“Auntie, you might be mistaken. The second son’s name doesn’t seem to be Su Jin.” Jiang Jiaojiao vaguely remembered Qin Shi mentioning it.

Jiang Jiaojiao pressed for more information, but Qin glared at her and said, "You're a married woman now, and you're still digging into your cousin's affairs. Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you for not being a proper wife?"

Jiang Jiaojiao felt guilty. Although Qin Shi did not reveal her affair with the Third Young Master Wei, she made many sarcastic remarks about her. Jiang Jiaojiao tried her best to stay in her room and not visit the second branch of the family.

At this point, Madam Yang was truly dumbfounded.

She looked at Jiang Zhengming, "What should we do?"

"Once they're inside the Su family's door, what can they do?"

Jiang Zhengming looked at Jiang Jiaojiao with displeasure, "Didn't you tell Su Peng that that wretched girl is still alive?"

"without."

Su Peng refused to consummate their marriage, so how could she possibly tell him about Jiang Shuyue?

Jiang Zhengming guessed that the son-in-law had fallen out with the bride's family since he didn't accompany her on her homecoming visit.

He told Madam Yang, "Have her take back the gifts that Madam prepared for her return visit."

Watching her father leave in a huff, Jiang Jiaojiao told Yang the truth.

"Auntie, the Su family knows about my past, and Su Peng is currently angry with me."

"Silly daughter, you need to control your temper. Do you understand what your father means?" Madam Yang said, reaching out to tap Jiang Jiaojiao's forehead.

Jiang Jiaojiao shook her head, "Father didn't explain clearly, I don't understand what you mean."

Caiyan chimed in, "The master didn't ask you to stay for lunch, Miss. He just wanted you to go back early and talk to the young master about the eldest young lady's situation."

Madam Yang took a purse from her bosom and stuffed it into Caiyan's hand.

"You must take good care of Miss Su while she is at the Su family. You are a clever girl. I will arrange for you to marry Zhao Wu later."

Caiyan took the purse and knelt down with a "plop". "Thank you for your kindness, Auntie. I am wholeheartedly serving you, Miss. You have not yet established yourself in the Su family, so I am not in a hurry to get married."

After saying that, Caiyan kowtowed.

If she were to marry Zhao Wu, that illiterate, uncultured man, her children would also be slaves, and her descendants would be slaves for generations—that was not what she wanted.

“Caiyan doesn’t like Zhao Wu. We’ll talk about it later. Aunt, please take care of yourself. We’re going back now.”

Jiang Jiaojiao reluctantly went to pay her respects to Madam Zheng and returned to the Su family with the gift box prepared by Madam Zheng.

After seeing her daughter off, Yang turned back into her room, thinking about how she had repeatedly pushed her daughter into the fire pit.

Now think about Jiang Shuyue. Her medical clinic is famous throughout the capital, her restaurant is thriving, and her grain shop is highly praised by everyone.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, and she couldn't help but lie on the bed, cover her head with the blanket, and wail loudly.

...

When Jiang Jiaojiao returned to the Su family home, Su Peng had just arrived as well.

"Miss and Master, go back to your room and talk. I'll go to the kitchen to help prepare lunch." Caiyan gave Jiang Jiaojiao a wink, picked up her bamboo basket, and headed to the kitchen.

The Su family didn't have any extra servants, so Caiyan had to go to the kitchen every day to cook with Qin's personal maid.

The gifts given by Zheng for the bride's return visit were ordinary items, including two catties of meat and a box of pastries.

Su Peng's gaze followed Caiyan's figure.

She wore her hair in a bun styled like a maid's head, without any extra pearl flowers in her hair.

The smile she gave him just now was as refreshing as morning dew, as gentle as a feather brushing against his heart.

The little girl has delicate features and is quite clever, especially with the way she sways her hips when she walks.

Remembering his mother's words that women with big butts are good at bearing children, Su Peng couldn't help but smile.

After a moment, Su Peng finally looked away.

Jiang Jiaojiao naturally witnessed this scene and had something to say to Su Peng today.

She suppressed her displeasure and said, "Husband, you didn't come back to my parents' home with me today. My father asked me to bring you a message."

Su Peng's eyes lit up. "Did my uncle mention my father?"

Su Peng himself had no hope of entering officialdom, but if his uncle could help his father, the family's life would be a little better.

"Let's go back inside and talk about it."

The two returned to the house, each lost in their own thoughts, and Jiang Jiaojiao closed the door behind her.

Su Peng rubbed his hands together and urged, "Tell me quickly, I also have something to discuss with you."

"Jiang Shuyue is still alive. She is not dead. She is doing well."

"You mean her..." Su Peng exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, it's her."

Before Su Peng could finish his question, Jiang Jiaojiao waved her hand, interrupting him.

Su Peng shook his head in disbelief: "Impossible, you must have mistaken me for someone else. If she really is my cousin, she would definitely recognize me."

"Then go ask her why she suddenly became so heartless and ungrateful, not only disowning you but also disowning her father."

Su Peng still didn't believe it. He asked in return, "If she was my cousin, why did my uncle say she died suddenly?"

"This...this is a family scandal, I'll tell you about it later." Jiang Jiaojiao's eyes darted away.

"No, that's hard to believe. She's a girl working alone outside. That huge family business couldn't have been earned by a woman alone."

Su Peng was excited, but still retained some rationality.

He hoped he hadn't mistaken the person for someone else, but how could he explain all this?

"I don't know any of what you're saying. Anyway, she became a different person after returning to the capital. As for where her wealth came from, who knows? Maybe she married a rich merchant, or maybe she became someone's mistress."

Jiang Jiaojiao's words were a revelation to Su Peng.

I recalled meeting Jiang Shuyue not far from the palace gate; the people living in that area were all wealthy and powerful.

He slapped his forehead. "Oh dear! Could this be related to that person in the palace?"

Su Peng became more and more excited as he thought about it, and his face flushed red.

"No, we have to tell our parents about this. With my cousin as our benefactor, we won't have to live such a hard life anymore."

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