Chapter 44 Engagement Engagement with Mr. Ji in private
Song Jin sat in the corridor, feeling more and more uneasy. Seeing that Dujuan had not come out yet, he walked around the yard alone, just to relax.
In August, the lotus flowers had withered and the golden osmanthus was fragrant. Song Jin was walking in the yard and somehow arrived at the gate of Meilin Courtyard.
This courtyard dominated by red plum blossoms is now full of greenery. It has been several months since the last time I stepped into this place. I wonder what the people inside are doing now.
If Ye Wenfu knew about her current situation, she would probably laugh, right?
Song Jin walked into Meilin Courtyard with an indescribable feeling. She was a little surprised to see the deserted courtyard.
After walking a little further inside, I heard a faint sound coming from a room in the west.
"Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and the weather is getting colder. You have to take good care of your body, otherwise you will have a hard time in winter."
"In this situation, what's the point of taking care of myself? I'd be lucky if she could give me a thick winter coat."
"What are you afraid of? I don't have this new and beautiful winter coat, but I have enough warm clothes. When the weather gets cold, you can come to my room and we can sit around the charcoal fire and get through the winter."
......
The voices were very familiar, Song Jin recognized them as the voices of the second wife Zhao Yiliu and the fourth wife Ye Wenfu. He didn't expect that after not seeing each other for several months, the two could actually sit together and talk intimately. Song Jin was a little surprised and walked towards the west wing.
In the west wing, Zhao Yiliu and Ye Wenfu were sitting in the hall, talking to each other.
Zhao Yiliu looked good with a gentle smile on her face. What was surprising was that Ye Wenfu's cheeks were thinner and her expression was no longer as arrogant as before. Instead, it looked a little more sad.
The two were a little surprised to see someone coming into the yard. After seeing who it was, Ye Wenfu raised her eyebrows, twisted her head and snorted heavily.
Zhao Yiliu, on the other hand, seemed to be in a good mood and said to Song Jin, "Mancao, why are you back?"
Song Jin walked in and bowed, then replied, "Grandma wanted to ask me something, so she asked me to come back."
"How is it out there? Is it more free than in this house?"
Song Jin smiled: "A lot freer, but also a lot busier."
"Humph, didn't you want to go out and work? Now you are disgusted by being busy outside. Who would believe me when I said I had never treated you harshly? Now you know the good things inside."
Song Jin smiled and didn't argue with Ye Wenfu.
"I envy you for being able to walk around outside. If you can ask me to go, I would rather wear men's clothes."
Zhao Yilu and Song Jin talked slowly, chatting about the situation outside. Ye Wenfu had turned her back to Song Jin since she entered the door, and did not look back until the two finished their conversation.
Finally, Zhao Yiliu asked Song Jin, "When you come back next time, could you help me bring some pearl hairpins and earrings? Don't make them too expensive, just something delicate. We haven't seen a stranger in this courtyard for months, and even the old woman selling pearls outside can't come in. I can only ask you to help buy some."
Song Jin understood that Wen Ya did this on purpose, so he had no choice but to agree to it and promised to bring two items back next time.
After hearing this, Zhao Yilu asked Dongzhi to get some copper coins and silver.
"I don't have much money, so buy some if you think it's worth it."
Song Jin took the silver and put it in his arms, saying hello. Then he asked, "Where is Sanniang? Why is her room so quiet after staying here for so long?"
Zhao Yiliu sighed after hearing this, but Ye Wenfu spoke up: "She is a capable woman and she remarried a long time ago. Unlike us, we will be suffocated to death in this hellhole sooner or later."
Song Jin was a little surprised. He never expected that the first person to remarry was not the gentle and docile Second Mother, nor the beautiful and fierce Fourth Mother, but the Third Mother who came from a brothel.
"In the final analysis, she is capable and there are people outside who are willing to help. They say that a captain somewhere has taken a liking to her and wants to marry her, so isn't that why you let her go, Big Sister?"
It turned out that he was an official. Song Jin understood that if an ordinary small businessman came to marry, it might not be so smooth.
"What is Er Niang's plan?"
Zhao Yiliu smiled sadly: "What else can I plan? Just hold on."
Song Jin saw Ye Wenfu's shoulders twitching twice, and knew that she was feeling very aggrieved, so he stopped talking about it, stood up and said goodbye.
After leaving Meilin Courtyard, Song Jin returned to the corridor near Zizhu Courtyard and waited for Dujuan to come out. It was not until around 9 o'clock that he saw Dujuan hurriedly leaving Zizhu Courtyard. Song Jin hurried over to greet her.
"Dujuan, here."
Du Juan saw Song Jin calling her and quickened her pace to approach: "Are you still there?"
"Lianxin asked me to wait for you, saying that you had something to tell me, so I didn't leave."
Du Juan looked unhappy and pulled Song Jin to a corner where Zizhu Garden could not be seen to talk.
"Are you just going to accept this marriage today?"
Song Jin frowned and said, "I don't want to agree, but if I want to resolve this marriage, I have to go out, so I have to accept it temporarily."
Du Juan said, "Let me tell you, Mr. Wen has bad intentions."
Then Du Juan told Wen Xin that he had brought the account book to Wen Ya this morning, saying that Song Jin had a close relationship with Mr. Chai and the government office, and that it would be difficult to control him over time, so she proposed to marry Song Jin herself. Firstly, it would be easier to discipline him, and secondly, it would prevent the family affairs from being leaked to the first wife.
"From the look on his face, I know he has bad intentions. I'm afraid Lianxin can't explain it clearly, so I want to tell you in person."
Song Jin had a conflict with Wen Xin in Horseshoe Lane that day, so she knew that he was dissatisfied with her and intended to teach her a lesson. This marriage was called a marriage, but it was just to turn an outsider into a family member. When the time came, it would be easier for her to deal with herself than for Wen Ya to deal with Ye Wenfu.
After all, Wen Ya is a person who cares about his reputation, but Wen Xin may not be the same.
"I understand. I will definitely find a way to get rid of this marriage as soon as possible."
"What method? Should we find Mr. Chai, or someone in the government office?"
Du Juan was anxious, and Song Jin also became anxious. They had to get rid of their nationality as soon as possible. They had to tear off this shameless face before getting married, otherwise it would be too late after the marriage.
"I'm telling you, Sanniang remarried, and there was a big fuss at the beginning. If it weren't for the tricks you used before, you would never have been able to get out. I saw you playing those tricks that day, and I knew you wanted to get out too. If you want to go, you have to be ruthless, otherwise..." Du Juan lowered her voice and whispered in Song Jin's ear, "Have you been to Meilin Courtyard to see Siniang?"
Song Jin nodded: "I went and talked with Er Niang in the same room."
Du Juan said, "If it weren't for Second Mother, I'm afraid that Fourth Mother would have died in the house without anyone knowing. She is a concubine after all, but she is still treated like this. Think about yourself."
Song Jin lowered his head, not knowing how to respond.
"I've told you everything I need to say. Anyway, I think this marriage is a trap. If you can escape, you'd better run away quickly."
Song Jin said softly, "I know."
Finally, Du Juan asked her again: "Didn't Arong come back with you today?"
Song Jin then raised his head and said, "No, the store was busy and he was helping. I came back alone."
"oh......"
Du Juan looked a little lost, and Song Jin sensed something: "You want to see him."
"No," Du Juan quickly denied, "You should go back soon and think about it carefully. I don't think this marriage is a good idea."
Song Jin thanked him and then walked out. Before leaving, she thought of her father. She hoped that Wen Xin would not arrange the marriage with her father while she was away, otherwise all her plans would be useless.
So he retracted his foot that was about to go out and ran to the greenhouse to find his father, the gardener.
Old Lu was cutting flower branches with scissors when he saw Song Jin suddenly run in and talk about marriage. He looked confused.
"It's fine if you don't want to marry Changsheng, but why don't you discuss marriage with him? You're a girl, you'll have to get married sooner or later."
"I have found someone I love, and he has agreed to marry me."
Song Jin felt that it would be extremely difficult to make his father understand that he did not want to get married, so he simply found a reason to suppress the matter.
"Really? Who?"
Song Jin thought about it and a person popped up.
"He's a high-ranking official in the government office, a fifth-rank official."
"Will a fifth-rank person marry you?"
Song Jin was indignant: "Not only marry me, but also marry me as your legal wife."
Now there is only one person left among those I know.
"How is this possible?"
"How can this be impossible? He just likes me and often comes to my shop. We have agreed that after a while, he will help me get rid of my status and I will marry him. By then, I will be the wife of a fifth-rank official."
"Dad, remember, I want to be the wife of a fifth-rank official, so don't discuss other marriages for me. If anyone asks, you should refuse them. If there is any marriage fee, don't keep a single penny."
Old Lu opened his mouth wide, his face full of disbelief.
"Also, this matter must be kept secret. If others find out, it will cause trouble. Do you understand?"
"......without."
"Even though I have already been engaged to Master Ji in private, and I am just waiting for him to marry me, you are not allowed to discuss other marriages for me. If you do, I will hang myself."
After saying that, she turned around and ran away without waiting for her father to answer.
The wife of a fifth-rank official was much more powerful than Wen Xin's concubine. Song Jin was determined to ask her father not to agree to this marriage.
As for herself? She has been telling lies for a long time.
After dealing with Wen Ya, Song Jin hurried back to Shidinglou. It was already noon and the restaurant was starting to get busy.
After dealing with the wave of customers at noon, Song Jin began to prepare to try making her lemon baba rua.
Because of what happened in the morning, Song Jin was not in a very good mood today. He moved a stool to the backyard and directed Hong Xing and Chun Yun and the others to scrub the lemons with salt. He himself was thinking about when it would be appropriate to go back and talk about leaving his citizenship.
She thought for a long time and thought of a suitable time, which was after the lawsuit was settled.
After the lawsuit is settled, the first wife will send someone to this side, and then she will go back to discuss the matter of denaturalization. This way, there will be more than just Wen Ya in the family. If the matter gets out of hand, the other side will know about it. She guessed Wen Ya will handle it carefully.
In comparison, losing the small treasury outside or losing Song Jin, the son of the family, the consequences are easy to guess.
As for the lie of the Fifth Rank Lady, Song Jin was not worried about being exposed. Her father, who was a gardener, had little chance to meet Ji Shubai. As long as her father didn't make a fuss, it would be fine.
After making up her mind, the only thing Song Jin had to do was to be prepared, so that if Wen Ya got into trouble, she would not be as helpless as she was today.
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