Chapter 87: Arranged Marriage
"Since there's nothing going on here, Lao Bao and I will go back to the Cao Gang first. We still have a lot of things to do." Du Yunzhang said to Gao and Linlang.
"Okay, then Brother Du and Mr. Bao, you go back and do what we agreed on, especially what Brother Liu just told you." Linlang said.
Du Yunzhang naturally understood what she meant. "Don't worry, I will investigate personally. By the way, tell him that we will meet him at Lu's house at this time tomorrow."
After Du Yunzhang and Bao Han left Lu's house, Gao asked her apprentice to serve tea to Linlang. Taking this opportunity, Linlang chatted casually with Gao.
"Madam, I heard that you are not Master Lu's original wife?"
Gao smiled politely. "Yes, I was originally the master's concubine. The master's original wife's maiden name was Yan. She died of illness shortly after giving birth to Shuixian and Shuiqing. Later, the master made me his wife, and then I gave birth to Shuiling and Jiye."
Linlang nodded. "I see. Then, may I ask, do you personally love your own two children more than the previous mistress's two children?"
I had expected this to upset Gao, but she wasn't upset at all. Instead, she replied calmly, "That's not the case. After all, I had a very close relationship with Master's original wife, Madam Yan, like sisters. So I loved her children, Shuixian and Shuiqing, just as much as I loved Shuiling and Jiye."
Linlang praised repeatedly, "You are truly a virtuous mistress. You must have put a lot of thought into finding husbands for the three young ladies, right?"
At this point, Gao's expression suddenly changed slightly. "Recruiting a son-in-law... Don't worry about you laughing at me, but actually, these three sons-in-law are not all the candidates that the master and I have in mind."
"So, this is the person that the three young ladies admire?"
Gao shook her head helplessly, "No, neither of them."
Linlang was quite surprised, "Then why is this happening?"
"Well, everyone has their own reasons, simply forced by circumstances. I don't think Miss Lin is the type to gossip, so let's be frank. First, let's talk about our eldest daughter, Narcissus. Originally, neither my wife nor she had any interest in finding a husband for her. But our great-uncle introduced Hai Yifan, who had returned from overseas. Because he was quite knowledgeable in Western magic, our great-uncle felt he was a good match for the Lu family, so he arranged for him to marry Narcissus. I personally had no objection to the marriage. Hai Yifan was polite and respectable, but Master simply didn't like him. Even with our great-uncle's decision, he was deeply resistant to Western magic. After the marriage, he ignored Hai Yifan for a long time. It wasn't until Hai Yifan took on the mantle and earned a lot of money for the Lu family troupe that Master's attitude softened slightly. As for Narcissus herself, she was lukewarm towards her husband. While she didn't dislike him, she wasn't fond of him either, which was the typical attitude towards an arranged marriage.
"Speaking of our second daughter, Shuiqing, her husband, Gu Yan, was originally the son of a wealthy merchant family in Linqing. Logically, he would never marry into the Lu family. But a few years ago, the Gu family's master was falsely accused of secretly funding the revolutionaries, and his home was raided by the government. Master Gu died of depression, and the young master, Gu Yan, fell into poverty overnight. However, after the establishment of the Republic of China, the Linqing County Magistrate heard that his family had previously funded the revolution and returned the confiscated ancestral home to him, but the merchant property would definitely not be returned. Gu Yan was a scoundrel, only knew how to play the game of raising a bird in a cage. Sooner or later, he would ruin the family fortune. So, my master, through some kind of matchmaker, married the young master of the Gu family and betrothed Shuiqing to him."
"Ah? Why is this?" Linlang looked puzzled.
"Don't laugh at me when I tell you this, but actually I've taken a fancy to some of the Gu family's ancestral properties, which can temporarily solve the Lu family's urgent financial difficulties. Gu Yan was very happy to agree to the marriage immediately." "Then... didn't you ask Miss Shuiqing's opinion?" Linlang showed a little indignation.
"Shuiqing didn't agree at first, but it was only after my uncle stepped in that she was convinced."
Linlang strongly disagreed with the Lu family's approach. Were her daughters only worthy of being used as bargaining chips to exchange resources? They were also flesh and blood, with their own joys and sorrows!
"What about Miss Shui Ling?"
"Shuiling is my own flesh and blood, so I care about her more than anyone else, and you should understand that. However, Shuiling has had a bad temper since she was young, and she gets angry easily. Master and I discussed and decided to send her to our girls' school. You know, Shuixian and Shuiqing didn't have that privilege. Firstly, this would allow her to learn and become well-mannered, and secondly, it would temper her character. But who could have known that something bad would happen to her? She got involved with a teacher at school, and later even got pregnant. When we found out, we were afraid that the Lu family's reputation would be tarnished, so we recruited this teacher as our son-in-law."
"So there's this story between Yu Jintang and Shui Ling!" Linlang was a little surprised. "So what happened to the child?"
"Not long after they got married, Shui Ling unexpectedly miscarried, which is why she's like this now. She then dropped out of school, but her personality remained unchanged, ordering Yu Jintang around. Yu Jintang knew he owed Shui Ling something, so he let her do what she wanted, and he became the least prestigious son-in-law in the Lu family."
"Is that so?" Linlang finally understood the ins and outs of the Lu family's sons-in-law marrying into the family, and then continued to ask, "I see that none of the three young ladies have children. Is it because of the delicate relationship between husband and wife?"
"I know Shui Ling's affairs, but as a stepmother, I can't speculate on the internal affairs of Shui Xian and Shui Qing's families."
As he was speaking, the door to the inner hall opened and Lu Changhua and Yin Chuan walked out together.
"Mr. Liu, please keep your promise regarding our Lu family's three magic tricks." Lu Changhua said as he walked.
"Of course, I will keep it a secret, don't worry." Yin Chuan responded.
Linlang and Gao stood up together, and Yin Chuan took Linlang to say goodbye to Lu Changhua and his wife. After leaving the main hall, Linlang asked, "What did Lu Changhua say when he called you in alone?"
"He explained to me in detail the mechanics of the third trick, 'Ice Dragon Escape.' Because it involves the secrets of the Lu family's magic tricks, I promised him not to reveal it to anyone."
"Oh, by the way, why did you suddenly ask about his 'Ice Dragon Escape' technique? You looked very anxious."
"Because of your words, 'Third Miss Lü Shuiling is very likely to be the next victim,' I suddenly thought of this, and my conversation with Lü Changhua also confirmed my suspicions."
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