A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

The Tian family's only three mu of meager land was located on the east side of the village. As Aunt Taohua left the Chen family in a huff, her figure happened to fall right into the eyes of Tian Youfu's wife, who had just returned from the fields.

Tian Youfu's second wife was surnamed Zhao. She was a middle-aged woman with shrewd eyes, slightly thin lips, and a bit of plumpness.

She was carrying a basket of wild oats she had pulled from the ground. As she walked to the bridge at the east end of the village, she spotted Aunt Peach Blossom's unhappy back.

She glanced at the new courtyard wall of the Chen family not far away, her eyes darting around, and her plans started to stir again.

Zhao had been thinking about Chen Wanxing's return to the village for quite some time.

Outsiders might just think it's an old maid who's too old to find a husband returning home, but Zhao, being from the village, sees things more clearly.

This Chen Wanxing quietly built such a large brick and tile house. I heard that he lives there alone and has servants he bought. This is not the behavior of an ordinary family.

They clearly have a solid foundation and are determined to start their own business.

Zhao immediately thought of her stepson, Tian Chuan.

Tian Chuan was born to Tian Youfu's first wife. That woman had a short life and died not long after giving birth to Tian Chuan.

Perhaps it's because children without mothers are more sensible; he was capable from a young age, especially skilled at hunting, making him a true pillar of the family.

But after Tian Youfu remarried Zhao and had a younger son, Xiaoman, the couple's attention was completely focused on Xiaoman.

The Tian family is a single branch in Xiahe Village, with few relatives. They are not members of the Chen family, and the clan elders have no authority over them.

When Tian Chuan was still young, some villagers couldn't stand it and would say a few words. Every time, Zhao would wipe away her tears and say that being a stepmother was difficult. No matter how much she did, if she did something slightly wrong, outsiders would think that she was a heartless stepmother.

Every time she cried and made a fuss, Tian Youfu ignored her. In truth, all she got in return were a few perfunctory words from him.

Even her own father didn't care, and after a while, everyone stopped talking about it, only occasionally sneaking some snacks into Odakawa's mouth.

Later, when Tianchuan grew up, the situation changed. However, most of the money he earned went to support his family, but at home, he always put Xiaoman first. By the time it came to his own life, even his marriage was delayed.

Xiaoman has already arranged a marriage, and the betrothal gifts have been given to the girl's family. They're just waiting for the autumn harvest to bring her back home.

But Tianchuan, the eldest brother, was still single, and his parents never took the initiative to arrange anything for him. Zhao Shi used to be too lazy to care, thinking that it wouldn't matter if it dragged on for a few years, since Tianchuan was honest and capable, and the family couldn't do without his labor now.

But as Tian Chuan got older, she sometimes had doubts. After all, he wasn't her own son. If he ended up as an old bachelor, it wouldn't look good for her as his stepmother when the villagers talked about it.

But if she really had to get him married in the end, would the family still have to pay for the bride price? Just thinking about it made her heart ache.

Therefore, Chen Wanxing's appearance was a revelation to Zhao, who felt she had found a way to achieve the best of both worlds.

In her opinion, Chen Wanxing is so old, and she has been away from home all these years. Who knows what her situation is? What decent family would want to marry her?

If she can't get married, she'll be an old maid for life. If I let Tian Chuan marry her, maybe I can get a smaller dowry because she's older and has some flaws. In fact, if the Chen family gets anxious, I might even get some benefits in return.

Most of them want to live alone, or they can only look further down the search.

When Tian Zhao saw the completion of the Chen family's magnificent new house, and Chen Wanxing moved in alone with servants to wait on her, her ambitions grew even stronger.

Is Chen Wanxing determined not to get married? That would be even better.

If Tianchuan could marry into the family, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? She had already planned it out in her mind. Tianchuan would stay in the same village, which would be close by, so even if he married out, he could still help with the family's work.

The Tian family could save a lot of money on building a house and getting married for him, and they might even get a dowry from the Chen family because of his marriage into the family.

Therefore, in the matter of Chen Wanxing's marriage, whether it was a marriage of convenience or a normal marriage, Zhao Shi felt that there was something to gain no matter how she calculated it.

The Chen family is the dominant surname in Xiahe Village. Since the Tian family fled famine and settled here, they have always been destitute. If this relationship were to succeed, they would have a marriage alliance with the Chen family and could help each other out. No matter how you look at it, it would be a win-win situation for the Tian family.

She previously thought that this matter was not urgent and could be delayed until Chen Wanxing was older and less arrogant, perhaps then it would be easier to talk to him.

But when Zhao saw Aunt Peach Blossom come out of the Chen family's house today, her heart skipped a beat. Even matchmakers from other villages had come to her door? It seemed she wasn't the only one eyeing this lucrative opportunity.

What if someone with worse conditions and a lower price snatches it up first, or Chen Wanxing is persuaded to change her mind? Wouldn't her wishful thinking fall through?

A sense of urgency welled up inside me.

We can't wait any longer. We need to quickly talk to the head of the family and try to find out what the Chen family thinks, or simply create some opportunities for that taciturn Tian Chuan to show his face in front of Chen Wanxing more often.

That boy is honest and hardworking, and has a decent appearance. Maybe Chen Wanxing will take a liking to him?

Tian Zhao's mind was churning with all sorts of thoughts. She even forgot the weight of the basket in her hand. She glanced deeply at the Chen family's courtyard one last time before turning around and hurrying back to her own home.

The calculating look and ever-changing expression on her face seemed even more vibrant than the freshly picked oat sprouts in the vegetable basket.

Zhao, carrying a vegetable basket, strode home. Tian Youfu was squatting at the gate, sharpening Tian Chuan's usual wood-chopping knife with a whetstone.

Seeing his daughter-in-law, Zhao, return with a somewhat unusual expression, he casually asked, "You're back?"

Zhao put the basket down on the ground, not in a hurry to pack it up, and leaned close to Tian Youfu, lowering her voice with barely suppressed excitement:

"Master, I just saw Matchmaker Xiao coming out of the Chen family's house. She didn't look well. I'm afraid she didn't get away with it."

Tian Youfu didn't stop what he was doing. He just grunted in response, not paying much attention. Xiao Taohua's mouth was always coming from one house to another; it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Zhao simply stated bluntly: "I'm guessing she must have gone to arrange a marriage for that girl Chen Wanxing."

Tian Youfu paused, looked up, and his face crinkled with wrinkles: "Let's just arrange a match, why are you thinking about this? What does it have to do with our family?"