"People have already done great kindness helping our family in this time of need, how can I go and ask for something like that?" Ji Dashan turned and sat on the kangtou, his face not looking too good.
Although they had narrowly escaped devastation, preserving so little of their property and farmland, they still made a mess of it, gaining nothing at all. Thinking of his incompetent son making such a thoughtless move, how could he feel any better?
Lady Ding was anxious, so much so that she wished she could poke at Ji Dashan’s forehead, but remembering his bad temper, she dared not provoke him. Managing to squeeze out a smile, she tried to coax him.
"You can’t think like this. The Wang family has been so generous, so they likely don’t lack this small amount of silver. They want to honor the loyalty between them and you. So, you should go and see if they have any work for you to do. Working in a wealthy family like that is preferable to doing day-labor jobs for so little money. Besides, by working for them, wouldn’t you also be repaying their kindness?"
Upon hearing Lady Ding’s thought, Ji Dashan seemed somewhat taken by the idea.
"Since you’re going to pay back their kindness, it isn’t like you’re begging them for something. After all, you’ll be able to earn even more wages, so why not do it? Once you’re well-acquainted with some some high-ranking nobles within the Wang Family, introduce Xiulan to them. If Xiulan marries well, our family will also benefit, right?"
Lady Ding’s idea couldn’t be simpler: Using the pretense of repaying kindness, ingratiate themselves with the Wang family, and help Ji Xiulan catch a desirable match in the process.
Ji Dashan was initially unwilling, fearing the loss of face that might come from asking for such a favor. But hearing Lady Ding’s plan of repaying kindness, he felt that this was not as disgraceful.
Seeing that Ji Dashan’s expression had softened, Lady Ding excitedly continued, "And you should know, the Wang family is a royal merchant’s family, the nobility of business! I heard they have quite a few businesses in Lian’an Town. What if they might consider your past friendship and appoint you as a shopkeeper?"
Ji Dashan’s eyes lit up. If that were the case, there would be more to look forward to than simply doing manual labor for a few small coins.
——
Since returning to her room, Ji Xinhe had been in a poor mood which was evident from her gloomy expression. Sitting on the kangtou, drinking a big pot of water did nothing to alleviate her anger.
Xiao Bei came over and said, "Sister, why are you so angry? Didn’t you say before that the other side of the room was just strangers to us, whether their family is in a good or bad situation has nothing to do with us."
Ji Xinhe scoffed, "Do you think I’m mad because they didn’t lose everything?"
Xiao Bei blinked, "Is it because Lady Ding was rude?"
"If that woman could upset me, then I lived in vain in my past life."
"Ah?" Lived in vain in a past life?
Ji Xinhe paused for a moment and waved her hand, "Well, I’m just mad at them for making use of our deceased mother to ask for favors!"
Xiao Bei scrunched up her own small face in distaste, "Mom has been gone for so many years now, and dad still won’t let her rest."
"Anyone can use mom’s favor to ask for a favor, but dad does not have the right to do so! All these years since mom passed, all of the hard-earned money she left was spent on pleasing Lady Ding. Have we siblings ever lived a single day of the good life? Despite all this, he still had the audacity to use mom to ask for money; I really can’t swallow this!"
Ji Dong also came in with a grim face, "We can’t do anything about it at this point. If the Wang family wants to help, can we stop them? You shouldn’t feel bad about it. They, the entire family, one person worse than another, can we even compare?"
If it were him, he’d probably be too ashamed to even mention the name of his late wife, but they were not him. Otherwise, how could they be so despicable?
Ji Xinhe quickly poured Ji Dong some hot water, "Big brother, you know about this too?"
"The entire village knows because Lady Ding is going around telling everyone. How could I possibly not know?" Ji Dong helplessly shook his head, "Let’s forget it, let’s treat it as someone else’s business. If they can disgrace themselves like this, let them do it. We should mind our own business."
As Ji Dong spoke, his expression seemed to ease slightly, "Next month is your marriage to Mu Chu. The new house is under construction currently and it should be finished in about half a month. I’ll take care of the new house, so there’s no need for you to worry about it. But as for the wedding, we still need to give this matter more thought."
When Ji Xinhe heard about the marriage, her face couldn’t help but turn slightly red. She wasn’t usually a shy person, but after all, she was a girl. If she was marrying any random person, she wouldn’t feel embarrassed, but this person happened to be the man she loved, and that made her inherently shy.
"The wedding is not a big deal, let’s keep it simple. Our family is so busy right now, there’s really no need for a grand celebration," Ji Xinhe said with a soft chuckle, displaying an unprecedented girlish charm.
Ji Dong laughed, "My sister has grown up. The wedding is not that important, the important thing is that you marry the right person, and I will feel relieved. But after all, it’s a once in a lifetime event, it can’t be too simple, lest we wrong you."
No sooner had he spoken, when Marquis Mu entered the room, the corners of his lips turning up in a slight smile, "As for the wedding, I have my own arrangements. I will not let Xinhe feel wronged."
Ji Xinhe was slightly surprised, "What have you arranged?"
Marquis Mu sat down beside her, murmuring quietly, "Our wedding."
Ji Dong exclaimed, "Fine then, it seems I was worried for nothing. Since Mu Chu says he has arrangements, I won’t interfere."
As he spoke, he laughed and walked out. Xiao Bei, cleverly followed suit, scurrying out the door and closing it behind him.
"I’m a man. It’s natural for me to deal with these things," explained Marquis Mu, his voice softening, "The wife I worked so hard to win, I couldn’t possibly let her feel wronged, could I?"
Ji Xinhe couldn’t help but laugh, "You can’t bear to let me feel even a little bit aggrieved?"
Marquis Mu reached out and casually wrapped his arm around her waist, assuming it was perfectly natural to take advantage of the situation, "Of course."
Everyone in the entire world might be wronged, except her.
Ji Xinhe gave him a chilling smile, "Before we get married, you’re not allowed to touch me."
Marquis Mu was taken aback, "Why?"
"Every other bride isn’t touched by her husband-to-be before marriage. Why should I be the one being bullied by you? And you still talk about not letting me feel wronged." Ji Xinhe took the chance to escape from his arms and hastily ran out.
Marquis Mu shook his head, laughing helplessly, "Is this girl really that afraid of me?"
Anyway, he was not in a rush. After all, they were getting married next month.
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