While Lin Jia was still "recuperating," Zhu Tao's parents arrived in Beijing.
We bought some servants to clean up the household chores, so that when our parents came, we wouldn't be left without anyone to serve us.
Zhu Tao's father was named Zhu Jingqian, and his mother was surnamed Wang.
The moment Zhu Tao saw his parents, his eyes suddenly stung, and he felt an urge to cry. He knew that this was the original owner's emotions at play.
Since he used someone else's body, he will naturally be filial to his parents.
Zhu Tao stepped forward and said, "Your son is unfilial for not being able to personally welcome your parents into the city. Your parents have had a long and arduous journey. Thank you for your hard work."
His parents, while teaching their son, couldn't help but tear up, muttering, "It's not hard work, you're a good boy, a good boy."
Although they had stopped and rested along the way, they were still traveling and their complexions were not very good. Zhu Tao said, "Hot water and food have been prepared. Parents, younger brother and sister, please go inside and wash up first, then we'll talk!"
Zhu Jingqian smiled and said, "Okay, I'll support my son's arrangement."
Courtyard houses in Beijing are hard to sell anyway. This time, my parents can stay in one courtyard, my sister in another, my brother in another, and my cousin in yet another.
Including myself, I would need a total of five courtyards. This small house doesn't have many courtyards, and there are also some servants' rooms, so it looks quite crowded.
Zhu Tao thought to himself that it was time to move to a larger alternate dimension.
The family enjoyed a joyful reunion dinner together. At the table, Zhu Tao said, "We don't have many servants at home. Since Mother has come, please select some servants to serve us. The maid will come to our door tomorrow."
Wang naturally agreed.
After dinner, Zhu Tao settled his parents in, and had his younger siblings and cousins taken to their respective courtyards. He then returned to his study. He was actually quite busy. Dictionaries and pinyin sound simple, but even with his literary system, creating them completely was not easy.
Furthermore, his susceptibility to simplified Chinese characters slowed down his progress.
His cousin's name is Wang Jiao, his younger sister's name is Zhu Xiu'er, and his younger brother's name is Zhu Huai.
Along the way, Zhu Xiuer and her cousin Wang Jiao inevitably became closer because they were both girls.
Because of their close relationship, Zhu Xiu'er knew what her cousin was thinking. She didn't object, and she would naturally be happy if her cousin could marry her brother, so that there would be no tension between the two women.
The main reason she thought this way was because she didn't have a close relationship with her brother. She was the youngest daughter in the family, seven or eight years younger than her brother, and she was only thirteen years old.
Humans have an instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm. Her brother is now the most successful one in the family, so she naturally hopes to be close to him.
However, the siblings are quite far apart in age, and she is closer to her second brother. Moreover, Zhu Tao rarely returns home when he is in his hometown, as he is mostly away studying.
Zhu Xiuer and her cousin had a good relationship, so she naturally hoped that the two of them could take their relationship to the next level.
When no one was around, Zhu Xiuer came to her cousin's courtyard and asked, "Cousin, what did you think of my brother today?"
Wang Jiao blushed and said, "What do you mean by 'how' or 'how'?"
Zhu Xiuer laughed and said, "Don't I understand what my cousin is thinking? I really hope I can have a sister-in-law soon!"
Wang Jiao naturally hoped to become Zhu Xiu'er's sister-in-law, but this was still far from certain, and the two did not have a clear marriage agreement. Now that her cousin was working at the Hanlin Academy and was the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination, she was afraid that Zhu Tao would not be interested in her.
"Let's not talk about this, cousin. It would be bad if it ruined my reputation. Besides, I know my own limitations. With your status now, I'm afraid I'm not good enough for you."
Wang Jiao's tone was filled with indescribable melancholy when she said this. Zhu Xiu'er was not unaware that she was referring to something. Wang Jiao's parents were just commoners, and Zhu Tao, who already had an official title, was already a high-status match for the Wang family. Now, Zhu Tao was the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination. For Wang Jiao to marry him was truly a high-status match.
Because of her own selfish motives, Zhu Xiuer said, "No one else can compare to my cousin. Besides, my brother isn't that kind of snob."
Zhu Tao is indeed not a snob, but he is not someone who disregards moral principles. In his view, marrying his cousin is incest, and he simply cannot do it!
He was destined to do something that his sister would consider snobbish.
Wang Jiao sighed and said, "I know my own status very well. I really don't dare to think about my cousin marrying me. With my status, I would be content if my cousin could show me even a little pity."
Zhu Xiuer understood the meaning behind her words; it was nothing more than becoming a concubine. Zhu Xiuer was struck dumb, never expecting her cousin to have such thoughts.
Her parents were fairly open-minded, and she had been educated since childhood, so she naturally understood that it was better to be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine. Now that her cousin wanted to become her brother's concubine, how could she not be shocked?
Seeing her like this, Wang Jiao smiled bitterly and said, "All my heart is with my cousin. If I could marry him, I would not want to be a concubine, but given my status..."
Zhu Xiuer was also a bit troubled, so she comforted her, "Brother is not engaged yet. Since Mother has come and you have come, she must have her own plans. Mother loves you and will not let you become a concubine. Besides, Mother is not the kind of person who wants to climb the social ladder. Cousin, you can think positively."
Wang Jiao seemed to have been comforted.
"So many?"
"Of course it's true. Doesn't my cousin know Mother well? She's the kindest person I know."
Wang Jiao knew her aunt was kind, but what would she choose when it came to her son's future?
Wang Jiao: "Thank you for your comforting words, cousin."
Zhu Xiuer wasn't good at handling these kinds of things, so after saying a few more words, she left.
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