Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

76. Drinkers’ Wager Game

Translator: Sissy That Walk

Big Madam Yao now was in her seventies, she had four sons and two daughters in total, her four sons all led a successful official career while both her daughters were rather ill-starred and died an early death.

Big Madam Yao doted on Xiao Yi’s mother the most among all her children, so she was delighted to see how poised and well-spoken Xiao Yi’s wife was.

Xiao Yi didn’t get to leave Xiao Manor and visit his Yao Manor due to his poor health in the past, but things were different now, Xiao Yi was able to leave his house anytime because he was getting better every single day since Cao Mo married into Xiao Family, he was no longer the bed-ridden Young Master any more.

Big Madam Yao’s maid escorted Cao Mo to greet Big Madam Yao, Big Madam Yao looked Cao Mo up and down, the more she looked at Cao Mo, the more she liked him. Big Madam Yao’s maid took Cao Mo to meet and greet other elder relatives of the family who were also on the third floor, Cao Mo got so many presents from the elders.

Seeing that, Yao Wenyuan once again turned jealous.

It baffled Yao Wenyuan why would his grandmother favoured Cao Mo who was from a poor and humble family, Cao Mo’s father was just a petty official who wasn’t eligible to pay a visit to Yao Manor.

Big Madam Yao took Cao Mo’s hand and talked to him, “I always shed tears whenever I think about the fact that I have outlived both my daughters, I wish I could exchange my life with theirs, it breaks my heart seeing Yi suffering without her mother’s love and care.”

“Gran, I know you miss your daughters every day, but how sad they are going to be knowing you shedding tears for them all the time, and look at you, you have so much gray now. You know how you can make them happy, just enjoy every day for them, you know, spending quality time with your kids and grandkids, watching opera shows, meeting new friends, going hiking in spring… …”

Big Madam Yao was amused by Cao Mo, “I’m in my seventies now, of course I have gray now.”

“No way! I thought you were in your fifties!” Cao Mo made a face and took hold of Big Madam Yao’s hand, “Gran, I will be good, please tell me your beauty secrets. I won’t tell anyone else, only us can be the pretty ones in the family, how about that?”

“You cheeky little monkey, how dare you to make fun of me!” Big Madam Yao couldn’t stop laughing.

Cao Mo soon withdrew his hands and made as if to flee, “Aiya, please don’t punish me gran, I know I got carried away just now, please forgive me.”

Cao Mo’s little show had attracted everyone’s attention on the third floor, they had never seen Big Madam Yao bending forward and backward from laughing before.

The Yao Family was a scholar-gentry family, Big Madam Yao’s sons and daughter-in-laws were all serious in speech and manner, the grandchildren dared not to joke and chat freely with this highly respected Big Madam Yao.

Big Madam Yao had never laughed with any of her grandchild before, she liked Cao Mo even more now, she even asked her maid to serve Cao Mo the food on her own table.

Yao Wenyuan sneered, “Grandmother, you don’t need to give Cao Mo food, just give him some ink considering how unlettered he is.”

In ancient times, kids who slacked in studies would be punished to drink ink.

“Truly indeed, you have been hogging all the ink!” Cao Mo deliberately put on a serious face and nodded.

The crowd burst into laughter.

Yao Wenyuan pointed at the wine pot on the table and said, “Grandmother, let’s make our drinking more fun, let’s play some wager game!.”

Big Madam Yao was interested, she wanted Cao Mo to play as well, so she looked at Cao Mo and asked, “What do you say?”

“Wager games? No, not my jam. Plus, I don’t own anything, all my stuff belong to my husband, you know what gran, I better leave now.” with that Cao Mo rose to his feet and walked away.

Big Madam Yao laughed and said, “Stop him!”

Mammies and maids surrounded Cao Mo and stopped him from reaching the exit.

Cao Mo was flexible and was no stranger to monkey business like this, he figured why not use this as an opportunity to amuse the Big Madam Yao, so he had been dodging and running from the mammies like they were playing Chicken VS Eagle.

The guests on the second floor were intrigued by the laughter from the third floor, Prince Xing rose to his feet and walked upstairs.

Xiao Yi who had been worried for Cao Mo followed Prince Xing.

What came to their sight was the mammies had finally trapped Cao Mo, and Cao Mo exclaimed, “Hubby, help help!”

Xiao Yi laughed and bowed to Big Madam Yao, “Grandmother, please forgive Mo.”

“Haha, good timing, Yi, come on over, we were about to play wager games and you wife wanted to run away.”

“Sounds fun, count me in please. I will wager on my property on east street.” Prince Xing laughed.

“Grandmother, please spare Mo, we always play drinking games related to poetry, but Mo doesn’t know much about poetry, please spare him.” Xiao Yi begged.

Yao Wenyuan chimed in, “That’s all right, we can play an easier game, say, Caimei.”

Caimei was a game of guessing numbers where guests guessed even or odd number of melon seeds.

Cao Mo chuckled, “Let’s play a new game today, shall we?”

“Oh? What do you have in mind?” asked Yao Wenyuan.

Xiao Yi got worried, “Aiya, my good wife, come on now, grandmother is willing to spare you, and you are volunteering to play now?”

Big Madam Yao laughed, “Yi, stop over-protecting your wife! Come on now, he wants to play, let him play.”

Xiao Yi forced a smile and asked for a piece of paper from the maid, Cao Mo had drawn nine x nine squares on the paper.

“What’s this?” Yao Wenyuan shook his head, “How do we play?”

“Sudoku! We insert numbers one to nice into a grid consisting of nice squares and each column, each row, and each of the nine subgrids that compose the grid contain all of the digits from one to nine.” Cao Mo introduced the rules with a big smile.

“Math, I lost.” Yao Wenyuan frowned.

Prince Xing laughed, “It turns out our Young Madam is not ignorant and incompetent.”

The crowd laughed and didn’t mention playing wager games any more.