Shen Jianrong thought she could simply ignore Ma Xingxiang and Zhao Qilan.
However, to her surprise, the next morning, Shen Jianming and Ma Xingxiang, along with Shen Jianhui and Zhao Qilan, arrived.
Upon their arrival, Shen Jianming and Shen Jianhui knelt and pleaded with Old Master Shen to revoke his decision and not expel them from the Shen family.
Although the brothers' positions remained unchanged, they had experienced firsthand what it was like to be unable to move freely for the entire previous day.
None of their orders could be conveyed.
Their instructions reached their deputies, who then bypassed them and reported directly to their superiors.
Their superiors criticized their orders as utterly without merit, stating that their directives would increase unnecessary expenses and lead to a great deal of wasted effort, thus squandering resources and manpower.
Fine, the brothers stopped issuing orders and sat quietly in their offices.
However, various troublesome problems were reported to them, described as extremely urgent and requiring immediate attention.
These were tasks that should have been handled by their deputies and subordinates, only to be escalated to them for a decision if they couldn't be resolved.
Suddenly dumping all these problems on them, even if they had three heads and six arms, they couldn't possibly handle them all.
With no one to confide in, the brothers called each other to vent their frustrations.
It was then they realized they were both being targeted. The message was that since they were being expelled from the Shen family, the intention was to oust them and promote their deputies.
After listening to his two sons' complaints, Old Master Shen had only one word: "Retire!"
The brothers were stunned. Why?
Old Master Shen glanced at his two daughters-in-law, who still wore expressions of displeasure, and sighed, "The family is disgraced!"
Except for the Wu family, the other families had serious cases of tax evasion.
Upon investigation, his granddaughter and daughters-in-law would inevitably be implicated.
If the two daughters-in-law were implicated, the two sons would inevitably be dragged down with them.
The Ma and Zhao families would also be investigated, and whose influence were the Ma and Zhao families relying on? It was their Shen family!
Old Master Shen escorted the two daughters-in-law out of the living room and analyzed the current situation with his two sons:
"...You two should voluntarily apply to step down to the second line, admit your mistakes, and clearly explain the foolish actions of the Ma and Zhao families that you are aware of."
"If you do this, you can retain your second-line treatment and benefits. Otherwise, dismissal and investigation will be your fate."
"It's that serious?" The brothers didn't believe it. Didn't every family have a few unreliable relatives?
"It is that serious," Old Master Shen nodded.
"For our Shen family to fully stand up again, we must first break down and then rebuild."
"If the higher-ups want me to stand at the forefront of all families, the Shen family cannot have any vulnerabilities that others can exploit."
"If the Ginseng Tonifying Pill proves to be very effective, I cannot be blackmailed by anyone."
"To put it more bluntly, I am a weapon, and there are many who want to wield this weapon."
Seeing the struggle on his two sons' faces, Old Master Shen warned:
"It's too late for divorce; it will only cause your reputations to plummet."
"Stepping down to the second line is not necessarily a bad thing. As long as the Shen family is fully established in three years, it won't matter whether you have actual power or not then."
Shen Jianming nodded vigorously, "Okay, I had no possibility of promotion anyway, and my age is about right. I'll retire!"
Shen Jianhui hesitated for a moment, then also agreed to step down to the second line.
Old Master Shen waved his hand, "Go back and handle it immediately. Don't delay."
Shen Jianming asked, "What about us being kicked out of the Shen family?"
Old Master Shen shook his head, "Use these three years to properly sort out your families and reform the ideas of your children and grandchildren."
"Yes."
"Yes."
Shen Jianming and Shen Jianhui's faces showed excited smiles.
But Old Master Shen warned them, "Keep it to yourselves."
"Yes."
"Yes."
The brothers suppressed their excitement and smiles, exuding a sorrowful desolation. They kowtowed to Old Master Shen, then stood up and left the living room.
Shen Jianrong, "..." Life is like a play, all about acting!
She had been used by her father?
Old Master Shen glanced at his youngest daughter, "What are you thinking about? Go to the kitchen and see how Jiyong is preparing."
Yu Jinghai nudged his wife, "Don't overthink it. Father is not wrong."
Shen Jianrong glared at her husband, "You wait."
She couldn't lose her temper with her father, but she could certainly lose her temper with her husband.
Yu Jinghai nodded, "Alright, alright, I'll wait. You go arrange today's lunch."
As Shen Jianrong left the living room, she saw Ma Xingxiang and Zhao Qilan, still being held back by Shen Jianming and Shen Jianhui, unwilling to leave.
"Heh heh," Shen Jianrong sneered, "Not only did I sever ties the day before yesterday, but I also returned all the betrothal gifts."
"What now? Still want to stay for dinner? Dream on, get lost!"
"From now on, don't show your faces around me. Father is here today, otherwise, I'd greet you with a broom, guaranteed to give you plenty of stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork."
Shen Jianming forcefully pushed Ma Xingxiang, warning her that if she didn't leave, she should never come home again. He was tired of the endless nagging and bickering.
Shen Jianhui gave his wife a similar warning.
Ma Xingxiang and Zhao Qilan wanted to go into the living room to plead with their father-in-law again.
If their husbands couldn't persuade him, their crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide would surely work.
As long as their father-in-law retracted the news he had released about expelling them and their families from the Shen family, their sons-in-law's issues would surely be resolved.
Unexpectedly, their husbands disagreed.
They had agreed when they came that they would make their father-in-law retract his decision no matter what.
Now, their sister-in-law was arrogantly threatening them, and their respective husbands not only didn't scold their sister-in-law but also got angry at them. Why? How dare they?
Shen Jianming and Shen Jianhui exchanged glances and walked away, leaving their wives behind.
Ma Xingxiang and Zhao Qilan, seeing their husbands truly leave, hesitated and glanced at the Yu family's living room. Then, gritting their teeth, they chased after their husbands.
Without their husbands by their side, as daughters-in-law, directly arguing with their father-in-law felt somewhat improper.
It was better to follow their husbands' footsteps. Surely their husbands wouldn't abandon their daughters?
Who knew that their respective husbands not only didn't care about their daughters but also went to their respective superiors to admit their mistakes.
This left them like headless flies, not knowing where to direct their efforts.
They could only call their father-in-law repeatedly.
Their father-in-law's orderly informed them that their father-in-law was too busy to take calls and was currently receiving relatives.
Relatives?
What kind of relatives?
Just some bumpkins from some provincial town who became arrogant due to a bit of special skill.
No, they had to report them, to appeal their case.
The sisters-in-law, united in their common enemy, contacted each other by phone to coordinate and then planned to go to their sons-in-law's house to discuss who would be more suitable to lead the report.
However, as soon as they stepped out, they were stopped and asked to cooperate with an investigation...
...
Today was the day for the bride's return visit.
In the morning, Yu Ziyu was woken up by Li Weibo. After washing up and changing into comfortable casual wear, she went to the house across the street.
Upon seeing Yu Ziyu, Tian Jing carefully examined her, then pushed her second son aside and pulled Yu Ziyu into the women's group.
The men were all sent to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
From Mother Li, to Ouyang Meihua, to Damai and Xiaomai, they all sincerely advised Yu Ziyu not to let men take advantage of her.
Even compensatory acts out of guilt were not acceptable, as they harmed both men and women.
Moreover, getting pregnant at this time would be bad for the child.
Yu Ziyu's face turned bright red.
These words were too direct!
Li Min was even more direct, "Moving and passion don't necessarily have to be combined. Even hugging, kissing, and cuddling can lead to spiritual elevation."
Good heavens!
Yu Ziyu could barely sit still.
"Alright, alright," Mother Li stopped the Li family women from continuing, "Ziyu has just transitioned from maiden to married woman. You old women should speak with more restraint."
"Whoosh!"
Yu Ziyu suddenly stood up, "I'll go help in the kitchen."
"Hahahaha."
The Li family women burst into laughter. Teasing the new daughter-in-law was so much fun.
Hearing the burst of laughter, Yu Ziyu stopped in her tracks, hesitated for a moment, and then sat back down among the women.
"Grandma, Aunt, Mother, Aunt, Sister Damai, Sister Xiaomai, what you just said, is it true?"
"Of course it's true," Li Min quickly replied. "See, my two sons are not on the same level, are they?"
Seeing Yu Ziyu nod, Li Min felt a bit embarrassed. "At first, I used contraception. Later, during the period when we were preparing to conceive, we were a bit more frequent."
"When I was pregnant with An'an, I strictly followed the doctor's advice, calculating the ovulation period, once every other day."
Once every other day?
Yu Ziyu didn't know if her husband could endure that.
However, when it came to the topic of preparing for pregnancy and conceiving, Yu Ziyu had many questions, and they ended up chatting very congenially without realizing it.
Li Weibo brought out breakfast and saw his wife chatting animatedly with the women of the family. His heart was filled with deep emotion and joy.