A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go

Mei Wanying had only recently finished her postpartum confinement, and her body hadn’t fully recovered. With Ling still so small, neither mother nor daughter could go out.

So they didn’t go to join the festivities of the New Year’s Eve lantern festival.

Mrs. Mei had been frail and sickly in recent years. Even after returning to her hometown, she was beset by one matter after another and hadn’t managed to regain her energy and spirits.

Unable to go out, they had the manor decorated with lanterns, filling it with a festive air.

Not wanting to tire her mother, Mei Wanying said, "Let’s not stay up for the New Year’s vigil this year. You should get some rest."

New Year’s Eve was a time to ring out the old and welcome the new, and Mrs. Mei insisted on observing the vigil. She said she wanted to pray for blessings and good fortune for Mei Wanying and Ling.

"You take Ling back to rest first. I’ll go to the ancestral hall and have a talk with your father."

Mei Wanying replied, "Father would worry most about your health. He’d surely want you to rest well too."

Cradling her little granddaughter, her eyes filled with loving affection, Mrs. Mei said, "When you get old, you don’t need as much sleep. I can’t fall asleep even when I’m lying down."

Not like a little babe, who can snooze away every day.

And look at that! She was awake just a moment ago, but she’s fallen asleep in the blink of an eye.

With her husband gone, having her daughter and granddaughter by her side was the greatest comfort for Mrs. Mei.

She was secretly grateful that she had come to her senses and stopped pressuring Ah Yin to marry.

Otherwise, she would have been all alone during the holidays. Where would today’s lively atmosphere have come from?

Things were wonderful just as they were now. Her daughter and granddaughter were with her, and in the future, she would entrust the family enterprise to them.

’When Ling grows up, we’ll find her a live-in husband too, so she won’t have to suffer any grievances in another family’s home.’

Mrs. Mei then recalled something. "Rewards arrived from the Capital City. They’re from the Empress, for you and Ling."

The gifts had arrived during the day, delivered secretly to the manor without any fanfare.

Previously, Mei Wanying had offended the Empress by refusing to marry Pei Yan and insisting on taking Gu Xun as a live-in husband.

Mrs. Mei truly hadn’t expected Her Majesty to send gifts after all that.

She then understood that the Empress must truly value Ling, which was why she was willing to offer them an olive branch.

Mrs. Mei was both delighted and worried.

She was delighted that Ling had gained a powerful backer.

Yet she worried that the Empress might, on a whim, snatch their precious treasure away.

’But judging by Pei Yan’s attitude, he probably wouldn’t allow the Empress to do such a thing.’

With that thought, Mrs. Mei felt at ease again.

Pei Yan had still been at the manor when the gifts were delivered, so it was Mrs. Mei who had received them.

She had Nanny Liu bring the items over for Mei Wanying to see. "The century-old ginseng and bird’s nest... that casket of pearls is for you. The Peace Pendant, longevity lock, and the bolts of silk and brocade are for Ling."

The rewards were lavish, filling a row of trays to the brim.

The Peace Pendant was carved from the finest Mutton Fat Jade, an auspicious protective talisman.

The longevity lock was inlaid with red agate. Its craftsmanship was exquisite, clearly not something that had been rushed.

There appeared to be dozens of bolts of fabric as well.

The Mei family had already prepared a set of these very things for Ling when she was born, all made from the finest materials.

She wasn’t lacking for anything.

Later, Pei Yan had also sent many precious gifts, all of which were now kept in the storeroom.

This time was no exception. Mei Wanying had Nanny Liu record the items in the ledger and then put them directly into the storeroom.

’That mother and son have been nothing but trouble for me since my pregnancy,’ Mei Wanying thought. ’It would be a waste not to take these. I’ll just consider it compensation.’

It wasn’t that she was short on silver, but it felt good to make them bleed a little.

She couldn’t be expected to suffer their abuse for nothing.

’Otherwise, wouldn’t my life just be too miserable?’

Mei Wanying felt a sense of clarity. The tightness in her chest, a product of her anger at Pei Yan, gradually eased.

"After the New Year, set aside a storeroom just for Ling’s things. When she’s older, she can decide for herself how she wants to use them."

As the only daughter in the family, Mei Wanying had been doted upon and had her own private treasury since she was a child.

While her peers still relied on their elders for a monthly allowance, she already had a considerable fortune at her own disposal.

Mrs. Mei considered this for a moment. "It’s time we started cultivating a personal staff for Ling."

Children grow up in the blink of an eye. Confidants must be cultivated early, or she’ll be left without a single capable person to rely on in the future.

Ling was the future heir of the Mei family. As much as they doted on her, they had to be strict in her upbringing.

Spoiling a child is as good as ruining them, and they couldn’t afford to make such a knowing mistake.

Mrs. Mei couldn’t help but worry about her daughter and granddaughter, her mind involuntarily turning to their future.

Seeing the worried look on her mother’s face, Mei Wanying felt a sense of helplessness, but there was nothing she could do about it.

’Once the New Year passes, I will be the one managing all of the family’s affairs. If I do a good job, Mother will naturally stop worrying. Saying anything more now would be pointless.’

Mrs. Mei continued, "We also need to select a few young serving maids for Ling. In the end, we’ll choose the most kind-hearted and clever ones to stay by her side."

This was a matter of utmost importance. A poor choice could not only result in raising a traitor, but it could even lead Ling herself astray.

Mei Wanying agreed. "First, let’s select two capable women to help Ling manage her accounts. We can take our time with the rest; this requires careful consideration."

Having the freedom to manage her own silver was a good thing, but they couldn’t just give her unconditional leeway.

If they ended up raising a spendthrift, Mei Wanying wouldn’t know where to turn to cry. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The sleeping Ling let out a little humph and waved a short arm, causing Mei Wanying to quickly halt her train of thought.

She guiltily enclosed her daughter’s tiny fist in her hand. "Mama didn’t say you were a spendthrift."

Ling’s lips twitched and she whimpered again, but she didn’t wake.

Mrs. Mei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She whispered, "She’s a clever little imp, isn’t she?"

Mei Wanying joked, "I suppose in the future I’ll only dare to think such things. If I say them out loud, she’ll get angry with me, won’t she?"

"You can’t think it, either." Mrs. Mei took her granddaughter’s side.

"A child knows nothing. Who she becomes depends on how we teach her."

Ling didn’t need to have grand ambitions, but she must have basic principles. She could not be allowed to dishonor the Mei family’s integrity.

Then a sudden thought occurred to her: with a moody, unpredictable father like Pei Yan, who knew what kind of temperament Ling would have.

Mrs. Mei backtracked. "As long as she doesn’t do anything wicked, if the silver’s spent, it’s spent. Calling her a spendthrift is such an ugly thing to say."

Mei Wanying pouted. "No wonder they say grandparents dote on their grandchildren. You certainly never taught me that way."

Back then, her mother had taught her how to manage a household. She could use the silver she had, but there were strict rules about how it was to be spent.

How come when it came to Ling, it was suddenly ’if it’s spent, it’s spent’?

Mei Wanying exclaimed, "You’re showing favoritism!"

Mrs. Mei’s eyes crinkled in a smile. Afraid of waking her granddaughter, she stifled her laughter.

"Ling is so tiny, and you’re already competing with her for my affection?"

Mei Wanying lifted her chin with a playfully proud look. "I could never win against her."

That little babe might be tiny, but she was incredibly endearing.

She didn’t have to say or do a thing. Just by sleeping soundly and earnestly drinking her milk, she could earn Mother’s praise for ages.

Mei Wanying lowered her head and kissed her daughter’s little hand. Just like her own mother, she adored Ling.

Not wanting to show favoritism, Mrs. Mei took out the red envelopes she had prepared.

There was one for her daughter, and one for her granddaughter.

Mei Wanying asked, "I get one too?"

"Of course!"

’As long as I’m alive, I will give Ah Yin lucky money every year. She is my only child, my sweetheart. In my heart, Ah Yin will always come first.’

Mrs. Mei said, "In the new year, may you and Ling have peace and good fortune."

Nothing was more important than that.

’As long as Ah Yin and Ling are well, I would willingly trade years of my own life!’