Chapter Forty-Seven: Arriving in Time

lence, he said with reluctance: "But Xiuwen is so grown up now. We've raised him for fifteen years, just to give him away and have him call other people his parents""You're being too sensitive!"Zhang...In winter, Meng Dongyuan saw her eldest daughter's attitude was resolute. The matter had reached a point of no return, leaving only two options: returning the dowry or going to court. Either way would be detrimental to the family's reputation. Their Yongchang Bo Fu would forever be ridiculed whenever they went out.

Others laughed at their family for raising such a shameless daughter. They said that if she couldn't marry a son, she would have to marry her father! If it weren't for the Marquis of Longxing valuing that rebellious woman, he wouldn't hesitate to sever ties with her and save face.

Now that his wife has squandered the dowry left by her mother, it is not just her who will suffer; the entire Meng family will be implicated. This affects both Cheng Xing and Ayu's marriage prospects. With a mother like this, people can't help but think: "What kind of daughter she is, reflects what kind of mother she has."

In a fit of rage, he took two steps forward and shouted angrily, "You unfilial wretch!"

As soon as his words left his mouth, he suddenly slapped upwards. In the next instant, he was about to hit Meng Jin Yao’s face mercilessly, venting his anger.

The incident happened so suddenly that Meng Jiny Yao was stunned in place, momentarily forgetting to dodge. Qing Qiu and Ning Dong, the two maidservants, also froze. Meanwhile, Meng Chengzhang abruptly stood up.

"Stop!"

Just at this critical moment, a low male voice came, laced with a hint of anger. It made Meng Dongyuan's hand, which had just risen in a slap, freeze mid-air and drop. He turned his head to follow the sound and saw Gu Jingxi standing at the door, looking at him with displeasure.

Meng Dongyuan was stunned. He didn't expect Gu Jingxi to suddenly appear at his house. When he saw the steward behind Gu Jingxi, he immediately understood. It was him who had said that his eldest daughter and son-in-law were returning and not to stop them at the door, but to invite them in. It seemed he had moved a stone and smashed his own foot.

The steward didn't expect this situation at all. He thought the nephew-in-law must have come to find the eldest daughter, so he specially led him to the living room. Afterward, he wondered if he would be reprimanded by the grandfather.

Because Gu Jingxi was there, Meng Dongyuan didn't dare to hit his daughter. He could only awkwardly put his hand down. The anger on his face also disappeared the moment he let go of his hand, forcing a smile and saying in a stammered voice, "Son-in-law, how did you get here"

Gu Jingxi said in a soft voice, "It seems that to Master Yu Meng, I have come at the wrong time, interrupting you from showing off your seniority and slapping my wife."

“My dear son-in-law, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!” Meng Dongyuan felt embarrassed and said with tears in his eyes. He glared warningly at his eldest daughter, hoping she would understand and behave herself so as not to disgrace the family. “It’s this rebellious girl who disrespects her elders that I had to discipline her, lest she forget her manners. Once she returns home, she might clash with our in-laws.”

Gu Jingxi only glanced at him lightly, then said to Meng Jinyao: "Madam, come here."

Though Meng Jinyao didn't know why he suddenly appeared, his presence allowed her to escape her troublesome father unscathed. Her mood instantly improved, and she walked towards him with light steps, affectionately taking his arm and a smile curving her lips: "Husband, how did you get here"

Gu Jingxi was slightly taken aback, a bit unaccustomed to her sudden intimacy, but he didn't push her away. Seeing her radiant smile, the corners of his mouth also rose, and he said softly, "Here to take you home. What happened just now"

Meng Jin Yao, without hesitation, went to complain to Gu Jing Xi, laying out the whole story: "Husband, they embezzled my dowry left by my mother. Not only did they refuse to return it, but they also got angry and wanted to beat me. Luckily you arrived in time, or I would have been beaten badly."

She hadn't filed a complaint after her grandfather passed away, but now facing Gu Jingxi, she found herself strangely adept at it. Internally, she mused: "He really is a man who exists like an uncle. He just makes people feel at ease upon his arrival."

Hearing this, Gu Jingxi's face darkened at a visible speed. His sharp gaze swept over the Meng family members, finally landing on Meng Dongyuan and Sun Shi, his eyes becoming even colder. He spoke in a deep voice: "Master Meng should know that according to the laws of our dynasty, privately seizing other people's property is considered theft."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned, especially Meng Dongyuan's husband and wife. They had only thought about the damage to their family's reputation and ignored the fact that if they went to court, they would be sentenced. That rebellious daughter was heartless; she had been raised so well but was going to send her elders to prison.

Meng Jinyao saw their faces pale with fright and spoke in a timely manner: "Husband, since they are unwilling to return it, let it be. Anyway, I have irrefutable evidence and have prepared a lawsuit to sue them to the government. Then we shall see how the government judges it."

Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let's go back first. It's getting late, we should head back for lunch."

Meng Jiny Yao smiled and replied: "Good, I'm just hungry."

"Wait!"

Meng Dongyuan hurried to call them back, taking a few steps forward and letting out a soft sigh. "Ayáo, the Sun family is your mother after all. Why must you fight with her like this If you insist on having her return, you have to give her some time to inventory her belongings, don't you think"

In a few words, she nonchalantly pushed the responsibility onto Gu Jingxi's face and blamed all the fault on Sun Shi.

Meng Jinyo sneered inwardly upon hearing this. No matter how much her father favored the Sun family, when it came to his own interests, he would push the Sun family out to take the blame. She replied, "Since that's the case, then give her three days. Within three days, I want to see my mother's dowry for me, or else we will meet in court."

Okay, three days it is.

Meng Dongyuan nodded repeatedly, responding with a good-natured smile. But as soon as he turned his head to look at Mrs. Sun, his expression changed abruptly. He frowned and scolded her, "Look what you've done! You still have the face to cry Hurry up and sort everything out and deliver it to Changxing Houfu!"

Mrs. Sun felt utterly humiliated today, her face flushed with shame. She hated Meng Jin Yao for showing no mercy and blamed her husband for pushing all the responsibility onto her. With a flick of her sleeve, she stormed out of the living room.

As soon as Sun Shi left the living room, Meng Dongyuan only then noticed the other three children. He felt even more agitated. As a mother, Sun Shi had embarrassed herself in front of her children. How could she possibly face them in the future He said angrily, “Alright, you guys should all go back to your own courtyards.”

Meng Chengzhang had always remained aloof, unconcerned with the affairs of others. How could anything involving Sun Shi have any bearing on him As long as his elder sister didn't suffer losses, that was all that mattered. Now that his brother-in-law had arrived and their father was no longer able to bully his elder sister, he bowed to his father in respect before departing.

While Meng Jinyu and Meng Chenxing had never seen such a scene before.

The siblings were momentarily dazed. After hearing their father's voice, they came to their senses and immediately replied before quickly leaving this place of trouble.

As Meng Jin Yu walked past, Meng Jin Yao suddenly called out: "Wait a moment"

Meng Jinyu and Meng Chengxing subconsciously stopped in their tracks.

Meng Jin Yao looked at Meng Jin Yu's neck, her gaze falling on the necklace. She reminded in a soft voice: "Second sister, don't forget, the necklace on your neck was a birthday gift from the Sun family, but it is actually one of my mother's dowry items. Remember to return it to the Sun family's records, otherwise if something is missed, you will be found out in court."tartled awake from a nightmare. She was drenched in sweat and looked terrified. Seeing Grandma Qiao watching her with concern, she realized it was just a dream and let out a sigh of relief.Grandma Qia...