After I awakened my inner voice, I became the treasure of my family.

Chapter 159 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law Eat the Big Gossip of the Xi Family

Her father was quite busy at that time and didn't pay much attention to them. Although her mother always tried to treat them equally and didn't interfere in the affairs between the siblings, the two younger ones got beaten up and complained to her, but it was no use.

Later, they were both "tamed" by Li Tingxue and obeyed her every command.

That day, after she and Xi Linyu got into a fight, even though her mother came to the academy, she wasn't in a hurry.

After all, both children are stubborn, and forcibly intervening would likely only make the situation worse.

So she could only stand there silently, and seeing that she hadn't suffered too much of a loss, she felt relieved.

However, things were different for Xi Linyu. Her stepmother was invited, and upon arrival, the stepmother greeted everyone with a broad smile and apologized profusely.

She kept repeating that it was all Xi Linyu's fault for being so insensible and causing so much trouble for the academy and the headmaster...

Since then, Xi Linyu has become increasingly hostile towards her, whether it's because she feels she lost face by losing the fight, or because the arrival of her stepmother makes her feel somewhat embarrassed.

In short, the relationship between the two deteriorated further, and this hostility only gradually eased after they graduated from girls' school and no longer met as often as before.

Later, when Li Tingxue was about to get married, unexpectedly, Xi Linyu, upon hearing that it was a "marriage arranged" by her family, actually went to her house to make sarcastic remarks.

It's ironic that with a father-in-law like that, his son can't be any better, and she'll have to wait until she's crying every day...

However, as the saying goes, fortunes change, and not long after Xi Linyu mocked her, she herself could not escape the fate of "arranged marriage within the family".

What's even more tragic is that the man Celine Yu married was even worse than her; the man she married was a notorious playboy named Liu Wenrui.

Speaking of Liu Wenrui, his absurd deeds are known to everyone.

In particular, the scandalous affair of "having sex with nine women in one night" at the Red Moon Pavilion became a topic of conversation among people on the streets.

"Mother, do you still remember Liu Wenrui? The one who could sleep with nine women in one night back then..."

Jiang Mianmian's memory of Liu Wenrui's specific name had long since become hazy, but as soon as the topic of "one night with nine women," this sensational romantic affair, was mentioned, she immediately remembered him.

Back then, my scumbag husband was still alive!

She had even threatened him, saying that if he ever dared to marry his precious daughter Shen Mengyao to any of those纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats), she would not hesitate to poison him!

The man was a coward who was afraid of death. When he heard her fierce words, he was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly, saying that such a thing would never happen.

After all, no matter what, Shen Mengyao is still his biological daughter. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, so no matter how inhuman he is, he couldn't possibly do something so inhuman.

However, Jiang Mianmian had absolutely no trust in this scumbag who spouted nonsense. As Shen Mengyao grew older, she remained constantly on guard against this incident.

Unexpectedly, before Shen Mengyao even reached marriageable age, that despicable man suddenly died!

In this way, it can be considered as relieving Jiang Mianmian of a major worry, allowing her to recover from a serious illness, and even making her life easier and more comfortable.

I don’t know if it was because of the bad things Xi’s father did when he was young, but no matter how much he prayed for a son, neither the women in his family nor the women outside could give birth to a son.

It's just that perhaps it was because Xi's father committed too many sins when he was young, so much so that no matter how much he begged God to give him a son, it was no use.

Neither his legal wife nor any other woman could bear him a son.

Even her daughters, she only has two: Celine Yu and Simmons.

On the other hand, his second brother's family was blessed with good fortune and a series of happy events, with three legitimate sons and three illegitimate sons born in succession, not to mention illegitimate daughters.

As a result, all sorts of gossip began to circulate in the streets and alleys. People speculated and discussed, wondering who would ultimately inherit the vast Xi family fortune.

"In my opinion, he will definitely hand over the family business to his own nephew! Think about it carefully, no matter how outstanding and well-behaved the adopted son is, he is still not related by blood at all."

However, this nephew was quite different; he was his younger brother's biological son, and the bond of blood was undeniable, so naturally, they were closer.

"Oh my, what inside information do you know now! None of his three nephews are easy to deal with!"

He's either out all day chasing after women and having a wild time, or he secretly gambles away family money—he's utterly hopeless!

I've been caught by those gambling dens countless times already, and people often come to my door to collect debts!

I've been caught by the gambling den countless times already, and they're coming to collect debts.

If his good-for-nothing nephew inherits the family fortune, he'll probably squander it all in no time. Then who will care for him in his old age?

"Tsk! That being said, his second son-in-law is unlikely to amount to much, but his eldest son-in-law is quite good."

Why not let his eldest daughter and son-in-law have another son, and let the child take the surname Xi? After all, as the saying goes, "Don't let the good stuff go to outsiders."

"Hmph, you're dreaming! Do you think the Song family would willingly agree to this?"

Putting everything else aside, just consider this: after Miss Xi married into the Song family, she gave birth to four children, but only one was a boy. If that weren't the case, would you really believe that Miss Xi was...

The crowd whispered among themselves, "Her eagerness to have children is obvious! She just wants to have a few sons so she can go back to her parents' home and fight for the family fortune!"

Someone raised an objection: "Then why not the second young lady of the Xi family?"

Another person curled their lip and replied disdainfully, "Come on! Don't you know who her second daughter married? It's Liu Wenrui!"

This guy's methods of manipulating women are notoriously outrageous!

At this point, the man deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard, and continued, "I heard that this guy, because of excessive indulgence, has even ruined his own thing..."

Then, the man added in his voice, "Look, they've been married for many years, but the second young lady of the Xi family has still not been able to conceive."

Moreover, none of the women he had affairs with were able to conceive. Isn't that enough to explain the problem?

The ladies around exclaimed in sudden realization, "Oh, oh, oh... I see!"

Normally, Jiang Mianmian has never been interested in activities like going out to attend flower viewing parties.

Today, she wanted to hear some juicy gossip about the Xi family. Unable to suppress her strong curiosity, she insisted on bringing her daughter-in-law, Li Tingxue, along to join in the fun.

Sure enough, as soon as the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat down, they heard the chattering and laughter of the women around them. They were talking animatedly and vividly!

Compared to what Li Tingxue had told before, the stories being told by this group of people were much more exciting!

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the topic turned to Celine Yu and her brother-in-law Song Lianshan.

It is said that the two somehow ended up together, and unfortunately, they were caught red-handed by Xi Linyu's older sister, Xi Mengsi.

At this moment, Madam Wang gave everyone a mysterious wink and said in a low voice, "You should understand what happened in the house next to our relative's house, right?"

After saying that, she winked at everyone. Upon hearing this, the others all understood and gave a knowing "Oh," their faces displaying a variety of expressions.

Some were so surprised they couldn't close their mouths, while others looked gloating, and still others covered their mouths and chuckled, as if they could already see the embarrassing and chaotic scene.

Just then, several people's eyes fell on Jiang Mianmian and her mother-in-law.

They looked surprised and wondered to themselves: Jiang Mianmian rarely attends these kinds of gatherings, so why did she suddenly show up today?

Jiang Mianmian smiled slightly and explained, "Hehe, isn't this because my daughter-in-law just finished her postpartum confinement?"

Staying cooped up at home all day is incredibly boring, so I thought I'd take her out for a walk to get some fresh air and clear her head.

However, Jiang Mianmian didn't mention it at all. Actually, she just wanted to join in the fun and get a taste of the "big gossip" circulating in the streets.

Standing to the side, Li Tingxue, as the younger generation, naturally showed great courtesy. She nodded slightly and gave the lady who was casting a curious glance a sweet and obedient smile.

The woman, known to everyone as Madam Wang, was actually named Feng Yanfang. Coincidentally, she and Jiang Mianmian got married around the same time.

However, from the very beginning, Feng Yanfang looked down on Jiang Mianmian's behavior. In her eyes, Jiang Mianmian's weak and easily bullied personality was like a soft bun that could be kneaded by anyone.

In particular, when she learned that Jiang Mianmian could tolerate her husband's indiscriminate playing around with other women.

She even foolishly treated that illegitimate child as her own, raising him herself, which made Feng Yanfang despise her from the bottom of her heart.

Feng Yanfang thought to herself that although she was a bit shrewish, she couldn't stop her husband from having a good time outside.

However, if he dares to bring his bastard child home, I will definitely make a huge scene with him and make that bastard lose face.

Jiang Mianmian's so-called tolerance and magnanimity, which has no principles or bottom line, is nothing more than an extremely foolish and saintly act in her eyes.

Hmph, this person actually thinks he's some kind of savior from suffering?

That's utterly ridiculous! Tch!