"Grandmother, absolutely not."
Xiao Chengyi quickly said, realizing that his grandmother actually wanted to accuse Shen Ruoxi of infidelity to force him to divorce her and seize her dowry.
"You're well aware of the family's situation. How can we proceed without giving her a lesson? It's not true, just a scare," Old Mrs. Xiao said with an angry face.
"I can solve this issue, please rest assured, Grandmother."
Looking at Xiao Chengyi's confident demeanor, Old Mrs. Xiao was half-convinced but still spoke earnestly, "A woman can't be pampered; rules must be set. Grandmother trusts you to handle it well."
Xiao Chengyi tiredly rubbed his temples, nodding. Indeed, he was extremely busy the previous night.
With that huge pile of account books, initially Zhen'er promised adamantly to look at them.
But she only skimmed a few pages before claiming fatigue.
Once she was asleep, he stayed up late alone, feeling more and more disheartened as he read.
"Grandmother, I wish to ask, how did the business at Pink Jade Workshop come to such losses? If it's unprofitable, why do we need to keep investing funds?"
The old lady was reluctant to elaborate, "You don't need to ask more about these matters. Once we secure her dowry, all problems will be resolved.
Everything is her fault; she presumed on our indulgence over the years to think the Xiao Mansion can't do without her.
Chengyi, hurry up, this matter can't be delayed; every part of the household is nearly at a standstill."
Xiao Chengyi chuckled wryly, "Grandmother, I really will handle this matter. Currently, the shop's losses in the mansion are significant and can't be delayed any longer; we must quickly find a solution."
However, the old lady seemed unconcerned, as she always thought with Shen Ruoxi's substantial dowry as support, what was there to worry about?
Looking at Xiao Chengyi, the old lady continued, "You child, we're now discussing her dowry. Don't change the subject. Isn't her money your money? Look at her, always running outside these days; who knows what mischief she's up to?"
As she finished speaking, Nanny Yu entered, walked over beside the old lady, and reported softly, "Old Mrs., Erkui has sent a message saying the young madam went to see her sister-in-law, Yang Family."
Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Xiao's heart tightened, and her face instantly darkened. "What is she planning! Does she want to overthrow the heavens now!"
In contrast, Xiao Chengyi didn't think it was a big deal, "Grandmother, Yang Family is her sister-in-law; it's normal for them to meet."
"What do you know? She never met with her family before, yet once you elevate her to main wife, she frequently meets with them. This is clearly putting pressure on us.
I never thought she'd become so scheming now!" the old lady said angrily.
Xiao Chengyi sighed inwardly. After two days home, he indeed felt exhausted. He gently said to the old lady, "Grandmother, if we manage the shops well, we wouldn't need to rely on her dowry.
I've always wondered why the business at Pink Jade Workshop is so poor."
The old lady sat in silence for a moment, lost in thought.
Pink Jade Workshop was a business specializing in cosmetics, originally an enterprise of her maternal family owned by her brother. Her brother ran it vibrantly, the business thriving.
Yet she always found her sister-in-law disagreeable, competing with her at every turn, feeling jealous seeing her sister-in-law living better.
So she returned to her maternal home, sobbing and lamenting, and her brother, unable to withstand it, sold Pink Jade Workshop to her at a low price.
Because of this, her sister-in-law harbored many grievances against her, and their relationship grew increasingly strained.
However, she didn't care at all because she had gotten what she wanted, and her heart was naturally at ease.
Unexpectedly, running this business depended on one's ability.
Since taking over Pink Jade Workshop, the business kept losing money, and the situation grew grim.
Closing it down would mean losing face before her sister-in-law; she couldn't let her sister-in-law look down on her, so she gritted her teeth and persisted, holding on for eight or nine years.
Though there were losses previously, they were bearable. However, over the past two years, the losses have worsened significantly, previously relying on Shen Ruoxi's dowry to fill the gaps.
But these matters couldn't be disclosed to her grandson.
"Chengyi, it's not about checking whether the family's businesses are losing or earning money, it's because you and Zhen'er have achieved great things, and you lack silver to get married.
Even if you were to close Pink Jade Workshop now, would there be money to hold the wedding? You also need to consider her dowry."
He indeed wanted to grandly organize his marriage to Ning Zhen'er, but considering the family's current silver?
But he couldn't bring himself to use his wife's money contently.
"I'll discuss this with Ruoxi when I return."
Seeing his indecisive manner, the old lady got annoyed but finally reminded him, "Remember, the husband is the sky."
"I will keep this in mind, Grandmother."
The old lady sighed in relief, waving her hand, "Alright, you may leave first."
Xiao Chengyi retreated respectfully, yet his mind felt in disarray.
...
In the elegant private room of Quanju Building, Yang Family tightly held Shen Ruoxi's hand, tears streaming down, "Ruoxi, if you were living happily and peacefully, we wouldn't need to meet.
But that Xiao Chengyi, he dares to bully our Shen Family as if there's no one here, it's truly unbearable!"
Shen Ruoxi's heart was full of bitterness as she softly asked, "Sister-in-law, let's not talk about him; have you been well lately?"
Yang Family heard and her eyes dimmed, sighing, "Just getting by day by day."
Shen Ruoxi understood at once; they must have been subjected to Old Mrs. Xu's ire again.
She consoled, "Sister-in-law, please don't pay too much attention to Old Mrs. Xu's words; let's just live our own lives well."
Yang Family gave a bitter smile, "Given our current situation, if outsiders learn of our internal strife, wouldn't it be a laughingstock to the Shen Family?
She is the elder after all; let her fuss as she wishes! We'll just listen."
Shen Ruoxi felt a pang of sorrow, "Sister-in-law, you've worked hard."
Yang Family gently shook her head, "What's so hard about it? It used to be..."
Her heart ached; she was once the cherished jewel of the Shen family, with extraordinary beauty, yet fatefully married a heartless man.
Shen Ruoxi looked at Yang Family, earnestly said, "Sister-in-law, I came to tell you that I'm going to come home."
"What?" Yang Family's eyes widened in shock.
Shen Ruoxi shared the Emperor's promise with Yang Family, and after hearing it, her heart was filled with mixed emotions. It was a long time before she whispered, "Ruoxi, life without a man isn't easy."
Shen Ruoxi chuckled coldly, "What difference does it make whether I have a man or not here; moreover, keeping someone who doesn't care, what use is there?
Let's not tell Old Mrs. Xu about this for now. If she knew, she'd pin a big hat on us, claiming we are all unfilial descendants of the Shen family."