Chapter 155 Origin
Upon arriving at Hua Nanzhi's room, Shen Yuanzhu nodded slightly to the maidservant beside her.
They weren't exactly strangers; for the past ten years, she had been the one to deliver New Year's and holiday gifts to them on behalf of Hua Nanzhi.
But now that we meet again, everything has changed.
The old woman had a good impression of Shen Yuanzhu, but now she was embarrassed and didn't know how to treat her.
Not wanting to make things difficult for others, Shen Yuanzhu called out to them first.
“Mother Sui”.
"Why."
With a hint of joy on her face, Granny Sui said she would make tea for her two masters and then went out.
Inside the room sat Hua Nanzhi and Shen Yuanzhu. The last time they met alone like this was when Hua Nanzhi tricked Xie Jingyuan into marriage.
Perhaps both of them remembered this, and for a moment the room was awkward, with no words spoken for a long time.
After a moment, Hua Nanzhi asked, "How are you and Xie Qi doing?"
Shen Yuanzhu lowered her eyes slightly, a hint of shyness on her face.
Although she turned her face away as if shyly avoiding it, she actually pulled on the soft gauze on her shoulder, revealing faint kiss marks on it.
Hua Nanzhi looked on, and for some reason, a sudden surge of anger rose in her heart.
"I didn't expect your relationship with Xie Qi to progress so quickly."
Shen Yuanzhu covered her face, as if to hide her shyness: "Xie Qi... he is handsome, has an outstanding character, and is devoted to me. It is only natural that I would like him, and it can even be said that it is a blessing in disguise."
As the saying goes, things will go as planned...
Although Xie Xuchuan was the one who made the mistake first, Hua Nanzhi was still dissatisfied with Shen Yuanzhu for so quickly forgetting about her Xuchuan.
Thinking of this, her words became a little stiff: "You two have a deep affection for each other, so I, as your elder, am at ease."
"Mother, please rest assured, Xie Qi treats me very well. He not only cares for me daily, but also brings back anything he sees outside."
"He would buy me anything I saw, from cakes and candies to tiny velvet hairpins..."
As she spoke, Shen Yuanzhu touched the small velvet hairpin that Xie Qi had given her.
She lowered her eyes, concealing the smile in them: "It's all thanks to my mother for using my third uncle's name to trick me into marriage that I am who I am today."
“Actually, I resented you back then, thinking how could the Xie family do such a shameless thing to bully an orphan like that? Now it seems that it was Mother who was far-sighted and planning for Yuanzhu.”
After Shen Yuanzhu finished speaking, she sighed softly: "I misunderstood you. You and my mother were very close friends back then. It was she who carefully taught you when you didn't know how to manage a household or keep accounts."
"So at that time, I was really heartbroken."
"But now I understand your good intentions. Without my mother's help, how could I have gotten such a good marriage?"
"Perhaps it was God's mercy, or my mother's blessing, that she couldn't bear to see me suffer in the fire pit, and that's how our marriage came about."
Hua Nanzhi was speechless after hearing her words; she couldn't get angry, but if she didn't, she felt a dull ache in her heart.
What does it mean to fall into a fire pit?
Does she mean that without Xie Qi, marrying Xu Chuan would be like entering a fire pit?
Hua Nanzhi's face twitched, and after a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "As long as you're doing well, that's enough."
"They're doing well..."
With a smile on her face, Shen Yuanzhu suddenly thought of Jiang Wansu. Her eyes lit up, and she imitated Jiang Wansu's mannerisms, gently stroking her lower abdomen.
"Who knows, Mother might be expecting another grandson in a couple of days."
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. But to Hua Nanzhi, that laugh was far more irritating.
Hua Nanzhi's cheeks tightened, and after a long while she said, "I asked you to come here today because I wanted to ask you about the daughter of Lord Jiang of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, Jiang Zao."
“I know Zhou He is an old acquaintance of your mother, and you have had many interactions with her, so you must know Jiang Zao quite well.”
Shen Yuanzhu nodded: "I wonder what Mother wants to know about Sister Jiang Zao?"
Hua Nanzhi coughed lightly: "You also know your third uncle..."
When Xie Jingyuan was mentioned, Hua Nanzhi suddenly realized that something was amiss.
She used Xie Jingyuan's name as a front to trick people into marriage, and now she's asking Shen Yuanzhu about Jiang Zao, wanting to arrange a marriage for Xie Jingyuan...
She fell silent for a moment, but Shen Yuanzhu didn't care. She was still thinking about helping Zhou He finalize the marriage between the two families as soon as possible.
Therefore, she spoke first: "Mother wants to find a wife for Third Uncle, right? Last time, I heard Grandmother say that she wanted to find a daughter from an official family for Third Uncle..."
"From this perspective, Jiang Zao's identity is quite appropriate."
Since the Xie family intends to arrange a marriage between Jiang Zao and Xie Jingyuan, she can no longer call her sister.
"That's right. I thought of Jiang Zao because there have been some rumors circulating outside these past few days. I figured that people don't know as much about rumors as they do about their own family, so I called you here to ask."
"Mother, please ask whatever you want, I will tell you everything I know."
Hua Nanzhi said, "I know a little about the Jiang family, but the rumors about this Miss Jiang are really..."
"They say she's filial, that she cared for her mother while she was ill, that she was willing to bleed from her own heart and cut off her own flesh. They also say she's good at reading and managing a household, saying that ten years ago she had already managed the Jiang family in perfect order..."
"Ten years ago, this child couldn't even stand up straight, right?"
"..."
Shen Yuanzhu pursed her lips slightly, unaware that such rumors had spread outside.
“Jiang Zao is indeed filial. Whenever Madam Jiang has a headache or fever, she takes care of her without taking off her clothes.”
"As for managing the household, she did indeed start helping Madam Jiang a long time ago."
"My mother knows a little about the Jiang family's situation, so although Jiang is young, she is mature and sensible. If she were to marry my third uncle, she would be a good match."
Hua Nanzhi nodded, satisfied.
Xie San Niang's requirements for her third daughter-in-law were undeniably high, but how could such a lady from a high-class family marry into a merchant family?
Even if it were true, she wouldn't want to.
How should sisters-in-law who are younger than each other and come from high-ranking families get along?
There's a significant age difference, so she has to pamper and spoil her. But they're from the same generation, and she comes from a much higher social class than her. It must be exhausting to get along with them every day.
More importantly, the old lady already favored Xie Jingyuan, and now he's marrying a woman from a high-ranking family...
Hua Nanzhi curled her lips into a disdainful smile.
However, Jiang Zao's background was not bad. She could be appeased by the old lady. Although she was born into an official family, her father did not love her and her mother was not favored at home, so her husband's family was easier to control.
"I understand, you can go back now."
Looking at Hua Nanzhi's expression, Shen Yuanzhu knew that the matter was half done. As long as the Jiang family nodded, she would have repaid Zhou He's kindness over the years.
As Shen Yuanzhu walked out, she thought to herself that when Jiang Zaocheng got married, she should give him several sets of jewelry so that he wouldn't be looked down upon by his in-laws.
The Xie family is about to have a new member. It's better if it's Jiang Zao, because if she gets bored in the future, we can keep her company by stringing beads and chasing butterflies.
When Jiang Zao became pregnant, she gave...
Thinking of her pregnancy, Shen Yuanzhu lowered her head and touched her belly with a strange expression.
Speaking of which, she and Xie Qi have been married for so long, shouldn't they have consummated their marriage by now?
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