Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 110: Ridiculed in Class
The real owner arrived and the hall suddenly became quiet.

Tan Anfu's cheeks flushed red, her eyes widened, and she acted like someone who had been bullied but had to swallow her anger. She defended herself, saying, "Second Young Master, heaven and earth are my witnesses. I never said such a thing. It was my half-sister who lied. Second Young Master, please don't take your anger out on me!"

Did she say that? She did. But now she couldn't care less. She only hated herself for not realizing Shen Tu Zhuo had hidden talents. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been all these twists and turns.

Mr. Tan chimed in, "How can it be said that our horoscopes are incompatible? I consulted a fortune teller before, and he said that the Second Young Master and An Fu's birth dates are perfectly compatible. The fortune teller also said that this marriage is destined by heaven, and even if there were any problems in the past, they will eventually be together."

It would have been fine if they just insisted that the two of them were compatible, but they also compared the engagement with Shen Tu Heng to a "strange incident". Tan Huaike was amazed at the fickleness and shamelessness of this family.

Unable to bear the thought of her daughter being wronged, Madam Tan took her hand and said, "That's right. The master said Anfu has the qualities to bring prosperity to her husband. If you become her husband, all your dreams will come true. If you become an official, you'll have a prosperous career. If you do business, you'll have a lot of money. She's not like those unlucky women who kill their husbands before they even get married and are destined to be widows."

This was a harsh remark, but anyone with ears would know who she was referring to.

Because Master Tan had taken a black-bearded woman as a concubine, Madam Tan had always harbored a prejudice against non-Hu women. Even knowing that the current Tan Huaike was not the child of that non-Hu woman, she still couldn't stand it. At home, she either ignored her or made derogatory remarks to embarrass her. Furthermore, Tan Huaike had just blatantly set up a trap for Tan Anfu, causing her great embarrassment in the Shentu Mansion. Madam Tan was even more furious. While praising her own daughter, she was determined to trample her underfoot.

Originally, Shen Tu Zhuo had been indifferent, thinking he was just watching their family's excitement, but now he was truly furious. He looked at the mother and daughter coldly and said, "Who said that the unlucky one killed my husband? If we're talking about the unlucky star, it's this lady Fu who killed my brother, right?"

Suddenly being accused of this crime, Tan Anfu turned pale and said in panic, "It's not me, I didn't..."

"Why not?" Shen Tu Zhuo interrupted her, "It was you who made the engagement with my brother, and then the Zhenxi Army received the news that my brother had died in battle. What a coincidence, isn't it because you brought bad luck to my brother?

"My sister-in-law married into your widowhood. It was clearly you who caused the consequences, but you didn't dare to bear the consequences yourself, and instead forced your sister to bear the consequences. Now you're actually turning the tables and saying that it was my sister-in-law who brought your husband to death. You're really used to finding others to be scapegoats. You don't think my mother and I are fools, do you?"
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"Oh, what's the point of talking about bad luck? This is all an accident. No one wants to see it, right?" Mr. Tan glared at his wife and signaled her to stop talking after bringing up such unlucky things.

"Madam Fu said I was taking my anger out on others, and I really am!" Shen Tu Zhuo was relentless. "Last time, when I discussed a marriage with your Tan family, my brother died inexplicably. Now you're after me again? Are you trying to drag me down with you? You talk about a face that brings good luck to your husband? I absolutely don't believe it. If you end up making me drown in a ditch, who will I turn to for justice?"

His mouth was so vicious that even the old lady couldn't control it. It was too late to stop him.

Seeing that he was cursing with all his might, Tan Huaike couldn't help laughing and simply sat back in his original seat to drink some tea and try some snacks.

Shen Tu Zhuo continued, "Don't think I don't know what your Tan family is up to. My brother is a lieutenant in the army, with distinguished military achievements, and he's charged with protecting the newly opened trade routes in the western border. That's why you arranged for your daughter to be engaged to him. I was just a playboy at the time, and Lady Fu was so arrogant she definitely wouldn't have looked down on me. How could our horoscopes be compatible?"

"After my brother left, you didn't come to the Shentu Mansion when it was in trouble; you didn't come when my sister-in-law was supporting herself and facing criticism. But now that I've developed a canal diversion plan that's been highly praised by the county governor, my reputation has improved, and I'm hopeful of being selected for the imperial examination, you've finally remembered the whole 'brother's death, the younger brother's succession' thing. You even heard this plan playing out while I was digging ditches in the county!"

Mr. Tan was also scolded and angry: "Second Young Master, why do you say that? Recently, the management of our Tan family's business has been too demanding. We just can't take care of many trivial matters. How could we deliberately neglect our in-laws?"

Shentu Zhuo snorted, "It would be fine if we didn't mention this, but it's even more interesting if we do. Our Shentu Mansion has experienced great ups and downs, and now we can be considered to have revived ourselves. But is your Tan family still the Tan family business that once enjoyed a reputation in the four counties? Not to mention the bad debts owed by the previously insolvent properties, just for those ten new shops on Huaqi Street, how much money did you lose, Master Tan? I heard that the debt collectors are almost breaking down the door of the Tan family!"

Master Tan said awkwardly, "This... in business, it's common to have difficulty in cash flow. The Tan family is wealthy and powerful, so they are far from being stretched to the limit. Besides, the shops on Huaqi Street have been solved. Second Young Master is worrying too much." "Yes, they have been solved. Who helped you solve it?" Shen Tu Zhuo pressed. "The unlucky star you just mentioned, the concubine who was sent away by you with two shops on the verge of closing, actually took out all her savings, mortgaged all her property, and took over five shops on Huaqi Street from you, Master Tan! How dare you show off in front of her!"

"This... um..." Mr. Tan was suddenly speechless.

Old Madam Shentu was unaware of this and was surprised to hear this. She looked at Tan Huaike, thinking that this child, despite being treated so harshly and slandered by his family, was willing to give his all to help. This pure filial piety was truly precious. In comparison, the Tan family, who had received benefits and were still aggressive, were truly a bit conscienceless.

Tan Huaike smiled at Jun Gu, obviously not caring about their argument.

The old lady sighed secretly. She has the ability to manage the household, such an open-minded attitude, and she is also beautiful. Wow, no wonder she can bewitch Zhuo'er's soul.

But this won't do. We have to find a way to stop Zhuo'er from thinking about it.

Shen Tu Zhuo's ridicule brought the relationship between the two families back to a freezing point. It was unclear how the so-called family dinner was even finished; the Tan family was eager to tuck into their food and leave, completely ignoring the taste.

Tan Anfu flushed with shame, feeling utterly humiliated. She looked at Tan Huaike with hatred. Yet she persisted, doing her utmost to maintain respectability in front of the old lady and Shen Tu Zhuo, even appearing even more pathetic. She never gave up until she achieved her goal, and she seemed unsatisfied, wondering what she was thinking.

The banquet ended in a bad mood. The meeting between Tan Anfu and Shentu Zhuo in person was not resolved. It was reasonable to just treat it as the in-laws coming to visit their daughter who was married to the eldest son of Shentu.

After calmly dealing with the entire test, Tan Huaike took the opportunity to tell the old lady that he wanted to go to Andu to do business.

The old lady asked, "How could you, a weak young lady like you, suddenly want to travel so far to do business?"

Tan Huaike replied with ease, "You've seen it too, Aunt Jun. My assets in the county are just some fields and three shops, all of which I've pledged to support the Tan family. If I continue to live in complacency, I'm afraid I'll eventually run out of money. I'll even have trouble paying off the debts of my shop, let alone participate in the selection of imperial merchants."

The old lady sighed: "You, child, are really motivated to make progress."

After a series of setbacks, she still hadn't given up her dream of becoming an imperial merchant. Thinking of her own temptations and suppression of her, the old lady felt a little guilty. She knew that Tan Huaike's proposal to travel far away to do business was also to avoid Shen Tu Zhuo's shocking expression of love, so as not to embarrass her, the aunt of the emperor.

After all, her son was spoiled and acted too arbitrarily. Even if he had any thoughts, he should have kept them hidden. This widowed sister-in-law should be obedient and law-abiding, unlike him who disrespects etiquette.

Oh, what a clever child! It's a pity that her fate is probably not compatible with Zhuo'er's...
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　Next chapter: I'm here to see you off.

　　(End of this chapter)