Free Web NovelChapter 619: Chapter 619: Not Entirely Blind
Xu Xinghua tried to leave home to inquire about the Lian Family’s situation in Pingchuan County.
Xu Yong had his two sons stop Xu Xinghua.
In her anger, Xu Xinghua grabbed her little niece with one hand and held a pair of scissors with the other, threatening to stab the niece’s face. Her sister-in-law was so frightened that she slapped Xu Xinghua.
"The Lian Family is in the pearl business and is the Yue Family of the Magistrate. The third young master of the Lian Family is promising and became a scholar this year. Being noticed by the Lian Family is like the Xu Family’s ancestral grave emitting green smoke. Look around the village; which girl has such a good marriage? What else are you dissatisfied with?"
"This marriage is great. The Lian Family’s little sister-in-law is already married, so at least you won’t have to endure her temper like I do."
"What exactly do you still want?"
Xu Xinghua’s sister-in-law smiled gently and warmly, but her words pierced Xu Xinghua’s heart.
If anyone in the Xu Family most eagerly awaited Xu Xinghua’s marriage, it was Eldest Sister-in-law Xu.
Since marrying into the Xu Family, she didn’t know how many times she had suffered from the little sister-in-law’s temper.
What kind of aunt would threaten to scar her niece’s face over a disagreement?
Good heavens, at least she wasn’t taking a husband into her home but marrying out instead.
"In a few days, the Lian Family will finalize the engagement. Persuade her well. If she doesn’t listen, lock her in her room and don’t let her go out until then," Xu Yong instructed his eldest daughter-in-law.
He was afraid his wife, Mrs. Tian, would soften, so he had the eldest daughter-in-law watch over Xu Xinghua.
The eldest daughter-in-law accepted the task with a full smile, and she removed all the sharp objects and ropes from Xu Xinghua’s room.
Then she locked Xu Xinghua in the room, leaving only a small opening to pass food through.
Xu Xinghua’s efforts to break things, kick the door, and wail were all in vain.
She couldn’t understand why her loving parents had become so cold-hearted.
What puzzled her even more was how the marriage that was meant for Gu Xiaoxue had somehow turned to her?
Xu Xinghua hated Gu Xiaoxue deeply.
Soon, news spread across Qinghe Bay that Xu Xinghua was no longer engaged to Gu Ruinian, and instead, the wealthy Lian Family from Pingchuan had set their eyes on her to become a young mistress.
This explosive news instantly made Qinghe Bay the hottest topic.
Now the gossip center of Qinghe Bay moved to the front of the Weaving Workshop, where everyone gathered to loudly discuss the matter.
Even when Tong Huaqiong was checking on production inside the Weaving Workshop, she could hear the discussions outside.
"No way, what kind of big family could possibly like Xu Xinghua? Do they have bad eyesight or something?"
"I heard it’s the Lian Family from Pingchuan County, the in-laws of our Magistrate Yao. With the Yao Magistrate backing the Xu Family, they might rise again. Will Xu Yong become the village head again? Our good days in the village would be over."
"Matchmaker Wang said it’s the third young master of the Lian Family, three years younger than Xinghua and a newly qualified scholar."
"And you believe that? What if this third young master can’t find a bride due to some issue, so he tricked a girl from our village? Don’t forget, Xu Zaohua married a dying young master before."
"Well, who knows? We can’t really gauge the taste of young masters from big families. Maybe they’ve seen too much of delicacies and prefer countryside wild vegetables."
...
Mrs. Jia, carrying a basket to do laundry by the riverbank, happened to pass by the Weaving Workshop and heard everyone discussing Xu Xinghua and the Lian Family’s engagement, her expression darkening.
Everyone thought she was upset because Gu Ruinian and Xu Xinghua’s engagement fell through.
But it wasn’t that.
Mrs. Jia was unwilling to accept that Gu Xiaoxue couldn’t marry into the Lian Family.
Mrs. Tian, Xu Xinghua’s mother, returned from shopping in town. Ever since Xu Yong was removed as village head and stood trial for fake pesticides, she avoided people in the village, but today she purposefully walked through the crowd.
No matter how the villagers speculated, her daughter was going to be the young mistress of the Lian Family.
Who said the Xu Family had fallen? Now they’re rising again.
"Xinghua’s mom, what did you buy in town?" an old lady, deeply engaged in gossip, asked Mrs. Tian, temporarily halting the discussion on Xu Xinghua’s marriage to greet her awkwardly.
Mrs. Tian patted her bundle and smiled, "Bought some jewelry for my daughter. She’s about to get married, so she needs some decent jewelry to look good."
Everyone thought Mrs. Tian was unwilling to talk about Xu Xinghua’s marriage with the villagers.
Seeing her smiling so rarely and happily disclosing her daughter’s engagement, the old lady asked, "Everyone says Xinghua is going to be a young mistress in Pingchuan. Is it true?"
Mrs. Tian said, "How could it be fake? It’s the pearl merchant Lian Family from Pingchuan County, the Yue Family of our Magistrate Yao. The fiancé’s family will come tomorrow to finalize the engagement, and the wedding will be in two weeks."
Spotting the incredulity in everyone’s eyes, Mrs. Tian got angry. Don’t they just think her daughter isn’t fit to marry into the city?
"Why did the Lian Family take a liking to Xinghua? Did Xinghua save the life of a Lian Family’s young master?" the wife of village head Liu Tieshan asked bluntly.
Everyone wanted to ask this question, but they were too embarrassed to open their mouths.
Only the current village head’s wife wasn’t afraid of the former village head’s wife, Mrs. Tian.
Mrs. Tian lifted her face and said, "My daughter Xinghua has good fortune. The Lian Family’s lady once came to our village and took a liking to my daughter. She praised her as being honest and straightforward, matching her personality, then sent a matchmaker to bring a proposal."
The Lian Family’s lady came to Qinghe Bay?
The crowd searched their minds for when a noble lady had visited the village. Besides County Magistrate Liu’s and Huang Yuanwai’s mothers, whose noble lady visited?
The crowd couldn’t think of anyone.
The village head’s wife, munching on sunflower seeds, thought that the lady must either be blind or have sinister intentions.
But even if it was a trap, it was Xu Xinghua who would suffer, not the village’s other girls, so she figured the lady wasn’t that blind.
Tong Huaqiong found Mrs. Tian’s words amusing.
Aunt Tang sure was efficient, securing Xu Xinghua and the second young master Lian’s engagement in no time.
But Tong Huaqiong didn’t believe for a second that Xu Yong and Mrs. Tian weren’t skeptical of this fine marriage connection. No one knew their own daughter’s situation better than her parents. They pretended not to know the trap behind the marriage because they were willing to sacrifice a daughter in exchange for connections with a wealthy family, seeking benefits and ambitions.
But the Xu Family’s hopes would fall through again.
With Aunt Tang’s abilities, the Xu Family wouldn’t gain any advantage from the Lian Family; they probably wouldn’t even step through the Lian Family’s gates.
Once Xu Xinghua married, the Lian Family wouldn’t even acknowledge this union.
The voices outside continued.
"Xinghua really has good fortune, getting the mother-in-law’s approval before even entering the house."
"I’ll say daughters shouldn’t marry too early. The good fortunes come later."
In outward appearances, everyone offered some flattery to Mrs. Tian.
"Is Xinghua’s engagement with Ruinian meaningless now?" the village head’s wife asked.
Mrs. Tian said, "They were only in discussions, not officially engaged. Initially, we hesitated to let our daughter marry into a small, struggling household, so we thought of bringing in a son-in-law. You saw that those lads who were willing to enter the family door couldn’t stand up themselves, and that’s why they entered. Now that Xinghua can marry into a better family, the thought of bringing in a son-in-law has naturally faded."
After saying this, she deliberately glanced at Mrs. Jia, who was not far away with her laundry basket.
Someone murmured, "Not always. Gu Xiaocao’s husband is the shopkeeper of a store and also entered her family."
Mrs. Tian opened her mouth to retort, but Mrs. Jia, standing not far away, rushed over with a howl, pointing at Mrs. Tian and shouting, "Shameless! Your daughter is stringing along my son while snatching my daughter’s marriage!"
The villagers sensed there was more beneath the surface from Mrs. Jia’s words—this marriage involved hidden secrets.
