Chapter 77: Is Young Master Chen her rival in love? Not a suitor?
Although Ma Dalang had delivered a message the day before saying that Zhou Mujiao and Zhao Yunjing's engagement ceremony was canceled, Boss Tang still came to Peach Blossom Village as promised. Unfortunately, not long after entering the village, he ran into a funeral procession.
The suona horns played, but the sound wasn't sad; it was even somewhat joyful. The funeral procession was long, with family members dressed in mourning clothes walking and crying loudly, yet no one shed a single tear. Each villager in the funeral procession held an incense stick and occasionally chatted and laughed with those around them.
Is this a joyous funeral? But even if it's joyous, it's still a funeral.
Mr. Tang cursed his bad luck inwardly. The coachman quickly moved the carriage aside, and then he heard two people mention the words "Six Girls" and "Embroidery Workshop". He squinted and listened for a moment, and then he understood.
It turns out that the funeral was for Zhou Mujiao's grandmother; no wonder the wedding was canceled.
It's just strange that Zhou Mujiao wasn't among those attending the funeral.
After the funeral procession passed, Manager Su immediately mentioned Zhou Mujiao and the Zhou family's situation, and concluded by saying, "Master, Miss Zhou is a woman of great courage, but the Zhou family is not fortunate enough to have her."
"Yes, not everyone is qualified to share in Miss Zhou's good fortune. Where is the Zhao family? Let's go."
The roads in Peach Blossom Village were narrow, winding, and uneven. Mr. Tang was rocked back and forth in the carriage, his stomach churning, and he almost threw up his breakfast. He simply got off the carriage and rode a horse instead.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, they encountered Young Master Chen, who had just arrived on horseback. Boss Tang was surprised and greeted him with a cupped-hand salute, "Young Master Chen, are you also here to see Miss Zhou?"
In ancient times, merchants were considered to be at the very bottom of the social hierarchy, just like scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. No matter how wealthy they were, they were still considered to be no different from the lower classes.
Therefore, Young Master Chen didn't take Boss Tang to heart. However, with Zhou Mujiao as a connection, he didn't put on airs as the son of a county magistrate. His gloomy expression softened, and he gave a soft "hmm".
Mr. Tang then cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Chen, please go first."
Young Master Chen led his horse up the mountain, and frowned as he listened to the commotion behind him.
Now that Zhao Yunjing has already entered Huilan Academy, shouldn't he cut off all business dealings and keep Miss Zhou at home to maintain the reputation of his family as a scholarly and farming clan? Today, Boss Tang came here, definitely to discuss cooperation with Miss Zhou, which means that Zhou Mujiao will continue to do business in the future.
With Zhao Yunjing's abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for him to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. He would then be a scholar and an official, while Miss Zhou would be a low-class merchant. Would Zhao Yunjing still marry her and treat her the same way?
Young Master Chen himself is a man, and he knows how fickle a man's heart can be. How many young and old girls have been heartbroken by him over the years? Even he himself cannot guarantee that he can always be good to a woman. How could Zhao Yunjing's state of mind not change when he suddenly went from being a commoner to an official?
Wouldn't Miss Zhou have to spend every day in tears, or even be forced to marry him as a concubine?
The more Chen Gongzi thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. Although he had been unreliable in the past, he genuinely wanted to marry Miss Zhou. Since Zhao Yunjing was not engaged now, he should hurry up and marry Miss Zhou!
Zhou Mujiao was drawing the design of winter clothes in her room, noting the required materials, thickness, and length, when she heard Boss Tang and Young Master Chen arrive.
Eighteen wrinkled her cute little nose, looking unhappy: "Sister Jiaojiao, that Young Master Chen is so annoying! I don't like him at all! Can you chase him away, Eighteen?"
Zhou Mujiao was amused by her and put down her pen to pick her up: "As the saying goes, guests are guests, so we should listen to what he has to say. Besides, he may be your older brother's classmate in the future, and he is also the son of the county magistrate. We can't just kick him out. But if he goes too far, Shiba, don't fight back. Your older brother and I will handle this. We Shiba should be little ladies!"
Eighteen wrapped her arms around her neck and pouted, "Eighteen doesn't want to be a lady. Eighteen wants to be like Sister Jiaojiao, laughing loudly when she wants to laugh, cursing when she wants to curse, and fighting when she wants to fight—even the county magistrate's daughter can throw a tantrum. There's nothing good about being a lady!"
Zhou Mujiao burst into laughter.
A light, cheerful laugh drifted into the courtyard, causing Young Master Chen to blush. He stood up and stared at the source of the sound, only to find that someone had suddenly appeared in front of him—Zhao Yunjing.
Zhao Yunjing reached out and pressed him back down to sit: "Young Master Chen, you came to see me so early in the morning, is there something important?"
Young Master Chen came today to stop their engagement, but on the way he saw the Zhou family's funeral procession and learned that Zhou Mujiao's grandmother had died and the engagement could not be held. He breathed a sigh of relief. However, besides this matter, he did have other important matters to attend to today.
"Of course there's something to tell you," Young Master Chen said. "I've come to tell you that I've dropped out of Shanglin Academy and gone to Huilan Academy. From now on, we'll be true classmates!"
Zhao Yunjing was surprised: "Young Master Chen has even changed the course of his life for me. I am truly moved, but also very guilty. I can never repay Young Master Chen's kindness in this lifetime, because my heart only belongs to Ajiao and I will never be attracted to anyone else. Young Master Chen, you'd better not get too entangled, otherwise I will be guilty of a great sin."
When Zhou Mujiao came out of the room, she heard these words and was surprised.
Zhao Yunjing always stutters and blushes easily in front of her, and often it takes him a long time to utter a few words. How come he can talk nonstop in front of Young Master Chen and leave Young Master Chen speechless?
Zhou Mujiao looked at the two from left to right and felt that they had no chemistry. Let alone a bromance, she couldn't even bring herself to talk about brotherhood, let alone the fact that one of them was the man she had her eye on.
"Is Young Master Chen trying to steal my man?"
Zhou Mujiao put Shiba down and said coldly, "Then let's see who's more capable!"
Young Master Chen choked, "Miss Zhou! You! Are you trying to anger me to death? You know perfectly well that I'm deeply in love with you, yet you still deliberately said those things! It's utterly outrageous! It's like killing someone by destroying their spirit!"
We can't really make Young Master Chen die of anger. He's the son of a county magistrate, after all. Doesn't he have any pride?
"Sorry, sorry, I took the joke too far. Brother Zhao, why don't you take your new classmate out for a stroll? Once Mr. Tang and I are done with our work, we'll come find you."
Young Master Chen was not very happy. He had a lot to say to Zhou Mujiao. He had also written a few new poems in the past few days and wanted Zhou Mujiao to give them her opinion. However, Zhao Yunjing was tall and strong and pulled him away in one go. Even after walking for a while, the nagging could still be heard, but if you listened carefully, the grumbling did not contain any resentment.
Boss Tang was genuinely surprised. He never expected that Zhao Yunjing and Young Master Chen, who were rivals in love, would not get angry when they met and could get along so well.
He put away his smile, cleared his throat, and got to the point: "Miss Zhou, I've come here today to see what kind of cooperation plan you've devised for me. I wonder if the plan has been finalized?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
