Chapter 391: Extra (15)

Two years later, Li Xianglin was getting married. Since Fang Lingjun’s only family was his widowed mother, Zhou Lian personally met with her daughter’s future mother-in-law to talk. She convinced Mrs. Fang to sell her house back home and move north to the Capital City to live with her son and daughter-in-law. Because the Fang family was of ordinary means, Li Xiu ultimately made the decision to have the Fang family purchase a four-section courtyard home at a low price, which would serve as Li Xianglin and Fang Lingjun’s future home.

Mrs. Fang, just as in her previous life, was a gentle and kind person. This time around, however, she and Zhou Lian felt as if they had met far too late. With the groom’s mother and the bride’s mother on such good terms, Li Xianglin’s life was wonderfully carefree. Mrs. Fang never felt inferior just because the Li family was wealthier and more powerful than her own. While she did guide Fang Lingjun, it was to teach him that as a man, he must not let his pride create a rift with his wife’s family.

After all, he was the one who had pursued his wife. Since he had known about his in-laws’ circumstances from the start, he needed to accept it calmly and not be troubled by outside gossip. He had to know who his real family was. Mrs. Fang, having come from a prominent family herself, was exceptionally satisfied with Li Xianglin as a daughter-in-law. It wasn’t because of the Li family’s power, but simply because of the person Li Xianglin was. After all, Li Xianglin’s outwardly gentle but inwardly firm disposition was exactly what Mrs. Fang cherished.

After the two families settled on the wedding, Li Xiu had a long, private talk with his future son-in-law. Although she didn’t know what they discussed, Mrs. Fang clearly noticed that her son was no longer so reserved and awkward around the Li family members—with the exception of Li Xianglin. This made Mrs. Fang overjoyed for a long time, and she expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Zhou Lian. After all, Fang Lingjun had lost his father at a young age and lacked the guidance of a male elder while growing up. Though Mrs. Fang had raised him to be open-minded and even-tempered, he still lacked a certain confident presence.

Seeing her son become more insightful, open-minded, and serene, Mrs. Fang was naturally overcome with gratitude. Zhou Lian, however, simply smiled and shook her head. “That’s a matter between a father-in-law and his son-in-law. We should just let them be,” she said. “My dear, to be honest, it was their father who raised our two children. I was busy with work, so I’m afraid I neglected them quite a bit. As for Xiang Lin, her father has cherished her since she was a little girl, raising her in the palm of his hand.”

“And because she’s a girl, her father always felt that life is hard for women in this world. He wanted to dote on her and spoil her as much as he could while she was still young and before she was married. As a result of all his pampering, she developed a bit of a headstrong personality. I used to worry about which family could ever genuinely love such a willful daughter-in-law!”

“Then Xiang Lin and Ling Jun met. You’ve raised Ling Jun so wonderfully. He’s so pure, open-minded, generous, and calm. After the two of them took a liking to each other, I adored him from our very first meeting. It wasn’t because of his relationship with Xiang Lin, but because of his sincerity. A young man with a heart that pure is welcome anywhere he goes. Xiang Lin’s father agrees. He says Ling Jun is insightful and magnanimous—a good kid you can’t help but like the moment you meet him.”

Zhou Lian glanced at Mrs. Fang and chuckled softly. “But let’s not just exchange pleasantries. Since these two were fated to be married, Ling Jun is now a child of the Li family. We’ll treat him just as we treat Xiang Lin and Xiang Rui. You just need to take good care of your health and look forward to the days you’ll spend with your son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. A happy, complete family is the most important thing of all!”

“You’re absolutely right. I liked Xiang Lin from the moment I first met her,” Mrs. Fang replied. “She has an open-minded and generous spirit that you don’t find in most girls. They’ll be living nearby after the wedding, so you and Xiang Lin’s father must come visit often. I won’t stand on ceremony with you, either. As long as the two children are living happily, I won’t interfere in their business. This courtyard is so big; I won’t get under their feet. You and Xiang Lin’s father can rest easy. I’m not one of those awful mothers-in-law who can’t bear to see her son and daughter-in-law getting along.”

Zhou Lian believed her. Her daughter’s mother-in-law wasn’t like some widowed mothers who, once their sons marry, fear being replaced and try every trick in the book to stir up trouble, eventually tearing a happy home apart.

After a moment’s thought, Zhou Lian looked at Mrs. Fang and said, “That gives me an idea. After the children get married, why don’t we go into business together and open a training center? You must get bored staying home all the time. It would be a great way to put your talents to use.”

“A training center? I…”

…

As a professor and lecturer of many years, it was an easy task for Zhou Lian to persuade Mrs. Fang. They ultimately agreed that after Li Xianglin and Fang Lingjun were married, the two of them would open a training center together. Zhou Lian would provide the facilities and working capital, and Mrs. Fang would help manage the establishment.

Mrs. Fang, having come from a prominent family, was effortlessly skilled in the traditional arts—the ancient zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. Though she hadn’t practiced in years, these talents were deeply ingrained in her. The training center would specialize in teaching these very arts to children over the age of six. Zhou Lian hired professional instructors to teach the classes, while Mrs. Fang took charge of overseeing the center. If she wished, she could even teach some classes herself, as her expertise was by no means inferior to that of the teachers they hired.

Once Zhou Lian arranged for the training center to be set up, she took a completely hands-off approach. After all, her only intention was to find something for Mrs. Fang to do, to give her a purpose so that she wouldn’t focus all of her attention on her son and daughter-in-law. That would have been unhealthy for everyone. Now that Mrs. Fang had an occupation she enjoyed, she naturally wouldn’t have the time or mental energy to constantly monitor the young couple.

When Li Xianglin saw her mother’s business plan, her heart swelled with emotion. Forgetting that her father and brother were even in the room, she gave a rare, childlike display of affection, hugging Zhou Lian as her eyes reddened with tears. Zhou Lian gently patted her daughter’s back and smiled. “Your future mother-in-law is a good person,” she said, “but no matter how good she is, a mother-in-law is not your own mother. It’s too late to solve certain problems after they’ve already happened. It’s better for everyone if we take precautions.”

“Mom, how did you think of finding a job for my brother-in-law’s mother?” Li Xiangrui asked, puzzled. He glanced at his father, who showed no sign of wanting to explain, so he leaned in toward his mother, still being hugged by his sister, and whispered the question. Li Xiangrui had a feeling his mother’s reasoning went deeper than simply giving her in-law something to do, but he couldn’t quite grasp what it was.

Zhou Lian patted her son lightly and said with a helpless sigh, “You’re a boy, and still so young; it’s normal that you don’t understand. Your brother-in-law and his mother have been a widow and her only son, relying solely on each other for many years. Their bond is much deeper than that of an ordinary mother and son. After your sister marries him, no matter what her personality is like, she will inevitably feel like an intruder in the lives of a mother and son who have been inseparable for so long.”

“It has nothing to do with a person’s character. It’s simply a natural instinct to feel guarded against an outsider. Your brother-in-law’s mother is a good person, but when people live together day after day, conflicts are bound to happen—it’s like a spoon clattering against the side of a pot. If we give her something else to focus on, she won’t have the time or the mental energy to fixate on your sister. Besides, she comes from a good family and is accomplished in all the fine arts. It would be a waste to keep such a talented woman cooped up at home. And let’s not forget, the Fang family has modest means. It’s not a bad thing for her to earn some extra money to help out her son!”