Chapter 51 The Haunting of the Chang Ghost
Duan Chenxuan chose to meet on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year to discuss the marriage of the two families' children.
The Duan family has been involved in politics for generations, and Duan Hong, 63, is currently a high-ranking official in Beijing.
He spent his life in politics, and after five years of IVF treatments with his wife, they finally had a daughter late in life. They cherish her dearly, as if they could pluck the stars and the moon from the sky.
"Xi'er's father went abroad on business with a delegation on New Year's Eve. Before leaving, he told me that I must pay my respects after the New Year."
"No way, if you can't come, then we'll go instead. We're family, so let's not stand on ceremony."
With her mother around, Duan Xi'er transformed into a well-behaved daughter, sitting between her two mothers and whispering sweet nothings to each other.
She glanced at the time. "At this hour, Ah Si should be getting off work soon. But... hasn't Sister Zhenzhen finished shopping yet?"
Madam Shen's smile faltered for a moment, then returned in the blink of an eye, as she explained to Madam Duan, who was peering over:
“Zhenzhen is the most thoughtful child. As soon as she heard that her mother-in-law was coming today, she felt that as a junior, she should prepare some gifts. I think she should go back soon after she finishes picking out the gifts.”
Madam Duan came from a scholarly family and possessed an innate literary air. She sat there with a gentle smile and said, "Regardless of background, that child was raised by you, so he can't be wrong in the general direction."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the person came back from outside.
A travel-worn Lu Zhenyu was brought before Duan's mother and took the gift box from Xiaomeng's hand.
"Auntie, this is a small gift to mark our meeting. I hope you will accept it."
"Miss Lu, you are very kind."
With her eyes drooping, Madam Duan didn't reach out; instead, the old nanny behind her stepped forward to take her away.
This wasn't the first time Lu Zhenyu had met the Duan family. In Feng Manman's words, she didn't know what noble lineage they had, but the whole family had this arrogant air about them. They always wore glasses and carried a book, acting like they came from a scholarly family.
Lu Zhenyu slightly lowered her eyes, followed the hand extended by Mother Chen, and sat down.
The shrewd eyes behind the silver-rimmed mirror swept over the woman twice. Duan's mother asked, "Miss Lu, did you not bring your husband back with you this time when you went back to your parents' home?"
Mother Shen explained that the Zheng family was short-handed during the New Year's celebrations, so the people had gone home first.
Madam Duan lowered her eyes and casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her words ambiguous, "So, Miss Lu is planning to stay at her parents' home for a while?"
Mother Shen laughed and said, "Well, Xiao Xi said that her sister Zhenzhen has been married before and has experience, so she wanted to ask her to come back and help prepare for the engagement banquet and wedding. I think so too. Young people these days are all following the trend, so let's just let them handle it."
Duan Xi'er took her mother's arm and said sweetly, "Mom, Sister Zhenzhen came back because of me. And on the wedding day, there's a ceremony where the groom's sisters give the bride gold ornaments, and Sister Zhenzhen is always there for that."
“That’s right,” Mother Shen replied with a smile. “It symbolizes welcoming the new bride and bidding farewell to the old one. Our Zhenzhen has remembered it all along.”
Lu Zhenyu met the gaze of Shen's mother and returned the smile.
From then on, all she had to do was nod and smile occasionally. Saying too much or too little would offend someone and waste her breath.
Madam Duan slowly withdrew her eyes and didn't respond to the question. Instead, the old nanny behind her spoke up.
"Am I getting old? Why do I always think that the best person to wear gold jewelry is a married older sister or an unmarried younger sister? I think Miss Lu didn't even finish university back then before she got married so hastily..."
The old woman, who was only halfway through her sentence, sighed with difficulty.
Mother Shen lifted her eyelids and looked at her, "What does Zhang Mama mean by this?"
The old woman looked to be in her fifties, with her hands tucked into her sleeves, and always had an air of superiority with her chin raised and her eyelids drooping.
Her smile revealed her sharp tongue even more clearly. "Etiquette is rigid, but people are flexible. In the past, if there were two children in a family, the younger child couldn't go before the older one if the older one wasn't married. But things have changed now. If you ask me, we should just skip the part about the younger sister wearing gold jewelry. It wouldn't be a big deal."
The old woman didn't say it explicitly, but everyone could tell that she was subtly hinting at Lu Zhenyu's adopted daughter status.
"and……"
The smiling eyes of Mother Shen, who had straightened up a bit, turned cold as she looked at her. "What other brilliant ideas does Mother Zhang have?"
Anyone with eyes could see that the mistress of the house was dissatisfied, but the old woman laughed out loud, revealing her true colors as a smooth, mercenary, and shameless person.
“Mrs. Shen, you flatter me. I’m just a wet nurse, what insightful opinions could I possibly have?”
The old woman glanced at Lu Zhenyu, who was sitting upright next to Chen Mu, and cleared her throat.
"It's just that our madam had a fortune teller do some time ago to tell the fortunes of Miss and Young Master Shen. The fortune teller said that the reason their relationship is so complicated is because they are haunted by villains and have evil spirits around them. They should stay away from girls who are born with double evil spirits, especially those with a very strong fate."
Upon hearing this, the living room suddenly fell silent.
Her fate is hard, she will bring misfortune to her relatives and friends, and she will be surrounded by villains. Every word she said was not about Lu Zhenyu, but it was all aimed at attacking her.
Even Shen's mother, who was used to putting on a show, could hardly keep up her composure; the corners of her tightly pursed lips twitched slightly.
Looking across at Duan's mother, who remained silent, she sat there leisurely with her hands folded on her lap.
That face, which at first glance appears elegant and noble, makes one think of four words the more one looks at it:
"Aloof and arrogant"
Ever since Lu Zhenyu returned, this woman has never given anyone a second glance.
Despite his gentle and mild-mannered manner, his words were tinged with aloofness and disdain.
Now she's letting her servants openly bully people, isn't that just to vent her anger for her daughter back then?
Of course, it was also out of genuine contempt.
The Duan family was highly respected in the capital. When they went out, everyone had to greet them with polite smiles and compliments.
Back in the Shen family's most glorious days, the person in charge would always grace them with their presence and invite them for a drink at the end of the year.
Looking across the capital, the only family the Duan family could marry into was a family like this, a match that everyone would envy.
This adopted daughter, however, was like a fishy fish in this delicious soup, making Zhuang Xue look down on her in every way.
Back then, everyone outside said, "The Shen family has raised an unparalleled socialite whose talent in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, appearance, and intelligence is unmatched." Because of this, the mother and daughter were quite the sensation in the capital.
As it turned out, this person was nothing more than a pretty face with no substance.
The young lady did not adhere to traditional female virtues. She had an entanglement with her nominal brother in her early years, and later she hastily got married before even finishing her studies. The man she married was a boy from the Zheng family, whom everyone in the circle looked down on behind her back.
Zhuang Xue felt that even sharing a roof with this kind of shameless, unrespecting woman who only knew how to climb the social ladder was beneath her dignity.
How could Shen's mother not see this? She hated those hypocrites who considered themselves superior and called themselves literati and artists, but in reality, they were nothing but a fart.
Especially the one in front of her; if it weren't for valuing this marriage, Chen Jie would never have associated with this Zhuang girl.
It's just that my daughter has to suffer, having to keep an eye on people from time to time.
From the moment she sat down on the sofa, Lu Zhenyu remained quietly seated, her eyes slightly lowered, revealing no emotion whatsoever, and no one could guess her feelings.
The living room, which had been packed with people, fell silent because of the old woman's words.
On the surface, everyone appears peaceful and harmonious, but in reality, each harbors their own ulterior motives.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Duan Xi'er smiled to ease the tension, "Aunt Zhang, what are you saying? Sister Zhenzhen is already married, how can she possibly be a match for me and A Si?"
"Besides, every couple in true love has its ups and downs. Even mom and dad sometimes have disagreements."
Her words were quite reasonable, which made Mother Shen feel a little more at ease.
Oh well, even if Mom is annoying, her daughter is good. Chen Jie genuinely admires this soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
Her eyes were full of affection as she looked at him. "Xiao Xi is such a considerate and sensible child."
Duan Xi'er smiled and acted coquettishly towards Chen's mother, then moved to sit next to Lu Zhenyu and affectionately linked arms with her.
“Sister Zhenzhen, Aunt Zhang is old and superstitious, please don’t mind her.”
Lu Zhenyu's arm, wrapped in gauze, throbbed with pain as the woman pulled and shook it, but she remained unfazed and unblinking.
The way he silently raised his eyes and stared at people was all the more terrifying.
Xiao Meng, who was behind her, couldn't stand it anymore and wanted to remind Duan Xi'er that Lu Zhenyu was injured, but she was interrupted.
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