She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

Lu Huan couldn't help but sneer, her tone full of sarcasm: "Calling your sister-in-law by her given name, is this how Li Shi taught you?"

"What right do you have to talk about my mother like that!" At the mention of Li Shi, Lu Ruyi became like a chicken with its feathers standing on end. "Don't forget how my mother took care of you!"

Lu Huan felt like he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"You're too self-important. Anyone who becomes the matriarch of the Lu family would never mistreat me. I have a generous dowry left by my mother, and I'm the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Yanjing. No matter what, I would never lack someone to take care of me. This has absolutely nothing to do with Li Shi."

The fact that Lu Ruyi had firmly believed in for so many years seemed to waver in this instant.

Gao Manting's gaze darted back and forth between her two sisters-in-law. Seeing that Lu Ruyi was in a weak position, she couldn't help but speak up for her: "That's your Lu family's business. Now it's our Gao family's business."

That He Niang is really outrageous! How dare she slight her sister-in-law! I don't know where she got the nerve!

Lu Huan replied with a smile, "I gave it to you."

Even Zhou Shi felt a pang of regret, realizing she shouldn't have been so greedy. She frowned, seemingly trying to be impartial: "Eldest daughter-in-law, you've gone a bit too far."

Lu Huan took a deep breath, and when she looked up again, her eyes were already red: "Mother-in-law, let's not talk about the past conflicts between her and me. The Shi family was bought by me to serve you and father-in-law."

They were all servants in the Gao family. Who was Cuizhu? How dare she yell at them? She wouldn't even do chores like fetching water and stayed in the backyard all day.

Anyone who didn't know better would think they were concubines raised by the Gao family!

Gao Shangzhi returned home early because of the bad weather, instead of staying out until curfew as usual.

Upon hearing Lu Huan's words, he panicked, as if he had choked on his own saliva, coughing so hard that he almost coughed up his lungs.

Zhou glared at him, her gaze falling on Cuizhu, her expression turning even more unpleasant.

When Cuizhu and Yuzhu came to the Gao family, they brought their own luggage. So what they were wearing was still the first-class maid's clothes they had made when they were at the Lu family, which were much better than what Gao Manting was wearing.

"Second daughter-in-law, your two maids are indeed a bit inappropriate. They're dressed better than Manting. If they go out like this, outsiders will think they're the young ladies of the Gao family."

Gao Manting walked to Lu Ruyi's side and said with a wronged expression, "Mother is right! In front of the two of them, I feel like a maid."

"Sister-in-law, my brother's birthday is in a few days. Many of his classmates will be coming over, and I don't want to be dressed like this to greet them!"

Lu Ruyi had had a bad day and was in a bad mood, so she naturally wasn't as polite as before.

"If you have no clothes to wear, you should ask your parents! What does this have to do with me!"

In the past, Lu Ruyi had always been kind and ingratiating towards Gao Manting in order to win her over. When had she ever become so impatient?

Gao Manting was momentarily stunned by the huge difference in her mood, her mouth slightly open, unsure of what to say.

Zhou grabbed her and scolded loudly, "What? You've only been married in for a few days, and you've already shown your true colors? You're not pretending anymore? I really shouldn't have let you in. You're just not a good girl!"

Lu Ruyi's heart skipped a beat. She inwardly scolded herself for being too impatient and immediately put on a sweet smile.

"Mother, Manting, I was so angry with Lu Huan that I lost my mind. Please don't take it to heart!"

Lu Huan sneered: "Perhaps what comes out of your mouth like this is the truth!"

"Eldest daughter-in-law, that's enough! Don't you think the house is messy enough already?" Zhou Shi had lost her patience and started arguing with them.

Just when Lu Ruyi thought that Zhou was still biased towards her, she heard Zhou continue, "Second daughter-in-law, your two dowry maids should also be treated like servants in the future."

The front yard was managed by the Shi family, but there was only one woman. So from then on, all the chores in the back yard were handed over to them.

As for meals, we'll skip this one. From now on, you and your two maids will either have special meals prepared for you, or you'll have to pay for your own food. The choice is yours!

Aside from not receiving Lu Huan's dowry, Zhou Shi actually had no complaints about Lu Huan. Even though she was constantly targeting Lu Ruyi, she didn't involve Gao Zhongbao, which showed she was quite sensible.

Therefore, in Lu Ruyi's view, the decision made was somewhat biased towards Lu Huan.

Despite her dissatisfaction, Lu Ruyi could only clench her fists and agree, "I understand, Mother," since Madam Zhou had spoken.

I wonder how long a bad luck charm can last.

During the meal, Lu Ruyi kept having mishaps, either slipping and breaking the soup bowl or not holding the chopsticks properly.

Not only did she spill soup all over herself, but she also made He Niang work herself to the bone, constantly going back and forth to the kitchen to get her various tableware.

In the end, Lu Ruyi simply started eating with a soup spoon, and almost choked on a small bone.

Zhou found her displeasing in every way: "Second daughter-in-law, what's wrong with you? Did you bump into something unclean? Should we go to the nearby Taoist temple to pray?"

This is clearly saying she's unlucky!

Lu Ruyi was furious inside, but she still managed a stiff smile: "I just got up too early today and was a little distracted."

"Hmm," Zhou responded faintly, it was unclear whether she believed it or not.

But everyone present noticeably sped up their eating.

Lu Huan also quietly nudged Gao Yan's knee, signaling him to eat quickly.

Gao Shangzhi picked up the last piece of amber-colored meat from the plate and commented, "He Niang's cooking skills are quite good, barely comparable to those of Baiweiju."

"Thank you for the compliment, Father-in-law. It's just some simple home-cooked dishes."

Lu Huan was being modest, but she knew perfectly well what was going on. These dishes were specially modified by He Niang according to the Gao family's tastes from her previous life, so they naturally couldn't find any fault with them.

She added, "But sister-in-law, you'd better hurry up and buy the things, otherwise it will be inconvenient for Aunt He to prepare!"

"understood!"

After seeing her in-laws off, Lu Ruyi was afraid that Lu Huan would do something bad and prevent He Niang from making her breakfast the next day, so she blocked her way.

"Tell me, how much will it cost each month?"

Lu Huan pointed to the six dishes and one soup on the table and asked, "How much do you think a meal like this would cost at Baiweiju?"

"Don't push your luck!" Lu Ruyi retorted in a low voice, "Don't forget, I paid for all the chicken, duck, and fish!"

“If you don’t want to spend money, you can advise your husband not to host a banquet for his classmates.”

Lu Huan's casual remark immediately silenced Lu Ruyi.

Before leaving, Gao Zhongbao had given her specific instructions. This banquet was partly for his coming-of-age ceremony, and partly because his teachers and classmates from the academy would be attending.

She not only had to make it look beautiful, but she also had to prevent Lu Huan from saying anything inappropriate.

"Just say the word! Your father and mother have never mistreated you. I really don't know why you've suddenly become so stingy!"

Lu Huan looked at her with a meaningful expression, but didn't intend to give her any pointers. After mentally calculating the expenses for the three of them, he said, "Ten taels a month."