The family of three went inside.
Master Shen brought up the marriage proposal he had just mentioned again.
The other party was the eldest son of a family that had been helping the Shen family with rice milling for decades. Two months ago, his wife died in childbirth, and his parents immediately went to the Shen family to ask for his hand in marriage.
The Shen family had always been in the grain business. Every year, they would collect rice from various places and hand it over to this family for milling. It could be said that this family relied on the Shen family for their livelihood.
That's why he immediately came to the Shen family to ask for a marriage proposal as soon as his daughter-in-law died.
"This child seems honest and handsome; he's a good match for our Qing'er," Master Shen said to Madam Chen.
Madam Chen did not refute, but nodded gently: "If Master thinks it's good, then it's good."
Master Shen looked at Shen Qing: "Qing'er, what do you think?"
Shen Qing said, "His wife has only been gone for two months, and she died while giving birth to his child. Yet he is in such a hurry to remarry. I think his character is questionable."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chen immediately became worried and whispered to Master Shen, "Qing'er is right."
“That may be true, but if we want to keep Qing’er by our side, we must find her a marriage in Yongzhou. And in Yongzhou, the only one who is suitable for Qing’er for now is the son of this family.”
Shen Qing felt a chill run down his spine.
She had no desire to stay in Yongzhou.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Father and Mother, I am doing very well in Jiangzhou. I have no worries about food and clothing, and I am served by others. I do not want to remarry."
Neither Master Shen nor Madam Chen doubted these words at all.
Jiangzhou and Yongzhou are far apart, and they had only visited the Gao family once before their daughter's marriage. They knew that the Gao family was a wealthy family, but they were unaware of the series of changes that happened to the Gao family afterward, assuming that their daughter had always lived a comfortable life in the Gao family.
But in Mr. Shen's view, no matter how comfortable the days are, nothing is more real than having a husband who loves you. He believes that a woman must have a man.
But his daughter showed no interest in the marriage he had arranged, which made him think of other things.
He glanced meaningfully at Jiang Shen, who was guarding the door, then looked back at Shen Qing: "Who is that young man outside?"
“He’s my bodyguard,” Shen Qing explained. “I’m a woman who lost her husband, and I was afraid of being bullied, so I hired him as my bodyguard.”
Master Shen said, "You know that a woman without a husband will be bullied, so listen to your father's advice and remarry as soon as possible!"
Mrs. Chen nodded in agreement: "Your father is right, it's good to have a man to protect you."
Most women in feudal society were illiterate and had never practiced martial arts. Some even had their feet bound. For them, their only value seemed to be bearing children, and their survival depended on their husbands.
Whether it's food, clothing, daily necessities, or safety, everything needs to be provided through men.
But Shen Qing doesn't need these.
She looked confidently at Mr. Shen and Mrs. Chen, and smiled, "I understand your concerns, but I run my own business now and have money to spend. For security, I have bodyguards. For transportation, I have a coachman. As for my children..."
She put her arm around Su Lan, who was sitting next to her: "Su Lan is not only my apprentice, but also like my daughter. She will definitely be filial to me in the future."
Upon hearing this, Master Shen exclaimed urgently, "It's different after all! No, you must go and meet the young master that your parents found for you!"
Having said all that, Shen Qing saw that they were still persistent and feared that continuing the conversation would lead to an argument, so she could only stand up first and bow slightly to the two of them: "I'm sorry, I cannot comply."
After saying that, he led Su Lan into the house where the original owner lived before her marriage.
Chunju tidied up her belongings and said with a sigh, "Young mistress, I think the young master that Master mentioned is quite good. Why don't you go and meet him?"
Shen Qing looked around the room and casually asked, "Where can I go?"
Chunju choked for a moment, then hastily composed herself: "Most widowers are old men, but this young master is about your age, and his child was only recently born. If you raise the child, he will only recognize you as his mother. If you marry an older widower, the child will not recognize his stepmother when he grows up."
Shen Qing found it amusing, but said nothing.
Chunju's potential is limited, so there's no point in saying more.
Su Lan said, "If Master wants to get married, wouldn't it be better to marry Master's wife? She has never been married, has no children, and is good to Master."
The teacher's wife was Cheng Zhiwen.
Chunju chuckled and poked Sulan's forehead with her index finger: "How high are your teacher's standards? They're so high and mighty! I think only the princess is good enough for him!"
"What about Lord Qi? Doesn't he also like Master?"
Chunju sighed, "You don't understand. Many times, you can't just get married because you like someone."
She could also see that Qi Zhenheng liked her master, but she understood even more clearly that Qi Zhenheng would never marry Shen Qing; at most, he would make Shen Qing a concubine.
"Being a concubine means being controlled by the legal wife, and the legal wife can even sell the concubine. So it's better to be a widower's legal wife, at least that's legitimate and you don't have to worry about being sold by the legal wife every day..."
She kept talking to herself, but Shen Qing ignored her and looked around the room.
It's a very traditional Qing Dynasty-style boudoir, and it looks very clean, as if someone cleans it regularly.
A half-mask on the dressing table caught her attention.
She picked it up casually, put it on her face, and looked in the mirror.
The woman in the mirror had her upper face covered by a mask, while her lower face was pointed, with red, slightly upturned lips.
Memories suddenly overwhelmed Shen Qing, and he found himself in the Lantern Festival of his memories.
The masked boy came up to her and lowered his head to kiss her.
She saw his light brown eyes, his thin lower face, and a barely noticeable mole on the corner of his lip.
mole……
Cheng Zhiwen doesn't seem to have a mole...
He is not Cheng Zhiwen!
Shen Qing suddenly woke up and took a big step back.
The boy who kissed the original body during the Lantern Festival was not Cheng Zhiwen, but someone who looked very much like Cheng Zhiwen!
Shen Qing closed her eyes, trying to recall the boy's appearance, but found that she couldn't get into the mood.
She sat dejectedly in front of her dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror.
So perhaps Cheng Zhiwen never liked the original owner of this body?
At first, he thought she was the original owner of the body, so his disdain and impatience were genuine.
But who exactly is that mysterious man who kissed the original body?
Is he Cheng Zhiwen's twin brother?
"Young mistress... Young mistress..." Chunju called out.
Shen Qing snapped out of her daze and pointed to the mask on her face, asking, "Didn't I wear this mask to the Lantern Festival one year?"
Chunju nodded: "Yes, it was the time I went with Second Young Master Cheng. You asked me about it before!"
"Think again carefully. Besides Young Master Cheng, who else went with you that time?"
Chunju shook her head: "It seems there aren't any left..."
"Does Young Master Cheng have a twin brother?"
"Probably not."
Shen Qing sighed.
Memory cannot be wrong, and now there is this mask to prove it. The boy kissing the original body must be true, but Cheng Zhiwen has no twin brother. Who is that man who looks like him?
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