In a wealthy family, the arrival of a daughter - in - law is a significant event.
It means the transfer of power, and a new mistress will emerge in the mansion.
A reasonable mother - in - law will hand over the keys and the tokens after the tea - offering ceremony. Then she will patiently guide and remind her daughter - in - law until the latter can handle everything independently. After that, the mother - in - law will retire from the limelight and start to enjoy her later years.
Generally, in families with such open - minded mothers - in - law, the relationship between mother - in - law and daughter - in - law is not too bad. Since both parties are clear about their rights and boundaries, they can get along harmoniously with the mother - in - law being kind and the daughter - in - law being filial.
However, there are always some mothers - in - law who are reluctant to give up power and like to interfere in their children's private affairs. This inevitably leads to open and covert struggles, making the family in a complete mess.
The situation of the Xiao family is even more special.
Li Wanming's formal mother - in - law is the Princess of Ning. But the Princess of Ning has been in poor health for a long time and doesn't manage the family affairs. The one who really runs the mansion is Mrs. Kang.
As the daughter - in - law of the second branch, Mrs. Kang has the power of the mistress of the mansion. If she doesn't want to hand over the power, Li Wanming must never ask for it forcefully. Otherwise, she will be regarded as over - bearing, unreasonable, unfilial and disrespectful to the elders.
Mrs. Kang obviously has this in mind.
So she remained silent, simply holding a cup of tea leisurely and chatting casually with Li Wanming.
Li Wanming also knew exactly what was going on. The previous things like the standing position, the memorial tablet, the breakfast and the verbal exchanges were just appetizers. Only this cup of tea was the most important thing today.
Therefore, she was also unhurried. She drank the tea even more leisurely than Mrs. Kang.
"The white tea from our Min region has a clear soup and a fresh taste. It's quite a unique flavor. If you like it, Second Aunt, I'll ask a friend to bring some for you next time."
"The flower pattern on my forehead? It's the flame tree flower. It's a special flower in the Min region. When it blooms, it's like a fire, and when it falls, it's like rain. If you like it, Second Aunt, I can ask someone to paint it for you."
"Yes, it will be May soon. It's a great time for boating and outing. In our Min region, we have dragon - boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival every year. If you like it, Second Aunt, I'll accompany you to the Min region in the future, okay?"
...
Mrs. Kang rubbed the edge of the white porcelain cup with her fingertips. The smile lines on her face became increasingly stiff.
She glanced at the hourglass for the third time. The tea in her throat rolled twice before she swallowed it, as if it were dry gravel.
She never expected that Li Wanming would be so patient!
If it were someone else, who had just married into the husband's family and was kept waiting by the elder for more than an hour over a cup of tea while chatting about irrelevant things, they would have already stood up nervously and asked if they had done something wrong. How could they still dare to talk back?
But Li Wanming was different. She was neither embarrassed, nor nervous, nor apologetic. Instead, she was really sipping the tea seriously!
Especially in her words, every sentence contained the phrase "if you like it, Second Aunt", which sounded so affectionate and warm, like wrapped in honey, fully demonstrating the respect, consideration, kindness and filial piety of a junior - it almost made Mrs. Kang grind her silver teeth to pieces!
Like it?
Like it my foot!
After chatting on and on for so long, now at the mere mention of the Min region, her head started to throb. She even wished she could immediately throw Li Wanming and everything related to the Min region out!
Seeing Mrs. Kang's complexion, Li Wanming felt extremely delighted and became even more at ease.
Well, isn't it just a competition of drinking water and holding back urine?
Let's hold it then!
Let's see who gives in first.
She would never leave the Jujing Hall today until the issue of the power to manage the family was clarified!
If Mrs. Kang dared to leave her alone here and walk away, Li Wanming could guarantee that the reputation of Mrs. Kang's mistreating the junior and refusing to hand over the power to manage the family would spread throughout the entire capital overnight!
So Li Wanming was certain that as long as she didn't say she was leaving first, Mrs. Kang would never dare to leave first or drive her away.
Then... hold it!
Let's see whose bladder can endure more.
She didn't believe that Mrs. Kang, a middle - aged woman who had been living in the inner courtyard for a long time, could endure more than she, a young, energetic and strong - bodied beauty.
Sure enough, after the tea was refilled three times and the fruit plates were changed twice, Mrs. Kang's face became paler and paler.
"Oops, look at my memory." Mrs. Kang wrung her handkerchief again and again. Finally, she said, "I actually forgot such an important thing."
"Please wait for me here for a while. I'll be back soon."
Mrs. Kang bowed slightly and got up to leave.
Li Wanming naturally knew what she was going to do - to get the keys and tokens and also to relieve herself. So she immediately stood up respectfully, "Yes, Second Aunt."
As soon as Mrs. Kang's figure disappeared around the corner of the courtyard, Li Wanming quickly grabbed Qinglan's hand and asked anxiously, "Hurry up! Where is the toilet in the Jujing Hall?"
...
Soon, the aunt and niece returned one after another. They looked at each other and smiled again. Everything was still as gentle, warm and peaceful as before, as if nothing had happened.
However, there were several young maids following Mrs. Kang. The one in the front was holding several sets of keys as big as necklaces, and the others were each holding a small box about one foot long.
Mrs. Kang pointed at those boxes and smiled, "These are the tokens, keys and the corresponding account books and rosters of our mansion. I'll hand them all over to you today. After you open the storerooms and check everything clearly later, you'll be the mistress of our mansion."
After saying that, she ordered the maids to open the boxes. "I'm a person with limited knowledge and not very good at writing. I've managed the family for such a long time just barely getting by. With you here, I can be a bit lazy and enjoy a few years of relaxation in the future."
Li Wanming said a few polite words. Her eyes swept over the keys and boxes, but she couldn't help but feel suspicious in her heart.
Tokens, keys, account books and rosters... Everything was complete.
The quantity also matched.
However, something was not right!
Would Mrs. Kang be so kind as to hand over all these things to her all of a sudden?
No, she wouldn't!
If Mrs. Kang were willing to hand over the power, they wouldn't have sat here torturing each other's bladders for the whole morning.
She must have some other tricks up her sleeve.
Li Wanming smiled slightly and was just about to speak when she saw Mrs. Kang wave to someone outside the pavilion and say with a smile, "Come in. You'll have to meet sooner or later. Why are you still shy at this moment?"
Under the shade of the trees, a light purple gauze pomegranate - patterned dress fluttered over the gravel and blue bricks. Her wasp - like waist was even more slender than the wisteria branches twining around the stone pillars.
With willow - leaf eyebrows and an oval face, she was graceful and charming.
Even before she came closer, a fragrant breeze wafted towards them.
"Zifu pays respects to the Crown Princess..."
The beauty knelt down coquettishly. Her voice was so sweet that it could drip honey, and she deliberately emphasized the word "Princess".
Li Wanming covered her nose with a handkerchief and sneered coldly: Oh, so this is what she was waiting for me.