The Daily Life of a Down-on-Hard-Life Medicine Girl Supporting Her Family

Chapter 108 Wen Shi's Unwillingness

Once Mrs. Zhao confirmed that Chunnuan had agreed to get engaged to her mentally challenged son, she immediately asked a matchmaker to come and propose marriage.

I originally wanted to ask Matchmaker Hu, since she had made a wasted trip because of the matter with the Xiao family last time, and I still felt bad about it.

When they went to invite Matchmaker Hu, they were told that her daughter had given birth and she had gone to her daughter's house.

Proposing marriage is something that can't be delayed. Once an auspicious time is chosen, you should go to the door as soon as possible. Only when it's settled can you feel at ease.

So Mrs. Zhao had no choice but to hire Matchmaker Jiang instead.

Matchmaker Jiang happily accepted the job and went through the engagement process for the two families.

The Xiao family were also decisive people. They matched the horoscopes, which were a match made in heaven, and exchanged betrothal tokens. From then on, the Xiao family had a marriage alliance in Sichuan.

After Mrs. Zhao left with Zhao Minghua, the old lady began to sigh.

"Mother, are you feeling unwell?"

Mrs. Xu was very worried, as there were new customers visiting today, and she was afraid that the customers had been exhausted.

I feel suffocated.

"Then I'll have Nuannuan come and take a look at you, and write you a prescription. We'll get two doses of medicine for you to take."

"My illness is incurable, it can't be cured. It's a mental illness." The old lady patted her eldest daughter-in-law's hand, signaling her not to be nervous.

"Mother?"

"Looking at Mrs. Zhao and Mr. Zhao today, although they are very good people, I still feel sorry for my Nuannuan," the old lady said. "Our Nuannuan has such a good nature and such strong abilities; she would be worthy of marrying a prince or a noble young master from a prominent family in the capital. It's all because of this that she's been dragged down..."

"Mother……"

Whether it was the Xu family or the Xu family, they both had this thought in their hearts.

Only Huang remained silent.

She had her own ulterior motives.

Her daughters are Chunshu and Chunxin, one is eleven years old and the other is only a few years old. There are still a few years before they can be married. She hopes that the Xiao family will prosper in these years, and then her daughters' marriage prospects will improve, and they will be able to find a good family to marry into.

If, many years later, the Xiao family's affairs are no longer mentioned in the capital, she might be able to ask her maternal family for help. For their sake, it wouldn't be impossible for her to find a son-in-law from a prominent family in the capital.

So, when she saw Chunnuan get engaged, she could only feel sorry for her in her heart: if she can't wait for the best person, she can only be a wife from a poor family for the rest of her life, it's really tragic!

"Back then, the master took a liking to the Zhang family, saying that the Zhang family was peaceful and quiet, and that the Zhang family had good family traditions and upbringing. Who knew..."

The old lady harbored resentment. It was the Zhang family who had been eager to marry her, but their attitude after learning about the Xiao family's troubles was truly disheartening.

“Mother, don’t be angry. It’s only natural to weigh the pros and cons. The Zhang family’s decision to break off the engagement is simply a matter of bad luck for them.” Madam Xu was also very angry, but she was unwilling to admit how much she regretted breaking off the engagement with Nuannuan: “Although the Zhao family is not prominent or wealthy, I think it’s the best thing that Mrs. Zhao cherishes our Nuannuan and that Zhao Minghua has feelings for her.”

"Yes, it's clear that Mrs. Zhao is a very genuine person. She doesn't have any of those ulterior motives. Even after Nuannuan entered the Zhao family, she still treated Nuannuan just as well, even better, like her own daughter. This is something that many people can only dream of."

Madam Xu has come to terms with it now.

Just like her eldest daughter Chunyu, she married into the Wu family, which was considered a high-ranking and wealthy family. Who knew that one day, because of the sudden change in the Xiao family's fortunes, the Wu family would abandon her like dirt.

Therefore, the quality of a family has no relation to a person's character; wealthy families may not necessarily have good qualities, and poor families may have pleasing sons-in-law.

Although Zhao Minghua is indeed a bit eccentric.

However, judging from the way Chunnuan talked to him, it was reassuring.

"Yes, I hope the Zhao family will keep their promise and let Nuannuan get married once her mourning period is over."

The old lady felt most sorry for Chunnuan. In the past, when the family was well-off, she neglected her. Now that the family is poor, she has to rely on Chunnuan to support them.

He himself was incapable of arranging a good marriage for her, and the fact that her husband was in mourning forced her to postpone her wedding.

"grandmother."

When Chunnuan entered the door and heard the last sentence, she blushed a little: "Grandmother, don't rush. Let your granddaughter stay with you for a few more years. It's not too late for me to get married when Chunning and the others are a little older."

Yes, Chunnuan and Zhao Minghua had a clear and unambiguous written agreement. Their relationship was less about seeking marriage and more about cooperation, with each seeking their own benefit and gaining what they needed.

They have been in a cooperative relationship ever since they signed this contract.

Zhao Minghua was waiting for her to come up with a way to make money, ready to roll up his sleeves and get to work.

As for marriage, Zhao Minghua felt that making money was more exciting than that.

The elders in the family were all worried and anxious, but they were not worried at all. As the saying goes, "The emperor is not worried, but the eunuchs are." That's exactly what they are.

On the other side, some people were also anxious.

"What did you say?" Granny Chen was shocked by what Matchmaker Hu said: "The third young master of the Zhao family is asking to marry a girl from the Xiao family? Isn't the Xiao family just my young lady Chunlan? Where did this other girl from the Xiao family come from? And she's already engaged?"

Granny Chen came to see Matchmaker Hu today, hoping to give her more benefits so that she could go to the Zhao family again to persuade Mrs. Zhao.

Unexpectedly, I received such shocking news.

“And which other Xiao family? Of course, it’s the Xiao family that returned from the capital. The girl’s name is Xiao Chunnuan.” Matchmaker Hu said, “I’ve seen that girl twice. She’s very pretty.”

There's something I didn't finish saying: She's much more attractive than the girls from your Xiao clan!

Girls from wealthy families in the capital are completely different from those from humble families.

Even a single person would choose Xiao Chunnuan.

Of course, the reason why Matchmaker Hu told Granny Chen about this was mainly because Mrs. Zhao was not very considerate. She asked her nemesis Matchmaker Jiang to be the matchmaker, but didn't ask her. She was very upset about this.

Last time, we asked her to arrange a marriage with the Xiao family, but the matchmaker who could actually arrange a suitable marriage was Jiang. Isn't that outrageous?

Mrs. Zhao really knows how to use people when she needs them and then discard them when she doesn't. Matchmaker Hu was very unhappy about this!

You made me feel bad, so I'll make you feel bad too.

So when Granny Chen came to ask her to help, Matchmaker Hu didn't hide anything from her.

That's right, I deliberately caused trouble for the Zhao family!

The Zhao family has arranged a marriage with Physician Xiao's granddaughter! This is outrageous!
Granny Chen hurriedly ran back to report.

"What did you say?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xiao, née Wen, immediately stood up with a start: "Is the news reliable?"

"Reporting to Madam, Matchmaker Hu told me herself that the matchmaker was Matchmaker Jiang." Granny Chen said, "Madam, you must think of a way. Our young lady hasn't eaten for two days."

It was precisely because Xiao Chunlan caused trouble again that Madam Wen had no choice but to send Granny Chen to find Matchmaker Hu, only to receive such unexpected news.

"No wonder, no wonder..." Madam Wen's face turned black with anger: "Mrs. Zhao has lost her mind. It was clearly agreed that we would only make a fuss once, even after she invited Matchmaker Hu to our door. But she stopped asking for the marriage and said that her son was impulsive and that she would propose again in two years. Ha, what a 'two years'! So she was waiting for that vixen!" Indeed, the Xiao family had already categorized Xiao Chunnuan as a vixen because they believed that since Master Zhou had become their backer, he must have offered Xiao Chunnuan's beauty in return.

“Something’s not right. Master Zhou and Madam Zhao…” Madam Wen’s mind cleared up immediately: “Someone, prepare the carriage.”

Mrs. Zhao arranged a marriage for her son. Finally, someone wanted her son who gave everyone a headache. She could even wake up laughing at night just thinking about it.

She pinched the old man in the middle of the night last night.

When Mr. Zhao asked what was wrong, Mrs. Zhao just kept giggling, which startled him quite a bit. He even reached out and touched her forehead, afraid that she was delirious from the fever.

He sat there today, laughing every now and then.

It made the maids and servants who were serving them a little nervous.

My wife isn't acting normally!

The group exchanged glances, none of them daring to utter a sound.

Suddenly, the gatekeeper came to report that Madam Xiao, the eldest daughter of the prominent Xiao family, had come to visit.

"Why is she here?" Mrs. Zhao was startled. Although she wasn't scared, she was still a little guilty, after all, they used to be acquainted.

Of course, after getting to know Chunnuan's family, she realized that people are different, and she preferred to spend time with Chunnuan's family and build a friendship with them.

"Madam, I've heard that Miss Xiao still has a crush on our Third Young Master. Madam, you'd better be prepared," Granny Zhong reminded her. "Honestly, it's fortunate that our Third Young Master doesn't fancy that Miss Xiao. Tsk tsk..."

Originally, Granny Zhong was not planning to speak, but fearing that her mistress might accidentally fall into Madam Xiao's trap, she quickly told her about Xiao Chunlan's actions at home.

"She's really infatuated with our third young master."

"Granny Zhong, please stop talking." Mrs. Zhao broke out in a cold sweat. "That third son of mine is usually so unreliable, but I didn't expect him to have such good taste this time. That kind of woman is not good enough for our third son. Our Zhao family cannot tolerate such a big shot."

She was so insistent on marrying Zhao Minghua that she was practically begging for it.

It sounds like deep affection, but in reality, it's chilling.

How can someone like that be worthy of being the matriarch of the household?
Marry a virtuous wife. If you marry a troublesome woman who throws things, goes on hunger strikes, or threatens to kill you, do you expect to live a good life?

Any man who gets involved with a woman like that would go crazy.

"It's good that Madam understands."

"Go ahead and invite Madam Xiao to wait in the main living room. Tell her I am worshipping Buddha."

Who is it?
Come and go as you please; I'm not here to serve you 24/7.

Since you came to visit without sending a formal invitation, then we'll just have to wait.

Granny Zhong went out and led Madam Wen to the main living room.

"Mrs. Xiao, please have a seat. My wife is currently praying to Buddha."

Granny Zhong thought to herself, "Madam doesn't even use her brain when she lies. When has she ever worshipped Buddha? Her greatest hobbies are eating and drinking."

Mrs. Zhao is quite devout.

When Ms. Wen heard this excuse, she felt a lump in her throat, thinking that she had come to the door rashly and deserved to be left out.

At this moment, a maid came to serve tea, which was then personally brought over by Granny Zhong.

"This old servant will serve Mrs. Xiao tea."

"Thank you for your trouble, Granny Zhong."

This old woman is Mrs. Zhao's wet nurse; having her serve her doesn't lower one's status.

It's just unclear how long the Zhou family will keep this up.

Why don't we ask this old woman?

"Granny, I heard your third young master is engaged. Which family's daughter is he engaged to?"

Wen picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and put it down. This tea really wasn't as good as the Xiao family's.

"Mrs. Xiao is well-informed, she should already know that it's the second daughter of the Xiao family in Shuikou Village, right?" Granny Zhong knew that she wouldn't come to the temple without a reason, and that she was definitely here to sabotage things. She would take the lead for her mistress and see how she would play her cards.

“The Xiao family of Shuikou Village?” Wen frowned. “I’ve never heard of such a family. In Changzhou, the Xiao clan includes Xiao families from various places.”

"Mrs. Xiao is truly forgetful, quite the forgetful one," said Granny Zhong, genuinely impressed. The charade had begun. As she poured water for Madam Wen, she continued, "Speaking of the Xiao family, they have a deep connection with your Xiao clan. They produced two imperial physicians, renowned for both their virtue and medical skills. I heard they were from the eldest branch of your Xiao clan and generously provided ancestral lands for you. Unfortunately, their fortunes suddenly changed, and your Xiao clan, fearing implication, wouldn't even allow them to enter the clan gates, expelling them from the clan..."

Wen couldn't keep up the pretense any longer and just kept coughing fakely.

If it weren't for her daughter Chunlan, she would have left long ago.

But Granny Zhong, like a blind and deaf old woman, just kept talking.

"Speaking of Miss Xiao, she's a perfect match for our young master..."

Ms. Wen wished she could shut her up; she would say whatever she didn't want to hear.

"Oh dear, look at my mouth, once I start talking, I can't stop." Granny Zhong gently patted her face. "Mrs. Xiao, please wait a moment, I'll go see if our lady has finished worshipping Buddha."

What could Ms. Wen say? She could only let her do as she pleased.

Granny Zhong was so annoyed by the woman's words that she went into the inner courtyard to report to her mistress.

"Really here for marriage?"

Mrs. Zhao was at her wits' end. How could this person be so shameless?

Minghua is already engaged, what, does she still want to steal him away?

"Most likely, they'll ask about the young master's engagement as soon as they arrive." Granny Zhong didn't hide anything and immediately recounted her casual conversation with Madam Wen.

"Granny Zhong, you really are..."

Mrs. Zhao was overjoyed. Like master, like servant. She was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate even the slightest imperfection, and so was Granny Zhong.

"Mrs. Xiao must be furious, right?"

"Indeed, this old servant saw that her face turned ashen." Granny Zhong touched her nose sheepishly, "Madam, you might have a hard time coaxing her later."

"Why bother coaxing her? Let her say what she wants to say, and then see her out." Mrs. Zhao said, "I don't have the time to coax just anyone."

I don't know why I had such bad taste before, I almost got engaged, and thinking about it now makes me really scared!

"Let's go, I'll go meet this Mrs. Xiao and see what she has to say to me?"

(End of this chapter)