Chapter 860 Extra 1
My name is Zhao Yuezhu and I am twenty years old.
From the age of fourteen, I was targeted by my neighbors, who all wanted me to be their daughter-in-law.
But because of my family's constant objections, I became a famous old maid in Dahe State, and this delay lasted until I was twenty years old.
"Zhuzhu, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and get up to dress and get ready!"
The person shouting at the door was my own mother.
My mother's given name was Wu Huiniang. More than ten years ago, she was a gentle and kind woman, but after giving birth to my siblings and me, her temper gradually became irritable.
To outsiders, my mother was an exceptionally capable housewife who managed everything inside and outside the house perfectly.
But for the three of us siblings, we would tremble in fear when my mother yelled.
Even if I were the bride today, I would still have to obediently submit to my mother's tyranny...
I got out of bed crying and sat in front of the dressing mirror.
"Zhao Dashan, why are you still working in the fields? Don't you see what day it is today?" I looked through the window and saw my mother grabbing my father's ear and yelling, "The second son is busy outside, and you, as a father, don't worry about anything. Hurry up and change your clothes and get busy. The guests will be here soon!"
My father covered his ears and begged for mercy: "Okay, okay, I'll go change my clothes."
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
My father was at least a fourth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. He never went to the capital to take up his post, but stayed in Dahe Prefecture and was of the same rank as the prefect.
Who would have thought that my father, a fourth-rank official, would be henpecked?
Of course, no one would have guessed that my mother, who seemed like a gentle and kind woman, was actually so fierce.
"Zhenzhen, your sister is getting married, why are you still sleeping in?"
"Haohao, get up right now! If you keep sleeping in, I'll spank you!"
See? My mom's started targeting my younger sister and brother again.
However, my younger brother and sister are indeed mischievous.
Xiao Zhenzhen is a glutton, a hundred times greedier than me, and is as fat as a ball.
Xiao Haohao was the only son my mother had given birth to after a long and difficult time. He was sickly as a child and suffered from some kind of illness, which resulted in him developing a mischievous and unruly personality. So my mother became ruthless and would beat Haohao mercilessly whenever he disobeyed. After so many years of corporal punishment, this brat Haohao finally made some progress. However, he was still not good at studying and always liked to dabble in unorthodox methods. He was one of the scourges in our family.
Another problem is Chenchen from my second uncle's family.
My second uncle's name is Zhao Jingcheng, and my second aunt's name is Cao Yingying. They also have three children. The eldest is Chenchen, who is slightly younger than me.
Chenchen was very cute when he was little. He would follow me around all day long and keep calling me "Sister". When I was learning medicine from Grandma Ma, he insisted on getting involved. As a result, he poured a jar of medicine into the lotus pond, and all the fish in the pond were poisoned to death... My grandma doesn't get angry easily, and she would never beat a child. But that time, she was so angry that she almost beat Chenchen up.
The youngest son of my second uncle and aunt, who is also Chenchen's younger brother, is considered the best student in his generation. He will be taking the provincial examination next year, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will pass and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).
But it doesn't matter if I don't pass the imperial examination. My second uncle is a royal merchant. Over the years, he has expanded the business that my grandmother founded to all corners of the world. When it comes to the richest man in the Great Yu Kingdom, everyone knows that it is Zhao Jingcheng.
My second uncle has so many businesses that even if each of his many children were to inherit them all, they wouldn't be able to finish them all. Since he can't take the imperial examinations, he should come back and inherit the family business.
I also have a third uncle named Zhao Jingyu, and a third aunt named Ruan Mingzhu.
However, my third uncle and aunt lived in the capital, and I could only see them once a year when I went to the capital with my grandmother.
My third aunt's nickname is exactly the same as mine. I like my third aunt very much. Every time I go to the capital, my third aunt teaches me to ride horses and shoot arrows. I am very good at riding.
Here's a funny story: My third aunt's mother gave birth to five sons before she was born, and my third aunt also gave birth to five sons in a row, but she just couldn't get pregnant with a sixth. The Taoist priest said that my third uncle and aunt were destined to have no daughters, so my third aunt treated me like her own daughter.
My fourth uncle is also in the capital. He was the top scholar in the imperial examination back then and is now a second-rank minister. My fourth aunt is Yu Jiao, the daughter of the famous scholar Yu Fuzi Dongliu.
Many, many years ago, Fourth Aunt's father, Master Yu, was despised by everyone. Later, he became famous after several battles at Dahe Academy. With the efforts of a hundred students, Master Yu's reputation was cleared, and he became the respected and admired Dongliu Hermit...
It's worth mentioning that my fourth uncle and aunt had two sets of twins who looked exactly alike. I rarely saw my twin brother and sister, and I always mistook them for each other.
I forgot to mention that I have a cousin named Cheng Zhao, who is also a high-ranking official in the capital and a popular figure around His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
My grandmother used to have a godson named Shen Zheng, whom I called Uncle Zheng. Uncle Zheng is incredibly capable; he's now a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Personnel, dealing with the most vicious and ruthless villains every day...
Because many members of my family live in Beijing, I originally planned to hold my wedding banquet there as well.
However, my great-grandparents were too old to travel to the capital for their wedding, so the wedding was held in Dahezhou instead.
Just as I was thinking about my great-grandfather and great-grandmother, the two old people came over.
I didn't even bother with dressing up. I lifted my skirt and went out of the bedroom to greet them: "Great-grandfather, great-grandmother!"
"Oh my, our Zhuzhu looks so beautiful today." My great-grandmother held my hand, her face full of love. "If you weren't getting older, I really wouldn't want to marry you off so early."
I:"……"
She's already twenty, considered an old maid in the surrounding area. If she doesn't get married soon, she'll really be stuck with this situation.
"That's right." Great-grandfather sighed, "That boy looks good, but his health is so poor. How can I protect Zhuzhu in the future?"
I quickly replied, "Lin Ye's illness has been cured, and he's in good health. Besides, I know kung fu, so I don't need him to protect me."
My future husband is named Lin Ye. He is the third son of the Lin family in the capital. Because he was sickly since childhood, he was sent to Dahe Prefecture to recuperate.
Our Dahe Town has beautiful mountains, rivers, and scenery. He has been living here for seven or eight years, and his health has gradually improved. Of course, this is also due to my contribution.
I learned medicine from Grandma Ma and used him as a practicer. He cooperated very well. In the end, his illness was cured and my medical skills also improved. It was really killing two birds with one stone.
Just then, the two families of my second aunt and third aunt walked in from the gate of the courtyard.
"Zhuzhu is finally getting married!"
"That's right, she's twenty years old. If she waits any longer, she really won't be able to get married."
"You mustn't say that. My sister-in-law said that it's not too late for a girl to get married at thirty. Otherwise, why would she have kept Zhuzhu for so many years?"
Everyone was talking and it was lively.
My second great-uncle's name is Zhao Youyin, and my second great-aunt's surname is Wen. They are both honest people, and they have four children.
The eldest son is Uncle Dawang, who married a girl from the Wang family in the village. Now, the couple helps manage all the Dahe Banquet businesses in Yunnan Province.
The second daughter is Aunt Xia Hua. Aunt Xia Hua married a merchant, and together with my second aunt Cao's family, they started a clothing business. This business is growing bigger and bigger, and it's no exaggeration to say that they make a fortune every day.
The third son is Uncle Erwang. Uncle Erwang was quite good at studying. He passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty and then entered Xiao Qin University for further studies. Although he did not become an official in the Court of State Ceremonial, he became a teacher at Xiao Qin University, responsible for teaching students some foreign language knowledge.
The fourth child is Aunt Qiuhua. Aunt Qiuhua married the eldest son of a seventh-rank official in Huzhou and is now the head of the household.
Let me tell you about my third great-uncle's family.
My third great-uncle's name is Zhao Youcai, and my third great-aunt's surname is Sun. When she was young, my third great-aunt had an unpleasant personality, but as the family's life has improved over the years, her personality has gradually become better.
The third uncle and his wife had three children.
The eldest daughter is Aunt Chunhua, who married Uncle Zheng's page, Shen Afu. Together with their great-grandfather, they run a carpentry shop, which now covers all the prefectures and states of Yunnan Province, and they plan to open one in the capital soon.
The second daughter is Aunt Donghua. Like me, Aunt Donghua is particularly greedy and loves to eat. When she was very young, she opened several beverage shops and saved up nearly 10,000 taels of silver as a dowry before marrying into the Li family in the capital.
The third one is Zhao Mingxuan. Why don't I call him Uncle Mingxuan? Because he's younger than me. He's always followed me around calling me "sister" since we were little. But now that we're older, he insists that I call him "uncle." I'm used to being the older sister, and I'm not going to be his niece.
There's so much to say about this guy, I could talk about him for three days and three nights straight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
