Chapter 78 Engagement
“Chengzhu isn’t in a hurry. I need to keep her around for a few years to help me with my work,” Song Yushu replied, barely suppressing his impatience.
"Oh dear! You can't stay this age any longer, or you'll become an old maid!" Granny Sun said anxiously, slapping her thigh.
“My grandson is about the same age. He’s been studying for a few years, and his teacher says he’ll definitely pass the imperial examination next year. He’d be a good match for Chengzhu. Maybe we should let these two children meet and see who is the best match for him?”
Hmph! How could I let your grandson steal the cabbage that I've carefully cultivated? Song Yushu sneered inwardly, but his face showed nothing: "This child is good at calculating, so I'll keep her for a few more years. I can't trust anyone else, and even if she's an old maid, I can afford to support her. I won't delay your grandson's life."
"What good is it if this girl is good at accounting? She's out in the world showing her face. She'd be better off marrying my grandson and becoming a scholar's wife in a few years. That would be much more impressive!" Granny Sun was clearly unhappy with Song Yushu's refusal and made a sarcastic remark.
"Is your eldest grandson the short, chubby one with a mole on his face?" Song Yushu felt that the mole on Granny Sun's face looked familiar.
"What? You've seen him? The fortune teller said my eldest grandson is destined to be a master, born with a life of wealth and honor, and he's a perfect match for Chengzhu!" In Granny Sun's eyes, there was nothing wrong with her grandson.
"I've not only seen him, but back when my restaurant was still standing, he even brought the town's widows over for a meal! Oh dear! Chengzhu, didn't he refuse to pay his bill back then?"
Song Yushu winked at Zhou Chengzhu.
"Oh! I remember now, it's him! If you hadn't told me, I would have thought he was already in his thirties! He was flirting with that widow, and after dinner he even wanted her to give him money. The widow left cursing and swearing, and he said he would send the money over the next day, but he still hasn't given it to her!" Zhou Chengzhu naturally understood what Song Yushu meant and really remembered who that person was.
"Eight hundred coins, Granny Sun, don't try to renege on your debt! The IOU is still with me!"
"What! Eight hundred coins for a meal! Why don't you just rob me! Besides, my grandson is an honest man, he couldn't possibly have a relationship with the widow in town. Don't talk nonsense, you must have mistaken me for someone else!" Upon hearing this, Granny Sun refused to admit it.
"Chengzhu, bring out the IOU. I remember I should have brought the ledger," Song Yushu didn't want to indulge this old man and directly told Zhou Chengzhu to look through the ledger to find the IOU.
"Oh dear! I suddenly remembered that I haven't fed the chickens at home yet, so I'll go back first!" Seeing that she didn't seem to be lying to her, Granny Sun couldn't sit still any longer and left the Wei family as if she were fleeing.
"Phew! Finally, the person is gone!" Song Yushu sat down in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Does that old woman and her grandson really owe us eight hundred coins?" Wei's mother asked.
"Yes, he does owe money, but not eight hundred coins, he owes four hundred coins. And he really did have an affair with the widow in town, and even tried to steal her money. That old woman Sun is blind to treat such a person like a treasure."
Song Yushu felt annoyed when he thought about how Granny Sun kept saying that her grandson was a good match for Zhou Chengzhu.
"What a tragedy! Granny Sun's family isn't well-off either. They struggle to support her grandson's education, but who would have thought the child would turn out like this?" Wei's mother sighed.
Song Yushu didn't care how Granny Sun was doing. As long as she didn't try to harm her daughter, her grandson wouldn't have an easy time. She had leverage over him, and she could use it however she wanted.
The Zhou family, Zhou Lao Er returned the day before the Lunar New Year, carrying a full bag of New Year's goods.
Once inside the yard, he realized something was wrong. There were many weeds growing in the yard, and several spider webs on the windows. He only came to his senses when he heard a heart-wrenching cough coming from inside the house.
The door creaked open, and Zhou Lao Er saw his son, Zhou Chengli, coughing with his back to him.
"Who?" Zhou Chengli's voice was terribly hoarse.
“Father’s back, Chengli…” When Zhou Lao Er saw Zhou Chengli turn around, the words caught in his throat.
"How could this happen? Where is Zhao Yuzhi? Wasn't she taking care of you?" Zhou Lao Er was startled by Zhou Chengli's gaunt appearance and it took him a while to ask.
"Hahahaha... Who would willingly stay with a cripple for the rest of their life... Cough cough!" Zhou Chengli laughed self-deprecatingly, then coughed again a moment later.
When Zhou Lao Er understood what he meant, he felt as if a hole had been torn in his heart, and he was in great pain. With red eyes, he lit a fire in the brazier in the house, cooked porridge, and fed it to his son. He did not ask him about Zhao Yuzhi again.
“Dad won’t go to town anymore. We’ll live together as father and son. I won’t let you suffer anymore,” Zhou Lao Er said. Seeing his son like this, he was no longer at ease letting others take care of him.
Zhou Chengli remained silent. These past few days, apart from Zhao Yuhe bringing him food, he hadn't gone out at all. His body was rotting and smelly, but no one cared. From his initial madness to his current despair, he had long since lost the will to live.
Regardless of whether he responded or not, Zhou Lao Er kept nagging as he boiled water for him to bathe, changed all the bedding in the room, and settled his son in before closing the door and angrily confronting the Zhao family.
Where is Zhao Yuzhi?
“My sister went to town to find work…” Zhao Yuhe was startled by Zhou Lao Er’s visit and stammered an explanation.
Where do you work?
"I don't know, she didn't say..." Zhao Yuhe was really scared. Apart from her, there was no one else in the Zhao family who could handle things. If Zhou Lao Er beat her, she would be powerless to fight back.
Fortunately, Zhou Lao Er did not intend to lay a hand on them. He searched the room for a while before leaving with a gloomy expression.
Back at the Zhou family home, Zhou Chengli was still as lifeless as ever. Zhou Lao Er sighed and decided to put the search for Zhao Yuzhi on hold for the time being.
Zhao Yuzhi, who was currently at the Xu residence, had no idea what had happened. After entering the Xu residence, she learned quite a bit about this young master Xu, knowing that he came from the prefectural city and came from a prominent family, which was far beyond what people from this small place could compare to.
In addition, Xu Qingyan's intentional or unintentional flirting also stirred up some inappropriate thoughts in him.
"Have you prepared what Aunt Bai asked for? If there are any mistakes, I'll skin you alive!" Aunt Bai's personal maid urged from the kitchen.
"That's good, that's good," the old woman, who used to like to show off her superiority in front of Zhao Yuzhi, now fawned over her in a humble voice.
After everyone left, he straightened up and cursed a few times.
"Bah! What Aunt Bai? She's nothing but a plaything for the young master's amusement. Back when she was with Madam, they all pretended to be well-behaved, but now that they're in this wretched place, they still dare to climb into bed. Let's see how Madam deals with these sluts when we get back!"
"Stop talking. No matter what, they're still better off than us. What can the lady do even if she's angry when she gets pregnant?" another old woman chimed in, seemingly unintentionally.
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