Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

At noon.

Liang and Song Dong'er came back from work, prepared lunch, and the family ate.

Gu Qingrong went to the county town and Gu Yichuan was not there either, so there were only a few women and two children at home.

The meal was simple. In the middle of the table was a bowl of stir-fried Chinese cabbage and a plate of pickled bamboo shoots, served with brown rice.

Shen Nankui had lived two lives, and it goes without saying that she had enjoyed the fine clothes and delicious food of the Marquis's Mansion. Before she got married, the Shen family had never lacked food and clothing. Therefore, she was a little uncomfortable with such simple meals, but she did not show it and just ate less.

She knew that the Gu family was in such a situation, so she couldn't be picky. She just had to wait until she made money and then slowly improve the family's food and daily necessities.

Embroidery is laborious and time-consuming, and you can't make a lot of money. It's just a stopgap measure. Once you have saved up some capital, you still have to find a job that you can do for a long time.

While eating, she was thinking about how to make money in the future.

But in the eyes of someone with a keen eye, it takes on another meaning.

Song Dong'er glanced at her from time to time, then looked at Gu's mother and Liang, and finally couldn't help it.

"Why, can't Second Cousin eat the Gu family's food?"

"How?"

Song Dong'er put down the bowl and stared at her, "But these past two days, when I saw you like this, I thought the food was so hard to swallow!"

"Cousin Dong'er, you're worrying too much." Shen Nankui continued to eat slowly.

Seeing that Mother Gu's face had turned dark, Song Dong'er continued to speak provocatively, "Is that so? Second cousin, to be honest, the Gu family cannot be compared with the Shen family. It's a pity that your adoptive parents married you here without even thinking of giving you more subsidies. Instead, they let you suffer like this with us. Don't they want to take care of you at all?"

Shen Nankui tightened his grip on the chopsticks.

Even though what Song Dong'er said was true, she would not admit it, and would not reveal her shortcomings in front of her husband's family.

"Cousin Dong'er is really amazing. She knows my parents better than someone like me, Shen?"

Song Dong'er smiled and said, "Second cousin, you are joking, but it doesn't matter. In fact, as long as you respect your mother-in-law and integrate into the Gu family, no one will care about your relationship with your mother's family. Isn't that right?"

Shen Nankui had no idea what she was up to and did not respond.

Song Dong'er didn't care about her attitude, and continued: "But, Second Cousin, I'm not saying anything bad about you. Even if you don't have to work, my eldest cousin and I just came back from the fields, and we are already hungry and tired. You should at least help with cooking, right? It's not a heavy job."

Hearing this, Gu's mother raised her eyes and glared at Shen Nankui.

"Dong'er is right. Just now I saw that you neither did any embroidery nor taught Yuan'er to read. Are you deliberately being lazy?"

Song Dong'er diligently picked up food for Gu's mother.

"Even if you want to act like a lady, you should know where you are. This is the Gu family. Second cousin's wife does nothing but just wants to be served. Do you think we are your servants?"

Liang didn't think there was anything wrong at first. She just wanted to finish her meal quickly and go back to her room to rest for a while.

But when he heard this, he suddenly became angry and looked at Shen Nankui with some dissatisfaction.

Gu Yichuan was not here today, so there was no one to support her. The three of them glared at her with unfriendly eyes.

Shen Nankui put down the bowl, took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then said: "Cousin Dong'er is still blaming me for not doing anything, but before I came, didn't you have to eat and work?"

Song Dong'er knew that she was eloquent, so she brought up Gu's mother.

"Aunt said that the Gu family doesn't support idle people!"

Shen Nankui smiled slowly, "This morning, I prepared all the materials for teaching, and I will be able to formally teach Ayuan in the afternoon. Before my uncle went to the county, I asked him to help me buy silk and silk threads in the city. As soon as the materials arrive, I can start embroidery immediately. After I did all this, does cousin Dong'er still think I am an idler?"

"Who knows if you're just saying nice things!" Song Dong'er curled her lips.

Shen Nankui looked at her, "If cousin Dong'er is still dissatisfied, I can also switch with you. You can teach Ayuan to read and make money to supplement the family income. Although I can't do farm work, I can learn it in time. I just don't know if cousin Dong'er can also learn my skills?"

"You!" Song Dong'er's face suddenly turned red, and she was quite angry and embarrassed.

"Why does my second cousin-in-law look down on me?"

Shen Nankui sat up straight and raised his voice a little, "I don't look down on anyone, but I think that if a family wants to live a good life, everyone must do their job. Just like you are not good at writing, and I am not good at housework, I will do what I promised. If I fail, it won't be too late for cousin Dong'er to make trouble later. Why rush to scold me now?"

She knew that the Gu family had emptied their family fortune in order to marry her, so everyone was resentful.

But she couldn't be weak, otherwise things like today would happen frequently in the future. She said this to both Song Dong'er and Gu's mother.

Mother Gu glanced at her and said, "There's still a lot of time to go by, and everyone will eventually know whether you are really capable or just talkative."

Song Dong'er wanted to say more, but was stopped by Gu's mother.

"Let's eat. Your quarrels all day long are giving me a headache!"

It's not that she doesn't support Song Dong'er, but every time Song Dong'er argues with the adopted daughter, she always loses, which makes her feel depressed.

It’s better to wait and see.

At present, this adopted daughter has done everything right and has a sharp tongue. Even if she tells her the whole story, she still can't get rid of the anger. She will just endure it for now and wait to see if the adopted daughter can do the two things she promised.

It would be good if it succeeds. Anyway, Yuaner's education and earning money will benefit the Gu family.

If that fails, she will settle both the old and new accounts together!

These are all things that the adopted daughter promised herself. If they fail to fulfill their promises, even Chuan'er will not be able to protect her anymore!

After Gu's mother spoke, even though Song Dong'er was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to say anything more.

The dinner table became much quieter. Shen Nankui sat quietly for a while, and then took the opportunity to suggest that Aqiao study together.

Mother Gu looked surprised. "What are you doing? What kind of books are you reading for a girl like Aqiao?"

Liang also looked at her with some surprise, and didn't say yes or no.

He only said: "Girls should be diligent in managing the household and be liked by their husband's family after they get married. It doesn't matter whether they study or not, but..."

A shrewd light flashed in her eyes. "If you have a skill, you will be more respected. Second sister-in-law, if you really want to teach Qiao'er, why not teach her your embroidery skills? With this skill, she won't have to worry about people's attitudes no matter where she is."

Mother Gu also nodded, "That's right. For a family like ours, there's not enough housework to do. For a girl, what's the point of studying? If she doesn't become a show-off, she'll be disliked when she's approached for marriage in the future."

After hearing this, Aqiao's big eyes were filled with tears and she looked extremely aggrieved.

Shen Nankui pretended not to hear Mother Gu's ridicule of her, patted Aqiao's arm in a soothing manner, and then asked in return: "Excuse me, mother-in-law, what kind of family are we?"