"Could it be that they have a crush on the… good looks of Zheng Wei and Sima Han?"
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but stare intently at the faces of the two men.
"What are you looking at?"
Zheng Wei felt extremely uncomfortable under Shen Xiaoyan's gaze and asked awkwardly.
Sima Han, beside him, was the same, though he pursed his lips and remained silent.
"It's nothing. I was just wondering why Yi Zhixie gave you money," Shen Xiaoyan dared not reveal her previous thought, as she was genuinely afraid of scaring the three people in front of her.
She was afraid of being spanked by Zheng Wei.
Zheng Wei sat down next to Shen Xiaoyan, poured himself a cup of water, and after a sip, said, "No one can guess what the Grand Tutor is thinking."
"Why? I've never heard of this person? Even the elders in the village have never mentioned him?" Shen Xiaoyan asked, puzzled.
Logically, a Grand Tutor of a country, even if retired, should be known by the older generation, right?
Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, good or evil, he must have done something for the world to judge him.
But why, since she transmigrated, had she never heard a single word about the Grand Tutor?
"Because discussing the Grand Tutor privately is a capital offense," Sima Han said, throwing the last piece of jerky to Old Black and clapping his hands before walking over.
...
"Are we going to be beheaded then?"
Sima Han glanced at Shen Xiaoyan with amusement and then said, "Unless one of us four reports it."
Shen Xiaoyan nodded, rephrasing it, so if no one knew, it wouldn't happen?
Before the four could change the topic, they saw Huo Cheng leading Madam Pan over.
"Oh, little Zheng, I saw you returned yesterday and thought you must be tired and busy after just returning, so I didn't come to disturb you. I came specifically to see you today," Madam Pan's face was already full of smiles before she even reached them, and she spoke affectionately to Zheng Wei.
In the past year, Madam Pan had been the most frequent visitor, and Zheng Wei was naturally very close to her.
"Auntie, you're here. I was just telling Xiaoyan that I'd come to see you in the next couple of days," Zheng Wei said with a smile.
"No need to come, I'm here, aren't I? You've just returned and have a lot to do, and Xiaoyan isn't feeling well. It's best not to go out, just rest at home," Madam Pan quickly said.
It wasn't that she didn't welcome Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoyan to her home, but her house was next to the Shen family's. Madam Pan truly felt conflicted, how could they have such neighbors.
However, thinking again, if they weren't neighbors with the Shen family, she wouldn't have met Shen Xiaoyan.
"Auntie, please sit," Shen Xiaoyan said, standing up and pulling Madam Pan to sit down.
Madam Pan sat beside Shen Xiaoyan, took a sip of the tea Shen Xiaoyan handed her, and suddenly looked up at Zheng Wei, "Little Zheng, your scar… why is it gone?"
Shen Xiaoyan's action of lowering her head to drink paused, and her mind quickly began to work, thinking about how to cover up this matter.
"Last year, I met a divine doctor who gave me two boxes of medicinal cream. To my surprise, after applying it, the scar disappeared," Zheng Wei explained with a smile.
"Oh, that truly is a divine doctor. Why didn't you buy a few more boxes? Even if you didn't need it yourself, you could have kept it, or at the very least, sold it to others," Madam Pan exclaimed in surprise at first, and then expressed a bit of regret towards the end.
"I'm content that this scar is gone. I wouldn't dare to think of anything more," Zheng Wei said with feigned emotion.
"Indeed, without the scar, you are indeed a handsome young man," Madam Pan said cheerfully.
She wasn't flattering or being perfunctory; it was a genuine compliment. Shen Xiaoyan could see the admiration in her eyes.
After the long and ugly scar on Zheng Wei's face disappeared, people could finally see his features clearly.
And precisely because they could see clearly, they felt a different sensation, leading to various emotions.
After chatting and laughing for a while, Zheng Wei and Sima Han said they were going to visit the village head's house. Shen Xiaoyan also said she should go, asking Zheng Wei to take gifts, and they left together with Sima Han.
Seeing the two men leave, Madam Pan then said to Shen Xiaoyan, "They were here earlier, so I didn't feel comfortable bringing it up. Now, I must tell you."
Shen Xiaoyan smiled gently, "Just say whatever you need to say. Is it about Xu Xiao'e's matter yesterday?"
Madam Pan sighed and said, "I actually knew long ago that Xu Xiao'e was going to get married, but I didn't think of telling you since you haven't been in contact with that side. But after what happened yesterday, I thought I should still tell you."
After speaking, Madam Pan slowly narrated the whole story.
It turned out that after Xu Xiao'e's reputation was ruined in the surrounding villages, Shen Cheng became very displeased with her.
Whether out of annoyance or because Xu Xiao'e was indeed of marriageable age, Shen Cheng asked a matchmaker to find a husband for her.
Several attempts were made, but none of them worked out.
Either the other party was too poor, and Xu Xiao'e looked down on them, or if the family conditions were better, they demanded a large dowry.
One delay after another, and the matter dragged on.
After learning that Zheng Wei had left, Xu Xiao'e spread rumors again, damaging Shen Xiaoyan's reputation. Shen Cheng was then warned by Bai Yonggui, and he made up his mind to marry Xu Xiao'e off as quickly as possible.
This time, Shen Cheng didn't need to look for a matchmaker. Madam Xu gave her word that she would definitely marry Xu Xiao'e off quickly.
Shen Cheng thought that Madam Xu was Xu Xiao'e's biological mother after all. When looking for a husband for Xu Xiao'e, she would consider it carefully and do her best. Thus, he agreed.
Half a month later, a matchmaker came to find Shen Cheng.
She said she had found a family in town, a well-off family with a simple household. Upon marrying into it, Xu Xiao'e could become the lady of the house and have maids and servants.
Xu Xiao'e was also delighted to hear what the matchmaker said. With such conditions, wouldn't it be the same as Shen Xiaoyan? She was immediately prepared to agree.
However, she still had to ask the most important question: what kind of man was she marrying?
The matchmaker heard this and chuckled, laughing until Xu Xiao'e blushed before saying, "Master Yu is certainly a good man. Although he is almost fifty, his health is very strong. His previous wife passed away and only left him a son who has been living separately for years, so you don't need to worry about anything after you marry him. There is no mother-in-law above, so no one will make things difficult for you. If you're worried about Master Yu's character, you don't need to be. Master Yu loves beautiful women the most."
The matchmaker spoke so much in one breath without even pausing for breath.
But her words were like a bolt from the blue to Xu Xiao'e.
So he's almost fifty years old?
He's older than her father, Shen Cheng, and could even be her grandfather.
Xu Xiao'e's face turned pale with anger, her lips trembling uncontrollably. She didn't know how to refute the matchmaker and could only look pleadingly at Shen Cheng and Madam Xu.
Shen Cheng was also deep in thought. Xu Xiao'e had good looks, a good figure, and was excellent at embroidery. She was also literate. In rural terms, with such conditions, she could have chosen freely.
But it couldn't be helped. Xu Xiao'e's reputation was already ruined. It was impossible to find a husband with good family background and character.
Even if they lowered their standards and found an ordinary farmer, it would still be difficult.
Because no family would want to marry a woman who had seduced her own brother-in-law.
Therefore, for Xu Xiao'e's marriage, they either had to find a poor man and provide a large dowry, or, as now, find a remarriage.
However, between these two situations, Shen Cheng privately preferred the latter.
He had three children at home, and the family still needed to live. Most importantly, Xu Xiao'e was not his biological daughter, so he couldn't exhaust his family's resources to provide a dowry for Xu Xiao'e.
Looking at it this way, the marriage introduced by the matchmaker was quite good.
Shen Cheng's expression was blank, but his mind had already gone through everything.
"What does the Master Yu you mentioned do for a living?" Shen Cheng asked.
"Master Yu is the owner of the largest jewelry shop in town, called Yu Ji Jewelry Shop. You should all have heard of it," the matchmaker, seeing Shen Cheng's question, knew there was hope and replied cheerfully.
"In that case, you can go back and tell him to choose a good day to come and propose. I only have one requirement, and that is to get married as quickly as possible," Shen Cheng said.
The matchmaker clapped her hands and said, "This is such a coincidence. Master Yu also told me the same. He also hopes to get married quickly. He said if you agree, the day after tomorrow will be a good day, and he will come to propose."
Shen Cheng was even more pleased and immediately gave the matchmaker a red envelope, telling her to go find Master Yu.
After the matchmaker left, Shen Cheng said to Xu Xiao'e, "You heard it. Wait patiently at home for these few days."
Xu Xiao'e was stunned when Shen Cheng agreed. Now, hearing Shen Cheng say this, tears immediately streamed down her face.
"Father, I don't want to marry..."
"Marriage is governed by the parents' command and the matchmaker's words. Where do you get to speak?" Shen Cheng glared at her and rebuked her angrily.
Xu Xiao'e was startled by Shen Cheng's scolding. She bit her lip and insisted, "But Master Yu is so much older than me. I don't want to marry him."
"You have to marry even if you don't want to. Otherwise, you can leave this house, and I'll pretend I never had you," Shen Cheng said, then stood up and walked out.
Xu Xiao'e stared blankly at Shen Cheng's departing figure, feeling immense heartache.
Suddenly, Xu Xiao'e remembered Madam Xu. Madam Xu hadn't said a word since the beginning. She was her mother, and she would surely not want her to suffer such injustice.
Xu Xiao'e stood up and quickly walked to Madam Xu's side, throwing herself into Madam Xu's arms, crying, "Mother, I don't want to marry. Please think of a way for me and persuade Father."
Madam Xu reached out and stroked Xu Xiao'e's hair repeatedly. After a while, she said, "Xiao'e, this marriage was arranged by me through the matchmaker."
"What?"
Xu Xiao'e's crying stopped abruptly. She couldn't believe her ears. Her own mother had just told her that she had found an old man for her?
"Xiao'e," Madam Xu pulled Xu Xiao'e to sit beside her, took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from Xu Xiao'e's face, and then said, "Xiao'e, you must understand that with your current reputation, this is the best outcome."
Seeing that Xu Xiao'e remained silent, Madam Xu sighed and continued, "Do you want to be a peasant woman forever? Doing endless farm work and household chores every day, and also serving your father-in-law and mother-in-law, and your brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law."
"I don't want to," Xu Xiao'e immediately shook her head. She absolutely did not want to live such a life.
"Therefore, Mother arranged this marriage for you. Mother has inquired clearly. After you marry, it will be just you and Master Yu. You will have maids and servants to attend to you. His son is already living separately. When you have a son, won't all the family property be yours?" Madam Xu persuaded her gradually, painting a beautiful future for Xu Xiao'e.
However, Xu Xiao'e couldn't listen to any of it. She was even less able to accept marrying an old man close to fifty years old.
"I don't want to marry," Xu Xiao'e stopped crying, her tone firm as she said to Madam Xu.
Madam Xu looked at Xu Xiao'e's determined expression and sighed again, asking, "Then what do you plan to do? Stay at home and become an old maid?"
"I want to marry Zheng Wei," Xu Xiao'e said confidently.
"You're dreaming," Madam Xu's voice suddenly rose.
"Even you, Mother, won't help me? Are you also siding with that girl Shen Xiaoyan?" Xu Xiao'e asked incredulously.
"It's not that Mother doesn't want to help you, but if Zheng Wei had shown even a little interest in you, Mother would definitely help you. But you personally experienced what happened last time. Haven't you learned your lesson? Besides, didn't you also say that Zheng Wei left and wouldn't return?" Madam Xu felt a pain in her chest and her head ached. Why hadn't she realized that Xu Xiao'e was so whimsical before?
"I don't care…"
"I don't care. Either you marry obediently, or, as your father said, leave this home from now on." Madam Xu finished speaking and stood up to go into the inner room. Her youngest daughter was probably waking up, and she needed to check on her.
Xu Xiao'e sat there alone, momentarily not knowing what to do.
Regardless of Xu Xiao'e's objections, the next day, Master Yu brought gifts to propose.
Master Yu's name was Yu Duobao. He was 48 years old, with a bulging belly and a small mustache.
Yu Duobao brought ten taels of silver, several silver hair ornaments, a gold hairpin, and six bolts of fabric.
In the eyes of the villagers, this was a truly lavish display, making everyone who came to witness and those who came to watch envious.
However, upon seeing Yu Duobao's age, they all tossed their envy aside.
Xu Xiao'e, of course, saw Yu Duobao's appearance and felt even more like dying.
But she lacked the courage to die, nor did she have the ability to resist. The final outcome was acceptance.
Accompanying Yu Duobao was his son, Yu Lufa.