Zhu came to the town early this morning for something - today was the day when Mr. Zhang's mother had to pay for the medicine.
She came for this reason, so naturally she came to see Zheng Xian. So she ran into the scene where Zheng Xian brought out the noodles.
Zhu screamed and jumped like a cat whose tail was stepped on. If it wasn't for Old Man Zheng who stopped her in time, who knows what would happen.
Zhu was very confused about whether she should let her daughter stay.
She didn't say anything, so Old Man Zheng turned around and asked Zheng Xian, "Xian girl, you are grown up, you decide for yourself."
Zhu nodded and said, "Xian girl, you tell me, do you want to go back with your mother?"
Zheng Xian bit her lip, looked at her mother, then looked at Zheng Xiu, and didn't say a word for a while. Although she felt that learning cooking was too troublesome at first, after she mastered the skills, she found that she did not dislike cooking. If she followed her mother this time, it would seem that she could not bear the slightest hardship. How could she raise her head in front of her grandmother and elder sister in the future?
"Speak, you are so hoarse!" Zhu pushed her.
Zheng Xian then spoke: "Mother, elder sister didn't treat me harshly. I am very good here..."
Zhu said angrily: "You are so ungrateful. I raised you to this age, but I didn't let you do any rough or tiring work. You are willing to work as a servant in other people's homes!"
Zhu became more and more angry, and her hand was raised, and it seemed that she was about to hit Zheng Xian.
"Second aunt!" Zheng Xiu leaned over and grabbed her hand, "Sister Xian has already been engaged, and she is an adult, so it's time for her to have her own opinion."
Zheng Xiu was not very strong, and Zhu pushed her aside with her backhand, "Do I need you, a junior, to tell me how to teach my daughter?!"
Zheng Xiu staggered after being pushed, but fortunately Xue Zhi, who was standing next to her, quickly supported her. This was the Zheng family's family affair, and he didn't want to interfere, but since Zheng Xiu was bullied, she couldn't just sit back and watch, and immediately frowned and said, "Second aunt, let's talk it over nicely. If you use force again, don't blame me for being rude."
His behavior was very intimidating, and Zhu had suffered a loss at his hands before, so she took two steps back and her arrogance was mostly gone.
The situation was at a standstill for a while, and Zheng Xiu turned to her father and two children and said, "It's getting late, you should go out quickly." Zhu was here, and she couldn't eat breakfast well, so she simply let them go to the street to buy food.
Zheng Ren didn't want to pay attention to Zhu, and seeing Xue Zhi protecting Zheng Xiu, he thought his daughter would not suffer any loss, so he took the two children out.
"Second brother, you should go back." Old man Zheng frowned and said impatiently, "Your little girl Xian hasn't complained, why are you shouting so hard here?"
Zhu wiped her tears again and said, "Dad, that's not what I said. Our little girl Xian will be the wife of a scholar in a few months, and in the future she will be the wife of a groom, or even the wife of an official. It doesn't make sense for her to do these chores now. Am I not feeling sorry for her?"
Zheng Xiu really didn't understand Zhu's train of thought. Just because a quack once said that Zheng Xian was destined to be rich and powerful, she must have believed that Zheng Xian would be a superior person in the future. The same is true for this arranged marriage. The wife of a scholar sounds good on the surface, but inside, Mr. Zhang's family is so poor that they can hardly make ends meet!
Zheng Xiu was too lazy to talk to Zhu, and said, "Since Sister Xian said she didn't want to go back, Second Aunt should stop making trouble here, so as not to upset Grandpa and Grandma."
Zhu glanced at the unhappy old man Zheng, pulled Zheng Xian, and said, "I'll talk to you in your room."
Zheng Xian nodded and followed her mother out of the hall. Before leaving, she took a look at the noodles on the table - these were the best noodles she made, but unfortunately no one ate them. She didn't get the praise she expected! What
Zhu wanted to tell her was nothing more than to make her pay attention to her future status and cherish herself.
During the time Zheng Xian was in the town, Zheng Xiu would intentionally or unintentionally tell her about the affairs of Mr. Zhang's family. At this time, she said, "Mr. Zhang's family is penniless. Even his mother is seriously ill and has no money to treat her illness. If I marry into the family, I will definitely have to take care of the housework. My mother doesn't let me study now, what should I do in the future?"
Zhu said, "Did you hear your elder sister and others say bad things about the Zhang family? Don't listen to their nonsense. Mr. Zhang's family is poor, but in two years, It's the Spring Examination. With his knowledge, he will definitely be able to pass the exam. What's the big deal if you're poor now? You'll have a better life in the future! Besides, your father is capable now. When you get married, I'll buy you a maid to take with you as a dowry. She'll do everything for you, so why would she need you?!"
Although Zheng Xian had read a lot of books, her knowledge of people and things was very limited. After hearing what her mother said, it seemed to be true, and she couldn't help but hesitate again.
Zhu calmed down at this time and continued to persuade her, "If you don't want to leave, you can stay here, but remember, you're not allowed to do these heavy jobs anymore. You have to think about your future. Don't think your mother is nagging, it's all for your own good..."
Zheng Xian nodded and didn't talk back.
Zhu chatted with Zheng Xian for a while, and then left Zheng's house. She had to go to Zhang Xiu's house to deliver medicine money.
Zheng Xiu had already prepared breakfast for her family. After Zhu left, she went to invite Zheng Xian to come out and eat noodles.
Zheng Xian did not come out, but just said through the window: "Big sister, I feel a little uncomfortable and want to rest for a while."
Zheng Xiu did not say much after hearing this, thinking that Zhu had said something unpleasant again, so she let her go.
Since that day, Zheng Xian would feel "uncomfortable" every three or five times, and every time, it happened to be when Zheng Xiu called her to cook together.
No matter how dumb Zheng Xiu was, she knew that Zheng Xian was persuaded by her mother and felt that such a job was not worthy of her future status as an official's wife.
If it weren't for Zhu, Zheng Xiu would be completely sure to win Zheng Xian over. But Zhu just did this once, and all her efforts in the previous half a month were in vain!
It's impossible not to be angry. If Zheng Xian had any brains, she should know that no matter whether she can be a Guan wife or not, she will have to endure the hard days in the future. If she doesn't learn some skills now, how will she get through the next few years? ! Because of this, every time Zheng Xiu looked at Zheng Xian, she felt a little disappointed.
Zheng Xian also knew that she had annoyed her, so she tried to avoid her at home. However, the Zheng family was a small place, so where could she hide? They would always meet. Every time this happened, she would lower her head and no longer look at Zheng Xiu.
Zheng Xiu later wanted to persuade her again, but Zhu seemed to be on guard against something. She would come every few days and never do anything annoying. She would just pull Zheng Xian into the house to talk.
Even a fool would know whose words carried more weight, the cousin from the next room or the biological mother.
Zheng Xiu simply let go and ignored her.
More than a month passed like this, and Mr. Zhang's mother finally got up from the sickbed and was able to get out of bed.
Although the two families had agreed on the marriage between Mr. Zhang and Zheng Xian, Mr. Zhang had never met Zheng Xian, so naturally he still wanted to meet her.
Zhu had agreed with Mr. Zhang's mother, and was going to take Zheng Xian to the Zhang family the next day.
Zheng Xiu was not happy when she heard this, and immediately stopped Zhu, "Auntie, are you confused? When a man and a woman get married, how can they bring the woman to the man's house to meet each other?"
Zhu said, "You don't understand. Mr. Zhang's mother just recovered from a serious illness and can't walk much. Anyway, both families are in the town, just a few steps away."
Zhu was really determined to marry Mr. Zhang, and she had spent a lot of money on his family before, so now it was just a matter of time, so she rushed over.
Zheng Xiu couldn't bear to see Zheng Xian being tortured by Mr. Zhang's family. This was not a meeting at all, but a way to intimidate Zheng Xian first. The status of the in-laws is also very particular. Originally, Zhu had the upper hand because she treated Mr. Zhang's mother. Now that she is eager to bring Zheng Xian over, that advantage is gone.
Zheng Xiu couldn't persuade Zhu, so she turned around and went into the room of Old Man Zheng and Old Lady Zheng, "Grandma, come out quickly, Second Aunt wants to send Sister Xian to Mr. Zhang's house for him to see."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Zheng and Old Man Zheng got off the kang and put on their shoes.
"What's going on with the second family?" Old Lady Zheng muttered unhappily, "Our daughter is specially brought home for others to see, what has this become?"
Old Man Zheng left the room first, and Zhu had already persuaded Zheng Xian and was about to take her out.
"Second family, stop right there!" Old Man Zheng shouted loudly.
When Zhu saw that Old Man Zheng and Old Lady Zheng had left the house, she thought that every time Zheng Xiu used the two elders to pressure her, if the two elders had a say, this marriage might be ruined. Thinking of this, she became bolder and pretended not to hear what Old Man Zheng said, and quickly walked out of the door with Zheng Xian.
Old Man Zheng and Old Lady Zheng were both old and had difficulty walking. When they reached the gate of the yard, Zhu and Zheng Xian had already walked far away.
Old Man Zheng was so angry that he pointed at Zhu's back and couldn't say a word.
"Xiu girl, hurry up and follow them." Old Lady Zheng said hurriedly, "Don't let your aunt do anything stupid!"
Zheng Xiu responded, and Xue Zhi also rushed over and said, "I'll go with you."
This was naturally a good idea. Zheng Xiu looked at him gratefully, and the two of them followed Zhu and Zheng Xian.
Zheng Xiu and Xue Zhi didn't know where Mr. Zhang's house was, but Zhu was familiar with it. She was afraid that someone from the Zheng family would come to stop her, so she took a shortcut through a small alley.
According to Xue Zhi's pace, he would not be left behind at all, but because he was worried about Zheng Xiu, he didn't dare to walk too fast. So soon, there was no trace of Zhu and Zheng Xian.
Zheng Xiu went to ask people in the town again, and found out the address of Mr. Zhang's house and rushed over. By that time, Zhu had even had tea at Zhang's house.
The phrase "bare bones" really describes the Zhang family to the extreme.
The dilapidated door and the broken walls. Through the open door, you can see the condition of the main room inside - dark, shabby, with a square table and a few benches, nothing else.
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