise Jiang Feng.


    Jiang Feng was truly talented and handsome, with a smile that hinted at a bit of simplicity - the very picture of a gentle nobleman.


    His old Meng family''s genes just couldn''tpare; they were all rough folk.


    Hearing that Jiang Feng was still single, Meng Qingshe couldn''t help but want to introduce him to potential matches. No, he couldn''t do it himself - he''d have his wife do it. She knew more youngdies.


    Old Meng was very happy today. He had held his two grandsons and seen his chubby son. He resolved to be a bit more ambitious in the future. After all, life held promise now. With grandsons, he would need to take better care of his inws'' family as well.


    Mianmian dined with the women.


    She met her Elder Sister''s mother-inw and grandmother-inw. The Meng family now had four generations under one roof, which would be rare even in modern times - truly a blessed family.


    Her brother-inw''s mother and grandmother were very nice people. They spoke generously, without any sarcasm, and got along well with her mother.


    Qin Luoxia had been worried that the people from the Capital City might look down on country folk, but after meeting them, she felt much more at ease.


    Indeed, little Meng was a good match. She felt a bit guilty towards the inws, but now that there were grandsons, there was no returning the goods.


    After dinner,


    They rested at the Meng family home.


    The guest rooms were well-prepared.


    Mianmian curiously asked her mother, "Mother, where will we live after this?"


    "In our own home, of course. Your father knows how much you love buying property, so he''s already arranged for someone to purchase a house andnd for us in the Capital City. Today we''re staying with your Elder Sister to meet her inws. Now that we''ve met them, we can rest easy. Tomorrow we''ll go to our own home," Qin Luoxia said, her cheeks flushed.


    Mianmian was very excited.


    Father was amazing.


    He had even bought a house in the Capital City.


    Come to think of it, there were no purchase restrictions in the Capital City now. With money, you really could buy anything.


    Before bed,


    In the guest room of her Elder Sister''s inws'' home, Mianmian opened her diary and made an important entry.


    In the 289th Year of Chu Era, during winter, they entered the Capital City. As guests at the Meng Family residence, both hosts and visitors were in high spirits. They received wee gifts of a bag of eastern pearls and a bag of precious gems...