Zheng Xiu looked at the Zhang family in disbelief as she entered the house.
Zhu was talking to a woman with a square face and thick eyebrows. When she saw Zheng Xiu and Xue Zhi coming in one after the other, her face became awkward. But she thought that she had already brought Zheng Xian here, and even if Zheng Xiu came, she couldn't take her away by force.
"This is my eldest niece. She was worried about my Xian girl, so she came to visit with her husband." Zhu explained rather stiffly. The person
sitting in front of her was naturally Zhang Xiucai's mother Fang, who had thick black eyebrows, thin eyes, dark skin, and a summer shirt with several patches on it. She didn't look like a respectable person, let alone someone who was too sick to walk, but Zheng Xiu could see that. Zhu was very polite to her, even fawning.
Fang just raised her chin and nodded to Zheng Xiu as a greeting. She had heard of Zheng Xiu's name, and with the rumors that were so unbearable, it was hard not to know her. When she saw her, Fang couldn't help but compare Zheng Xiu and Zheng Xian in her heart. Zheng Xiu was pretty, while Zheng Xian was weak. They each had their own beauty. But from the bottom of her heart, Fang still looked down on Zheng Xiu. Not to mention her family background, just the fact that she hid behind her mother with a handkerchief in her hand, not daring to raise her eyes, and answered every time she asked a question, she would answer it as softly as a mosquito. She was looking for someone for her son who could take care of the household chores and serve them, not a delicate lady who needed to be cared for by others.
Zheng Xiu smiled and said, "Second Aunt brought us to visit Aunt's house, but we walked too fast. I was also looking at the jewelry store that opened earlier on the street, and I lost track of it. It took me a while to find my way here."
She said this to explain why they were obviously a family, but came in two groups. She also said that Zhu had brought her daughter to Fang's house, saying that the whole family came to visit Zhang's house, or to investigate the situation. She
didn't even stand up to serve them tea. There were only two benches in the house that could accommodate people, so she, Zhu, and Zheng Xian sat on them respectively, and Xue Zhi and Zheng Xiu could only stand.
She turned around and continued to say to Zhu: "You know the situation in our family. If we plan to get married now, then the betrothal gift and wedding ceremony may not be well organized. It would be better to wait for another two years, until our Yongqian passes the imperial examination..."
When Zhu heard that she wanted to postpone the wedding date, she immediately refused and said: "We will take care of the betrothal gift and wedding. After we get married, Yongqian can come in and continue his studies in peace."
Zheng Xiu listened and could not help but smile bitterly. In order to marry her daughter to Mr. Zhang, Zhu even gave up the betrothal gift and wedding ceremony. She also had to give Zheng Xiu some dowry. Maybe she would have to pay for Mr. Zhang's studies in the future... It sounded like she was giving away money!
Fang's words were also very mysterious. Whether it was a postponed wedding or a recent marriage without betrothal gifts and wedding ceremonies, his family was taking advantage!
Fang touched his chin when he heard this, pretending to be thoughtful and said: "Since you said so, I will find someone to send the birth dates of the two children to the temple and see the date..."
Zhu immediately smiled and agreed on the spot.
"What you said, auntie, Mr. Zhang is a scholar after all. Scholars pay the most attention to propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. If people knew that his family did such a thing, how could he face his classmates and friends in the future?" Zheng Xiu suddenly said with a cold face.
"Xiu girl!" Zhu was so anxious that she kept calling her. Seeing that the good thing was about to be completed, why did she rush to mix it up!
Fangshi pulled Zhu and turned to look at Zheng Xiu and said, "What do you mean by what you just said?"
Her eyes were as cold as ice. She lost her husband early in her life, and she lived almost entirely for her son. Fortunately, her son was very good at studying and had a promising future, which did not go to waste her hard work. But now, someone was saying bad things about her son in front of her, and she naturally could not tolerate it.
Zheng Xiu said calmly: "My second aunt has done a favor to your family. Your willingness to marry Qin Jin is a good thing. But what I heard from my aunt just now is that it leaves my second aunt with two difficult choices. One is to wait for Mr. Zhang to pass the imperial examination and then let them get married. Not to mention whether your family will regret this marriage in the future, the road to the imperial examination is long and difficult. It would be great if Mr. Zhang passed the exam on the first try, but if he fails, will my sister have to wait for another three years? Secondly, the lady said that she wanted to marry my sister without a betrothal gift or wedding ceremony. How will my sister deal with it in the future? My aunt is very concerned about the marriage. These two choices are really the only ones I have ever seen in my life."
At this point, she sneered twice, "Is this your family's attitude of marrying to repay a favor?"
Fang glared, and before she could say anything, Zhu had already grabbed Zheng Xiu and said, "Xiu girl, don't talk too much! Go home first, there is no place for you to talk here!"
Zheng Xiu stepped aside and avoided to the other side of Xue Zhi, "Second aunt, I didn't say this for myself, of course I said this for the sake of my younger sister. And I'm not just representing myself, it's my grandma who is worried, so she asked me to come and take a look..." By the way, she also mentioned that the old people in the family were not optimistic about this marriage.
With Xue Zhi present, Zhu naturally didn't dare to touch Zheng Xiu again. She turned to Fang and said with an apologetic smile: "Mrs. Zhang, my niece is abrupt and offended you. Please don't take it to heart."
Fang sat upright on the bench, not even lifting her butt. At this moment, she just sneered: "Sister Zhu, I agreed to the marriage between our two families because I saw that you and I had some friendship when you were young, and you helped me when I was seriously ill. But look at your niece's attitude. Am I making a marriage or an enemy?"
Zheng Xiu wished that she would immediately change her mind and say that she didn't want to marry. Anyway, she and Zhu had been at odds for a long time, so it was okay to tear each other apart again. But she couldn't bear Zhu pushing Zheng Xiu to jump into the fire pit of Zhang's family.
Zhu smiled shyly and said, "Mrs. Zhang, you are a magnanimous person. Don't argue with these young people. We can discuss the dowry and betrothal gifts..."
Fang frowned again as if thinking. She wanted to use Zheng Xiu to directly reject the marriage. But she also had her own difficulties. First, Zhu had paid for her medical treatment and medicine for more than a month. Although she didn't want it now, if she rejected the marriage, Zhu was not the kind of person who would suffer a loss. Naturally, she would come to her door to ask for it. She roughly calculated that her family owed at least ten taels of silver. It would be absolutely impossible to pay it back now. Secondly, because she had spent all the family's meager savings on her illness, her son's future education would require money, and she herself could no longer work as hard as before, so she would need to seek other sources of income in the future...
She was willing to give money to his family to support his son's education without being too arrogant. It seemed that she could not think of anyone else except Zhu.
Zheng Xiu had thought that what she had just said would definitely provoke Fang to go back on her words. Unexpectedly, the other party was still able to keep her composure. This almost made her anxious. It
happened that Zhang Xiu came back from outside at this time.
He was dressed in a blue cloth with a straight tie, and there were no patches on his body, which was quite refreshing. He also had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and was quite handsome.
Zheng Xiu quickly said, "You are Mr. Zhang, right? I heard that you want to marry my sister?"
Mr. Zhang, who was a little dull due to his studies, nodded when he heard it. Although he didn't want to marry Zheng Xiu, her mother's words were also his intention. Although she didn't know the woman in front of her, there were few guests at home, so she must be from the Zheng family.
Zheng Xiu added, "I also heard that your mother wants to marry my sister without giving a betrothal gift or holding a wedding?"
Mr. Zhang didn't know about the above, and could only look at his mother blankly.
Fang couldn't sit still this time, and stood up with a little embarrassment and said, "Yongqian, go back to your room and read, mother will take care of other things."
Mr. Zhang nodded and was really going to go into the house.
How can you expect such a person who is indifferent to his own marriage to be good to Zheng Xian in the future?
Zheng Xiu became more and more determined to ruin this marriage.
She gave Xue Zhi a look, and Xue Zhi understood and blocked Mr. Zhang's way.
"Aren't you a scholar? Why don't you respond when I talk to you? Where did all your studies go?" Zheng Xiu tried her best to say words that would make the other party angry. "Or are you the same as your mother? Since you have been treated well by my second aunt, you don't want to treat my sister well, and just become a shameless person who betrays others?" After all,
Mr. Zhang was a scholar who valued propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. He retorted angrily: "Do you think I really want to marry a woman I have never met? If her mother hadn't come to my house every day, taken the initiative to treat my mother and get medicine, and later asked for rewards, I would not want to marry her!"
This is what Zheng Xiu wanted him to say.
As expected, as soon as these words came out, Zheng Xian, who had just been tying her handkerchief and biting her lips, ran out crying.
"Xian girl!" Zhu shouted anxiously from behind, but Zheng Xian ignored her and ran away in a short while. Zhu had no choice but to chase her out.
Zheng Xiu pulled Xue Zhi, and then said to Zhang Xiucai: "A gentleman's words are as good as gold! Don't come to ask for marriage again in the future!"
Zhang Xiucai flicked his sleeves and snorted coldly.
"Let's go." Zheng Xiu quickly pulled Xue Zhi out of Zhang's house. Anyway, her goal had been achieved.
A poor family with no future, a mother-in-law who is favored by others but still puts herself above others, and a mama's boy who is too educated to be a fool. If any of these three things happen, no good family would be willing to marry their daughter to the man. Only a foolish mother like Zhu can do this! Regardless of whether Zhu and Zheng Xian will hate her in the future, Zheng Xiu feels that she will not regret it.
Of course, this is the last thing she can do to help Zheng Xian. In the future, it depends on her own luck.
Zheng Xiu left the Zhang family and finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, she did not dare to relax immediately, but turned to ask Xue Zhi: "Did you see clearly which direction Sister Xian ran to just now? Let's chase her and see."
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