Chapter 308 - 307: Slapping the Face
In a yard located in the western part of Yong’an Marquis Manor, Mrs. Chu, the wife of the second Chu Master, was looking at a plate of golden cakes with resentment. She ordered, "Take these good-for-nothing golden cakes and feed them to Gunr."
Gunr was a pet cat owned by Mrs. Chu.
Chu Ling’an, the second Mr. Chu, quickly replied, "Mother, don’t waste food. If you don’t want them, I do. Even my Third Aunt says that Eldest Sister-in-law’s cooking skills are on par with those of the royal chef."
Mrs. Chu poked him with her index finger, rebuking, "Pathetic, being bought easily by such insignificant trinkets."
A frustrated Chu Ling’an said, "Mother, please take to my advice. You have offended everybody in the mansion. Don’t strain your relationship with eldest sister-in-law any further. This current attitude of yours will make grandfather more disdainful and father more angry with you. Before grandmother passed away, she provided us with quite some money, and grandfather has allowed you to manage considerable assets in the past few years. I estimate that you have no less than fifty thousand taels of silver, enough for us. If we split from the family, with the additional money from the division, we can live comfortably."
After the age of seven, Chu Ling’an was taken to the Outer Court by the elder Marquis. Although the elder Marquis did not personally teach him every day, he had hired a good teacher for his grandson. He did not want his son and daughter-in-law to ruin his upbringing, as it would mark the ultimate downfall of the second family.
Chu Ling’an was not an outstanding student, not even qualifying as a scholar. Last year, Mr. Chu got him a post in the Imperial Forestry Army. Although he was not as capable as Chu Lingxuan, he was quite standard and stable in his work, without any crooked thoughts. Therefore, the elder Marquis loved this grandson very much.
What his son was saying was the last thing Mrs. Chu wanted to hear. She was displeased that her son lacked ambition, just like his father. She huffed, "Life wouldn’t be hard after splitting from the family? Once we do that, we’d just become a side branch of the Yong’an Marquis Manor. Your father doesn’t even have a substantial position, and you’re just a minor seventh-grade official. Our family will be in complete decline."