Lady Ding, feeling disgruntled and annoyed, snapped, "It’s the ingratitude of those little brats that gets me. I truly have wasted my efforts on raising them!"
Reminded of Gao Zhiru’s downfall and the collapse of Ji Xiulan’s dreams of becoming an official’s wife, and considering the wealth Ji Xinhe and the others had acquired without sharing a dime with them, Lady Ding felt choked and frustrated, unable to vent her anger.
Out of the blue, Peng Shi sneered, "However unwilling they are, they can’t deny that Ji Dashan is their real father. Can’t you manage your own children? What a waste of all these years."
Lady Ding gritted her teeth, "Little do you know! Almost all the money they’ve earned was masterminded by that girl Ji Xinhe. Therefore, Ji Dong and Ji Bei listen to her. After that girl fell several months ago and hit her head, she has changed profoundly. She suddenly toughened up and become very cunning. She’s not easy to handle." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
If Ji Xinhe weren’t so tough to deal with, Lady Ding, given her nature, would somehow seize all their earnings. How could she have ended up impoverished as she was now?
Peng Shi scoffed, "When all is said and done, she’s just a young girl. Oh my, I guess you’ve made a fuss about nothing. Since Ji Dong and Ji Bei both obey her, couldn’t you just control her too?"
This remark made Lady Ding’s eyes sparkle, but she still wore a sulky face and said, "That’s easier said than done! She’s cunning and headstrong, immune to soft or hard tactics. How can we easily control her?"
If they could have controlled her earlier, Lady Ding and Ji Xiulan wouldn’t have suffered as much.
Peng Shi said, "What can control a young maiden who has not yet married? Indeed, it’s marriage! Now she dares to be arrogant, probably because no one can rein her in. Once she marries into our family, with my mom’s means, I guarantee we can make her completely docile and too scared to even breathe!"
While Peng Shi was speaking, she scornfully cast a glance at Ji Dashan, who stayed silent with his head bowed. Such a useless man couldn’t even control his own daughter!
Jin Shi, out of delight, hastily said, "Exactly! Let her marry into our family! We will discipline her. Ding Hui has reached the age to get married. Isn’t it perfect?"
Their youngest son, Ding Hui, in the family was not yet married. If they could get Ji Xinhe, this "money tree," to marry into their family, wouldn’t her money become theirs?
At this thought, Jin Shi was thrilled.
Peng Shi sneered, "However disobedient she is, once she steps into the Ding Family, she can no longer do as she pleases. Therefore, as long as the marriage is settled, we can both benefit. With her property, we can finally enjoy good days."
Lady Ding was tempted, "That seems like a pretty good plan!"
Ji Dashan couldn’t help saying, "Xin He is quite stubborn. I’m afraid she won’t easily agree. Perhaps we should just give up."
"No matter what, the parents’ order is paramount. Can she argue against it?" Jin Shi retorted sharply, "Are you suggesting that our Ding Hui is not good enough for her?"
Ding Hui was the youngest and most cherished son of the Ding family. In Jin Shi’s eyes, if Ji Xinhe hadn’t earned so much money, she would never be worthy of their precious son!
Ji Dashan quickly denied, "No, no, not at all. That’s not what I meant. The siblings have separated their households. How can I interfere in her marriage?"
Jin Shi snorted coldly, "Since you are agreeable, there is nothing to discuss further. Severing their households is one thing, but she is still your biological daughter after all. What can she say against the marriage you arrange?"
Peng Shi’s eyes sparkled with slyness while calculating in her mind, "If Ji Dashan arranges it now, she might have a reason to refuse. But what about a betrothal that was agreed upon since their childhood? Let’s just write a marriage contract and claim that it was arranged when they were children. Once the marriage contract is there, along with parental decree and matchmaker’s introduction, how can she resist?"
Lady Ding instantly became jubilant, "Indeed! Once that girl marries into the Ding family, her money will all be ours!"
At the end of the day, it’s just a woman.
In this era, a woman’s life was as cheap as grass. The will of her parents could easily dictate her marriage. Facing the forthcoming marriage contract, she could not resist at all, no matter how formidable she might be. After all, she was just a woman.
All of a sudden, Lady Ding felt extremely relieved. After undergoing such hardship, she now saw light at the end of the tunnel and could recoup her losses from this girl!
"Let’s promptly finalize the marriage contract and get it sealed at the official residence to make it set in stone! Then we can just age the paper of the marriage contract and claim that it was agreed upon years ago when they were just children. I bet she wouldn’t dare to argue too much!"
——
Ji Xinhe was kept busy these days cleaning and decorating the store, completely unaware that she had fallen into someone else’s calculated trap.
After several days of hard work, she finally got the store ready. The sign read "Qinghe’s Little Shop", written by Mu Chu himself.
Standing at the doorway and looking at the sign being hung up, Ji Xinhe never stopped smiling. Observing the awe-inspiring big characters and the sharp strokes, she could predict the personality of the person who wrote them.
"Your handwriting is pretty good." Ji Xinhe commented, chin in hand.
Mu Houchu’s smiled at the corner of mouth, "There are many things about me that are good."
Ji Xinhe gave a light snort. This man was really bright when given a little bit of sunshine!
"Well, we’re almost done with arranging everything today. The goods have been moved here too. I suppose we can start the business tomorrow. Let’s go home for now. I’m curious how far along my brother has come in building the new house." Ji Xinhe yawned and laughed contentedly.
"Well, let’s head home," agreed Mu Houchu.
The pair returned to the village with their bullock cart in the late afternoon. Ji Xinhe intended to go home and cook dinner.
However, as soon as she stepped into the door, she sensed an eerie atmosphere, putting her on full alert.
Ji Dashan, Lady Ding, and Ji Xiulan were sitting in the room, along with two unfamiliar women who had rather stern appearances. Ji Dong was sitting on one side of the kangtou, his expression was stern and gloomy.
As Ji Xinhe entered, silence fell across the room.
Ji Xinhe’s face darkened, "What’s wrong, brother?"
Could it be these shameless people had come for money again? She felt like taking a broom and driving them all out!
Seeing Mu Houchu following her, Lady Ding scoffed, "Such conduct does not befit a young girl like you, going in and out with a man before marriage. Aren’t you afraid of disgrace? Don’t blame me for not reminding you if you are spurned by your future marital family!"
As Lady Ding spoke, she shot a meaningful look at Jin Shi, smugness written all over her face.
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