Chapter 738: Old Ginger is Spicier

"We’re living in the countryside and doing okay. Mom, Dad, how have you been?"

Rosalind Green didn’t want to talk about Ethan Hawthorne, so she quickly changed the subject. She hadn’t seen her parents in ten years, and they had aged quite a bit. It made her heart ache.

Mrs. Green smiled. "We’re doing fine. Your dad will be able to retire in a few years. Are you back in Tristone to stay? Or will you be returning to the countryside?"

"I have to go back. I made this trip especially to see you. Mom, have a pastry. I bought your favorite—peach shortbread."

Rosalind Green opened the pastry box. Beside her, Rhonda’s eyes flickered. It was the first time she had met Rosalind Green; she had only heard of her before. Rumor had it her sister-in-law was a legendary beauty, a delicate creature who couldn’t do a lick of work and had married a rich husband—though he’d supposedly fallen on hard times recently.

But looking at her now, she didn’t seem so unlucky. ’The fabric of that coat looks expensive,’ Rhonda thought. ’It would cost me two months’ salary to have one made. I debated getting one for a long time before the New Year but couldn’t bring myself to spend the money.’

’And those fancy pastries... I can never afford to buy them. I was hoping to take that box home for my parents, but Rosalind just had to open it. So wasteful.’

Rhonda felt a prickle of annoyance. She forced a smile and said, "It’s not good to eat sweets at your age, Mom. You should probably skip it."

Mrs. Green shot her a sidelong glance. "I’m not that old," she said coolly. "I’m still a few years younger than your mother, you know."

’Hmph. As if I don’t know what she’s up to,’ Mrs. Green thought. ’She just wants to squirrel those pastries away for her own family again. So petty. If she hadn’t given me such a wonderful grandson, I wouldn’t even bother with Rhonda.’

As if making a deliberate show of power, Mrs. Green took a piece of the shortbread and gave it to her grandson, then another to Mr. Green, before finally taking one for herself. Rhonda’s smile faded slightly, but she hadn’t given up. Her eyes fell upon the dark red corduroy fabric Rosalind had brought, which would be perfect for a pair of pants for her niece.

"This fabric is lovely. A little girl would look so pretty in it," Rhonda said, stroking the cloth as she tried to gauge her mother-in-law’s reaction.

"What’s so pretty about a little girl wearing such a drab, old-fashioned color?"

Mrs. Green’s single sentence shut her daughter-in-law down completely. She could see right through Rhonda’s intentions. ’She comes from a petty, small-minded family,’ Mrs. Green thought. ’So short-sighted. I’m still the one in charge of this house. Rhonda can forget about trying to usurp my authority.’

Adrian Hawthorne silently watched his grandmother and aunt clash, secretly amused. He had always thought his grandmother was weak and ineffectual, but now he saw his father had been wrong. His grandmother was an iron fist in a velvet glove—gentle on the surface but tough underneath. His aunt, on the other hand, looked formidable, but it was all a bluff. She was no match for his grandmother at all.

Mrs. Green locked the fabric and the remaining pastries in a trunk right in front of Rhonda, completely crushing her hopes. Rhonda’s mood soured, but then she remembered the ten-yuan red envelope Rosalind had given her, and her spirits lifted again. She began to shower Rosalind with compliments, laying the flattery on so thick that Rosalind didn’t know how to respond.

"Rhonda, come with me for a moment."

Mrs. Green dragged her daughter-in-law into the adjacent room. The moment they were inside, she held out her hand. "Give me the red envelope."

Rhonda instinctively clutched her pocket. "Mom, my sister-in-law gave this to Dante."

Mrs. Green sneered. "Your sister-in-law gave one to Dante. That shows she has good manners. As his aunt, don’t you think you should give your nephew a welcoming gift?"

"Of... of course, I was going to," Rhonda stammered. "I’ll go prepare a red envelope for him right now."

Rhonda cursed inwardly. ’I was hoping my mother-in-law would be the one to give him a gift!’ Still, she figured she’d just put two yuan in an envelope. That could be considered a grand gesture in itself.

But Mrs. Green wasn’t giving her the chance. "No need to wrap a new one. Just give me the envelope Rosalind gave you. I’ll just switch out the red paper." Before Rhonda could even process what was happening, her mother-in-law reached into her pocket and snatched the red envelope.