20demayo Chapter 269 Qing He
Chapter 269 Qing He
When Liu and Jin Xiaoqiao arrived at the old house, the messenger from the Fang family had already left. Jin Xiaoqiao helped Liu hold up the curtain but did not go in herself.
At this moment, Liu had already gotten up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and was sitting in the chair in front of the door, her face still showing a hint of anger.
"Mother, I just heard that my younger sister is not feeling well. What exactly happened?" Madam Liu asked her mother-in-law with concern.
"Hmph, it's all because of that old hag from the Fang family. She said Qinghe was pregnant and her body was inconvenient, so she insisted on taking a concubine for your brother-in-law. How could your sister stand it? She went and made a scene with your brother-in-law. I don't know who was the culprit who pushed Qinghe down. A perfectly good brother is gone just like that." After saying this, Liu started crying again, feeling heartbroken. Thinking of the already formed male fetus and the suffering her daughter had endured, she hated the person who started this whole thing.
Hearing her mother-in-law's words implying that her brother-in-law had no intention of doing this, and that it was Qinghe's mother-in-law who wanted to arrange for her son to take a concubine, she asked...
"Mother, is the concubine we're taking bought from outside? Or is she a maid from their household, or someone else entirely?"
"..." Liu fell silent for a moment, thinking about the questions her daughter-in-law had just asked. It seemed that the people from the Fang family hadn't explained things very clearly.
Seeing that her mother-in-law remained silent, Wang spoke up from the side.
"I don't know, the Fang family hasn't said anything."
"Who is the messenger? Isn't it the maid who came with you as part of your dowry?" Madam Liu asked again.
"No, it was an old woman from the Fang household who came to deliver the message," Wang said, only realizing her mistake after she finished speaking.
"Mother, if something happened to Qinghe, at least one of the maids who came with her dowry, Qingcao or Lümiao, should have come back to give a detailed explanation. Why didn't either of the two maids come back?"
Liu fainted when she first heard that her daughter had miscarried, and now, after listening to her two daughters-in-law's analysis, she realized that there was a problem.
"After lunch, you three sisters-in-law will accompany me to the Fang residence. I want to ask Qinghe about this matter in person. Third sister-in-law, we'll use your carriage this afternoon!"
"Yes, Mother. I will arrange for someone to clean up the carriage when I get back."
"Okay, you can all go back now. Make sure you have everything you need to take with you." He waved his hand weakly at his wives and dismissed them.
Emerging from the main room, the sisters-in-law were also somewhat downcast. Although Qinghe was ignorant when she was young, she had become much more obedient in the last two years, perhaps because she had grown up or perhaps because the old man had scolded her more. Hearing that she was suffering now, they all felt a pang of sadness.
Since they were going to the Fang family's house in the afternoon, everyone had to go back to prepare things for Qinghe. The sisters-in-law didn't say much and dispersed.
Back at his home, Zhang Youtie had just returned from running errands in the county town and noticed that Liu seemed to have something on her mind.
"Mother, what's wrong? Is there some trouble at the workshop?"
“I just went to the old house. Someone from the Fang family came to tell me that Qinghe’s baby has been lost.” Madam Liu knew that he had just returned from outside and probably didn’t know about this yet, so she told him.
"What? Qinghe's baby is gone? What happened?" Zhang Youtie couldn't believe it. After all, his mother had just visited her a few days ago and said Qinghe was perfectly fine when she came back. How could the baby be gone in just a few days?
"They only said that my brother-in-law wanted to take a concubine, but Qinghe disagreed. During the argument, someone pushed Qinghe, and we don't know the specifics. This morning, a woman from the Fang family came to deliver the news. Mother said that she would take my eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, and me to the Fang family this afternoon to ask."
Upon hearing Liu's words, Zhang Youtie angrily smashed a cup in his hand to pieces.
"What are you doing? When did you start taking your anger out on things? Wasn't this bought with our money?" Madam Liu scolded, seeing the shattered cup on the ground.
"Ugh, it's infuriating! I told you from the start this marriage wouldn't work. Fang Zhiming doesn't seem like a decent person, and his father has a bunch of concubines. How could his son be any better, being influenced by his father every day? Like father, like son." Zhang Youtie felt extremely annoyed just thinking about the Fang family that Qinghe married into.
"Alright, she's already married. What's the point of bringing this up now? Back then, Qinghe was the one who insisted on getting married, and besides, our mother agreed to it. What could you, as her brother, do?" Madam Liu advised in a low voice.
Thinking of Qinghe's marriage, not only Zhang Youtie felt annoyed, but Liu Shi also felt uncomfortable. Some things are better left unsaid; once you know them, it's hard to get over that hurdle in your heart.
After Zhang Chengwen passed the imperial examination, countless matchmakers practically wore down the threshold of the Zhang family's house, but Liu refused them all. Then, some people set their sights on the Zhang family's daughter. At that time, Chunyu was still young, and Qinghe was the only suitable candidate.
Liu originally wanted to keep her daughter until her son passed the imperial examination and then choose a good family for her, but Qinghe was already sixteen years old at that time, and if she waited two more years, she would be an old maid.
Left with no other choice, Liu began to select a husband for her daughter from among the suitors who came to her door. However, Qinghe's physical appearance was not particularly appealing.
The Zhang brothers were all good-looking, with the fourth brother, Zhang Chengwen, possessing a refined and scholarly air. However, Qinghe's appearance was considered an anomaly in the Zhang family. If she could be born as a boy, she could be described as a robust young man, but since she was a girl, she could only be considered below average in terms of looks.
Although she had lost a little weight under the deliberate control of her grandfather and Mrs. Liu, she was still much more robust than other girls at the time. Xia Yu couldn't help but sigh when she saw Mrs. Liu so worried about her daughter's marriage that she was practically tearing her hair out. Her aunt was in a situation where she was neither good enough nor good enough for anyone. If she hadn't been so robust, even just a little bit, her grandmother wouldn't be so worried now.
After a long selection process, Liu finally chose Fang Zhiming, the youngest son of the scholar Fang, from among a group of people.
When Zhang Youtie learned that his mother had chosen the Fang family for Qinghe, he objected. While others were unaware of the Fang family's background, Zhang Youtie, who frequently traveled for business, had heard quite a bit about them.