Chapter 323: Chapter 331: Miscellaneous People
“Father, Mother, what happened to Third Brother?” Su Wenyue asked knowingly. In fact, she had already heard what had happened from Han Yu, but she hadn’t expected that Third Brother and his wife would be so determined to follow them to the prefecture, even in their condition. Su Wenyue noticed a flicker of annoyance on Han Yu’s face, clearly thinking that Han Lin hadn’t fallen hard enough. It was one thing for Mrs. Li to come along, but what was her cousin doing here?

“That disappointing Third of ours, always dragging through his days. The other night he went to play cards after drinking, somehow he fell and broke his leg. But that fall seems to have knocked some sense into him; he’s much wiser now. His dad and I told him to stay home and recover, but he insisted on coming. He said it would be improper to refuse the warm invitation from his younger brother and sister-in-law. He’s aware he’s done many wrongs in the past and hopes you will be forbearing and not hold it against him. After all, we are brothers, and ‘bones may be broken, but the sinews are still connected’.”

Mrs. Yang did indeed intend to speak up for her son, and truly, it was Han Lin who had said these words. Mrs. Yang, deceived by her third son’s act, thought he had truly changed and was delighted. She hoped for a reconciliation between her sons. Despite her favoritism, she couldn’t stand seeing how miserably Third Child’s family was living and felt uneasy in her heart.

Su Wenyue neither agreed nor disagreed with Mrs. Yang’s words. It wasn’t just that she didn’t trust Han Lin—people like him don’t just make mistakes out of ignorance. They are rotten to the core. In her previous life, she had no quarrel with Han Lin and had even treated the Third House well, giving them many benefits, only to be conspired against by that husband and wife. Only a fool would believe that Han Lin genuinely repented this life. He was merely eyeing their increasingly prosperous life and trying to ingratiate himself for personal gain.

Seeing her daughter-in-law’s silence and her son not echoing her sentiments, Mrs. Yang realized that her words weren’t believed. Recalling what Third Brother and his wife had done in the past, she couldn’t blame Fourth Child and his wife for their reaction. Mrs. Yang gave a few embarrassed laughs, didn’t pursue the topic further, and thought that, since they were staying in Fourth Child’s home, Fourth and Fourth Daughter-in-law would certainly see if Third had truly changed.

As for Mrs. Li’s cousin, neither Su Wenyue nor Han Yu mentioned her, as if they hadn’t noticed her presence at all. This left Wang Fangru, who was trying to keep a smile on her face, feeling extremely frustrated. Even more unexpected for Han Yu and Su Wenyue was that another person came down from the horse carriage—Jiang Chunlan, who had just been released from prison not long ago. Su Wenyue’s expression soured, but she held her displeasure inside, as the House was purchased in her name. Any action she took could lead to speculation, so she watched for Han Yu’s reaction.

Su Wenyue believed that Han Yu disliked these additional guests more than she did, and indeed, his expression darkened further, having already been stern when seeing Third Child and his wife, but turning outright grim upon Jiang Chunlan’s arrival.

Recovered from her initial shock, Mrs. Yang could tell things were not going well by her son’s expression. Worried Han Yu might say something unpleasant or even send them away, she quickly interjected, “Fourth child, let’s go inside. It’s truly cold out here, but it’s warm inside the house.”

The women of farmhouses cannot be compared to the Madams of wealthy families. They work outside even in winter, and Mrs. Yang, who was dressed warmly, was not truly cold. Her concern was merely an excuse, but as she was their Mother, and they had traveled a long distance to get here, likely having left in the middle of the night, Han Yu could not bring himself to say something harsh, though his expression remained rather dark.

Neither the Main House nor the Second House spoke up for Mrs. Yang, feeling somewhat frustrated by her overindulgence and interference in a situation that was supposed to be a happy visit to the prefecture for the New Year. They blamed Mrs. Yang’s leniency for the awkward scene, especially Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Li, who were displeased to see the relationship between their Mother-in-law and the Third House warming up again with Third Child and his wife sweet-talking their Mother-in-law around.

Seeing her son’s demeanor, Mrs. Yang looked pleadingly at her daughter-in-law: “Fourth Daughter-in-law, you are not in good health; you can’t withstand the cold outside. Let’s go inside sooner rather than later.”

Mrs. Yang’s words were tactful, knowing her son cared deeply for his wife, so she used that to her advantage, hoping that if his wife agreed, her son wouldn’t say anything further.

Su Wenyue knew they couldn’t keep up the standoff, not with people passing by who might spread rumors, which could hurt Han Yu. Besides, her Mother-in-law was clearly seeking her help, and although she didn’t like this or feel happy about it, she didn’t want to play the villain. She would rather leave it to Han Yu to handle. He had been doing better and better, rarely disappointing her.

“Mother is right; it’s cold outside in the winter. Let’s go in and talk,” Su Wenyue said with a forced smile.

Mrs. Yang, feeling gratitude for her daughter-in-law’s consideration and seeing that her son didn’t object, followed her daughter-in-law inside.

Han Yu gave instructions to a servant beside him and then beckoned everyone inside. Wang Qianru and Jiang Chunlan, fearful of Han Yu’s stern face, worried he would not allow them inside. Seeing his reaction, they felt secretly pleased, thinking that as long as Han Yu didn’t send them away, how could Su Wenyue do anything to them? It wasn’t as if she could defy her Husband and Mother-in-law’s wishes!

Both women were clearly dazzled by the wealth of Han Mansion. They had only heard about Han Yu’s high position before, but now, seeing such a magnificent House, they were even more determined. No wonder so many wanted to become Concubines for the masters of wealthy families.

Su Wenyue didn’t miss the greed and scheming on Wang Qianru’s and Jiang Chunlan’s faces. She scoffed inwardly but ignored them, simply giving Han Yu a warning glare.

“Stop, no idlers allowed in!” To Wang Qianru’s and Jiang Chunlan’s surprise, just as they were about to enter, they were abruptly stopped by a guard, their smiles frozen on their faces.

“Why are you stopping me? I’m the cousin of the Master of the House,” Jiang Chunlan said, her smile stiff, while Wang Qianru looked pleadingly at Third Child and his wife.

“Fourth child, Fourth Daughter-in-law, perhaps we should let Chunlan in. Although she made mistakes in the past, she’s learned her lesson and won’t cause any more trouble for you. Aunt had no choice due to the gossip in the Village about previous incidents. She sent Chunlan to stay with us for a while. With all of us coming to the prefecture, I couldn’t just leave her alone at home.”