Full House Spring

Chapter 91 Don't blame me for speaking harshly
Zou looked up at her son with narrowed eyes and sighed:
"How can I stay idle? If I wash more clothes, you can copy less books. A scholar's time is precious and should be used in the right way."

He Wenhan's mouth corners drooped, his brows furrowed, he quickly squatted down and threw the clothes in his mother's hand into the basin, and said in a deep voice: "Don't wash it yet, son has something important to tell you."

Zou thought he had gotten into trouble in the academy and asked nervously, "What's wrong? Are you in trouble?"

He Wenhan held his mother's arm, a faint smile appeared in the corner of his eyes, and he said softly: "Don't worry, it's a good thing. I will tell you slowly when we get home."

When Zou heard this, she felt relieved. She lifted her skirt to wipe the water stains on her hands and murmured:
"My eyesight is getting worse. If I could continue to do some needlework to supplement the family income, my mother and I wouldn't have to live in such poverty. God is really unfair."

After He Wenhan helped her into the house and sat her down, he poured her a cup of hot water first, and then said: "Mom, we won't have to live such a hard life soon. If this is successful, I will have someone to help me study for the imperial examination, and you can enjoy your old age well."

Zou was incredulous and said, "How is this possible? Did you do something that would cost you your life? My son, please don't be stupid."

He Wenhan said helplessly: "What are you thinking, mother? I am just a poor scholar who can't even tie a chicken. What can I do to harm the world? It was Master Fang who came to me to tell me something."

Zou knew Master Fang. She had accompanied her son to Dongli Academy to pay tuition. After Master Fang learned that their family was poor, he took the initiative to waive part of the fees. Zou had always been grateful to him.

She said in a brisk voice, "Since Master Fang said so, it must not be a bad thing. Tell me about it quickly."

He Wenhan couldn't hide his excitement and said, "The teacher's lost sister has been found. He wants me to be the son-in-law of the Fang family. If I can marry Miss Fang, our lives will be much better. What do you think about this?"

In an instant, Zou's expression turned from sunny to cloudy, and she gasped and said:
"Kneel down! I raised you with great difficulty and saved money for you to pursue fame and success, and now you want to betray your ancestors. This is simply treason!"

He Wenhan knelt down straight, looking puzzled:
"Mother, after my father died, our family's land was occupied by our clansmen. Not only did they not give me any help, they also spared no effort to suppress me. What's the point of having this surname?"

Zou's expression became even uglier. Anger burned in her eyes, and veins at her temples throbbed slightly. She angrily shouted, "You are continuing your father's family name and bloodline. If you become a son-in-law of this useless thing, the children you give birth to in the future will be from the Fang family. How will you explain to your father when you go to the underworld? Are you worthy of him?"

He Wenhan said in a low voice: "Mother, as long as it is my offspring, it doesn't matter what the surname is. We are already living such a difficult life, why do we have to be obsessed with the surname?"

Zou's face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it. She said stubbornly, "I don't agree with this. If you insist on becoming the son-in-law of the Fang family, I will die here. Anyway, there is no hope for me. There is no point in living."

He Wenhan's eyes were filled with helplessness. He covered his face with his hands, trying to hide the pain in his heart. After a moment, he said in a trembling voice:

"You know that if I miss the girl from the Fang family, I will never be able to marry a girl from a noble family in my life. Even if I become the top scorer in the imperial examination, it will be useless. I have no power and can only be ordered around like an ant. Do you understand?"

Zou bit her lower lip tightly, her hands clenched involuntarily, and she said in a hoarse voice: "Since Master Fang has taken a fancy to you, it means that you are a promising talent. The Fang family is naturally a good match, but you cannot marry into the family. You can only marry Miss Fang into the family. When she comes, she will bring a generous dowry, and our family will still have a good life. What do you think?"

He Wenhan was stunned and asked uncertainly, "How could the Fang family agree to this? We don't even have a decent house, how are we going to live after marrying her?"

Seeing her son's interest, Zou said hastily, "I'll go talk to Madam Fang about this. Since the Fang family loves their daughter, they will definitely be willing to spend money on her. They can use her dowry to build a new house. What's the problem?"

In He Wenhan's impression, his mother was frugal and knew how to live. She was devoted to him, so it was reasonable to let her decide on the marriage. He pondered and said:
"This should be done as soon as possible. You should do it tomorrow. As long as Miss Fang agrees to marry, our family will agree to any conditions. You must lower your attitude when talking to them and must not offend anyone."

Zou was very excited when she thought about marrying into the family of the Lady Shi. She said confidently, "Relax, I know more about marriage than you do."

He Wenhan felt relieved because of his trust in his mother. The next day, Zou got up early, borrowed some decent clothes from her neighbor, dressed herself neatly, and then went to Fang's house.

She was reluctant to spend money on a ox cart, so she had to walk there by herself. When she arrived at the gate of Fang's house, it was almost noon. Zou was eloquent and finally persuaded the doorman to go in and pass the message.

Rong had nothing to do at the moment, and when she heard that the mother of a student from the academy wanted to see her, she was worried that something had happened, so she was reasonable and asked someone to invite her in.

When Zou entered the Fang Mansion, she felt that her eyes were not enough to see. There were carved beams and painted buildings everywhere, and even the servants were dressed more decently than her. She seemed to understand her son's thoughts. With the support of the Fang family, she would indeed be able to avoid many detours in the future.

Zou followed the maid into the inner courtyard. As soon as she entered, she saw Rong sitting at the top of the table in a state of luxury. Although Rong was a few years older than her, she looked fair-skinned and had a unique temperament, which made people envy her.

Zou lowered her eyes with a complicated expression, and walked forward and bowed. Rong played with a round fan in her hand and said gently, "You don't have to be so polite. Please sit down and have a cup of tea. I wonder which student's mother you are, and what brings you to my house?"

Zou sat on the round stool somewhat stiffly. She took the teacup handed to her by the maid, drank the tea in one breath, and said politely:
"I am He Wenhan's mother. I came to discuss the marriage between my son and your daughter."

Rong's smile faded slightly, and she said in a dissatisfied tone: "Please be careful with your words, madam. My daughter has just returned and is not considering marriage for the time being. You may have come to the wrong place."

Zou tightened her grip on the teacup and mustered up her courage to say:

"Master Fang told my son that he wanted my son to marry into the Fang family, but my husband died early, and he is my only child. If he marries into the family, the family line will be cut off.

I thought about it again and again, and came up with a solution that would satisfy both parties. I would let Miss Fang marry into my family. Don't worry, I will treat Miss Fang like my own daughter and will not let her suffer any grievances."

Rong was so angry at these words that she laughed. Uncontrollable anger flashed in her eyes, and she said sarcastically:

"Your clothes don't look very suitable, are they borrowed? You are so poor, yet you still dare to be so delusional, and don't want my daughter to be wronged? You are wronging her by saying this. Choosing your son as a son-in-law is for a girl from my Fang family's side branch. He is not even worthy of carrying my daughter's shoes. You should go home and dream. Dreams are full of anything."

In Zou's mind, her son was one in a million and outstanding. She never expected that he would be belittled like this today. She trembled slightly and said angrily:

"Mrs. Fang, how can you say that? My son is a student of Dongli Academy no matter how bad he is. If you belittle him, you are also belittling the academy." Rong sneered, "You are so shameless. He Wenhan cannot represent Dongli Academy. If you feel indignant, you can drop out. The academy will not make much difference if he is not there."

Zou's face turned pale and she said nervously, "Even if we can't become relatives, we still have the teacher-student relationship. Why are you so ruthless?"

Rong sneered, "If you dare to link my daughter with your son, don't blame me for speaking harshly. Even if he is a girl from a branch of my Fang family, I will not accept him as my son-in-law. This matter ends here."

There was such a strong sense of pressure in Rong's words that Zou was stunned and at a loss as to what to do. The maid beside Rong was very smart and kicked her out.

Rong's good mood was ruined by her. Fang Qizheng had just returned from the academy when he was invited by the maid of the main courtyard. As soon as he entered the room, Rong said unhappily, "Why are you in such a hurry to find a son-in-law for your daughter? Do you think she is a nuisance at home?"

Fang Qizheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "How is that possible? I just want to find someone to train well for a few years, and then cancel the engagement with the Kuang family. I won't mind if my sister stays with me for the rest of her life. You're overthinking it."

Rong was angry when she thought of Zou. She said unhappily:

"Even if you want to choose, you have to choose someone whose parents are reasonable. He Wenhan's mother came to my house today. Do you know what nonsense she said to me?"

Fang Qizheng restrained his expression and asked solemnly, "What did she say? I just asked He Wenhan what he thought yesterday. Why did his mother come to visit so soon?"

Rong raised a contemptuous arc at the corner of his mouth and said coldly:
"Not only did he come to my house, he also told me that they only have one son in the family and that I cannot marry into their family and end the family line. He wanted my daughter to marry into his family. This is really outrageous. The mother is so ignorant of the current situation, and her son is not a good person. I don't care. You have to handle this matter for me and don't let it get out and ruin my daughter's reputation."

Fang Qizheng felt anger boiling in his chest. He gritted his teeth and said, "I don't think he would dare to say anything nonsense. I didn't tell him my sister's name. There is another girl in the Fang family. I will handle this matter properly. Don't be angry, mother, and don't let my sister know about this."

Rong rolled her eyes at her son and said unhappily, "How dare I let my dear daughter know about this? Just pretend it never happened. I will take care of your sister's marriage, so don't get involved."

Fang Qizheng rubbed his nose in guilt and said in a serious manner: "My mother taught me a lesson. I will never act rashly next time."

Rong knew that her eldest son acted in this way with good intentions, so she did not dwell on the matter. Fang Qizheng came out of the main courtyard and went to see Sun Fuya. In the evening, Xia Li received a gift from his eldest brother and sister-in-law, which was delivered by Ximei herself.

Xia Li looked at the dazzling array of jewelry in the box and said in confusion, "Why did my brother and sister-in-law give me more jewelry? I already have enough. You can take it back and give it to my sister-in-law."

Ximei knew the inside story, and there were some things she couldn't say, so she just smiled and advised: "Miss San, just accept them. These are all selected by the master himself for you. A girl can never have too many jewels. You can wear a different one every day. It's so nice."

Xia Li was a little amused and helpless. She gestured to Du Ruo to accept the jewelry, chatted with Xi Mei for a while, and then ordered Shi Mi to send her out.

Shi Mi escorted the people out of Cuihua Courtyard and was about to turn around and walk back when she saw a maid from the outer courtyard calling her.

"Sister Shi Mi, there is a man from Kyoto outside. He said he brought some things for you and asked you to pick them up in person."

Shi Mi's face lit up with joy, thinking that her father and brother were thinking of her and had asked someone to send something to her from afar. She didn't even have time to say hello to Xia Li and ran out excitedly.

When he reached the gate, he talked with the doorman for a while before coming out from the corner door. He looked up and saw a dark-skinned man standing not far away.

Shi Mi walked straight towards the man and said politely, "Thank you for bringing something for me, little brother. I wonder what my family has sent?"

Shunzi looked at Shi Mi for a few times without leaving any trace, and secretly clicked his tongue in his heart. The maids from these deep and large courtyards were all as beautiful as flowers. People were really different from each other. He smiled and said:
"Don't blame me, sister. It's true that I came to give you something, but I'm not sending it on behalf of your family. This is from my eldest brother and is for your daughter. Please give it to your daughter."

Shi Mi's expression was slightly restrained, and she asked cautiously: "Who is your elder brother? He is such an unruly person. Does he think he can give anything to our girl?"

Shunzi scratched his head. He didn't know how to coax him, so he could only beg for mercy:

"Don't be upset, sister. My eldest brother is not an outsider. He is engaged to your daughter. He was the one who escorted you back from Kyoto. Have you forgotten?"

Shi Mi's expression eased slightly, and she asked suspiciously, "He is trying to show his affection to our girl, why doesn't he come here in person?"

Shunzi raised his eyebrows and smiled, "My elder brother got promoted. He is now a fourth-rank commander. He has too many things to do and can't leave, so he asked me to deliver it. Please be kind and deliver it to Miss Fang on my behalf."

If he was an unrelated outsider, Shi Mi would definitely ask the guards in the mansion to drive him away, and would not listen to his nagging. But Kuang Chengrui was different after all. Now their engagement was still there, and who knows if he would be lucky enough to become her son-in-law.

Shi Mi raised her chin slightly and said in a commanding tone, "Open the box and let me see what's inside. If it's a mess, don't pollute our girls' eyes."

Shunzi opened the brocade box without hesitation. He said proudly, "Look, sister. This is a dragonfly hairpin carved by my elder brother himself. The dragonfly can move, just like a living one. The emerald on the dragonfly is a trophy captured by my elder brother. This hairpin is really made with great care."

Shi Mi was well-informed. Although this dragonfly hairpin was not expensive, its lively feel suited the girl very well. She also did not expect that Kuang Chengrui, who remained silent, could be so pleasing.

She closed the brocade box and took it, saying gently, "Since Lord Kuang is so sincere, I will deliver it to the young lady for you. Please don't leave in a hurry. If the young lady doesn't want to accept it, I will return it to you."

Shunzi said with a playful smile: "No, of course I won't accept it. I'll put in a good word for my elder brother. If your daughter can marry my elder brother, he will definitely treat her well with all his heart."

Shi Mi covered her mouth and chuckled, "Okay, I know what you mean, just wait."

(End of this chapter)