Rebirth: Contract Husband Falls in Love with Me
Chapter 105 - 53 Abacus

Chapter 105: Chapter 53 Abacus

Mrs. Wang was naturally pleased, her smile brimming with pride as she stole a brief look at Mrs. Zhuang. Mrs. Zhuang, feeling greatly disrespected but unable to do anything about it, was about to speak when Mrs. Li chimed in with laughter, "However, let’s stick to the matter at hand, although I seem to have deviated. In my view, why not send the best and most disappointing poems from both parties to the master at the mansion for critique? What do the ladies think?"

In every grand family household, there are always two or three masters well-versed in poetry and classics. By making such a suggestion, Mrs. Li cleverly kicked the ball back into play without offending anyone.

Mrs. Wang was already quite satisfied; at least by marrying into the Shi family, she wouldn’t be the subject of gossip and snide remarks anymore. She might as well be more generous, so she smiled and said, "Why bother with such trouble! It wasn’t easy for Miss Tang to travel from afar. I think the perfume should go to Miss Tang!"

A bottle of Western perfume, which in other households would be considered a rare treasure worth as much as gold, was not a difficult thing for the Shi family to obtain! Mrs. Wang didn’t care about it at all.

Although Mrs. Wang intended her grand gesture out of kindness, she didn’t realize that her words made Mrs. Zhuang and Miss Tang feel deeply insulted, as if they were squabbling over a mere bottle of perfume over such shallow concerns!

Miss Tang, having traveled far as a guest, felt extremely embarrassed and annoyed, but it was inappropriate for her to say anything. Holding back her anger, her eyes became teary, while Mrs. Zhuang snorted coldly, "Ah, that won’t do! How can we change what has been agreed upon? It’s not just about the perfume, it’s about rightful recognition!" Saying so, she promptly ordered the selected four poems to be sent out.

"Really, no good deed goes unpunished!" Mrs. Wang was also irritated and said so with displeasure.

Seeing the tension flare up between the two women, the others hurriedly tried to smooth things over with awkward laughter and pleasantries.

Mrs. Jiang, Mrs. Zhuang’s sister-in-law from her natal family, grew a bit annoyed as well and said with a sardonic, indifferent laugh, "In my opinion, since Young Master Shi isn’t studying for the imperial examination, whether the family matriarch, Grandma Shi, is good at poetry or not might not be so crucial! Perhaps what the Shi family’s grand business and estate need more is a virtuous wife, right? Oh, I forgot, it is said that Miss Gu, your niece, has been raised in the Shi family since she was a child, is quite adept at managing household affairs, and even good at handling business and accounts! No wonder Grandma Shi can leisurely enjoy poetry and literature, as others take on her worries!"

After Mrs. Jiang’s remarks, a hush fell over the assembly.

Everyone in Qingzhou City’s prominent families knows that Gu Fangzi and Shi Fengju were childhood sweethearts, and Mrs. Jiang’s statement was a blatant provocation and satire – mocking Sang Wan for her pitiable and laughable ignorance, and scoffing at Mrs. Wang for her inconsistent attitude, pretending to value Sang Wan for show when she actually favors her niece Fangzi more!

This touched upon Mrs. Wang’s sore point, and she was both shocked and angered by these words, but instead of hiding her feelings, she looked towards Sang Wan, seemingly bewildered, to see her reaction.

In her heart, Sang Wan felt a mixture of shame and anger. It was impossible for her not to resent her mother-in-law, who despite the early marital agreement between the two families, allowed and even supported interactions between Shi Fengju and Fangzi!

But what was done could not be undone, and Sang Wan had no way of changing the established facts, nor could she show her feelings openly. Seeing Mrs. Wang looking toward her made Sang Wan feel even more mortified, wishing she could express her suffering.

"Mother-in-law’s kindness and compassion are without fault, for taking in a cousin into our household since childhood. For cousin to repay this kindness and contribute in return is also natural human behavior, isn’t it? As for Miss Wan’s capabilities, what does it have to do with cousin? Mrs. Jiang’s words are truly baffling!" Sang Wan’s voice remained gentle, but her brows hinted at a cool detachment, her bright eyes staring unblinkingly at Mrs. Jiang, exuding an imposing air, the dignity of the lawful wife untouchable.

Mrs. Jiang felt intimidated by her bearing and somewhat guilt-ridden, yet still retorted with a forced scornful laugh, "Your incomprehension does not mean your mother-in-law shares it!"

Mrs. Wang retorted in her anger, "I don’t understand either! Miss Wan is the eldest lawful daughter-in-law of our Shi family, the future matriarch! This fact will never change! What is Mrs. Jiang’s intention with these provocative words?"

Sang Wan then said with a smile, "Mother, I believe Mrs. Jiang’s intention is good, just worried that your daughter-in-law might not be virtuous enough to be a good helpmate to her husband! She is concerned for our Shi family! Rest assured, madam, Miss Wan will not let you worry! The position of the Shi family as the richest household has a long way to go! Managing home affairs and financial accounts, Miss Wan may not wish to show off, but she has some understanding of it!"

"Oh? Would Grandma Shi, aside from penning poetry, also be capable of using the abacus? It’s just that I’m curious to see it in action!" Seeing Mrs. Zhuang’s expression turn somewhat ugly, Mrs. Jiang felt secretly irked. At this moment, she couldn’t wait for Sang Wan to disgrace herself or take a severe fall, and thus, she went on the offensive with aggression.