Madam Qin stretched her chopsticks to another plate to pick up fish meat, but Master Qin took the plate and handed it to his eldest son and daughter-in-law before she could grab any. With a full smile, he said: “Today’s fish is fresh, brought by the fisherman from outside the city early in the morning. Hurry and eat to prepare for giving birth to a big fat boy for your father next year.”
The eldest couple glanced at their mother’s unfriendly expression and dared not touch their chopsticks.
Madam Qin, without hesitation, picked up a plate full of braised meat and poured all the meat into the second master’s bowl.
Such scenes were almost staged daily, and everyone was accustomed to it, each eating their own without a word.
Ye Hui was amazed, never expecting dining to be so lively in ancient times.
After the meal, servants cleared the table and served tea. Madam Qin picked her teeth inelegantly and said to Ye Hui, “Second daughter-in-law, let me tell you. Now that you’ve married into the Qin family, you’re one of us. Taking a concubine will be decided by our family. Instead of benefiting outsiders, why not give our third son to you? Isn’t this perfect? Keep the fertile water within our own fields and save a lot of silver for a daughter-in-law.”
Madam Qin thought she had come up with a perfect plan, her eyes narrowing with pleasure.
Ye Hui was stunned. On her son’s second day of marriage, her mother-in-law was eager to make her son a cuckold. How bizarre! She glanced at Zhou Ming, a delicate pretty boy who seemed completely passive. He didn’t interest her at all. She whispered, “Wouldn’t the second master disagree?”
A concubine’s status was low, and no parents would willingly let their son be subordinate unless absolutely necessary.
“No, I’m willing. The madam’s idea is my idea. I believe the madam will arrange a good life for the third son,” said the second master, calculating precisely. Buying a wife would cost a lot of silver, but the Zhou family was poor and couldn’t rely on the Qin family.
