"Don't try to fool me. Do you think your mother doesn't know what you're thinking? You're always trying to go to your maternal grandfather and ask him to let you go, aren't you?" Lanqin raised her hand and tapped Wuxiha's forehead.
"Mother! Every year on this day of tomb sweeping, isn't it Father and you who preside over the whole family having a meal together? How boring!" Ushiha grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"How old are you? Thirteen, already eating like a fourteen-year-old. Let me tell you, your father has already mentioned to me that it's time to arrange a marriage for you." Lanqin had no choice but to say these things to scare Wuxiha, otherwise she would have gone to play somewhere else.
"I won't get married!" Upon hearing this, Ushiha became enraged and shouted angrily. She had no desire to follow the path of the other girls in the imperial family, either being married off to the grasslands for political reasons or becoming the young mistress of a powerful official family in the capital. Ushiha regularly attended banquets hosted by her close friends. Because she was the daughter of the Fourth Prince, she was quite popular among the noble ladies of the capital. Invitations from ladies and young women were almost always sent to Ushiha. Since she had already reached marriageable age, she naturally had to attend.
"Nonsense! You've come of age, you'll get married sooner or later, you should think carefully about what kind of person you want to marry," Lanqin said. She hadn't expected to have to say these things to Wuxiha. She was 28 years old in body, but 45 in mind!
“Mother, I don’t want to be like those older sisters, always gloomy or dying young. Mother, do you really want to see me like them?” Ushiha asked Lanqin, her eyes wide.
No, not at all. That was the idea Lanqin had in mind from the beginning. She didn't want to raise Wuxiha to be so weak-willed, so she took her to read all sorts of books and taught her some ideas about life that didn't fit the times, such as that women should also have their own self-respect and that women can also achieve great things.
“Ushiha, your mother wants you to get married, but I will respect your wishes. Your mother will not let you marry far away,” Lanqin said. She knew that if the Fourth Master had arranged a marriage for Ushiha, she might not have any say in it. So, before the Fourth Master had chosen a family for Ushiha, she tried her best to let Ushiha go on several blind dates and then choose a man who was a good match in terms of appearance and conditions, and whom she liked.
"Mother, could we please not bring this up for now? Namin isn't married yet!" Ushiha said, annoyed. Namin is almost fifteen this year, and Fourth Master has been looking for a suitable match for her since before the new year. Several families have come to propose marriage, all of them officials from the capital. Fourth Master hasn't agreed to any of them yet.
“I think we should settle Namin’s matter after the New Year. She’s almost fifteen, and if we wait another two years, she’ll be too old,” Lanqin said.
The mother and daughter entered Ushiha's house. There, Bechuk was sitting quietly on the heated couch in the main room, doing embroidery.
“Look at your sister, she’s so calm and composed.” Lanqin noticed that her youngest daughter looked more and more like the Fourth Master, even her temperament was similar.
"Beichuk, stop embroidering. If you keep embroidering, Mother will scold me to death." Ushiha was dressed in a pale yellow qipao, and her whole person was as bright as a nightingale in winter.
"It's clearly you who's been slacking off, but when the master comes to see, he'll scold you again." Dressed in a light pink qipao, Bechuk was as serene and fragrant as a newly blossoming plum blossom.
"Beichuk, what are you embroidering? Let your mother see?" Lanqin walked over to Beichuk and looked at what she was embroidering on the hoop.
“Mother, Bechuk wants to make some socks and purses for Father and Mother. He’s practicing embroidery patterns here. Mother, take a look, isn’t this evening glory flower pretty?” Bechuk handed the embroidery hoop to Lanqin for a look.
"Hmm, it's really beautiful. The coloring is very layered. The design is also very natural." Lanqin couldn't help but admire the flowers her youngest daughter had embroidered. Her own needlework skills were not as good as Bechuk's.
“I’m telling you, Biechuk, neither of us will be marrying into ordinary families anyway. We have embroiderers to serve us in the manor. Why do you have to learn this kind of nonsense? It’s bad for your eyes and a huge waste of time!” Ushiha said disdainfully.
Lanqin observed Wuxiha's behavior and thought that if she were to marry into a family that placed great emphasis on rules and regulations, they would definitely question how she, as a concubine, had raised her daughter. She had only intended to cultivate a strong-willed temperament in her daughter, but she hadn't expected to go too far.
“If you don’t understand needlework, cooking, or housekeeping, and are easily deceived by those who bow their heads, wouldn’t that be a joke! Have you forgotten the joke about the egg?” Bechuk said.
“That’s right, your sister is absolutely right. If you don’t study hard, you’ll get married and won’t know how to manage a household. Your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law will laugh at you, and it will also cause your father and mother to be gossiped about.” Lanqin said earnestly.
Ushiha was so exasperated by Lanqin and Bechuk's persuasion that he couldn't stand it any longer. He instructed his maid, Lüzhi, to put a cloak on him and said, "Mother, I want to go out for a walk and have Bechuk keep you company."
"Give her a hand warmer, but not for too long. Be careful she doesn't get cold," Lanqin said. "Wuxiha, your father has already mentioned your situation to your mother."
Ushiha blushed and went out with the hand warmer in his hand.
Seeing Ushiha's expression, Bechuk guessed what was going on and asked, "Mother, which family has Father arranged a marriage for Fourth Sister with?"
Lanqin turned around, glanced at Bechuk with a hint of surprise, and tapped her nose, saying, "It's not decided yet. Bechuk, if your sister were half as sensible as you, your mother wouldn't have to worry."
“My sister has a lively personality, and I’m actually quite envious of her,” Bechuk said obediently.
Lanqin reached out and gently tidied the stray hairs at Bechuk's temples, saying softly, "You have your own good qualities, which are irreplaceable by Ushiha."
After talking with Biechuk for a while, Lanqin helped Yuxiao back. She wasn't worried about Biechuk at all.
"Master!" Baoqin ran over from the side corridor.
"What happened?" Lanqin asked when she saw that Baoqin had obviously come out looking for her.
"Something happened. They say Miss Ji broke her leg," Baoqin quickly said, trying to calm herself down.
"I thought it was something serious. Is her business worth you coming all the way to find your master?" Yu Xiao rolled her eyes at Bao Qin.
Upon hearing this, Lanqin realized it was about Shuiling. Shuiling's surname was Ji, so after she was taken in by the Fourth Master, she was called "Miss Ji" because of her status as a concubine. Although she was a concubine, her treatment was even worse than that of Lanqin's favored maids. Sihua once went to Shuiling's room, pointed at her head, and cursed her as a lowly person.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
