After thinking about this story, Zhen Wanwan's heart clenched. This Magistrate Chen seemed to be a living bodhisattva!
He donated so much of his family fortune without hesitation.
Zhen Wanwan was still waiting to hear the rest of the story, so she randomly picked out a few items and paid the stall owner a small piece of silver.
He then put on a smile and said, "Because Magistrate Chen donated grain and money so generously, the rescued officials praised him one after another. Even General Xiao submitted a memorial, earnestly requesting the late emperor to reward Magistrate Chen."
"From then on, Lord Chen came to our county as magistrate... Originally, we were a poor village, but after Lord Chen came, he issued a series of decrees, which attracted many wealthy merchants, so our lives gradually improved!"
Upon hearing this, Zhen Wanwan's eyes sparkled, her heart filled with excitement. It seemed she had come to the right place!
According to the stall owner, Guangling County has a very good business environment and a large flow of people.
Moreover, there are many itinerant merchants, so she doesn't have to worry about her customers.
She'll open more stores then, develop in all aspects, and make the business bigger and stronger!
Zhen Wanwan lost interest in wandering around and went straight back to the courtyard with her child in her arms.
She locked herself back in her room and painstakingly wrote traditional Chinese characters with a fountain pen, intending to hand them to Zhuyuan when he sent her a message.
Their cooperation has taken a new turn!
Today passed quickly. Zhen Wanwan didn't receive any news from Zhuyuan. Instead, she was pressured to get married by Zhou Ersao.
On behalf of someone else, Zhou Ersao came to sound out Zhen Wanwan's thoughts, but perhaps she was too vague in her words, making it difficult for Zhen Wanwan to understand.
In short, the two of them were talking past each other, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
When they saw Rou'er playing with Tianbao, Zhou Ersao said quietly, "In the blink of an eye, Tianbao has grown so much. I still remember when she was born, she was so thin and weak. I thought she wouldn't survive!"
"Fortunately, my darling babies are blessed..."
As she spoke, Zhou Ersao glanced at Zhen Wanwan's expression from time to time, and continued, "Speaking of which, we've settled down quite a bit, and the two kids are almost grown up. Haven't you thought about finding someone?"
She nudged Zhen Wanwan's arm and quietly asked, to which Zhen Wanwan replied calmly, "I can still afford to raise two children."
Aunt Zhou clicked her tongue and shook her head, saying, "Children are easy to raise, but they lose their fathers at such a young age, and they'll feel inferior when they grow up!"
"While they're still young and won't remember anything, you should find one quickly..."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Wanwan didn't know what to say. Putting aside the question of whether the children had a father or not, she was still confident that she could raise the two children well.
She was getting annoyed by her sister-in-law's constant urging to get married.
She said somewhat displeasedly, "I don't like taking care of other people's parents or serving other people's families. I especially dislike dealing with all sorts of relatives. If Sister-in-law Zhou knows any wealthy men who are orphans, please keep them for me. If it works out, I will definitely reward you handsomely!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all three of them stood there, frozen in place.
Zhou Ersao blinked blankly, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say, and just said dryly, "How can there be such a person?"
Meanwhile, Qu Huaiyuan, who had been paying attention to the conversation between the two, suddenly lost his composure and looked embarrassed.
He met none of her requirements except for being male.
As soon as Zhu Yuan stepped into the courtyard, a stirring of joy appeared in his heart.
He had no parents, no elders, and no extended family. He believed that his family had some assets, which barely met her requirements.
So... can he propose marriage now?
As Zhen Wanwan set out her conditions, some people automatically put themselves in her shoes; those who met the conditions were secretly delighted, while those who didn't were secretly heartbroken.
Zhou Ersao, having made a fool of herself, slunk away to continue her work, leaving Duli Zhen still standing there.
Zhu Yuan stepped through the courtyard gate, his eyes filled with tenderness as he walked towards her step by step.
Zhen Wanwan looked up and saw that it was Zhu Yuan. She was suddenly overjoyed and quickly said, "I thought you weren't coming today!"
"What have you thought about what I told you yesterday?"
Zhu Yuan gave a soft "hmm": "Your idea is very good!"
He held up the things he had bought and looked around the yard for anyone else. Seeing that there was no one there, he asked curiously, "Where are Auntie and the others?"
"Oh! My mother and sister-in-law went to my aunt's house, and a bunch of kids went out to play with my second brother."
Looking at the basket in his hand, Zhen Wanwan asked curiously, "What are you carrying?"
Zhu Yuan chuckled softly and lifted the handkerchief, revealing fresh meat and vegetables inside.
"Since I've been eating here for free for the past few days, I bought some vegetables for you."
Zhen Wanwan looked at him in surprise, her eyes filled with astonishment.
This person seems cold and unapproachable, but I never expected them to be so down-to-earth.
"You can even buy groceries? Then can you cook?"
"meeting!"
Zhu Yuan answered affirmatively. He noticed a glint in Zhen Wanwan's eyes and knew that she was surprised by his cooking skills.
Suddenly he lowered his eyes and said with a hint of disappointment, "When I was all alone, I often ate the rotten vegetables that others didn't want to fill my stomach. Later, I got seriously ill and learned to make a fire and cook for myself."
Zhen Wanwan was startled by what she heard and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch a sore spot."
She was telling the truth. From the day she met Zhuyuan, although he was aloof, he acted like a young master from a wealthy family.
She had such a tragic childhood. Even if her daily life in her previous life was not pleasant, it was not so bad that she had to pick up rotten vegetables to eat.
Zhu Yuan, however, showed no expression. These things were all in the past, and he had never held them in his heart.
If he hadn't listened to Feng He's words, he would never have done such a sob story!
Zhen Wanwan didn't want to continue rubbing salt in other people's wounds, so she took the vegetable basket from his hand and put it in the kitchen.
He then led him to the main room and went to find the contract he had painstakingly written.
She handed the handwritten contract to Zhuyuan and sat on the other side waiting for him to read it and give his opinion.
"Take a look and see if there's anything wrong. If there's no problem, we'll sign and stamp it."
As she spoke, she took out a pen and inkpad and waited quietly for Zhuyuan.
This wasn't the first time Zhu Yuan had received a handwritten letter from her, but he was once again drawn to the delicate handwriting, the small stick in her hand, and the bright red rouge.
Pointing at the pen and inkpad with a puzzled expression, he asked, "What are these?"
Zhen Wanwan blinked. She had been so focused on the contract that she had taken out her pen.
Luckily, she can make things up!
"Ah! This... I met a traveling merchant a few days ago, and he sold it to me. I thought it looked novel and convenient, so I kept it!"
"Oh? So this rouge was also bought from a traveling merchant?"
Zhu Yuan pointed to the inkpad, its bright red color making one wonder what it would look like if applied to her lips!
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