Chapter 1155, Redemption 6
Zhang Huahan, who felt the love of her mother for the first time, walked out of Wutong Courtyard excitedly. Even when she returned to her own courtyard, her mind was still full of thoughts about how she and Yan Yile got along.
"Aunt Anran, Mother just said that she will personally teach me how to burn incense and arrange flowers tomorrow. Did I hear correctly?"
Looking at the excited Zhang Huahan, An Ran felt a little sad. She smiled and said, "Miss, you heard correctly. Burning incense and arranging flowers are all essential skills for ladies of noble families. Back then, the master and the princess studied together, and they were the best among their sisters in many of these skills."
Zhang Huahan paused, "Princess?"
What princess?
Who is the princess?
Could it be possible that one of my mother's sisters is also a princess?!
An Ran thought about it and decided to explain the Yan family's situation to Zhang Huahan in detail, so as to avoid any misunderstandings when July went to the provincial capital.
"The Yan family has three branches in total, and the master is from the second branch of the Yan family."
"Among the three branches of the Yan family, the most prominent is the first branch. The reason is simple: the renowned Princess Weiyuan is from the first branch."
Zhang Huahan was stunned.
Princess Weiyuan
Even though she seldom went out, she had heard of Princess Weiyuan, who promoted high-yield grain varieties to all parts of Daxia.
"Princess Weiyuan is actually..."
An Ran sighed and nodded: "Yes, Princess Weiyuan is your aunt... Not only do you have an uncle who is a prince, but you also have an eldest cousin who is a prince, a second cousin who is a duke, and a cousin who is a princess."
Zhang Huahan didn't know what expression to make. She was the daughter of a small businessman, but suddenly she had so many royal relatives.
She has to slow down!
An Ran continued, "The Yan family's eldest branch not only produced a princess, but also a minister of the Ministry of Revenue and a naval commander. Your great-grandfather was also a second-rank official before he retired."
"The third branch of the Yan family is weaker, but the current commander of the Jinling Guard is your third cousin. Your fifth and sixth cousins started later, but now they also hold important positions in the local area."
"Among the three houses, the second house is the weakest. Whether it's the first house or the third house, they all have brothers to help them, but in the second house, only the girl's uncle has to support it alone."
"But fortunately, my uncle has finally made it as a provincial governor, which means he is also a high-ranking official in the imperial court."
After hearing this, Zhang Huahan couldn't calm down for a long time. Although she had long known that the Yan family was of higher status than the Zhang family, she never expected it to be so much higher!
So, how did my mother marry my father?
Zhang Huahan didn't dare to think about it any further and could only force himself to ignore this question.
An Ran looked at Zhang Huahan and said, "I'm sorry to say that the Zhang family is what it is today because of the Yan family. So, young lady, you can stand tall in the Zhang family and don't have to be afraid of anyone."
The situation of the Yan family was so unexpected that Zhang Huahan's mood was a little fluctuating. He just nodded randomly.
No wonder.
The Yan family was so prominent, no wonder my grandmother could only avoid my mother's edge and choose to give in and compromise;
No wonder no matter how dissatisfied others are, she is the first to choose the good things from the Zhang family.
All the confusions that once lingered in my heart have been answered today.
An Ran didn't say anything more and waited quietly by the side, waiting for Zhang Huahan to slowly digest it.
After a night of digestion, when Zhang Huahan came to Wutong Courtyard again, there was no expression on his face. He just looked at his mother who was carefully teaching him how to burn incense and arrange flowers, and Zhang Huahan couldn't help feeling sour in his heart.
The more prominent the Yan family became, the more pitiful she felt for her mother.
My father had a wife first, and several concubines later, as well as a large number of legitimate sons and daughters, as well as illegitimate sons and daughters.
When she thought of this, she couldn't help but feel sad and unfair for her mother.
She used to think that her mother was being too extreme by ignoring the Zhang family and her father, but at this moment, she no longer had such thoughts.
From this day on, Zhang Huahan went to Wutongyuan more frequently.
He personally serves the dishes when eating and makes tea when drinking. Zhang Huahan tries to do everything himself if he can.
My mother has suffered so much and is so lonely. She is the only relative left in the entire Zhang family. As for the other members of the Zhang family, they are only concerned about the Yan family standing behind my mother.
Yan Yile naturally felt Zhang Huahan's hospitality. She was a little uncomfortable at first, but gradually got used to it.
The servants in Wutong Courtyard keenly discovered that the eldest lady was getting angry less often and no longer had a stern face every day. Occasionally, she would show a gentle expression.
Time passed by little by little, Zhang Huahan learned the etiquette and rules better and his relationship with Yan Yile became more and more harmonious. The two of them were no longer as uncomfortable as they were at the beginning.
Under An Ran's training, the servants of Xiangxiexuan became much more well-behaved, and other members of the Zhang family couldn't find a place to start if they wanted to find out any news about Zhang Huahan.
Everyone in the Zhang family watched this change silently.
Time passed quickly and it was June. After seeing Yan Yile send people out of the house to buy things several times, the Zhang family realized that Zhang Huahan was about to go to the provincial government.
At this point, everyone in the Zhang family could no longer sit still.
Going to the provincial government to celebrate the birthday of Governor Yan, not to mention anything else, just telling others about it is enough to make people look at you with admiration, not to mention that you might even be able to make friends with high-ranking officials through it.
Especially the second and third girls who were currently discussing marriage were the most anxious. As long as they could go to the Governor's Mansion, even if it was a wasted trip, it would be beneficial to the marriage.
Miss Zhang naturally wanted to go as well. She was about to marry into the county magistrate's family. If her in-laws knew that she had connections with the governor's office, she would definitely be looked up to after she entered the house.
On the sixth day of June, Zhang Huahan came to pay her respects to Old Madam Zhang as usual. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Mrs. Zhang Er and others looking at her with burning eyes.
Today's Zhang Huahan really doesn't look like a girl from the Zhang family anymore. Her every move and gesture exudes the demeanor of a noble family, and her whole demeanor exudes elegance.
Miss Zhang smiled and broke the silence first: "Fifth sister, your dress doesn't look like it's made of ordinary material. Where did you buy it? I want to make one for you tomorrow."
Zhang Huahan: "This material was not bought from outside, it was given to me by my mother."
Miss Zhang's expression froze, she smiled awkwardly and said nothing.
Her stepmother was from the Yan family. She had heard from her grandmother that when her stepmother married into the Zhang family, although the dowry was not very generous, most of it was good things that the Zhang family could not buy.
Miss Zhang Er stared at the kingfisher-feathered jewelry on Zhang Huahan's head and immediately asked, "Then the jewelry on your head was also given by my aunt?"
Zhang Huahan nodded.
Miss Zhang curled her lips sourly: "Auntie really dotes on Fifth Sister. What you are wearing and wearing is something we have never seen before."
The other girls had similar expressions. The Zhang family had money, but in the ancient times with strict social classes, there were many things that could not be bought with money.
Zhang Huahan simply ignored Miss Zhang Er and stood up to say goodbye to Old Lady Zhang. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Zhang Er spoke at this time.
"Hua Han, we heard that you are going to the provincial government soon?"
Zhang Huahan glanced at her, then looked at Old Lady Zhang, and nodded: "Yes, my mother asked me to go and celebrate my uncle's birthday."
Hearing this, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became quiet.
Mrs. Zhang quickly recovered and said with a smile, "You kid, why didn't you tell us about such a big thing in advance? Since it's your uncle's birthday, our family should show some appreciation."
Zhang Huahan pondered for a moment: "Grandma, this is Huahan's first visit to my uncle's house. Mother meant that everything should be kept simple."
Mrs. Zhang paused, then smiled and said, "Your mother is very considerate. However, no matter how simple the house is, she can't let a little girl go out alone, right?"
Mrs. Zhang Er immediately responded, "That's right. We're worried about you, a little girl, going out. So, let your second sister and the others go with you, so you'll have someone to keep you company on the way."
Miss Zhang Er and others also echoed it.
Zhang Huahan remained silent, saying, "I'll have to ask my mother about this."
Mrs. Zhang Er wanted to say something, but was stopped by Mrs. Zhang.
Old Mrs. Zhang looked at Zhang Huahan kindly and said, "You should ask your mother for her opinion. However, it's not appropriate for a girl like you to travel. You should talk to your mother about this."
Zhang Huahan said "hmm" and then stood up and left.
After arriving at Wutongyuan, Zhang Huahan told Yan Yile that the Zhang family wanted to go to the provincial government with them.
Yan Yile was not surprised. Businessmen are profit-driven and will go wherever there is benefit. She knew the Zhang family's character very well.
"What do you think about this?"
Zhang Huahan carefully observed her expression and said, "Mother, this is what I'm thinking. It's really not convenient for me to go out alone. Since I must have someone accompany me, why not ask my elder brother and elder sister to come with me?"
Yan Yile didn't say anything, as if waiting for Zhang Huahan to continue.
Zhang Huahan continued, "Big Brother and Big Sister, after all, are from the same father as me. They are naturally closer to me than the people from the second and third branches, and the interests between us are more solid."
Hearing this, Yan Yile reacted slightly.
She instinctively felt disgust towards the Zhang family, and it was simply impossible for her to support them.
If Hua Han wanted to tell her that they were all family, she would definitely reject it directly, but when she heard her mention the word "interest", she was willing to continue listening.
"My daughter knows that my maternal grandparents are very prominent, but she is a member of the Zhang family after all. If she gets married in the future and is wronged by her husband's family, she may be able to seek help from her maternal grandparents, but she will still rely more on her natal family."
"I think the relationship with my grandparents should be used wisely. If possible, try not to cause trouble. After all, relationships can't be worn out."
"Besides, my daughter's relationship with the Zhang family is inseparable. As long as it's not too extreme and we can avoid a quarrel, it's best to avoid it."
"Grandma and the others are so enthusiastic this time. If I really refuse to agree to their request, I'm afraid there will be resentment."
"Once they dislike me, they might not do anything excessive, but it's easy for them to cause me trouble by relying on their status as elders."
Hearing this, Yan Yile was a little dazed, staring blankly at her daughter with a childish face.
Zhang Huahan didn't notice and continued, "To be honest with you, mother, my grandmother and the others have treated me just like that over the years. There's no real affection between us. So, I'll just talk to them about the benefits and losses."
"If the Zhang family wants to benefit from me, they have to pay something in return. Correspondingly, if my daughter wants the support of the Zhang family, she should also pay something in return."
"This way, everyone gets what they need, and no one owes anyone anything."
Yan Yile stared at Zhang Huahan for a long time without saying a word.
Zhang Huahan felt uneasy after being looked at, and could not help but say, "Mother, this is just my daughter's random thoughts. If you think my daughter is wrong, please correct me."
Yan Yile came back to his senses and shook his head. "No, you're right. What you said is very true." After a pause, he said, "Let's do as you say."
After saying that, he waved his hand, signaling Zhang Huahan that he could leave.
After Zhang Huahan left, Yan Yile was distracted for a while. After coming back to his senses, he sighed, "Huahan is more insightful than me."
If she had been able to figure this out back then, she wouldn't have ended up like this today, trapped in the Zhang family's backyard.
After Zhang Huahan came out of Wutong Courtyard, she went straight back to her own courtyard. She didn't plan to tell everyone right away that her elder brother and elder sister could go to the provincial government together. Making people anxious for a few days might be better for her and the Zhang family.
However, halfway through the journey, he met Master Zhang.
Ever since he learned about the true situation of the Yan family, Zhang Huahan felt a little uncomfortable every time he faced Master Zhang.
My father must have used some tricks to marry my mother.
The reason why Master Zhang came to see Zhang Huahan in person this time was naturally to go to the provincial government to celebrate Yan Wenjie's birthday. He knew that the Yan family didn't want to see him, and he was tactful enough not to go alone, but he wanted his eldest son to accompany Zhang Huahan.
No matter what, the relationship between the Zhang family and the Yan family cannot be severed like this.
Zhang Huahan looked at his father who was analyzing the pros and cons with him earnestly, and felt a little sad, for himself and for his mother.
The mother was the Zhang family's springboard to climb up the powerful, and she was just a tool to maintain the relationship between the Zhang and Yan families.
"Father, I've already discussed this with Mother. I'll let you know when I get the result. I've been practicing tea-making all day, and I'm a little tired. I want to go back and rest first."
Master Zhang moved his lips, wanting to say something, but finally nodded: "Okay, go back and rest."
Looking at Zhang Huahan's receding back, Master Zhang frowned.
He could see that his daughter was estranged, and he didn't want to discuss the gains and losses with his daughter, but as the head of the family, he had to consider the future of the Zhang family.
Alas, the relationship between him and Yile and her daughter was ultimately shallow.
The Zhang family waited anxiously until mid-June, when Zhang Huahan finally told everyone that Uncle Zhang and Miss Zhang could go together.
The eldest branch of the Zhang family was happy with this result, but the second and third branches were not.
Unfortunately, Zhang Huahan didn't care about their displeasure at all. Except for paying her respects to Old Madam Zhang, she stayed in Wutong Courtyard all the time. Even if the Zhang family wanted to bother her, they didn't dare to come.
On June 29th, Zhang Huahan, accompanied by Uncle Zhang and Miss Zhang, boarded a carriage to the provincial government.
In Wutong Courtyard, Yan Yile stood in front of the window in a daze for most of the day.
After marrying into the Zhang family, she never saw her family again. Didn't she want to? She wanted to, but she didn't have the face to see her brother and sister-in-law.
Maybe it's best not to see each other.
At least in this way, considering the brotherly relationship, the second brother and his wife will treat Hua Han more sincerely.
Hua Han has reached marriage age, and the Zhang family is in such a situation. If she wants to find a good family, she will have to rely on the help of her brother and sister-in-law.
Yan Yile smiled bitterly. She always thought that her elder sister could find happiness on her own, so she naively thought that she could too. But in the end, she still asked to go to the Yan family.
On the carriage to the provincial government, Zhang Huahan was silent.
She didn't know what the conflict was between her mother and the Yan family, but she did know that her mother, who had not been in contact with her family for so many years, had given up her pride for her.
(End of this chapter)
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