Chapter 1153, Redemption 4
On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Huahan got up early as usual, paid his respects to Old Madam Zhang first, and then went to Wutong Courtyard.
In Old Lady Zhang's room, the women of the Zhang family watched Zhang Huahan leave with mocking expressions on their faces.
"The fifth daughter of our family is so unlucky. She has such a prominent maternal family, but she has such a stubborn mother. She has grown up without getting any benefits at all." The second wife of the Zhang family shook her head and sighed.
Hearing this, the girls from the Zhang family all looked over.
Miss Zhang Er even asked directly, "Mother, everyone says that my aunt's family is prominent. How prominent is it?"
The Zhang family's masters were worried that the younger generations would be too talkative and spread rumors outside. Except for the eldest master of the Zhang family, the other younger generations did not know the true situation of the Yan family. It was only when Miss Zhang overheard the conversation between Old Lady Zhang and Master Zhang a few days ago that she learned some of the truth.
Mrs. Zhang Er was about to speak when she was glared at sternly by Old Lady Zhang, and she could only smile awkwardly.
Miss Zhang Er, relying on the favor of Old Lady Zhang, hugged Old Lady Zhang's arm and acted coquettishly: "Grandma, what's so great about the Yan family? Can't we just ask?"
"In the past, when we went out to visit friends, some ladies would ask us about the Yan family, but we knew nothing and could only stand there stupidly. It was so embarrassing..."
Miss Zhang San added, "You can't even mention it. Could it be that the Yan family is actually royal family?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the adults in the room became subtle.
Isn't the Yan family a royal family?!
The Zhang family, a merchant family that was not even ranked in Daxia, married the legitimate daughter of the Yan family, even if she was divorced. It was definitely a case of the Zhang family marrying up.
The girls from the merchant family were quite perceptive. When they saw the unusual silence of Old Lady Zhang, Second Madam Zhang, and Third Madam Zhang, they all felt a pang of anxiety in their hearts, especially Miss Zhang, who knew a little more about the situation. She almost couldn't maintain the expression on her face.
At this moment, the girls of the Zhang family were filled with shock. Could it be that the Yan family was truly royal family?!
The room fell silent.
Mrs. Zhang San looked at Old Lady Zhang and broke the silence with a smile: "If you ask me, Fifth Girl is also a person with a strong heart. Maybe one day the clouds will clear and the moon will appear."
Mrs. Zhang Er was not so optimistic: "Given my sister-in-law's temper, I don't know how long we have to wait for that day." As she said this, she looked at Mrs. Zhang expectantly.
"Mother, do you think we should help the fifth girl? It's not a good thing for a mother and daughter to have such a bad relationship."
Old Mrs. Zhang glanced at Mrs. Zhang II and asked, "How do you want to help?"
Mrs. Zhang Er's expression froze: "Isn't my daughter-in-law discussing this with you?"
Old Mrs. Zhang snorted heavily.
She knew what her two daughters-in-law were thinking. Seeing that the eldest girl could marry the eldest son of the county magistrate, they were also moved.
The second and third girls have now started discussing marriages. If they only rely on the Zhang family's connections, they can still find a good marriage, but the selection range is limited to merchants.
Merchants may be rich, but they have no status. When dealing with officials, they always have to bow their heads.
But it is different for officials. Even if he is only a seventh-rank county magistrate, he still holds power over the entire county. Anyone living in this county, no matter how rich they are, has to obey the county magistrate.
Take Qingshi County for example. Although the Zhang family is the richest family, they still have to be careful and smile respectfully when facing the county magistrate, not to mention higher-ranking officials such as the prefect and the governor.
As a grandmother, she naturally hopes that each of her granddaughters can find a good home, but this is not something they can do just by wanting it.
The woman from Wutongyuan has hated the eldest brother since she married into the Zhang family. How could she possibly plan for the Zhang family?
Now she doesn't dare to think about this anymore. She just hopes that the man can remember the fifth girl a little bit.
After all, the fifth girl is a daughter of the Zhang family. If she is well, her brothers and sisters in the family will also be well.
Seeing that the second and third daughters-in-law were still hesitant to speak, Mrs. Zhang snorted and said, "If you have the ability to persuade that person, I won't stop you. Do as you please."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhang Er and Mrs. Zhang San both looked disappointed.
That person didn't even give face to the old lady, let alone them.
After that, Mrs. Zhang didn't have the heart to say anything else, so she asked everyone to leave.
As soon as they left the courtyard, Miss Zhang Er couldn't wait to pull Madam Zhang Er and ask, "Mother, is the Yan family really a royal family?"
Miss Zhang Er said the last four words very softly.
Madam Zhang Er glanced at Miss Zhang Da, then at the others. Thinking that the girls had grown up and knew the importance of the matter, she thought for a moment and, although she did not give a direct answer, she also said, "Don't talk about the Yan family's affairs outside, otherwise you will be punished by the family rules."
At this point, the Zhang family girls had nothing to understand. Their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.
Great aunt (mother)'s family background was so powerful, so powerful that they couldn't even imagine it!
They had only seen actors portraying royal relatives in plays, and never imagined that they would actually be related to such a family.
Not long after everyone dispersed, several masters of the Zhang family received shocking news.
Yan Yile invited Zhang Huahan to have lunch at Wutong Courtyard!!!
In addition, a personal maid was sent to teach Zhang Huahan etiquette and rules.
When the news came out, even Master Zhang in the front yard was stunned for a while.
Mrs. Zhang was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "That person...after all, he couldn't let go of his own daughter."
It’s good that she can’t let go. If she can’t let go, she will make plans for the fifth girl.
With the Yan family's background, even if the fifth girl came from a merchant family, there would be a lot of young men from wealthy families lining up to marry her, and it would not be difficult for her to marry into a wealthy family.
Although the Yan family is prominent, it is the maternal family after all. No matter who the fifth girl marries into in the future, she will still have to rely on the support of the Zhang family.
In this case, how could she not help her brothers and sisters?
At this moment, Old Mrs. Zhang sincerely hoped that Zhang Huahan could marry well. If she was well, the Zhang family would naturally benefit as well.
After coming out of Wutong Courtyard, Zhang Huahan was still a little confused. She had never expected that her mother would send Aunt Anjing to teach her etiquette in person.
Although she still didn't see her mother this time, and although her legs were weak from practicing walking in the house for a whole day, Zhang Huahan was still full of joy at this moment.
Her mother finally paid attention to her!
Moreover, he asked her to come to Wutongyuan every day in the future.
Caiwei looked at Zhang Huahan, whose eyes were filled with tears, and was happy for her: "Miss, you will have lunch and dinner here with the Madam today. I believe that one day, you will be able to eat with the Madam."
Zhang Huahan's eyes also showed longing, and he said expectantly: "I also hope that such a day will come."
The next day, when Zhang Huahan went to pay his respects to Old Lady Zhang, Mrs. Zhang Er, Mrs. Zhang San, and all the girls in the Zhang family had arrived first.
When Zhang Huahan saw this, her eyes moved slightly. Usually, she was always the first to arrive.
She understood why they came so early. They just wanted to ask her about what happened in Wutong Courtyard yesterday. Zhang Huahan felt a little annoyed. She greeted Old Madam Zhang, sat for a while, and was about to get up and leave.
Mrs. Zhang Er immediately smiled and said, "Fifth girl, why are you leaving in such a hurry? Your eldest sister will be getting married soon. You sisters should get together and have a good chat."
Zhang Huahan glanced at her and smiled faintly, "Second Aunt, Mother told me to go to her yard every day to listen to her lectures. I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself if I go too late. Please forgive me, Second Aunt."
Mrs. Zhang Er paused and asked in surprise, "You go there every day?"
Zhang Huahan nodded.
Miss Zhang couldn't help but ask, "Do you study etiquette and rules every day?"
Zhang Huahan shook his head: "I don't know about that."
Miss Zhang asked again: "So what did you learn yesterday?"
Zhang Huahan didn't like the way she asked the question, but seeing everyone looking at him, he knew that if he didn't say something, these people would keep pestering him. "Nothing special, just practicing walking."
"walk?"
Miss Zhang Er cried out in surprise, "Fifth sister, please don't try to trick us with words. Everyone knows how to walk. Why do we need to practice all day?"
Then he snorted, "It's okay if you lied to us, but grandma is still here."
Zhang Huahan frowned and looked at her. "If Second Sister doesn't believe me, then there's nothing I can do." Then he looked at Old Lady Zhang and said, "There's nothing I can't tell anyone about what Mother taught me. If Grandmother doesn't believe me either, you can send someone to Wutong Courtyard to ask."
Old Madam Zhang glared at Miss Zhang Er, then looked at Zhang Huahan with a smile: "Look at you, little girl, why do you take it so seriously? Your second sister is just joking with you. She is just like that. You are a good child, so don't bother with her."
Zhang Huahan's brows knitted into knots. Although she had long since given up hope in the Zhang family, she was still disgusted by her grandmother's attempt to smooth things over. Without saying much, she said directly, "Grandma, I'll go to Mother's first."
Watching Zhang Huahan's departing figure, Miss Zhang grumbled, "Look at what Fifth Sister is capable of. Auntie only kept her for one day, and she already treats Grandmother like that."
Old Mrs. Zhang immediately glared at him, causing Miss Zhang Er to shrink her neck.
"snort!"
Old Madam Zhang looked at the girls of the Zhang family with a serious face: "You like to ridicule and make fun of the fifth girl. It was okay in the past, but from today on, you must change your attitude towards her."
"The most important thing for a girl is her lifelong event. You won't lose out if you make friends with the fifth girl."
Only after all the girls in the Zhang family nodded did Old Lady Zhang retract her gaze. "Fifth Girl didn't lie just now. The rules and etiquette of officials have always been strict, and every word and action has strict standards."
As he said this, he looked at Miss Zhang Er.
"In the future, don't talk about things you don't understand or know. You're already grown up. Don't mistake ignorance for honesty. This will only make people laugh at you."
Miss Zhang Er turned pale and admitted her mistake in a low voice.
Although she admitted her mistake, she didn't really feel that she was wrong.
No matter how well you practice walking, can you still do fancy things?
Not only her, but others also felt that Mrs. Zhang was making a big deal out of nothing.
(End of this chapter)
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