After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

"Madam, you would never guess that it was the eldest master and his wife, along with the second master and his wife, who came to our door together with gifts!"

For more than ten years, when have these two older brothers ever visited his family?

In the past, Xue Xu was young, and others might have thought it was inappropriate for him to visit a widow's house in such a suspicious place.

However, when Xue Xu later passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, and was able to establish himself as a family, his two uncles did not interact or become close to him.

Of course, not to mention taking care of him, it was already extremely difficult enough that they didn't completely empty the property left by Xue Xu's father.

Of course, if Xue Xu hadn't passed the county-level imperial examination and then the provincial-level imperial examination a few years later, his two closest relatives might have emptied his family's coffers.

"Them? Hmph, serve tea to the guests."

"Yes, Madam, and then what about you?"

"Go and call Aunt Li to my place. We'll go to the front hall together in a bit."

When Madam Xue led Concubine Li to the front hall, the eldest and second wives had already drunk a lot of tea.

Seeing that the maidservant had quickly refilled the tea, the four of them refused to touch it again.

Although they were angry, both families tacitly kept quiet and practiced their "patience" for a while.

I resisted the urge to leave in a huff, and I also resisted the urge to go to the toilet.

The saying "When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" is truly exemplified to the fullest extent.

Now even the maids who do rough work in my third brother's house dare to act like this, it's really quite something!

Master Xue's gaze was sinister. When he saw that his third sister-in-law had brought along a concubine who was not presentable, he simply snorted.

"I'm so sorry to have kept my brothers and sisters-in-law waiting. I'm really sorry, but I can't help it. I've been so busy with things at home lately that I just couldn't get away."

"Oh? I wonder if my third sister-in-law has anything more important to do than Xu'er passing the imperial examination?"

I heard that the county magistrate was in full charge of building the memorial archway for the successful candidates in the imperial examinations.

Madam Xue knew that the widow from the third son's family was deliberately keeping them at a distance, so she insisted on asking clearly: "You're busy, but what exactly are you busy with?"

"Alas, passing the imperial examination is important, but isn't that when everything is already settled?"

Xu'er is a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, so he doesn't need to pull any strings or make any connections when it comes to his official career. Once he returns to the capital, Xu'er will be directly appointed to the Hanlin Academy.

Although it was a minor official position of the seventh rank, it was still a position in the Hanlin Academy, so there wasn't much to bribe.

It's understandable that your sister-in-law is curious about what the women in an official's family need to do, since your family doesn't even have a scholar.

If you want to change your social standing and learn about the daily lives of officials' families, you'll probably have to wait until your next life. Alas, you might not even be able to catch up in your next life.

"Never mind, as long as I die young, I'll be reincarnated and reborn into an official's family someday!"

So what are you busy with? You've been so slow to greet our guests, just to fill our bellies with tea? After all that, besides showing off your family's seventh-rank official position in the capital, what have you been busy with?!

Wait, didn't that widow just mock their family for having no one who could read, and even curse them to die and be reborn soon?!

Madam Xue knew that her two-faced sister-in-law was deliberately pressing her for answers, so she refused to tell, hoping to keep her on tenterhooks!

"My sister-in-law has been to the capital, and she's definitely changed. She's seen the world, and now she speaks evasively, with barbs in her mouth. Her words have become increasingly venomous."

Madam Xue: Hmph, so you're saying she didn't mention you, huh?

Madam Xue gave Aunt Li a look: Go!

Aunt Li: Received!

"What are you saying, Second Madam? How can you speak to Madam like that? Madam is now an official's wife!"

There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors. Not to mention Madam, even I, as a concubine, am now above you "common women." Second Madam, are you not such an ignorant woman who doesn't understand such basic hierarchy?

"You! You bastard!"

Madam Xue wanted to retort, but when she remembered that this Aunt Li was Xue Xu's birth mother, she quickly withdrew the foul language she was about to utter.

No, you can't curse! You absolutely mustn't curse!

It's infuriating! You can't offend a dead widow, and now you can't even scold a lowly concubine! Madam Jiang felt like her head was about to burst into flames.

"Enough! We're all family, what's all this commotion about? What kind of behavior is this?"

Grandpa Jiang, who had been keeping a low profile, finally spoke. He had been keeping quiet and watching the women charge into battle, which was his usual tactic.

Finally, if he sees that his side is at a disadvantage, he will speak up to stop them. If his side has the upper hand, he probably won't even say a word before leaving, letting the two of them cause trouble.

Have you been treating everyone else like fools all these years? Hypocritical scoundrels are even more disgusting than genuinely stupid villains!

At least the second son's family members are openly and honestly bad, while this so-called eldest brother, the nominal head of the Xue family, only knows how to do dirty tricks in secret.

They've done all sorts of bad things, yet they manage to pin the blame on their dim-witted second son's family. All these years, the second son's family has done nothing but take the fall.

The second son and his wife were bullying and despicable, but the couple hadn't really gotten any benefits from their family over the years.

Land, shops, money—all those things she tearfully gave up over the years, left behind by her husband, ended up in whose pockets?

Madam Xue was very clear-headed; she believed that one should not judge things by appearances or by the process, but by the outcome.

To determine who the ultimate beneficiary is, regardless of whether they have taken any action, this matter is definitely inextricably linked to that person!

"My elder brother is as 'fair' as ever, but I wonder what brings you and your wife here today?"

"Did you really just want to ask me, your sister-in-law, what I've been busy with?"

Madam Xue didn't want to waste her breath on such a hypocrite; she still needed to discuss the additional items to be included in her betrothal gift list with Aunt Li.

"Over the years, I, as the eldest brother, have not fulfilled my responsibility to take care of my nephews and nieces. Now, Xu'er has made something of himself, and my younger brother and sister-in-law's family has finally made it through."

I just don't know if, for the sake of our family ties, you could ask Xu'er not to dwell on the past.

"Xu'er is destined to be an official; how can she go far without the support of her clan and relatives?"

"Does my brother mean to ask for our family's forgiveness? To ask Xu'er to forgive and forget? And to continue being a loving family?"

Ha, what a shameless person!

"Ahem, you could say that. After all, we're family; even if we're broken, our bones are still connected."

"What's with all this talk about forgiveness? By the way, where's Xu'er? We've been talking for so long, and he still hasn't come out."

"Broken flesh and blood are still connected by tendons?" Madam Xue was quite inclined to break those tendons at that moment.

She wanted to see if the tendons could still connect if the leg was really broken, and even if they could, whether the broken leg could still be used!

Perhaps the tendons were severed as well? If it can't be cut, it's either due to insufficient technique or the knife not being sharp enough. If the knife is sharp enough, it can cut through metal and stone.

"Xu'er is naturally busy too. His father-in-law has something to do at home, and as his son-in-law, he can't just stand by and do nothing, can he?"

Madam Xue was startled. Besides accompanying her husband to ease tensions between the two families, she had come with a mission!

When did Xue Xu suddenly have a father-in-law?! Could it be that this widow just casually betrothed some peasant's daughter to someone else?!

It would be better to marry her niece! At least she's the daughter of a grain shop owner!

Aside from being a bit chubby, lazy, and not particularly attractive, her niece was an excellent young lady, a perfect match for Xue Xu, that sickly man.

Besides, being a little chubby is considered lucky. You don't need to farm, and you have maids and servants at home, so why be so diligent?

Besides, if he's not particularly good-looking, there's no risk of his wife cheating on him, so it's much more reassuring to keep him at home.

"Father-in-law? What father-in-law?!"