Chapter 57 The Eight-Bearer Sedan Chair (3)
An old man and a young man entered.
The old man had gray hair and was dressed in an official's uniform. His hunched posture made him appear even shorter.
Lin Chujiu glanced at his face and confirmed that he was a ruthless character.
Because of his pale face, squinting eyes, and sharp, rat-like features, he gave the impression of being both shrewd and vicious.
Lin Chujiu felt a little creeped out and quickly went to look at the young man.
The young man was more normal; apart from having the same rosy cheeks and red lips as his wife, he looked no different from a normal person.
I don't know why she's a bit petite, she looks to be at most 1.7 meters tall, but she's also quite pretty.
When he saw Lin Chujiu looking at him, he lowered his head shyly, not daring to meet her gaze.
Lin Chujiu: ...
Why do you seem to be suffering from mistreatment?
The two men walked over, and the young man bowed to the lady before taking his seat with the old man.
Lin Chujiu was then pulled to a seat by the beaming lady.
As dusk approached, this was dinner.
After taking his seat, the old man glanced at the rather plentiful meal on the table and said:
"Today is a joyous day for our Lin family. Cheng'er and the young master of the Zhou family have both finished their imperial examinations, so we've come here today to celebrate and add to Cheng'er's happiness."
His voice, like his appearance, sounded like it was being squeezed out of his throat, making it very unpleasant to listen to.
After he picked up his chopsticks, his wife quickly served him food.
"Yes, our Cheng'er is destined to be a high-ranking official. He needs to take good care of himself. Look how thin you've become!"
The lady placed a few pieces of meat into the young man's bowl, and the young man's voice was barely audible: "Thank you, Mother."
He picked up a piece of meat and put it into Lin Chujiu's bowl, who had been watching him the whole time. "Little sister, you can eat too."
Lin Chujiu looked at his chopsticks, which hadn't been used yet, and was considering whether to eat them when the lady snatched the meat from her bowl.
"Why would your sister, a girl, need to eat meat? Meat is for you men!"
As she spoke, she placed some meat into the old man's bowl and said with a smile, "Sir, you can eat too."
Lin Chujiu watched the lady's actions speechlessly. Actually, she didn't really want to eat much, but the lady's actions really left her speechless.
The young man seemed to want to argue, but seeing the lady's assertive attitude, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and give Lin Chujiu an apologetic look.
Lin Chujiu knew her good intentions, so she nodded to him and smiled.
She roughly understood the logic behind the Lin family's survival.
Their actions were all seen by the audience.
[Holy crap, what kind of feudal nonsense is this? They won't even let us eat meat, and having a penis is considered precious.]
Don't scold your brother, he was just trying to put some meat on Jiu Jiu's plate.
[This father is no good either; he acts like he's got a silver spoon in his mouth.]
But why do I feel like this older brother is so cute?
[Hmm, maybe men in ancient times were malnourished and somewhat weak.]
Malnutrition can't produce male or female offspring.
Lin Chujiu silently ate the vegetarian dishes. The whole meal consisted of the master's flattery and the mistress's agreement, interspersed with occasional interrogations of the young man.
It wasn't until almost the end of the meal that the master mentioned:
"Young Master Zhou is back today too. Since both families' men are here, why don't we take some time to let the younger generation meet each other, just as a way of letting them see the bride?"
Upon hearing this, the lady immediately cheered and then said to the young man, "When the time comes, remember to check the Zhou family girl's feet. If her feet are big, then don't take her."
Women with big feet tend to wander around and are restless.
If her feet are even smaller than your little sister's, then you can rest assured.
Lin Chujiu stood to the side holding a bowl, unsure of what to think.
The old man next to him frowned and said, "Take it easy. Don't let Miss Zhou find out, or people will laugh at us."
After the meal, Lin Chujiu maintained her image as a sheltered young lady who never left her home and returned to her boudoir.
She rubbed her feet; even though she hadn't walked much to get to dinner, her feet still hurt a little.
Thinking of the Qing Dynasty women's feet in old pictures, she felt a chill and dared not look at them.
Just then, the lady entered.
She was acting mysteriously and furtively. As soon as she entered, she sat down next to Lin Chujiu. Before Lin Chujiu could react, she grabbed her arm and said:
"Remember to go to the backyard tonight, the young master of the Zhou family is waiting for you there."
Lin Chujiu noticed that when she said this, her expression was unusually excited, and her eyes were slightly glowing red.
Lin Chujiu was somewhat puzzled, but immediately became alert!
Because Rule 7 explicitly states that one cannot meet with men outside the family without permission.
Moreover, in ancient times, women were generally not allowed to have private relations with men outside the family, as such relationships could have a great impact on a woman's reputation or even her life if word got out.
Even though the young master of the Zhou family is her nominal fiancé, they are not yet married, so he is still considered an outsider.
As a mother in this position, how could the lady of the house allow her to secretly meet with a man outside the marriage?!
Lin Chujiu looked at the lady in disbelief!
She retorted, "Are you suddenly telling me to meet with another man in secret? What if word gets out and it damages my reputation? Will I still be able to get married?"
The lady seemed completely unconcerned, instead holding her hand with an air of nonchalance:
"Even if he's not your fiancé, what's wrong with meeting him?"
This is something the young master Zhou specifically asked me to do, just so he could meet his wife beforehand!
"If you make him happy first, your life at your in-laws' house will be easier later on."
Lin Chujiu felt that she was simply unreasonable!
Late at night, anyone who specifically wants to see her has to risk her reputation and go to appease the young master of the Zhou family beforehand so that she can have an easier life in the future.
Lin Chujiu immediately made her stance clear:
“Mother, I’m not going. If word gets out that I’m having an affair, and Master Zhou doesn’t want me anymore, I’ll never be able to get married.”
It wasn't that Lin Chujiu was feudal and desperate to get married; it was just that the situation was special, and she had no choice but to fight poison with poison.
Upon hearing Lin Chujiu's refusal, the lady's expression instantly became somewhat distorted.
The veins on her cheeks bulged, and bloodshot veins began to spread in her eyes!
She spoke again, but her voice carried a hint of resentment:
"You don't listen to me, you're unfilial..."
Lin Chujiu was shocked to see the sudden change in the madam, and when she heard her words, she was terrified!
The lady continued, "You unfilial daughter! I carried you for eight months and gave birth to you, and you don't even listen to me..."
The woman reached out and raised her hand to strangle her!
Lin Chujiu was startled and quickly stood up to avoid it, but she lost her balance and fell hard to the ground!
The sound of something falling came from behind—
The lady also stood up, her eyes completely red.
She pounced on Lin Chujiu!
Lin Chujiu's legs made it difficult for her to walk, so she quickly crawled away, but her mind was racing to think of a solution!
The lady also had bound feet, but she was very agile. She walked unsteadily, but never fell.
She pounced on Lin Chujiu and tried to strangle her!
Feeling the lady's hands approaching, Lin Chujiu's mind almost exploded!
At this critical moment—
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