Chapter 23: Elder Zhang was not pleased, as usual!

The video of Liwu’s antics spread faster than the time it took to capture the lost cat which invaded the Shen manor. A servant of the family, eager to spread gossip through the city, had captured the courtyard chase and sent it to a relative. From there, it was straight to the internet. By the time Liwu’s parents were halfway through dessert, their phones were already replaying the scene in vivid detail.

Caishen almost choked on the snow fungus soup his wife was forcing him to drink [for health benefits]. He dropped the bowl deliberately, pretending to be caught up in shock. “Is that Liwu, running circles around her husband? Outside? In full view of gawking guards and servants?”

Alix leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Look at her! She has a twinkle in her eyes that I have not seen for so many years. She will have him eating out of her palm within three months. Mark my words.” She covered her mouth, blocking a squeal when Liwu fell and Weijun caught her. “He is blushing! Oh, this is priceless.”

Someone at the table rewound the footage back to the part where Liwu accused her husband of spanking and harassment.

“Mom, look at his ears.” Xifeng giggled.

Caishen groaned. “And she called him Sweet Rose! Oh, this is either humiliating for him or just terrifying. I know I was caught off guard when your mother suddenly started calling me hubby Zhang.”

Alix nudged his shoulder. “But it grew on you. Now, if I call you by your name, you frown. Look at the way he is chasing Liwu like a rooster after a runaway hen. This is so precious and funny. I am saving the video.”

At that moment, elder Zhang, stern as a granite statue cleared his throat. Even before he said a word, everyone could smell the disapproval. His wife dreaded what he would say next because it was bound to cause some frowns.

As expected, elder Zhang slammed his walking cane on the ground. “Must she act so disgracefully? I have already heard from Madam Xu about the way she talked back and all the misfortunes that happened during her first dinner with the Shen’s. That girl has been nothing but a misfortune since her birth. And now, she is dragging our family name through the mud with her antics.”

Caishen, Alix and half of the six eight people at the table winced.

“Grandfather, please—” Zhang Bo, Caishen’s older brother started, a plea in his voice for his father to stop.

“Silence!” elder Zhang barked. “Do you know how bad the situation is right now? This marriage was supposed to be an opportunity to build bridges but instead, she is tearing them down before they can even be raised. Bad luck follows her like a shadow. Collapsed chandeliers, flying soup, stampedes and then she followed it up by running around like that. She should not have gone for this marriage. It was a mistake to send her.”

His wife stepped in, sending Alix a plea not to murder her husband. They had tolerated him for years. Surely, they could continue to do so for some more years. How long did the old man have to live anyway? “Husband, you are taking this too seriously. She is filled with life now, like never before. Look at her running circles around him. Consider it a friendly competition. Look, our family is winning.”

“Winning what?” Elder Zhang glared, “The battle of shame?”

Alix slapped the table three times, drawing attention to herself. “Grandfather, where is the shame in this? She made her husband laugh and that is a good thing. She defended herself when her mother-in-law and that evil Shen Biao tried to shame her. That is also a good thing. Do you see her husband blushing like a schoolboy? In my eyes, that’s the spark of a budding romance. A bridge built on the foundation of love will be much stronger than one built on a foundation of a shaky alliance.”

Caishen nodded. “My wife is right. Bad luck or no, they are fated for each other. How they come together is up to them completely.”

Elder Zhang snorted. “Must she do it while rubbing in the fact that she is bad luck? Does anyone remember the rumors which almost tanked our family business? How will we be allowed to open a branch in One city if they think we are cursed?”

Old Tai entered the dining room, twirling his trident cheerfully. “Relax you crab, she is not ruining your Zhang name, she is a Tai. I am not worried about this so why should you be? You just want her to sit and remain quiet like a forgotten stone in some corner. I refuse to let you ruin my great grand baby.”

“Besides, she is already married.” Old madam Tai added, in support of her husband. “It is not up to you on how she should act around her husband.”

“She is behaving like a child.” Elder Zhang growled.

“And yet,” Old madam Tai said slyly, “she has succeeded in making her husband chase her like one. That means, deep down, maybe he is childish too. This is good progress and it has happened earlier than any of us expected. It is better to have a marriage with laughter than one with silence. Whether it is real or fake.”

Alix agreed.

Xifeng replayed the video loudly, the part of Liwu collapsing dramatically into Weijun’s arms. “If she is acting, she is a natural.”

Elder Zhang, on realizing that he was outnumbered, dropped the issue.

But later, when Alix and Caishen settled down for the night, she brought up the topic again. “Your father needs to stop picking on Liwu. I really can’t take it anymore.”

Caishen sighed.

“I have endured enough.” She declared. “First, he didn’t like me and now my daughter. If you were not in a wheelchair when we met, he would not have allowed me to marry into this family. He never thought I was good enough for you and he probably thinks Liwu’s misfortunes were caused by bad bloodline.”

“No…” Caishen shook his head.

Alix snorted. “I heard him say it on her sixth birthday. I just didn’t tell you at the time.”

Caishen clenched his jaw. He flipped the covers and tried to leave the bed, but Alix pulled him back. “If you want to go and confront your grandfather, let it go. I put itching back in all of his underwear for a week after.” She giggled at the memory of the elder and the misery he suffered during that time. “I think we should send him on vacation for the rest of the year. Your father lives in Canada with your stepbrother’s family. Let’s send the elder there for a vacation for a while.”

In another bedroom, Old Tai and his wife were discussing an idea Caishen had proposed: moving to One city for a while, to torment Liwu’s husband.

The old man was ready for it. His wife on the other hand was not sure whether the city was ready to face Liwu’s misfortune, combined with her husband’s mischief.

It was a recipe for disaster!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep