bookcurios Chapter 106 The Female Supporting Character Who Regrets the Arranged Marriage (Part 3)
Chapter 106 The Female Supporting Character Who Regrets the Arranged Marriage (Part 3)
The matter of an exchange marriage is not easy to talk about, so Cang's father decided not to tell either side first, but instead quickly sent Qi Zhiyu and Zhou Hannan to present the betrothal gifts.
Qi Zhiyu was shocked. He only learned that his mother had agreed to the marriage with the Cang family on his behalf when the others arrived.
"Zhiyu, don't blame your mother. It's my fault for being so useless and dragging you down... cough cough, this marriage with the Cang family is already quite good. Right now, the family is really... I hope you can excel in the imperial examinations and not..."
Qi's mother's unfinished words were full of bitterness, and she coughed so hard she could hardly breathe after saying just a few words.
Lost in thought, Qi Zhiyu quickly poured water and handed it to his mother. His heart was filled with complex emotions, and his face showed some hesitation. "But I don't know the character of Miss Cang..."
For some reason, he subconsciously thought of the woman he had seen at the inn and teahouse. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, she was very graceful.
That's said to be Miss Cang...
Qi Zhiyu's ears turned slightly red, and he felt a little guilty, hoping that this woman was his fiancée...
"Mother, don't worry, your son will go to propose marriage tomorrow." Qi Zhiyu comforted his mother, then turned his attention to borrowing some money for the betrothal.
Deep down, he didn't want to wrong his fiancée, perhaps because of his expectations, or perhaps for other reasons.
Upon hearing the news, Zhou Hannan was overjoyed and waved his hand, "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll reward everyone with a month's wages!"
The servants were overjoyed and thanked them repeatedly.
"Jinzi, go and prepare the betrothal gifts. Remember, prepare whatever is auspicious!" Zhou Hannan's eyes were filled with barely suppressed joy, even more so than when he had just made a business deal.
Jinzi was somewhat helpless, but still forced herself to speak: "Young Master, the Master might not agree..."
After all, Cang Huayu was born out of wedlock, and in terms of status, she was not a match for Zhou Hannan at all.
Although Master Zhou had handed over the family business to Zhou Hannan and gone to the Taoist temple to cultivate his mind, he would definitely "furious" if he heard about this.
Zhou Hannan's smile faded slightly, and he glared at Jinzi. "Are you stupid? Why don't you just not tell the master?"
Jinzi: "...Yes."
Sigh, he's my young master, there's nothing I can do but go along with it.
Jinzi quickly led his men down, and Zhou Hannan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling at ease.
He initially admired Cang Huayu, after all, this woman was different from others; he could see her gentleness and kindness, as well as her ambition.
and……
Zhou Hannan always felt that he was born to marry Cang Huayu, otherwise his fate would be terrible!
As a businessman, he doesn't do business at a loss, but this feeling is something he can't ignore!
Early the next morning.
The Cang family was overjoyed, and two matchmakers arrived with their entourage to propose marriage.
At the entrance of the Cang family's residence, two groups of people arrived simultaneously. The matchmakers from the Qi family and the Zhou family each carried their betrothal gifts. The two women exchanged a glance, and the Qi family's matchmaker felt somewhat awkward, as her gifts were rather meager...
But remembering that the Qi family had already communicated with the Cang family, he straightened his back and walked into the Cang family's gate in a grand procession with the Zhou family matchmaker.
The Zhou family's betrothal gifts consisted of chests full of gold, silver, jewels, fine silks, and countless land deeds. The matchmaker, beaming, said to Master Cang, "Master Cang, our Zhou family sincerely wishes to marry your daughter. Our young master is handsome and talented; he and your daughter are a match made in heaven!"
As she spoke, she pulled Cang's father to see the betrothal gifts. Cang's father was all smiles. Although he knew the Zhou family was wealthy, he was still amazed by the gifts before him, and his smile deepened.
The Qi family matchmaker, standing to the side, felt a little uncomfortable, but remembering that Qi Zhiyu was the most talented scholar, she gritted her teeth, pushed past the Zhou family matchmaker, and said to Master Cang defiantly, "Master Cang, our Qi family also sincerely wishes to marry your daughter. Our young master is handsome, well-read, and has an elegant demeanor; he and your daughter are a perfect match! If he becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, you will be his father-in-law!"
Knowing that she couldn't compete with him in terms of betrothal gifts, the matchmaker did her best to speak favorably of Qi Zhiyu's future.
Sure enough, this was the one that Father Cang had his eye on, and he immediately nodded with a smile that remained unchanged.
Looking at the betrothal gifts from both families, he felt secretly pleased.
He knew that although his two daughters were outstanding, it was their good fortune to be favored by the Qi and Zhou families.
Especially the Zhou family.
Thinking of this, he smiled and said to the matchmakers from both families, "You two matchmakers have worked hard. Although my Cang family is not a wealthy family, we still understand propriety and integrity. I will respect the wishes of my two daughters and let them choose their own happiness."
These words had a hidden meaning. The Zhou family matchmaker was the first to realize something was amiss, and though she wanted to ask, she dared not.
So why didn't they say which girl they were going to marry?!
However, I thought that the young master of the Zhou family must know what he was doing and had already made arrangements with the Cang family. I was just going through the motions, so I decided not to ask any questions to avoid causing trouble and angering others, which would prevent me from getting the matchmaker's money!
The matchmaker from the Qi family simply thought that the Cang family was wealthy and any young lady could marry into it. The most important thing was to successfully complete the betrothal, since the Qi family was truly poor and the betrothal gifts were only those of ordinary families.
The group chatted and laughed, and soon the marriage was arranged. It would be held on the eighth day of the following month, an auspicious day for marriage!
Inside the room, Qingyu listened to the lively sounds outside and felt exceptionally relaxed.
Although she is now following the same path as the original owner, her goal is not love; what she wants is wealth!
As long as Qingyu thought about these things, she felt that getting married wasn't so bad, since people in ancient times always had to get married anyway.
"Miss, your medicine powder is really good, the wound is almost healed..." the maid said with admiration as she prepared to apply the medicine to Qingyu.
Qingyu's injured half of her face had almost fully recovered, and she looked flawless, showing no signs of injury whatsoever.
Qingyu smiled gently, giving the maid a reproachful look, "You're right, let's apply the medicine~"
That one alluring glance made the maid blush instantly, and she shyly applied the medicine to Qingyu.
As Qingyu combed her long hair, she heard a maid come to report from outside the door, "Miss, the Fifth Miss has arrived."
The Fifth Miss is Cang Huayu.
In fact, as the concubine-born daughters of the Cang family got married one by one, only Cang Huayu remained as a concubine-born daughter in the family.
"What is she here for?"
Qingyu frowned slightly and waved her hand dismissively, "I don't want to see her, she's disgusting."
She hasn't had breakfast yet! Besides, the original owner's ointment was poisoned by Cang Huayu, so who knows what kind of trouble Cang Huayu might be planning this time!
Qingyu isn't afraid of trouble, but she hates it. She'd rather have as little trouble as possible!
The maidservant responded and left. Cang Huayu, who was waiting outside the door hoping to see the person, was disappointed to be rejected.
She looked down at the pastry in her hand.
This time she really made something delicious, hoping to ease the tension with Qingyu.
For some reason, she has recently felt a strong urge to get closer to Qingyu.
She even arranged for the servants to change the ointment, but then she remembered the servants saying that Qingyu had gotten the medicine herself…
Cang Huayu's face turned pale, and her fingers, which were gripping the handkerchief tightly, tightened even more. She had already thought of other possibilities—such as Qingyu having learned the truth and not forgiving her.
They might even hate her.