20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 600: The Mistress of the House
As the year draws to a close, the north wind grows stronger.

Outside the window the snow is falling heavily, as dense as a pearl curtain; on the table the strong tea is steaming, rising gracefully; they are all things made of water, rising and falling, but they all lead to the same destination.

Hu Xiaoyan had just finished checking the general ledger. She looked a little tired and pale. She sat in a wheelchair, holding up a cup of hot tea, and her eyes subconsciously glanced out the window.

Deep in the snow curtain, Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye, wearing thick cotton-padded jackets, looked round and plump like little bears. They were making snowmen in the yard, chattering and shouting non-stop.

This scene is full of innocence and is enough to comfort the mind.

Hu Xiaoyan smiled indifferently.

Just at this moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Enter!"

Hu Xiaoyan turned around, still holding the hot tea in her hand.

The door was half opened, and it was Sister Hua who came.

She was wearing a dark green jacket with velvet at the collar. She didn't want to go in, but just stood at the door like a servant and asked quietly, "Sister, Aunt Song said you were looking for me?"

Hu Xiaoyan nodded, put down her teacup, leaned over and waved at her, and said with a smile: "Come on, Huaer, come in and sit down."

Sister Hua stepped into the study and walked towards the desk. When she was near the window, she suddenly stopped, her eyes also attracted by the two children in the yard.

Hu Xiaoyan watched for a while and couldn't help but murmured: "When I was a child, I was most afraid of snow."

"Me too." Sister Hua responded, "Snow is a day of suffering."

As I talked, I couldn't help but think of the past.

The two sisters have all been through a lot, unlike Jiang Ya and the others, who are waiting and looking forward to the snow. When they see the first snow, their eyes are filled with joy.

The so-called auspicious snow indicates a good harvest is, after all, just a catchphrase among landlords.

Little do they know that for those poor people, the snow in the sky is a killing knife, and the frozen corpses on the road are their world.

The end of the year, the end of the year, it’s called the end of the year because it’s sad.

Sister Hua came to her senses and seemed a little worried. She quickly suggested, "Sister, let me go and ask them to come in so they don't get cold outside."

Hu Xiaoyan waved her hand and said, "Children are not that precious. They are all in high spirits. Let them play for a while. They will know to go back to the house when they get cold. Sit down and let's chat. I have something to ask you."

Sister Hua didn't dare to argue. She sat down slowly and waited for questioning obediently.

Hu Xiaoyan glanced at her and suddenly said, "Chengye is a good kid, quite smart, but a little too honest."

Mothers all love to hear people praise their children, and Sister Hua is no exception.

However, the joy on her face was fleeting, and she quickly said, "He is not good enough. He is timid and afraid of trouble. He is not adventurous at all. Xiaoya looks like she can handle things."

"That girl is indeed a brat, but she is just a girl after all. No matter what, she will be someone else's daughter-in-law in the future. All I can do is try my best to help her so that she can stand up straight in her husband's family and not be bullied."

"No." Sister Hua quickly comforted her, "Xiao Ya is such a strong-willed child. I can't imagine anyone who can bully her."

"What's the point of just being strong? The strength of her family will determine her future position in her husband's family."

Hu Xiaoyan was well versed in the ways of the world and human nature, and could not help but mutter to herself: "What about the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, the Three Obediences and Four Virtues? Those are all empty words. The emperor's daughter, if she dares to challenge the prince consort, the prince consort must listen obediently? In the final analysis, isn't it still the law of the jungle?"

Sister Hua listened quietly, and then inexplicably thought of herself.

Seeing this, Hu Xiaoyan took a sip of tea, then waved her hand and said, "That's a little off topic, but not too far off. Let's talk about Chengye. He is the eldest son of the family. No matter what, the future of the Jiang family will eventually fall on him... Huaer, don't always suppress him. It will scare the child so much that he will shrink back when encountering anything. That won't work."

Sister Hua was flustered for a moment and said quickly: "No, Chengye is just that kind of person, it's natural, he doesn't fight or compete."

When she said "not fighting or competing", she seemed to emphasize the tone intentionally.

Hu Xiaoyan smiled knowingly and said, "There's a saying among common people: sons take after their mothers, and daughters take after their fathers. It's true that Chengye's personality may be more like yours, but you must have said a lot about him."

Sister Hua kept shaking her head and saying no.

But how could she hide her little thoughts from the mistress of the house?
Hu Xiaoyan suddenly raised her eyebrows and asked with a half-smile, "Why? Are you afraid that I'll be petty and secretly hate you and your mother?"

Sister Hua panicked even more. She stood up in a hurry and changed her words to explain, "Sister-in-law, I really don't think so. I know my position clearly. I am only responsible for giving birth to a boy for the Jiang family. You are Chengye's mother."

"Do you believe this?"

"I--"

"Sit down, sit down. You are the concubine of the Jiang family, not a maid who obeys orders."

Hu Xiaoyan comforted him softly, "Chengye is your flesh and blood. This is a fact that cannot be changed. I gave birth to a daughter and you gave birth to a son. If I say that I don't care at all, that's a lie, but I definitely don't hate you two either."

Sister Hua leaned lightly on the chair, as if she wanted to explain something, but she was tongue-tied and after thinking for a long time, she still didn't know where to start.

Hu Xiaoyan looked at her trembling appearance and couldn't help but sigh, but said:

"Hua'er, think about it carefully. If I really hated you, why would I let you bring up Chengye?"

When Sister Hua heard this, she felt as if she had just woken up from a dream.

Yes, in those large mansions, how many concubines gave birth to children, and as soon as the children were born, they were taken away by the main wife. Not to mention recognizing the children as their biological mothers, they probably wouldn't even see them a few times throughout the year. How many women became crazy and had their hair turned white overnight because of this?
Hu Xiaoyan allowed Sister Hua to raise Chengye personally and allowed Chengye to acknowledge Sister Hua as his biological mother. Although it was not a favor, she did never regard the mother and son as enemies.

"Hua'er, maybe I'm narrow-minded, but ever since you gave birth to Chengye, you seem to have slowly become distant from me."

"Sister-in-law, I..."

"Whether you call me sister-in-law or elder sister, it doesn't matter what you say, but deep down in my heart, I have always regarded you as my in-laws. To be honest, I am relieved that you gave birth to the first son of the Jiang family. It is better than letting someone else give birth to a son."

Sister Hua was silent, and suddenly felt a little ashamed.

Hu Xiaoyan continued, "I dare not say that I am very sensible, but I can still make sense of major issues. Although I am reluctant, I have to accept it."

Sister Hua frowned, not quite understanding.

Hu Xiaoyan suddenly turned her wheelchair, and naturally, Sister Hua stood up and pushed her to the bookshelf and put the account book in her hand back to its original place.

Looking at the full account books on the shelf, Hu Xiaoyan finally figured out the reason.

"Hua'er, come and see. The Jiang family has achieved what it has today. I dare not talk about other places, but just in Fengtian, it has long been difficult for someone to break in from outside. However, the bigger the family business, the easier it is for problems to arise. No matter how big a family is, it cannot resist self-destruction. There are too many examples like this to count."

"Yes."

"Besides, the Jiang family is different from others. In those wealthy families, each branch is scheming against each other, and the children become enemies. The worst result is probably to break up and split up. If our family takes this path, I'm afraid it won't be as simple as splitting up."

Sister Hua nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, I understand."

Hu Xiaoyan smiled, motioned her to go back to the table, and said casually: "If you really understood, you wouldn't keep away from me deliberately." Sister Hua wanted to argue for herself, but she didn't dare.

Although she did intend to stay away from her sister-in-law, it was an indisputable fact that her sister-in-law was busy with work and had no time to relax.

Back at the table, Hu Xiaoyan said, "So, not only did I not take your child away, I also didn't plan to snatch Chengzhi from the third room. I let Jiang Ya and Cheng Ye go there from time to time. Learning the Russian language is secondary. The main thing is to let the three children spend more time together, so that they don't act like enemies in the future and let outsiders take advantage of them."

As she was talking, she suddenly started to laugh at herself again, saying, "I originally wanted to take advantage of the New Year this year to have the third and fourth rooms come over to meet, but I raised the tone too high and said too firmly before, so now I feel a little embarrassed and can't back down from the stage."

"Why don't we let the master talk to him?" Sister Hua suggested.

Hu Xiaoyan hesitated for a while, but finally waved her hand and said, "Forget it, I'll think about it. Let the children walk around first."

The eldest sister-in-law was originally reluctant to meet the third and fourth wives. Her idea was purely the result of weighing the pros and cons.

After hearing this, Sister Hua naturally stopped trying to persuade her.

"You're getting further and further away." Hu Xiaoyan said with a smile, "In short, Chengye is the eldest son of the family. He can't be too honest, otherwise this family business will only harm him in the future."

"Sister-in-law, you are still young and you can have more children in the future!"

"That's a story for later. Now let's talk about the current situation. What do you think about Chengye? Let me hear it."

Sister Hua was extremely surprised, as if she had never thought that she would have the right to say anything about such a matter.

Just as he was about to speak, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the yard.

The sound is clear and pleasant, like the ringing of wind chimes.

They both leaned forward and looked out the window at the same time, only to see that Zhang Zhengdong had, at some point, used a shovel to build a small snow mountain for the two children, compacted it, smoothed it, and turned it into a slide.

Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye climbed up with their butts sticking out, then slid down with a smile on their faces.

Repeat this cycle over and over again, and never get tired of it.

Dongfeng stood not far away, leaning on a shovel, exhaling puffs of breath, watching over his nephews and nieces, smiling and never leaving their side.

After a short while, Jiang Yasheng pulled her over and, with a stern face, she started playing with the two children.

Seeing this, Sister Hua couldn't help but smile.

After laughing, worries and troubles came to my mind again.

"Sister, Master doesn't want Chengye to continue on this path, right?" Sister Hua asked worriedly, even though she knew it was not up to her to decide on this matter.

Hu Xiaoyan shook her head and said, "I didn't know much about it before, but when he came back from Shanghai this time, he made it clear that he wanted Chengye to study at the Military Academy in the future."

"Like Xiaobei?"

"Do you have any idea?"

"I... just let him study hard. I can't say anything else." Sister Hua was short-sighted after all. She pinched her fingers and said, "As long as he doesn't continue on our path, it's fine. However, being a soldier is also very dangerous. I think it would be great if he could work in the provincial government in the future. It would suit him."

"Why do you think the provincial government is suitable for him?"

"Chengye is timid and honest, but he works very seriously, so he should..."

"Hua'er, why don't you understand?" Hu Xiaoyan suddenly interrupted, "Our family business is here, and he can't be timid if he inherits the business. You don't think that those old officials are easy to deal with, do you?"

"That's not the case." Sister Hua said hurriedly, "But it shouldn't be too dangerous, right?"

"If Chengye was born in another family, he would not be in any danger, but he is walking into the officialdom with such a large family fortune, which is like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth. Do you think it is easy to get involved in the white way? They are the real cannibals. If we stab one person, we will be in debt; they wipe out thousands of people without even a drop of blood on their hands!"

"Sister, according to what you said, Chengye can't run away?" Sister Hua asked anxiously.

"He can't run away." Hu Xiaoyan frowned and asked, "Why should he run away? Even if he was not born in the Jiang family, he would encounter big and small things in his life. If he wanted to run away immediately after encountering a little difficulty, what would that be? You can't always teach your child like this, otherwise I will really have to think about whether I can let you continue to take care of him."

Sister Hua panicked, even to the point of stuttering, and kept saying, "No, no, no, I get it. I will definitely change it next time."

Hu Xiaoyan couldn't bear to see her like this, so she said, "Don't be afraid. I was just saying it casually. You just need to be more careful next time."

Sister Hua nodded quickly.

Having said that, one’s innate nature cannot be changed, and no one can guarantee whether one can cultivate it in time or not.

What's more, even if Sister Hua says something can be changed, it may not really be possible. Many things are little by little, and are influenced by what we see and hear. They cannot be easily changed by just a few words.

Seeing her pitiful look, and since she was the sister she had raised herself, Hu Xiaoyan didn't want to blame her too much, so she said, "Hua'er, go back first, don't think too much. I'm doing this for Chengye's sake. You should know this, and don't suppress him anymore in the future."

Sister Hua nodded.

Hu Xiaoyan added: "I know you don't have any feelings for the master, but it has already happened. What else can I do? I have to give you a name, right?"

"There are still feelings." Xiaohua whispered, "but not that kind of..."

"I know. Let's go back. We'll have dinner soon."

"it is good."

Sister Hua stood up and when she reached the door, she was suddenly stopped by Hu Xiaoyan.

"Besides..." Hu Xiaoyan dragged out her voice, "Hua'er, I just said that the Jiang family must be harmonious, not just between the different rooms, between the children, but also between the brothers and sisters. There are some things that I shouldn't have said, but I see that you can't let it go, so I'll give you some advice."

"Sister, what do you mean?" Sister Hua's heart beat faster, as if she had a premonition of something.

"First of all, you have to understand that there are not so many people who are compatible with each other in this world."

"Sister, I... don't quite understand."

Hu Xiaoyan sighed and said, "Do you really need me to make it clear? Hua'er, you haven't spoken to Xifeng since Guyu came to our house."

In an instant, Sister Hua's face turned red and she felt dizzy.

It turns out that the eldest sister-in-law knew, or maybe she had known it for a long time. After all, she was the younger sister who she had grown up with, how could she not know?
However, Hu Xiaoyan also knew that: the fallen flowers want to follow the flowing water, but the flowing water has no intention of lingering on the fallen flowers.

As the saying goes, it is better to demolish ten temples than to ruin a marriage.

If Xifeng had been interested and Luohua had been affectionate, this marriage would have probably taken place long ago. Hu Xiaoyan would naturally be happy to see it happen, and there wouldn't have been all the unhappiness that followed.

Sister Hua was panicked when her sister-in-law saw through her thoughts and hurriedly tried to explain.

But Hu Xiaoyan said, "You don't need to argue with me. You know best what you are thinking. I blame you for saying something too much. Just let it go. If you don't let it go, Xifeng will be embarrassed and Guyu will not dare to come. Don't worry. I haven't told anyone about this."

Sister Hua was extremely embarrassed and kept agreeing, but she couldn't help but wonder in her heart how Xifeng and Guyu were doing...

(End of this chapter)