Chapter 28 No Need to Indulge

Soon, after washing their hands, everyone sat down at the dining table. Liang Min had carefully arranged the seating; she sat opposite Mu Yinyin, and beside Mu Yinyin was Fu Siyue. It was always this way, so no one ever changed the arrangement.

"Yinyin, let’s eat!" Liang Min’s lips carried a gentle smile. "Grandma had several dishes specially prepared today, all your favorites." Mu Yinyin’s eyes flickered; she could see that the dishes she liked were placed right in front of her. She smiled softly, "Thank you, Grandma."

She didn’t say much, and everything seemed as usual. Yet Fu Siyue noticed that her demeanor was different this time. Normally, she was cautious, afraid that any misstep might upset the family. But now, she was composed and poised, her manners unchanged but expressed in a new way.

This shift in her attitude made Fu Siyue unconsciously furrow his brows. Was this another one of her strategies?

"Eat while it’s hot!" Liang Min’s voice interrupted Fu Siyue’s thoughts. She glanced up at Grandma, still as warm as ever. Before he could react, Liang Min looked at him and spoke up, "Silly boy, you should eat too. Why are you just sitting there looking dazed?"

Fu Siyue pressed his lips together and said nothing, picking up his chopsticks.

The old master’s expression remained somewhat stern, but he didn’t speak, unwilling to dampen his wife’s enjoyment of the meal.

Liang Min was the one who spoke most during the meal. In wealthy families, it was common to observe silence during meals or sleep, but Liang Min found that such customs made it impossible for people to dine comfortably, and it diminished the intimacy among family members.

So, in her own home, with no outsiders present, she refused to enforce such constraints.

The meal was thus finished amid laughter and conversation.

The old master’s face stayed grim, because he disapproved of Mu Yinyin.

Liang Min noticed her husband’s mood. She frowned deeply and spoke in a low voice, "You come home and put on that sour face. What is it? That woman isn’t by your side, and I’m just old and faded, so you feel uncomfortable, is that it?"

Her words were deliberately provocative, shifting everyone’s attention and sparing Mu Yinyin from further discomfort.

The old master’s expression turned even uglier. "Can’t you stop being unreasonable? After all these years, you still accuse me of having women outside. When have I ever had another woman?"

Fu Siyue and Mu Yinyin sat at the table, silent. This bickering had become routine.

"You know best whether you have or not!"

"I haven’t, and that’s that!"

"Stubborn old man! How did I ever end up marrying you? You ruined my youth!"

"You just want to rile me up, don’t you?" The old master looked at his wife, who was once more making a scene. He felt helpless. He knew Liang Min was dissatisfied because he kept a stern face whenever Mu Yinyin was around.

This time, he didn’t want to endure it anymore. He looked directly at Fu Siyue and Mu Yinyin and spoke in a low tone, "You’re both still young and should pursue your own careers. If you have nothing pressing, don’t keep coming here. If you lack ambition, what are you doing coming to eat?"

Fu Siyue’s expression remained calm, and he said nothing.

Liang Min’s face darkened instantly. She was about to retort angrily when Mu Yinyin’s quiet laughter broke the tension, drawing everyone’s gaze to her.

Mu Yinyin lifted her eyes and looked at the old master. "Grandfather, if you dislike me, you can say it plainly. There’s no need for such indirect remarks."

Everyone knew Fu Siyue’s status—how busy he was every day, how driven he was. The old master’s words were clearly aimed at her.

For years, she had been a housewife, devoted to her marriage, never venturing outside to pursue a career. She believed her role was to manage the home, to keep everything in order.

But now, she realized things were far more complicated than she’d thought.

No matter what she did, Fu Siyue never spared her a glance. According to the family, servants could do everything she did; what need was there for her? Was she truly more skilled than trained professionals?

Looking back, Mu Yinyin’s eyes brimmed with scorn. What had all her efforts amounted to? Why had she insisted on clinging to this role? Who, apart from Grandma, ever treated her as a person in this household?

Even the servants lacked respect for her, and fundamentally, it was because her husband didn’t cherish her.

For the first time in living memory, the old master regarded Mu Yinyin directly, speaking with displeasure. "I was being subtle, trying to spare your feelings."

Mu Yinyin smiled softly again. "Is that so? These past years, when have you ever spared my feelings?"

"You…!" The old master’s face grew darker still.

Liang Min hadn’t expected a simple meal to deteriorate like this. Frustrated, she glared at her husband and punched his arm. "You could have come home earlier or later, but you chose now. You can’t even eat in peace, and now you’re saying such mean-spirited things. Yinyin is young—why must she fight for a career? When I wanted to pursue one, didn’t you tell me I didn’t need to do anything, that you’d handle everything? Why is it different for Yinyin? Don’t be so hypocritical!"

"Hypocritical?!" The old master was so angry he laughed. "Was your era the same as hers? Can you compare then and now?"

"Why can’t we? Striving for success was always a man’s responsibility. Besides, does our Fu family need Yinyin to go out and work? Are you so poor you can’t afford a meal?"

"You… you!" The old master gnashed his teeth in fury. "Unreasonable!"

Just as Liang Min’s anger rose and she was about to speak again, the old master suddenly turned cold eyes toward Mu Yinyin. "This is your filial piety? Because of you, your grandmother and I have quarreled so many times. Why do you keep coming here?"

His last words were louder, his anger almost spilling over.

Mu Yinyin stared coldly at him. She knew she should respect her elders, but when that respect was met only with arrogance and disregard, she saw no reason to indulge them further.

Now that she was divorced, she had no connection to this man. Why should she tread so carefully anymore?

She spoke calmly, "The engagement between me and Fu Siyue was arranged by you. You once told me the Fu family was my home. But now, you say I should stay away and not disturb you. Is it because my father passed away and the Mu family is no longer useful to you? Or is it because the Mu company now belongs to the Nan family, and you prefer Nan Shiqing as your daughter-in-law?"