BXBX NOVEL Chapter 379: 375: Buying People_1
Lady Lin feigned surprise. “If not for you, why would our Mother have traveled all this way to this wretched place?”
Xiu Zhenniang slightly smirked, “I thought Mother was here for Shushu’s wedding, it seems that’s not the case.”
She then turned to her husband. “Silang, is Mother here to reprimand you?”
Wen Silang, who was attempting to slip away, was forced to respond by his wife’s question. In a good temper, he replied, “How could that be? Mother specifically came for Shushu’s wedding.”
Lady Wen’s expression turned even colder, yet she refrained from arguing before her son.
She was fed up with this daughter-in-law of hers, disliking her not only for her humble background but also for her arrogant and disrespectful attitude. She did not consider her mother-in-law at all. Wen Silang, however, loved to indulge her, preferring to defy his elders rather than criticize his wife.
Now, even the marriage arrangements for her granddaughter, Wen Shu, were handled haphazardly, settling for a penniless family with no paternal lineage.
“Summon the man named Li Xu. I want to see this supposed man of honor.”, Lady Wen demanded.
As Xiu Zhenniang began to respond, her husband held her back.
Wen Silang tried to appease his mother with a smile. “Alright, I’ll go fetch him at once.”
Saying this, he dragged his wife out of the main hall.
Once outside, Xiu Zhenniang shook off her husband’s hand and coldly said, “What do you need Li Xu for? Let me tell you, Wen Yanmin! If your mother messes up my daughter’s marriage, I will make sure you all pay, even if it costs me my life!”
Wen Silang sighed. “My mother is getting on in years, and her actions might not be fully rational. Why bother arguing with an old lady?”
Xiu Zhenniang remained silent and returned to their room.
She truly couldn’t be bothered with the Wen family anymore.
Let her husband handle it all, she won’t serve them anymore.
Jiang Family.
Wen Shu was chatting with Yingbao when the maid, Huanhuan, came running, “My lady, your grandmother and third mother have arrived. You should hurry back!”
“Grandmother is here?” Wen Shu furrowed her brow.
Her grandmother had always been a domineering figure. Having made such a long journey, her intentions were probably not benign.
Huanhuan nodded repeatedly. “It truly is your grandmother, and along with her is the third mother and her two daughters.”
Hearing this, Wen Shu quickly got off the bed, put on her shoes, and dashed out the door.
She ran towards the gate and waved goodbye to Yingbao only when she remembered.
Yingbao peered through the window, watching Wen Shu and Huanhuan disappear behind the screen wall. She had not met Lady Wen, but from snippets of their conversation, she knew the lady was rather strict and domineering.
Hopefully, the elderly woman was not here to break up Wen Shu’s marriage.
Li Xu was brought into the main hall of the Wen family, and at his father-in-law’s urging, he bowed to the elderly woman in the main seat. “Your soon-to-be grandson-in-law pays his respects to his grandmother.”
The elderly woman peered out the corner of her eyes, and seeing his forthright face and serious demeanor, she relaxed slightly. She started asking him about his name, his birthplace, and his ancestral lineage.
Li Xu thoughtfully answered a few queries, choosing to remain silent in response to unreasonable inquiries.
Suddenly, Lady Lin, the third wife, asked, “Li Xu, are you sure you’re not married before? You didn’t abandon your old wife, aiming to marry into our rich Wen family, did you?”
Li Xu was displeased, but he replied truthfully, “I assure you, I have never been married. It’s an honor for me to be betrothed to Miss Wen.”
“Don’t be so sure about that?” Mrs. Lin responded with a faint smile, “If you purposefully deceive, who would know?”
Li Xu: …
After witnessing his mother exhaust her questions and ignoring his third sister-in-law’s bizarre attitude, Wen Yanmin decided to leave with his future son-in-law.
Once outside, he whispered to Li Xu, “This is how our elders examine the younger generation in our household. Don’t take it to heart.”
Li Xu bowed and responded, “I understand, father-in-law. Rest assured, I truly do not have a former wife.”
Wen Yanmin sighed and patted Li Xu’s shoulder, “You are a good man, and I am very reassured.”
A few days later, Li Xu hired a bridal sedan and musicians to pick up his bride-to-be.
Yingbao and Erni served as bridesmaids for Wen Shu, accompanying her until the completion of the wedding ceremony and escorting her into the bridal chamber.
Just when everyone assumed the affair had ended, the next day a messenger from the Wen family’s elderly matriarch arrived at the Jiang Family to request the presence of Yingbao.
“Our elderly matriarch would like to meet the young mistress. Please come with me,” the outspoken maid demanded, much to the annoyance of Chunniang.
Yingbao patted her mother to calm her down as she followed the maid to see the elder lady of the Wen family.
Chunniang, worried for her daughter, insisted on accompanying her.
In the main hall of the Wen family home, the elder matriarch of the Wen family sat at the head of the room, with Lin, Wen’s third wife, by her side. The only others present were two maidens, and both Mr. and Mrs. Wen were absent.
It seemed that the old matriarch had called her while both Wen Silang and his wife were away.
“The elderly matriarch, the young maiden from the Jiang family has arrived,” the maid announced respectfully.
Yingbao and her mother greeted the old matriarch, “Elderly matriarch.”
After a moment, the elderly matriarch finally acknowledged the presence of Yingbao and her mother, responding with a simple “Hmm”: “You are Yingbao of the Jiang family, correct? Sit.”
Yingbao glanced at the small bench on the floor but remained standing.
Although her mother intended to sit, Yingbao prevented her from doing so.
She inquired nonchalantly, “What do you need, old lady Wen? My mother and I are quite busy; we can’t afford to spend too much time here.”
In Dongchen Village, she was the host, while the elder matriarch and her party were guests. There was no reason for her and her mother to have to sit on a servant’s bench.
In the homes of wealthy families, the host sat on a high chair, while the seat offered to a servant was usually a small bench. She and her mother were not anyone’s servants; they didn’t need to accommodate her.
Upon witnessing such disrespect from a country girl, the elderly matriarch could barely contain her fury.
Before she even had a chance to react, she suddenly thought of something and inquired, “It’s not anything important, I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to come live with me.”
Over the past few days, she had her servants inquire about the Jiang family’s child. It appears that Yingbao had extremely impressive medical skills and was very beautiful. If she could pull her to her side, when she grows up, she could be a great gift to pave the way for the Lin family.
That’s right, the elder matriarch’s surname was Lin. She was the aunt of Wen’s third wife, Lin.
Originally, she planned for Wen Shu to marry into the Xiao family, to bring her nephew out of jail. But the cunning girl secretly called off the engagement herself.
As for why she hasn’t suggested Wen Tian or Wen Jiao to Xiao Chengjun, it’s because they were too young to get married early, also her plan was to send the twin girls to Imperial Palace to compete for the Emperor’s favor with their exquisite beauty. They were sure to capture the Emperor’s heart.
Yingbao smirked and responded, “Old Lady Wen, are you intending to buy me as a slave?”
Upon hearing this, Chunniang was so furious that she clenched her daughter’s hand. However, before she could rebuke, she heard her daughter add: “How much silver are you willing to offer, Old Lady Wen?”
The elderly matriarch was stunned by Yingbao’s unconventional approach and only managed to respond after a while, “One hundred coins, how about that?”
One hundred coins?” Yingbao frowned, “You are trying to buy a person with a hundred coins? Is your silver more prestigious than others?”
She sneered, “My monthly petty cash is more than a hundred coins. You actually think you can buy someone from our Dongchen Village with such a small amount?”