Mei Ling was let into the Mei House by her oldest brother, Mei Xin.
"It's good to see you visit, Mei Ling. You rarely come over to our house." Mei Xin was worried about this little sister of his. Mei Ling rarely comes over to the main house ever since she built her own house, so it's hard to check up on her situation.
"It's nice to see you too, Eldest brother." Mei Ling courtly nodded her head.
"Still the same." Mei Xin helplessly sighed while leading her to the main courtyard, where the whole family was weirdly gathered.
"Mei Ling, my daughter!" Mei Xiening exclaimed while Mei Hujing smiled at her warmly.
Mei Ling bowed her head in greetings.
"Good afternoon, Mother, Father, Brothers, and In-laws."
"We're family, why are you ever still polite, sister?" Her third brother, Mei Huo, pouted his lips.
"Unlike you, sister-in-law Mei has manners." Min Xi, Mei Hou's concubine, pinched his side.
"Ouch!"
"Why has our reliable daughter come to visit? Is there finally something we can help you out with?" Mei Hujing started the conversation once Mei Ling was ushered into a seat by her mother.
Mei Ling, stared at by her whole family, felt a little embarrassed to tell them about her problem.
"Ahh..."
"Come on, Mei Ling. You can tell us. Both mother and father are merchants, Eldest brother is a teacher, I'm a scholar, and even though it's not obvious, the third brother is a 7th rank official of the government. Surely we can solve your problem with a little bit of thinking." Mei Jun convinced her, as expected of the one who was titled the 'Persuasive Scholar'.
The Mei family nodded their heads, although that bankruptcy incident almost doomed them 2 years ago, they can still be said to be a reliable bunch. (Hehe...)
"I don't think my problem needs all that thinking. I just want to ask a question." Mei Ling stated, feeling overwhelmed that her family members were ready to tackle a very small problem of hers.
"What question? Just tell us, and we'll answer to the best of our ability!"
"Uh..."
"?????"
"What do I have to do to be seen as a reliable and good head of the family?" Mei Ling only knew how to work and work, but did not know how to take care of others. When she was a federal soldier, it was the others who accommodated her, the same happened here in this world.
Clueless Mei Ling did not know how to be a reliable leader or a family head, so she wanted to learn from the experts who had led their married lives quite well.
As if shocked, Mei Xiening covered her mouth and was about to shed tears of joy. Finally! This child is caring about other people too, not just them!
"Cough Cough"
"?"
"Mei Ling, finally..."
"Father, why are you suddenly shedding tears? Don't be so dramatic, eldest sister is just asking about a small problem. Ouch!"
Mei Hou was once again pinched in the sides by Min Xi.
"Shut it, you damn child! Your eldest sister is not you, a sociable butterfly! Your eldest sister is a loner who only had work in her head, unlike a 7th-rank official like you that only escapes from work every other day!"
"Why do you praise me and insult me in one phrase, mother?!"
Mei Ling felt the same sentiment of being insulted and praised at the same time.
"Third brother-in-law, let's not diverge from the eldest sister-in-law's question." Lin Ke, Mei Hou's wife, popped out and stood behind her husband with a smile.
"Greetings, First sister-in-law." Mei Ling politely nodded her head, eliciting a small laugh from Lin Ke.
"Still the same old, Mei Ling~"
"How to be a reliable and good head of the family? Hmm... Work hard on your job and give your salary to your wife? Isn't that the essence other than pampering your spouses with love?" Mei Jun didn't sound so persuasive somehow. This henpecked husband is the very saying of 'obeying his wives faithfully.'
"Where's the use of your smart head, second brother? What you already mentioned has been done by my eldest sister by years already."
"Tsk. Stupid children, listen to this mother of yours."
Mei Xiening shushed her contemplating sons.
"To be a reliable head and master of the house, you need to be calm. And Mei Ling has always been calm, aloof even, in some cases. The head must have a stable job and income to provide for the family, which Mei Ling already has. The head of the family must also care about their spouse, which I know Mei Ling does. Then the only thing left is to pamper them!" Mei Xiening exclaimed, and as if gaining enlightenment, Mei Hou cried out.
"Pamper them in bed!" Not only did Mei Hou get pinched again, he also got his head hit by several fists.
"That is true but that's not the main point. Splurging money for their spouses is the master of the house's duty! Pamper them in wealth and love so that they can never leave your side! Trap them with the sweetness they can never have in another person's arms!"
"Mother, I'm a little scared of you." Mei Xin slowly inched away from his mother's side.
"What are you saying? This is proven and tested by me! Looked at our family, isn't it harmonious, right dear?"
"Yes, it is." Mei Hujing nodded his head.
"Father, where are your guts to refute mother's tyrannic and forced words? Where does the head of the family's dignity go?"
"My dear children, I'm indeed the head of the family, but your mother is the neck that moves it, so by logic, she is the one behind me, she's the head of the family."
"..."
-----
Mei Ling left the house unnoticed after her mother's words of advice. She decided to do what her mother said, isn't the Mei Family the proof that her mother's words are quite right?