Chapter 33: Fighting with father-in-law brings endless joy and unexpected surprises

The Count opened the family precepts and, with a moved expression, said, "Although I have memorized the family precepts like the back of my hand, I still often review them to prevent myself from forgetting and losing my direction. Shen Lang, you are my half-son, and now you are also a member of the Jin family. You have the right and the obligation to study this family precept."

"Yes!" Shen Lang respectfully accepted the book.

The Count said, "As a member of the Jin family, every one of us must know the family precepts by heart. Once you have memorized this book, the house arrest order will be lifted, and you can go wherever you want."

"Ah..." Shen Lang was taken aback and asked, "How many characters are there in this family precept?"

"Not many, it's just 50,000 characters. It took me a month, while Mulan, being smart, only took 23 days to memorize it," the Count said. "You must memorize it word for word before you can leave this study. Do you understand?"

Goodness!

50,000 characters, and I have to memorize them word for word?

For those of you who graduated from the 985 and 211 universities, how long would it take you to memorize 50,000 characters?

Shen Lang already had an extraordinary memory, but when he was in high school, it would take him at least half a day to memorize an article of over 1,000 characters.

Moreover, the more characters there are, the harder it is to memorize. The difficulty increases geometrically.

For the descendants of the Jin family, memorizing the family precepts is a painful memory for every generation.

Seeing Shen Lang's distressed expression, the Count felt pleased.

When there is a will, there is a way.

I can easily control any young person, and Shen Lang is no exception.

Shen Lang said, "Father-in-law, do you promise? Once I have memorized the 'Jin Family Precepts,' you will set me free."

"Of course, I promise," the Count said. "You just need to memorize it thoroughly. Until then, you are not allowed to leave this study. I will send you meals and change your clothes every day."

Then the Count thought to himself, "By the time you have finished memorizing it, it will be at least a month later. Tomorrow, you won't even think about causing trouble outside."

"Did you hear that, Jin Zhong? Until my son-in-law has finished memorizing it, he is not allowed to leave the study," the Count commanded again.

"Yes!" Jin Zhong replied loudly.

Then, the Count left directly.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang hastily flipped through the 50,000-character "Jin Family Precepts."

...

A moment later, Mulan came in and set the meal on the table.

She was the daughter of the Count, and Shen Lang was her husband, but she never put on airs in front of Shen Lang.

Except for not staying in the same room, she fulfilled her duty as a wife meticulously.

"Husband, your elder brother has recovered from the danger. The doctor said he will wake up in two or three days," Mulan said.

Shen Lang corrected her, "He's Big Fool, not my elder brother."

Mulan exclaimed, "He's Big Fool, and you're Second Fool. Aren't you brothers?"

Shen Lang was speechless.

You are beautiful, you have a great figure, and everything you say is right!

Watching Shen Lang eat, Mulan asked, "How did Big Fool get injured? And why hasn't he been treated until now? If it had been a few hours later, he might not have been saved."

Shen Lang told her about Big Fool's ordeal.

"This is outrageous! A father who does this is worse than a beast!" Mulan was very angry and said, "Husband, rest assured, we will do everything to heal Big Fool. Then, we won't let him go hungry anymore."

Shen Lang put down his chopsticks and looked at her gently, saying, "Thank you, wife."

Mulan felt uneasy under his gaze and couldn't help asking, "Husband, what were you doing just now?"

"I've been grounded by my father-in-law, and I have to memorize the 'Jin Family Precepts' to be free," Shen Lang said.

Mulan said, "Memorizing this book is a nightmare for every member of the Jin family. It took me a full 23 days to memorize it."

This was almost the best result in the last few decades for the Jin family. Mulan said this with pride.

Then, she said with a serious tone, "Husband, are you in a hurry to go out?"

Of course, Shen Lang was in a hurry. If he didn't have Tian Hang break Tian Sange's legs tomorrow, he would lose face.

"I'll go and ask Father to lift your house arrest," Mulan said.

Shen Lang smiled, shook his head, and said, "No need. This will damage my father-in-law's authority."

This father-in-law is nice, and Shen Lang needs to consider his feelings.

Mulan looked at Shen Lang for a while before saying, "You should focus on studying in the study. I will bring your meals and clean clothes every day. As for Tian Hong, please don’t worry. Once I find an opportunity, I will definitely seek justice for you."

Shen Lang replied, "Thank you, wife."

However, Shen Lang must personally take revenge on the Xu family, Lin family, and Tian Hong.

He was already satisfied with the support from the Count’s mansion, and if he needed their help for his revenge, it would be a display of his incompetence.

After Mulan left, Shen Lang began his arduous study. Wait, that's not accurate! He was actually flipping through the book, spending at most half a minute on each page. It didn't seem like he was studying; it felt more like taking pictures. Indeed, Shen Lang was essentially taking pictures.

The alien notebook inside his body had turned into an intelligent brain, and his eyes were like camera lenses. After carefully looking through a page, the information would be completely recorded in his brain. The book "The Instructions of the Jin Family" was about 50,000 words, around 200 pages. Shen Lang spent just over an hour to completely memorize it. To be precise, he had completely recorded it. Not a single word was missed, and if there were punctuation marks, he wouldn't have made a single mistake.

The study had a bed, and Shen Lang lay down comfortably. He hesitated, should he go and show off to his father-in-law now, or wait until tomorrow morning? Well, it’s better to wait until tomorrow morning. One must have a conscience; his father-in-law was a good person, and it would be too harsh to humiliate him now.

"Ah, difficulty sleeping alone again. When will my forty years of being single come to an end?"

"Difficulty sleeping alone, difficulty sleeping alone, how can I fall asleep with these thoughts?"

Five minutes later, Shen Lang fell into a deep sleep.

Hearing the snoring from inside, Jin Zhong, who was guarding outside, felt a sense of scorn.

It's just the start of the night, around 9:00 pm, and this Master Shen was already in bed. He didn't study properly; even the Count’s son studies until late at night. At this rate, it will take him forever to complete "The Instructions of the Jin Family." He'll probably be confined in the study for over a year.

Pathetic!

In the Count’s chamber.

"I think Shen Lang is not bad," the Countess said. "He's not as ignorant as the rumors make him out to be. He looks like a troublemaker, but in reality, he's a good boy. I can see people very clearly."

"He has a good character, but he's too impulsive and frivolous. He needs proper guidance," the Count said. "I've confined him, so he won't cause any trouble outside."

"Confined?" The Countess softened her voice. "He has just married into our family, but you're punishing him. Won't he feel resentful?"

"No, I've made him memorize 'The Instructions of the Jin Family.' He'll regain his freedom once he completes it. Only family members are qualified to memorize this book. It shows that I don't see him as an outsider."

"You are so cunning," the Countess said.

"Pride goes before a fall. I can't believe he'll submit to this," the Count chuckled. "Wait and see. It will take him at least fifty days to memorize the 50,000 words. He won't be allowed out of the study for a year and a half."

"That's not necessarily true. Everyone says he's ignorant, but after the wedding, he outsmarted Zhang Boyan in literacy. Maybe he'll finish in less than a month. He might even surpass you," the Countess smiled cunningly. "Let's make a bet."

The Countess, almost forty years old, remained graceful and beautiful. In that moment, her eyes flashed with a sly charm, making her appear twenty years younger, causing the Count to be captivated.

"If Shen Lang wins, there are some matters where I must have the final say," the Countess said, handing over a list. After reading it, the Count blushed and exclaimed, "This is outrageous! For instance, adding salt in the tofu pudding for breakfast? Or you disguising yourself as a man inside the mansion!"

“The lady from a prestigious family, how can she speak so recklessly?” The count said, “This is a disgrace to our culture, a disgrace!”

“Hmph!” The countess said, “You are so narrow-minded. When I was young, I roamed the world in men's clothing. What’s wrong with that? Will you agree or not?”

“This is turning everything upside down, nonsensical, truly nonsensical!” the count said.

The countess said, “Let’s make a deal. If Shen Lang can memorize this book of family rules within a month, then we will call it even. If he finishes a day early, you will agree to one thing, two days early and you’ll agree to two things, and so on.”

“Nonsense, absolute nonsense…” The count was obstinate.

The countess said, “It’s settled then. Man manages external affairs, woman manages internal affairs. If I can't even have a say in this, what’s the point of being a wife?”

The count said, “Dear, the division of labor between man and woman doesn’t mean that.”

The countess retorted, “Husband, are you trying to show off how educated you are?”

“I am not,” the count replied.

The countess got up from the bed, put on clothes, and walked out of the room.

The count couldn’t help asking, “Where are you going?”

The countess said, “I’m sure he’s studying hard right now. I want to cook a bowl of walnut lotus seed soup to nourish his brain.”

An hour later, the walnut lotus seed soup was ready, and the countess put it in a container and personally delivered it to Shen Lang.

She was determined to strive for a happy future. The tofu must be sweet, and she wanted to wear men's clothing, recalling the days when she roamed the world in her youth.

………………

Outside the study, she saw that the light was still on.

The countess thought to herself, “Certainly a good son-in-law, studying so hard at this late hour.”

The rumors outside about Shen Lang being lazy and ignorant were simply unreasonable.

“Greetings, Madam.” Jin Zhong immediately bowed in surprise upon seeing the countess.

“The light is still on. Is my son-in-law studying hard inside?” the countess said. “He must be working hard. I've brought him a bowl of walnut lotus seed soup to relieve his hunger.”

Truly a good mother-in-law.

Jin Zhong awkwardly replied, “The young master is already asleep.”

Oh!

The mother-in-law felt even more embarrassed.

“When did he go to sleep?” the countess asked.

Jin Zhong said, “Before the hour of Hai.”

He was even lazier than her own son, who studies late into the night every day.

“Hmph! This ungrateful boy. The rumors are true after all. He really is lazy and ignorant.” The countess was angry. She realized she might lose the bet with her husband.

The wager with her husband might end in her utter defeat.