Chapter 375 Carry You into the Mansion
The faint smile on Jian Pingping's face paused for a moment, and he turned around: "Call her Madam Magistrate."
Bihe didn't quite understand, but nodded. She had never been to school and didn't know much, but fortunately she was obedient and loyal, so Jian Pingping still liked her very much.
Jian Pingping prepared some simple gifts and asked Bihe to hire a carriage on the street. The two of them went to the prefect's house.
The Zheng family did not live in the prefectural government office. Instead, they bought a separate house not far from the one that Jian Pingping had originally looked at.
Bihe had come here with Jian Pingping once before, and this time she was still as nervous. She followed behind Jian Pingping with her head down, not saying a word.
Jian Pingping felt the same way and walked silently.
Aunt Xu's impression of Jian Pingping improved a bit. She said, "Madam likes you very much. You can relax a little."
Jian Pingping just smiled slightly and said nothing.
If you really like her that much, you wouldn't have ignored her for so many days. She won't take polite words seriously.
Aunt Xu was even more satisfied with her and gave her a few more pointers about the magistrate's wife's preferences. She smiled and thanked her, and asked Bihe to give Aunt Xu a purse.
Nanny Xu pinched it quietly and found that there seemed to be silver bills in the purse. She smiled with satisfaction.
The Zheng family’s house was not very big, and it didn’t take them long to reach the backyard.
Mei'er was talking to the prefect's wife, Mrs. Xu, who laughed heartily. She then tapped her forehead with her index finger and said, "Girl, you're really funny."
Nanny Xu brought Jian Pingping into the flower hall and stood behind Xu.
Jian Pingping bowed to Mrs. Xu. Mei'er put away the smile on her face and called out, "Cousin."
Jian Pingping responded, and Xu had already sat up straight: "This is Mei'er, your aunt's cousin, two months younger than you."
"Aunt, I have an appointment with Sister Qing to go shopping, so I'll leave first." Mei'er bowed to Xu with a smile.
"Go ahead, and bring more people with you." Xu patted her hand, her face full of intimacy.
"Aunt, I'll bring you some snacks from East Street." Mei'er said, looking at Jian Pingping. "What snacks does cousin like? I'll buy them for her."
"We have snacks at home, so why would you bother buying them from outside?" Mrs. Xu smiled and waved at her, "Didn't you make an appointment with Miss Xu? Don't keep her waiting."
Mei'er then looked at Jian Pingping with pride and left with her maid.
Jian Pingping sat quietly throughout the whole process without showing any sign of anxiety.
Xu nodded in satisfaction and looked at Jian Pingping carefully. She was wearing a bright red dress. Although it was bright, she was beautiful and could easily suppress the color.
"Now that the mourning period is over, Pingping should wear more colorful clothes. I have a few bolts of bright red and silver red cloth. I'll have someone find them for you later. Take them with you when you leave."
I don’t know if it was because she had some guesses in her mind, but when Jian Pingping heard what Xu said, she had an ominous premonition, but she could only smile and thank her.
"I heard you opened a small shop in the city, selling rouge and powder?"
Jian Pingping was not surprised at all that Xu knew about this. Even if Zheng Yuang and Mei'er didn't tell her, someone else would have told her.
"An An is still young, so we have to find a way to make a living. Fortunately, the people who come and go in the shop are all women, so it's not a big deal."
Xu took a sip of tea and spoke slowly, "Now that you're not married, you can still go out every day. Once you get married, it will be inconvenient."
Jian Pingping perked up when she heard this, but she was an unmarried girl after all, so it was difficult for her to say too much about marriage. She just said that she would talk about the future later.
"Pingping, when your mother was seriously ill, your uncle agreed to let you marry into this mansion. I felt sorry for you, so I agreed."
"Logically, marriage shouldn't be discussed with a little girl like you, but your parents passed away, and your mother entrusted you to us, so I discussed it with you."
Xu's voice was very soft, but it made Jian Pingping feel uncomfortable.
Since she knew that it was inappropriate to talk to her directly about marriage, what else could she say?
"Aunt, otherwise, I will..."
She wanted to leave first and ask Xu to send a matchmaker to talk to her later.
Xu interrupted her and continued, "Your parents' mourning period has passed, but Yu'ang hasn't married yet. It's really difficult to carry you into the mansion. I'm afraid you'll have to wait."
The color on Jian Pingping's face faded as Xu spoke.
"Lift? My aunt wants me to be your concubine?" She said this while suppressing the anger in her heart.
"Pingping, your parents have passed away. Your uncle and cousin are your support. If your cousin marries a woman from a wealthy family, wouldn't it be better for An An in the future?"
Xu's tone did not change at all, but her attitude was very clear: she wanted to marry a woman from a wealthy family for her son.
"In my aunt's eyes, I can only be a concubine?" Jian Pingping stood up. She heard the threat in Xu's tone, but if she really became a concubine, it would bring shame to her parents.
"We are all relatives. Even if you are a concubine, your aunt will love you." Xu nodded affirmatively.
Jian Pingping's face turned from white to red, and then from red to white. She felt sad in her heart, but she had to hold on.
"Aunt, I still have to raise my younger brother, so I'm afraid I can't be your concubine."
"When you are brought in, let An An live in the mansion. In the future, he will follow Manager Xu and marry a wife. This will be a relief to your parents." Xu was well prepared.
A surge of anger rose from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Jian Pingping knew that Xu wanted Jian Anan to be the housekeeper in the future and take care of the miscellaneous affairs of the mansion.
"Aunt, please forgive me for not obeying your order. My parents want An An to study and take the imperial examination in the future. I have to accompany my brother, so I'm afraid I can't come to your house."
"I wish my cousin to marry a noble lady and have a bright future."
No matter how angry Jian Pingping was, she didn't dare to vent it. She knew that she was just an orphan now. If she really had a falling out with her aunt, and her aunt sent someone to take her to the mansion, she would have no way to do anything.
Xu was not angry at all. She held the teacup, used the lid to skim off the tea foam, and said, "Pingping, go back and think about it. This matter concerns An'an's future. I have to discuss it with your uncle."
"I am sorry for the kindness of my uncle and aunt. I still have a younger brother to support, so it is really inconvenient for me to come into the mansion." Jian Pingping swallowed the sour tears.
"Aunt, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do at home, so I'll leave first."
Xu didn't make things difficult for her and waved her goodbye.
When Aunt Xu was seeing Jian Pingping off, she wanted to say a few words of advice, but Jian Pingping forced a smile and said, "Thank you very much, Aunt. I'm in a hurry, so I'll leave first."
Without waiting for Aunt Xu to say anything, she walked out.
Bihe supported Xu until they were out of the Zheng family's gate, then she said in a tearful voice, "Miss, I, I'm going to hire a carriage."
Jian Pingping walked straight ahead as if he hadn't heard anything.
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