Chapter 62: Always Testing the Waters
Madam Jin's kind yet sharp gaze swept over Yu Wan, and after seeing the latter bow, she smiled and nodded.
"Don't be so formal, relax."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "Thanks to Young Master Jin and Miss Zhu, my two friends and I are able to stay at your residence. If we have offended you, please forgive us, Madam."
Madam Jin placed the water ladle on the stone platform beside her, washed her hands, and then picked up a handkerchief that had been prepared to wipe them.
"They kept praising you to me, and seeing you today, you really are a clever little girl with a pretty face."
"Thank you for your kind words, Madam."
Madam Jin waved her hand, "It's hot outside, let's all go inside and talk."
Zhu Zhifeng helped her into the house, with Yu Wan following behind them.
After eating a few slices of chilled watermelon and some grapes, Madam Jin seemingly casually inquired about Yu Wan's background.
"I heard you're from Sui County. Your father and brothers went to the battlefield, leaving only your mother and young brother at home. From being penniless to becoming the richest person in the county, that's quite remarkable."
Yu Wan sensed another unsettling meaning.
"Just trying to make a living."
Zhu Zhifeng thought she was being too modest, and was about to recount all the things she had done when Old Madam Jin interrupted her.
"It's really not easy for a young girl."
Zhu Zhifeng said, "Grandmother, you have no idea how hard she used to work. When my cousin and I first met her, it was freezing cold, but she was dressed in thin clothes. If it weren't for her hard work to earn money, I can't imagine how her family would have survived."
Madam Jin smiled and said, "You two are quite destined for each other. You started seeing each other often and became good friends."
Zhu Zhifeng said, "No, Awan is usually very busy. We only met again after she had already opened her shop for a while."
She showered Yu Wan with praise, wishing she could write a book of compliments for her.
As she continued her rambling, a glint of wisdom shone in her eyes as she stared at Yu Wan's face, as if trying to peel back the surface to see what lay beneath.
Yu Wan, however, was now certain of what was making her uncomfortable.
From the moment the old lady first looked at her, there was that intense scrutiny, that contempt from someone who had long held a high position for a nobody.
The old lady's kind smile carried a condescending arrogance, and she observed her behavior with suspicion and a desire to expose the truth.
His words were also a constant test of her bottom line.
Sure enough, her aged, deep voice rang out again, this time with an even more direct purpose.
But instead of speaking to Yu Wan, she turned her gaze to Zhu Zhifeng, "You two siblings are quite alike. Your cousin Yifei has never praised any woman like he has praised Miss Awan. It seems Miss Awan is quite an extraordinary woman. I hope your future cousin-in-law won't take it to heart when she finds out about this, otherwise the two of you will have a fight, haha."
Yu Wan smiled faintly.
Zhu Zhifeng asked innocently, "Cousin-in-law?"
Looking at Yu Wan's face, Old Madam Jin nodded with a smile.
"That's right. A few years ago, his family wanted to find him a good marriage, but he secretly ran away and traveled around. Now he's in his mid-twenties, and it's time for him to settle down and start a family."
Zhu Zhifeng pouted, strongly disagreeing with her words, "I think my cousin did the right thing. You have no idea how happy he's been all these years. When he was in Sui County, he often told me about the interesting things he did on his travels. It was so much fun. What's the point of getting married? It's so boring!"
Madam Jin said, "People always need to start a family, build a career, expand their family, and have many descendants, so it is very important to marry someone of equal social standing. This is not just a matter between two people, but between two families."
Zhu Zhifeng said, "According to you, marriage is just a tool for pursuing interests."
"Of course, what else could it be? You're young, and you're still thinking about such vague things as love. But can that put food on the table? Ah Feng, you also need to remember that a marriage between people of different social standing will not be happy."
Zhu Zhifeng ate a grape, "I don't want to get married."
The old lady said, "You stay here this time. I will personally arrange your marriage with your cousin and I will definitely choose the best family for the two of you."
Zhu Zhifeng swallowed the grape flesh in her mouth, spat out the skin, and retorted firmly with an unusually serious attitude.
“No! I won’t stay! I told my parents when I left home that I would go back to Sui County. Grandmother, you don’t need to worry about me. This is my own business, and I know what I want.”
The old lady slammed her hand on the table and sternly rebuked her: "Outrageous! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Zhu Zhifeng retorted, "I said, I'll handle my own affairs! I won't stay in Jiangnan, nor will I accept your arranged marriage! I have my own path to walk!"
The old lady pointed at her face, her face flushed with anger.
"How dare you openly defy your elders and disobey your grandmother! Who taught you such a thing!"
Zhu Zhifeng made a harsh statement, "Anyway, none of you can control me! If you force me to stay here and force me to get married, then what you'll be carrying in the bridal sedan chair will be a corpse!"
Old Madam Jin was so angry she couldn't speak, pointing a trembling finger at her.
“Ah Feng, children your age are prone to making mistakes, and your grandmother doesn’t blame you. But I’m also going to say this harshly: you must stay in Jiangnan, even if you’re just a corpse!”
"Incomprehensible! Just you wait!" Zhu Zhifeng stood up angrily, grabbed Yu Wan's hand, and walked out.
The two met Jin Yifei at the entrance of the courtyard after hearing the commotion.
Jin Yifei asked worriedly, "How are you? Did Grandmother give you any trouble?"
Zhu Zhifeng snorted, "Anyway, I've already fallen out with her. Cousin, I finally understand why you don't like staying at home; this kind of place is only suitable for the living dead!"
Jin Yifei looked around and said in a low voice, "Don't talk here. I've already prepared a carriage. Let's go out shopping as planned and talk outside."
The three of them set off in a carriage, found a restaurant, and chose a private room on the second floor to sit down and drink tea.
Zhu Zhifeng was still furious. "That's too much! My grandmother actually said that even if I were a corpse, I would stay in Jiangnan. That's just too much! I won't accept it! Even if my legs are broken, I'll crawl!"
Jin Yifei comforted him, "Calm down, have some herbal tea."
Zhu Zhifeng looked at him in confusion, "Cousin, Grandmother says she wants to arrange a marriage for you. What do you think? Are you going to accept their arrangement? I don't believe someone like you would be manipulated like a puppet!"
Jin Yifei did not answer the question directly, but sighed.
“That’s indeed why I haven’t come back much over the years. When I was younger, they could tolerate what I did, but this time when I came back, they talked to me and put a lot of pressure on me.”
Yu Wan silently sipped her tea, listening to the conversation between the two siblings.
With a mindset of respecting other people's fates, she calmly observed how things unfolded, believing that everyone has their own choices, even if the consequences might lead to regret.
Even a three-year-old can spout profound truths, so everyone understands these principles, but whether they can put them into practice is another matter.
The brother and sister both sighed in unison, lamenting the cruel twist of fate and the many obstacles that lay ahead.
Zhu Zhifeng lay sprawled on the table, completely disregarding her image. "Awan, I envy you so much. You can make your own decisions about everything. You have the freedom I want."
Jin Yifei also stared intently at Yu Wan without saying a word, but his expression showed that he felt the same way.
Yu Wan smiled and said, "You guys have some too."
Zhu Zhifeng pouted, "I don't have any, not even a little bit!"
Yu Wan looked at her with gentle eyes and smiled, "If you want it, you'll have it."
"If you want it, you'll get it." Zhu Zhifeng repeated this sentence. "I need to learn to fight for it."
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the girl's calm face, finding it hard to believe that this was actually a teenage girl.
She felt that Yu Wan was even more mature than her own mother. Her mother's greatest hope for her daughter was that she could live a peaceful life and marry into a good family.
This is a mother's simplest wish, but it's not what Zhu Zhifeng wants.
Speaking of which, Yu Wan is of marriageable age, but there seems to be no progress yet.
"Awan, hasn't your mother mentioned your marriage? I've never heard of a matchmaker coming to your house to propose marriage."
Jin Yifei's hand, which was holding the teacup with two fingers, trembled slightly, and he raised his eyes seemingly unintentionally.
Yu Wan had a beautiful face and a calm, expressionless face.
“My mother told me this several times, and some people have come to propose marriage, but I have refused them all.”
Zhu Zhifeng sighed with envy, "Your mother is so good, she's willing to listen to you. You're the pillar of the family now, your whole family listens to you."
She looked at Jin Yifei, who was in a daze, and before he could say anything, she expressed her thoughts.
"Cousin, I will not stay in the Jin family. No matter who tries to persuade me, I will not listen."
Jin Yifei was both amused and exasperated. "I haven't even said anything yet, and you've already shut me down."
Zhu Zhifeng snorted: "You dare say you weren't here shopping with us on a mission?"
Jin Yifei gave an awkward laugh, then confessed.
"I do have a mission, but don't worry, how could I possibly force you to do something you don't like, along with them? As long as you don't regret it, I will do my best to help you leave the Jin family."
Zhu Zhifeng then tugged at her cousin's sleeve and said coquettishly, "Brother, you're such a good friend!"
The three of them drank some tea and ate some pastries before deciding to go out for a stroll, otherwise it would get too hot by noon.
They strolled through the market, eating as they went, trying all sorts of pastries, rice noodles, kebabs, pies, and steamed buns.
Yu Wan thought they were all delicious. Since leaving Sui County, the taste of each place has given her a different experience. However, Zhu Zhifeng and Jin Yifei, the brother and sister, kept shaking their heads.
They even felt that the food at the Jin family mansion was just so-so, and they still missed the food at the Yu family restaurant the most.
After shopping for a while and being too full to eat, we went into a large cosmetics shop.
Jin Yifei gave them a brief introduction, as if he were a waiter in the shop.
Zhu Zhifeng exclaimed in surprise, "Cousin, you know about this?"
Jin Yifei explained, "Don't forget, the Jin family also runs a cosmetics shop. Even a three-year-old in the Jin family can talk about these things fluently. Buy whatever you like, I'll pay for it."
Zhu Zhifeng was a little embarrassed, "Really? But I bought a bit too much..."
"It's fine, pick whichever you like," Jin Yifei said generously.
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