An Shuyi glanced at her. Although she couldn't fully understand her thoughts, she was pretty close. "Just answer what's on your mind. As for the rest, you don't need to think about it."
"In reply to Madam, Yu Rou is willing, but..."
"No buts, tell me. Tell me your background and what happened, so that I can decide whether my son can marry you."
Su Yurou nodded. "My name is Su Yurou. I am sixteen years old. My family is in Qingyan City. The Su Family Business is my family's business. I lost my mother when I was young. My father raised me alone. But two years ago, when I was fourteen, the age when I could be married, my maternal grandparents sent my mother here, saying that the family couldn't do without a woman."
“My father was away from home all year round, too busy with his business to take care of me. He thought it would be good to have a woman in the house, so my mother came into the family. At first, everything was fine. My mother was very attentive to my affairs, and many people came to look at me. But as time went on, I realized something was wrong.”
“Those men were either old or had some health problems, but I didn’t think too much about it and didn’t tell my father. But two months ago, my father suddenly fell seriously ill and no matter how many doctors he saw, he couldn’t be cured. A month ago, before my father even passed away, he was kidnapped that very night.”
“The people who kidnapped me said they were on my mother’s orders to sell me to a brothel. If I obeyed, I could stay in the brothel for the rest of my life and be safe. But if I disobeyed, they would break one of my legs.”
"They originally wanted to slash my face, but the madam of the brothel said that if they slashed my face, they wouldn't be able to sell me for a good price, so they didn't. After that, I used my bracelet to bribe the old lady in the back of the brothel so that I could escape. I fled all the way here."
During this month on the run, I've been hiding here and there every day, never having a proper meal. Sometimes I'd hide here for two days and there for two days.
Xia Hua suddenly asked, "Are you sure your father is dead?"
Su Yurou shook her head and then nodded. "I'm not sure because I didn't see it with my own eyes before I was kidnapped. But if my father were still alive, my mother wouldn't have been so bold. However, during the month I've been on the run, I've heard that the Su family's daughter is bedridden, but I haven't heard any news of my father's death."
She was also puzzled. On the day she was kidnapped, she saw her father lying on the bed, barely alive. To this day, she still doesn't know what illness her father had, or why her maternal grandparents' family didn't come to see him.
Logically speaking, if her father was seriously ill, even if he couldn't send many people, he would still send someone. However, from the time she wrote the letter until she was kidnapped, not a single person from her maternal grandparents' family came, not even a servant.
After hearing her words, An Shuyi found herself in a dilemma. If her father was dead and her maternal grandparents' family was unreliable, she could still marry her son and live a peaceful life in the village. But her father might still be alive, so she couldn't marry her third son. Wouldn't that be delaying his marriage?
“Young lady, how about I arrange for someone to send you back to Qingyan City? Perhaps your father is still alive, then you won’t have to marry my third son. Is that alright?”
Su Yurou glanced at the third brother and said self-deprecatingly, "Madam, what good would it do if I went back? In the eyes of outsiders, I am already a tainted person."
"But thank you for your kindness, Madam. I'll go home and see if my father is still alive." In the end, she was still tainted, even if she was still innocent.
The third brother stood to one side, and before long, his wife was said to be gone by his mother. He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.
“Mother, that’s my wife.”
"Bullshit, what nonsense! A hundred taels and you're my wife? What are you daydreaming about? Get lost!" An Shuyi cursed without any politeness, saying he would only cause her trouble.
The third son, despite being scolded by her, did not leave. Instead, he said, "Mother, if you send someone to take her back, that would be best if her father were still alive. But if her father is no longer alive, then the village will not accept someone of unknown origin."
"Besides, even if her father were alive, could he really make decisions for her? That stepmother doesn't seem simple; she was sent there by her maternal grandparents. When we get back, she might have to be sent to a nunnery."
An Shuyi raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Of course, I'll make her marry me!"
bang
"Oh, Mother, I didn't say anything wrong, why are you hitting me again?" the third son said as he ran. "It would be so good if she married me. If her father were not alive, she could come back to the village. Even if her father were alive, people would just think that she came to her fiancé's house. With the villagers as witnesses, we could shut up the gossip."
"You brat, what kind of person are you? You think you can get someone to marry you? What kind of daydream are you having? Get out of my way."
Snap
“Mother, you are at least a ninth-rank lady, and I am your son. It is barely enough for me to marry her. Besides, Mother, how could you hit me with a shoe?”
An Shuyi stopped and saw him still running around the room. She was furious. When did this kid become so fast? It seems that the sandbag was quite useful.
"Bring me my shoes. You're going to join the army in two days. How can she marry you? Besides, she doesn't want to either. Don't even think about it."
“Madam, I’m willing as long as the young master doesn’t mind,” Su Yurou said from the side.
She wasn't a cold-blooded person. She couldn't turn a blind eye to all that the young master had done for her. Regardless of whether her father was alive or not, she couldn't stay in Qingyan City. Although it was somewhat selfish, she also wanted to find a place to stay.
"Mom, you see, she did it willingly herself," the third son said smugly.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua looked at Su Yurou, and they were speechless. Was this girl a little silly? Oh well, that's how it was in ancient times. Women valued their reputation more than anything else. They guessed she was worried about having nowhere to go in the future.
Xia Hua reminded her, "Miss Su, you'd better think this through. Don't regret it later. Sanwa is going to join the army in a few days and may not be able to come back for several years." Don't end up living a life of widowhood.
This is a life-altering matter, and you need to think it through carefully, otherwise the consequences could last a lifetime. If you don't have children, it's fine; you can always walk away. But if you have children, you'll be tied down for life.
Su Yurou nodded, "Madam, I've thought it through. If it weren't for the young master's rescue, I wouldn't be standing here now. Since the young master is going to join the army, we can get married now. After I return to Qingyan City and check whether my father is still alive, I will come back here to serve my mother-in-law."
The third son added, "Mother, did you hear that? She did it willingly; I didn't force her."
An Shuyi sighed, suddenly feeling that her third son was not worthy of marrying such a good girl. "Miss Su, besides my third son, I have two other sons. My fourth son is quite good, although..."
"Mother, I'm your own son!" Upon hearing this, the third son rushed over and hugged her leg, looking pitiful. He was his wife.
"I know, get out of my way. Fourth brother is my own son too." He then pushed the man aside. "Wooden head, come in here."
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