Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 240 Family Harmony

In the old lady's courtyard.

The flowers in the yard are in full bloom.

The osmanthus blossoms are pungent with fragrance, the chrysanthemums are dazzlingly yellow, and the begonias are as red as if they've been smeared with rouge.

There were also several pots of Cymbidium goeringii, clearly the work of Qin Shuyan.

The old lady sat in the main seat, holding a teacup in her hands, her eyes narrowed into slits, smiling as if she had found money.

Su Wanqing sat to her left, holding a teacup, and looked at the group of daughters-in-law in the courtyard with a smile.

Liu Ruyan, heavily pregnant, sat next to her, peeling an orange. She would peel a segment, put it in her mouth, peel another segment, and put it in her mouth again.

The old lady glanced at her: "Ruyan, are these oranges sour?"

"Sour." Liu Ruyan chewed on an orange. "It's sour, but it's also quite delicious."

"Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl." The old lady's eyes narrowed even further with her smile. "This baby is definitely a boy."

Liu Ruyan blushed, and almost choked on the orange.

Qin Shuyan and Wen Ruoxi sat at the stone table, two account books spread out in front of them, their heads huddled together, whispering to each other.

"Did you spend a bit too much this month?"

"With three ladies visiting the manor, how could it possibly not exceed the budget?"

"That's true. I think this manor needs to be expanded and renovated, otherwise there won't be enough room for my husband to take another wife."

"Giggle..."

The two exchanged a glance and continued working on their abacuses.

Chu Yueyao sat on the stone bench, nodding her head repeatedly, her eyelids drooping.

Murong Xue sat next to her, holding a grape in her hand. Taking advantage of the moment when she opened her mouth to yawn, she shoved the grape into her mouth.

Chu Yueyao was taken aback, chewed twice, and muttered, "Sweet."

Then he closed his eyes again.

Xiao Yulou and Ye Qingying stood in front of a pot of chrysanthemums, their heads close together, seemingly arguing about something.

"This pot is made of gold."

"Nonsense, it's clearly white."

"Are you colorblind? It clearly has a yellow border."

"Even if it has a yellow edge, it's still white."

"So you call this a white chrysanthemum?"

"Can't white chrysanthemums have yellow edges?"

The two stared at each other, neither willing to concede.

Su Xiaoxiao sat on the stone bench, her hand on her stomach, a smile playing on her lips, lost in thought.

Lan Fenghuang sat quietly in the corner, drinking her tea.

He would occasionally glance up at this person or that person, a smile playing on his lips, but no one knew what he was laughing at.

As soon as Zhao Mingyue sat down, Liu Ruyan pulled her over to peel an orange.

"Come on, come on, my arm is getting tired."

"Are your hands tired?"

"I've been peeling them all afternoon."

Zhao Mingyue remained silent, took the orange, and whispered something to her as she peeled it.

When Liu Shengxue entered carrying her zither, everyone in the courtyard turned to look at her.

She stopped in her tracks, frozen in place.

The old lady spoke first: "Oh, Yagyu girl is here? Come and sit down."

Liu Shengxue pursed her lips, walked over, and bowed to the old lady, saying, "Grandmother."

"Alright, alright." The old lady patted the stone bench beside her. "Sit here."

Liu Shengxue sat down and placed the zither on his lap.

The old lady glanced at it and said, "So... they've gone to learn the zither?"

Yagyu Yuki nodded: "Yes."

"How well are you learning?"

"It's...it's alright."

The old lady chuckled: "Then how about I play a tune for Grandma another day?"

Yagyu Yuki raised her head.

The old lady looked at her with a smile.

There was no scrutiny or defensiveness in that gaze, only pure kindness.

Liu Shengxue's nose suddenly felt a little sore.

She lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement.

Zhao Mingyue watched from the side, a slight smile curving her lips.

At this moment, Lin Chen walked into the courtyard and greeted everyone with a smile.

"Wow, it's getting lively here?"

The old lady's eyes lit up even more when she saw Lin Chen: "Chen'er, you've arrived? Come and sit down."

Lin Chen walked over and sat down on the other side of the old lady.

"Grandmother, why are you in such a high spirits today?"

"The weather's nice, let the maids all come and sit down." The old lady patted Lin Chen's hand.

"And you? You didn't come home all night. Where did you go with Mingyue?"

Lin Chen remained expressionless: "I took Mingyue out for a stroll."

"Went for a stroll?" The old lady raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't mean you can't even come home!"

Lin Chen coughed lightly.

The old lady laughed even harder: "Young man, I understand, but—you'd better hurry!"

"Hurry, hurry!" Lin Chen nodded repeatedly. "Your grandson will definitely hurry."

The ladies in the courtyard all bowed their heads and smiled.

Chu Yueyao laughed so hard she couldn't open her eyes, while Murong Xue covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Xiao Yulou and Ye Qingying stopped arguing over the chrysanthemums, exchanged a glance, and suppressed a laugh.

Blue Phoenix's eyes were deep and melancholy.

Liu Shengxue lowered his head, his expression inscrutable.

Even with his thick skin, Lin Chen couldn't withstand this onslaught.

He quickly changed the subject: "Grandma, these flowers are blooming so beautifully, who takes care of them?"

The old lady chuckled: "Trying to change the subject?"

"……yes."

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." The old lady pointed to the corner.

"It's managed by Ruoxi and Xiaoxiao, the two maids. They often come to keep this old woman company."

Lin Chen looked at Wen Ruoxi and Su Xiaoxiao.

The two looked up.

Wen Ruoxi smiled and said, "We're bored right now, so we might as well spend some time chatting with Grandma."

Su Xiaoxiao chimed in, "I'll have the gardener move a few more pots to each courtyard later, so we can add some color to the house too."

Lin Chen nodded: "Alright, I'll do as Madam says."

The old lady chuckled and said, "Look at this boy, he knows to listen to his madam now."

Su Wanqing covered her mouth and chuckled, "Chen'er is about to become a father, so it's only natural that he's growing up."

Lin Chen looked helpless: "...Grandmother, why are you talking so much today?"

"You think I talk too much?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"If you're scared, shut up and listen to me."

Lin Chen shut up.

The whole courtyard was filled with laughter.

The old matriarch cleared her throat and began her sermon:

"Chen'er, you're almost a father of eight now, and your wives are all wonderful. You have to treat them well, you understand?"

Lin Chen nodded: "I know, I know."

"Good to know." The old lady took a sip of tea.

"You need to hurry up with Mingyue; we can't let her suffer any injustice."

Zhao Mingyue blushed: "Grandmother, I'm not wronged."

The old lady waved her hand: "You silly girl, you always speak up for him."

Zhao Mingyue lowered her head, a smile curving her lips.

Lin Chen smiled apologetically from the side, "Grandmother is right, grandson will definitely work hard."

The old lady nodded in satisfaction.

……

We spent the afternoon enjoying the flowers and having tea.

As the sun began to set, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Lin Chen chatted with the old lady for a while before getting up to leave.

He suddenly stopped when he reached the gate of the courtyard.

I glanced back.

The old lady remained seated in the same spot, the setting sun casting a soft glow on her silver hair.

She was looking at the flowers filling the yard, lost in thought.

Lin Chen suddenly remembered that the old lady did not shed a single tear the year her father and seven brothers died in battle.

She simply stood in the mourning hall, looking at the row of incomplete coffins, and said one sentence:

"The men of the Lin family died a worthy death."

Then she turned around, took care of the funeral arrangements, comforted the bereaved family, and supported the family.

Three years.

She has never shown weakness in front of others.

Lin Chen withdrew his gaze and walked out of the courtyard.

Behind them, the old matriarch's voice suddenly rang out: "Chen'er."

Lin Chen turned around.

The old lady looked at Lin Chen with a complicated expression.

"Come and chat with your grandmother more often when you have free time."

Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"it is good."