My Sister Insisted on Swapping Marriages, and I Became a Marchioness Instead

Chapter 261: The Battle Between Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law

Outside, the voice of Mrs. Lin was already scolding loudly.

The maid said angrily, "There she goes again with her veiled insults."

Qin Wan intended to ignore it, but the commotion outside grew louder, forcing her to come out and lift the curtain. She saw Mrs. Lin with hands on her hips, scolding the maid who was tending the fire, her mouth corners drooping, her eyebrows fierce.

"What is it this time?" Qin Wan asked impatiently.

"What a hard life I have; I worked so hard to raise my son, yet I don’t even have food to eat. What’s the point of living?"

Seeing Qin Wan come out, Mrs. Lin stopped scolding and started wailing instead.

Qin Wan took a deep breath.

If it were a usual day, she might have coaxed her, but today she was in a bad mood, so she replied irritably, "Why is Mother-in-law acting like this again? My parents sought me because of my husband’s matters, so I went to visit my family. The household expenses silver is with you, and there are servants attending in the house, what could you possibly not have to eat?"

Mrs. Lin cried even more, "I know you are a daughter from a prestigious family and look down on someone like me. You don’t regard me. Wait until Ziqi returns, he will surely stand up for me."

Qin Wan: "..."

It wasn’t so bad when it was just between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but involving Lin Ziqi, Qin Wan had to relent.

Lin Ziqi had pledged that he would not fail her in this life, but asked her to be considerate of Mrs. Lin for his sake.

"What does Mother-in-law want to eat? Tell me, and I will have someone prepare it."

Mrs. Lin spat, "Which daughter-in-law doesn’t cook for her mother-in-law herself? You’re not some Marchioness, just a scholar’s wife. Why keep so many idle people to put on airs? Even if my son becomes an Advanced Scholar, there isn’t much silver for you to squander. I advise you to change your ways; marry a chicken and follow a chicken, marry a dog and follow a dog — such is the duty of a daughter-in-law."

Qin Wan was so angry that she couldn’t speak.

The maid next to Qin Wan couldn’t hold back, and said, "Miss’s dowry could support servants for generations. Since marrying in, she hasn’t spent as much as ten taels of silver from Lin Junren, and all the household expenses come from Miss’s dowry."

Mrs. Lin cried, "Even the maid next to the daughter-in-law dares to speak like this, how am I supposed to live? Day by day I have no face, what’s the point in living? Better to die cleanly than to be an eyesore to you."

Saying this, she made a gesture of taking out a white silk from inside the room, ready to throw it over the beam, threatening to hang herself.

So many people watching, how could she really hang herself, Qin Wan was furious but had no choice but to soften and coax her.

The house was in an uproar, no one knew Lin Ziqi was standing outside the window, holding a book, face ashen, hearing everything.

With a somber face, he stormed into the room, slapped Qin Wan across the face, and said angrily, "So this is how you treat my mother at home, no wonder she’s always crying whenever I return."

Qin Wan was stunned by the slap.

At this time, Mrs. Lin stopped her commotion and just lay on the ground crying incessantly.

Crying about her hard life, her deceased husband, her lack of money which led her daughter-in-law to look down on her.

"Send me back to my old home, so I won’t be an eyesore to you here."

Lin Ziqi immediately knelt down and said, "How can Mother speak like this? If people hear of it, how can I, as your son, continue to stand in this world, let alone serve in the court and bring honor to our family?"

"My poor child, it’s your mother who has wronged you," Mrs. Lin cried loudly.

Lin Ziqi cried as well.

Mother and son held each other and cried bitterly, while Qin Wan covered half of her face, kneeling beside them, sobbing softly.

After much effort, the crying ceased, Lin Ziqi helped his mother up, cast a sidelong glance at Qin Wan, who was crying sorrowfully and said, "Hurry up and serve Mother for a fresh wash."

Mrs. Lin said, "No need, I can’t bear it. But my son came back in such a rush, have you eaten?"

Lin Ziqi, filled with emotion, cared the most for his mother.

Qin Wan could only hold back her tears, ordered the nanny to buy groceries and cook, adding dishes for her husband.

Lin Ziqi coldly asked, "Why are we only cooking now?"

Qin Wan answered, "The poetry collection engraved by Sixth Master Gu was sent home, Father liked it and asked for me to be invited over, it happened to be meal time when I arrived, so I stayed for a while, and I told Mother-in-law before leaving."

Lin Ziqi’s face turned grim instantly, just as he was about to scold a few words, he suddenly had a splitting headache, and collapsed to the ground, his clothing soaked with sweat.

"Oh my son, my son, what happened? It’s all because of this trouble-making, shameless little hussy, constantly trying to seduce my son, look at how she’s tormented him."

"My son studied hard despite his weak constitution, how could he endure any more of you..."

Mrs. Lin threw herself on her son, tears and snot pouring down, her cursing truly unpleasant.

Qin Wan, grown up to this age, had never heard such words, her face flushed red, her ears buzzing, wishing she could bang the wall for dignity.

The maid hurriedly said, "Should we hurry and call for a doctor?"

Mrs. Lin scolded again, "Won’t you hurry to call a doctor, standing here for what, thinking if my son dies, you can find another man and wouldn’t have to see us mother and son again."

Further cursing and even an adulterer might be accused.

Qin Wan sat down in a daze, supported by the maid, the little maid ran out to fetch a doctor, and inside the room was filled with curses and cries from Mrs. Lin, while Lin Ziqi had already fainted from the pain.

No matter how angry or spiteful, she could only endure it.

Luckily, the doctor came quickly, pricked Lin Ziqi with a few needles, and prescribed some medicine, saying, "Excessive worrying, liver’s Qi stagnation, he needs careful care, if it happens again, it might be a head illness."

Mrs. Lin anxiously asked, "Does this illness cost silver?"

The doctor replied, "This illness likely needs long-term care, Lin Junren has a frail body."

Long-term care naturally costs a lot.

Mrs. Lin then looked at Qin Wan, Qin Wan ordered the maid to pay for the medicine, and asked, "Will it affect my husband’s studies for the Advanced Scholar exam?"

The doctor hesitated, "As long as it doesn’t occur, there’s no problem. My medical skills are shallow, probably can’t cure it, better consult a good doctor after the patient revives."

Qin Wan was extremely annoyed.

Who could predict when Lin Ziqi would fall ill? If during the imperial examination it suddenly happened and startled the emperor, it would bode poorly.

She frowned in deep thought, in the past life there was no mention of Chief Minister Lin having such an illness.

Could it be that they found a good doctor later and cured it?

Lin Ziqi was terribly poor, in the past life, this mother and son likely also lived off Qin Yuan’s dowry, if Qin Yuan could afford the silver, surely she could too.

Qin Wan pondered to herself, maybe in the past life, Qin Yuan spent her dowry silver to cure Lin Ziqi, earning his true affection, which led him to favor Qin Yuan everywhere, lovingly as a couple.

If that’s the case, she might as well seek a good doctor to aid him this time, so she wouldn’t have to suffer the old hag’s temper in the future.

Mrs. Lin watched her frown at one moment, then relax, couldn’t help but secretly curse her for not caring about her son’s safety at all, but didn’t show it on her face, gripping her hand tight, crying, "Dear daughter-in-law, Ziqi’s illness depends on you, we’ve been in the Capital City for a few years, where to find a good doctor."