Mrs. Min started chatting casually with Mrs. Zhao and others.
Having been away from home for so long, hearing the local dialect again made her extraordinarily excited.
As the conversation continued, the topic shifted to their children.
"One look at you, and I can see that you’re blessed. Your son is a Great General and earned you the title of a First-Class Madam. And now, your grandchildren at home must be grown up too? You just need to enjoy your life; so many people envy your lifestyle," Mrs. Zhao flattered Mrs. Min.
In a hurry, Liu Yueer frantically signaled to her mother.
The Mighty General is still a bachelor, where would Mrs. Min’s grandchildren come from? Her mother really knew how to open the wrong topic.
However, Mrs. Min didn’t seem angry at all. She replied with a smile, "In terms of grandchildren, I indeed have none. My Han Niu is still a bachelor, but my grandson-in-law, Su Chengmin, is very filial and is just like a real grandson to me."
Mrs. Zhao: "..."
There was no continuing this conversation; she had completely put her foot in her mouth.
Isn’t there a saying that heroes deserve beautiful women? Normally, you’d think a top-tier general holding military power would be surrounded by beautiful concubines.
How could she have known the Mighty General, such a high-ranking general, was still a bachelor?
Mrs. Zhao couldn’t help but think of her in-law. Could it be that the Mighty General still has feelings for her in-law?
They all come from Qinghe Bay. Why is it that her in-law seems to attract so much attention? In the village, there’s a wealthy merchant, Boss Qian, and in Shengjing, there’s a childhood sweetheart Great General.
The life of this widow is truly full of flavors.
Lu Zhaozhao held her belly laughing; Mrs. Min’s words were too amusing.
Mrs. Min liked Tong Huaqiong’s daughter-in-law, so she waved Zhao Zhao over to sit beside her, then set the stage for sharing all sorts of gossip from Shengjing.
"You’ve just arrived in Shengjing. Don’t think Shengjing is all high and mighty; some people look well-dressed but act no different than country bumpkins..."
Who keeps concubines and neglects the wife, whose mother-in-law likes to torment the daughter-in-law, whose lady of the house competes with the concubine for favor and causes a commotion before the Emperor, which two rivals literally butt heads in front of the Palace...
Mrs. Min spoke passionately.
She usually loved to listen to and tell gossip, but the noblewomen of Shengjing weren’t her kind of people and looked down on her gossiping. The late Empress Dowager used to enjoy her gossip and would occasionally summon her to the palace for a chat like old friends, but the Empress Dowager passed away a few years ago, and Mrs. Min had been holding it in ever since.
Meeting Mrs. Zhao, Chen Sufen, and Gu Baishuang, who were new to Shengjing and curious about the local gossip, Mrs. Min finally found her chance and couldn’t stop talking.
Gossip is human nature, and soon, the crowd around Mrs. Min was all ears, enjoying every tidbit.
Especially Mrs. Zhao, who was also a top gossip player in Qinghe Bay. She chimed in and marveled now and then, raising the atmosphere to a fever pitch, making Mrs. Min even more enthusiastic in her storytelling.
So, when Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua returned home, they saw the crowd munching on sunflower seeds, surrounding Mrs. Min and enjoying the gossip fest.
"The cousin from the Third Prince’s maternal family likes men. The whole family did something despicable by hiding it and marrying off the daughter of a wealthy Jiangnan merchant. The Jiangnan merchant gave a dowry of two hundred thousand taels of silver. After receiving the hefty dowry, the wife was neglected for three years without a child, shamelessly spreading rumors that the wife couldn’t bear children. Later caught in bed with someone, guess who the adulterer was? It was a young official under the Third Prince who only passed his examinations last year..."
Such explosive gossip slipped smoothly from Mrs. Min’s mouth.
Tong Huaqiong wanted to hear more about what happened next, but Mrs. Min stopped upon seeing Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua, stood up, and took a few steps forward to grab Tong Huaqiong’s hand, trembling as she said, "Dajiao?"
Tong Huaqiong broke into a sweat.
No need to ask, this Mrs. Min must be the childhood sweetheart’s old mother, someone Tong Dajiao knew well.
Tong Huaqiong searched through her memory.
Mrs. Min was very fond of the original character and treated her exceptionally well.
From a young age, the original character didn’t have a mother, and many motherly lessons were taught by Mrs. Min. If the Tong Family hadn’t taken fifty taels of silver from the Gu Family, the two would have become in-laws.
"Aunt Min."
Remembering the kindness Mrs. Min showed the original character, Tong Huaqiong held Mrs. Min’s hands in return.
Mrs. Min carefully examined Tong Huaqiong.
In her youth, Tong Dajiao was the belle of Black Dragon Pond, with a tall figure, big eyes, and a high nose. Even now, with grandchildren, she couldn’t hide the charm she had when young.
A beauty remains a beauty, even in old age, and besides, Dajiao isn’t that old.
Perhaps because she’s become a business owner, she seems even more poised and capable than in her younger years.
Mrs. Min thought that compared to the noblewomen of Shengjing, Tong Huaqiong’s aura was no less impressive.
"Has Zhao Xiyue been giving you trouble?" Mrs. Min asked, "I heard Zhao Xiyue was causing problems for you and Taohua. I was so worried."
Tong Huaqiong felt a surge of emotion.
No wonder the elderly had come all this way; she was worried about her.
Tong Huaqiong smiled and said, "You’ve always known me; I never suffer a loss."
Initially feeling a bit estranged, hearing Tong Huaqiong speak this way, Mrs. Min felt that the familiar Tong Dajiao was truly in front of her.
"Upon hearing the news, I sent Han Niu to the palace to inquire about the situation, but unfortunately, you didn’t encounter each other. I was thinking if Zhao Xiyue was troubling you and Taohua, I’d storm into Prince Yu Mansion to stand up for you," Mrs. Min said.
Tong Huaqiong felt a slight embarrassment on her face when Mrs. Min mentioned Han Niu.
"Aren’t you tired from standing so long? Come, let’s sit and chat."
Tong Huaqiong diverted the topic, inviting Mrs. Min to take a seat.
"It’s been over twenty years since we last met; how have you been these years?" Mrs. Min examined Tong Huaqiong carefully, suddenly tearing up, and sighed, "You must have endured a lot of grievances as a stepmother."
Chen Sufen and Gu Baishuang couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of their mouths.
When Tong Huaqiong was a stepmother, she held her stepchildren under tight control.
Tong Huaqiong said, "You know my temperament; who would dare give me a hard time? As you can see, my business has flourished in Shengjing. How could my life be anything but good?"
Mrs. Min said, "I heard things got better only after you became a widow. I always said the Gu Family wasn’t a good match for you, but your merciless father and heartless brother insisted on sending you to be a stepmother there."
Mrs. Min began to cry as she spoke.
She truly felt sorry for the flower-like Tong Dajiao, married to an old widower as a stepmother.
"If only you had married my Han Niu, you wouldn’t be a widow now."
Mrs. Min’s straightforward nature led her to express her long-held regrets about the missed match between Tong Dajiao and Han Niu.
Tong Huaqiong internally chided that marrying Han Niu wouldn’t necessarily mean avoiding widowhood.
On the battlefield, the sword has no mercy; Han Niu eventually made it through, but if he hadn’t survived, marrying him might have meant widowhood even sooner.
Tong Huaqiong coughed awkwardly a few times.
Gu Taohua stepped forward to hold Mrs. Min’s hand, saying, "Grandma Min, didn’t you always mention my mother? Shouldn’t you be happy seeing her? Why cry?"
Mrs. Min turned to smile and said, "Taohua is right, I should be smiling instead."
As she spoke, she flashed a face full of wrinkles while smiling at Tong Huaqiong.
Tong Huaqiong always felt like there was some hidden scheme within the old lady’s wrinkles.