Chapter 458 Scared the Woman Away
Upon hearing Xiao Mianmian's words, Ma Tao'er suddenly felt a chill run down her spine and was startled.
But thinking of the Zhou family's wealth and status, she gritted her teeth and followed Du Wanchun into the house.
Du Wanchun walked ahead, saying as she went, "Miss Ma is truly devoted. Even though they are separated by death, she still wants to marry our young master. It's truly touching. If our elder brother knew this in the afterlife..."
As she spoke, she deliberately softened her voice and said softly, "I will definitely come back to see this good man."
Upon hearing this, Ma Tao'er was startled again, and her pace noticeably slowed down.
Du Wanchun continued walking forward, and seeing that she didn't reply, he smiled and said, "Miss Ma, don't be afraid when you see it later."
Mustering her courage, Ma Tao'er gritted her teeth and said, "It's just looking at a portrait, why be afraid?"
Du Wanchun turned to look ahead and deliberately lowered her voice again, saying mysteriously, "You may not know that there is a folk saying that to arrange a ghost marriage, you need to look at the portrait. If the person in the portrait makes eye contact with you, it means that he is in love with you and is obsessed with you every day."
These were all just things she made up, just to scare Ma Tao'er.
Ma Tao'er's face turned pale, and she stopped in her tracks. "In that case, let's not look at the portraits and just get married."
Du Wanchun smiled and said, "Miss Ma, don't be afraid. It's just a rumor. You shouldn't believe it. You should go and see for yourself. If you like it, then agree to the marriage. If you don't like it, there's still time."
She had made her point very clear, giving Ma Tao'er a chance to back out.
Ma Tao'er, however, was a tough nut to crack. She was desperate to get into the Zhou family. After a long silence, she said to Du Wanchun, "Manager Du, please take me to see it."
Seeing that she was determined to stay there, Du Wanchun smiled and led her to the backyard.
There is a side room in the backyard, which is usually empty and used to store some unused items.
Du Wanchun had Lian'er tidy it up early today and hung a portrait inside.
The portrait was painted by Zhou Ruiyuan last night based on what Du Wanchun had described.
As soon as Ma Tao'er entered the room, she was stunned by the portrait on the wall.
The young man in the portrait looked handsome and talented, but his face was a little strange.
His face was expressionless, his brows were furrowed, and he looked resentful.
Especially the eyes, which were completely blank, without any black pupils drawn on.
This startled Ma Tao'er. She stared intently at those eyes, which were entirely white, and stood there, feeling a chill run through her body.
"Miss Horse~ Miss Horse~"
Du Wanchun called out several times.
Ma Tao'er snapped out of her daze, her voice trembling slightly, "Manager Du... why does this portrait look a little strange?"
Du Wanchun looked at the portrait again and again, and said with a smile, "There's nothing unusual about this portrait."
Ma Tao'er pointed to the eyes in the portrait and said, "Look at those eyes, why are there no pupils?"
Du Wanchun leaned closer to look, "Miss Ma, you're mistaken, it's clearly there."
Ma Tao'er's face turned pale instantly, and her fingers trembled slightly.
Du Wanchun grasped her trembling hand and said, "Miss Ma, you've seen this portrait. Are you really willing to marry our deceased 'eldest brother'?"
Ma Tao'er's eyes remained fixed on the person in the portrait, her lips trembling as she remained silent.
Du Wanchun continued, "If you agree, I will tell my mother right away and have her prepare for the wedding."
Ma Tao'er withdrew her hand, tried to look away, and turned to the side, saying, "Manager Du, please allow me to think about it some more."
Du Wanchun smiled and said, "Okay, we'll wait for your news. If you're not willing, we won't force you."
Ma Tao'er trembled all over, and before Du Wanchun could finish speaking, she turned around and hurriedly left the Zhou family.
She practically ran away.
Nan Fengling and Lian'er, who had been hiding inside, came out and laughed, "This Miss Ma is really timid; a few words from you scared her away."
Lian'er took a broom and swept the spot where Ma Tao'er had just walked. "She's really shameless. She can even think of something like a ghost marriage. She's gone crazy wanting to marry into an official's family. She doesn't even know her own worth."
After she finished speaking, her face was full of disdain for Ma Tao'er.
Lian'er grew up in the palace and had seen too much intrigue and backstabbing. She especially loathed women who were single-mindedly trying to climb the social ladder by currying favor with their masters.
Nan Fengling also agreed with her words.
Du Wanchun led Xiao Mianmian over and asked her, "What did you say to that auntie just now?"
Little Mianmian tilted her head back and smiled, "I didn't say anything, just reminded her to be careful."
Nan Fengling walked over and said, "I taught her yesterday what we said, but the girl didn't believe it. Children's unintentional words are the most frightening."
That's absolutely true.
After leaving the Zhou family, Ma Tao'er's mind was filled with the image of Xiao Mianmian tugging at her clothes as she spoke, combined with that portrait.
She felt a chill even standing in the bright sunlight.
There were passersby all around.
Ma Tao'er looked up and saw that they all looked fierce, and some of their faces even overlapped with those in the portrait.
Startled, she ran faster and rushed into the inn where she was staying.
When Granny Ma left, she left her some silver, enough for her to stay at the inn for several days.
After she entered the room, she covered her entire head with the blanket.
As evening approached, Ma Tao'er thought about the Zhou family's shops and the luxurious life she would have in the future. She gritted her teeth and decided to give it another try.
She carefully put away the contract and made up her mind to visit the Zhou family again the next day.
However, she had a very uneasy night.
The inn's rooms were small, containing only a small bed and a table.
There was a teapot and two cups on the table.
One of the cups was used by Granny Ma before.
In the middle of the night, Ma Tao'er had a dream in which she was surrounded by the people in the portrait.
She was so frightened that she broke out in a cold sweat.
She was jolted awake when the cup on the table suddenly fell to the ground.
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