She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 561 - 559 Service

Chapter 561: Chapter 559 Service

Hmph! Lady Zhao scoffed in secret. She thought of Ah Qiao, who had stature, appearance, and outstanding skills, certainly not something that a wealthy scion and a mere "embroidered pillow" could match. Naturally, she was not the type prepared for pampered young ladies from The Official Family.

Lady Zhao felt uneasy inside, yet feigned alarm over potentially having offended the Prefectural Magistrate and what consequences that might entail. Even a decent meal lost its flavor for her.

No words were exchanged overnight, and for breakfast, Qing Min brought food boxes for the two Zhao women. The meal consisted of four small dishes of side dishes, buns and silver-thread rolls as the staple, complemented by chicken soup noodles and rice porridge in a small soup pot.

Lady Zhao was somewhat disappointed not to have breakfast with the wife of the heir of Duke An, but she saw benefits in dining alone—it was at least more relaxed. A full breakfast like this, one could quiet down, really enjoy it, and it wasn’t too bad. Although in the past two years, Ah Qiao had continuously sent silver home sufficient for her to lead a comfortable life, she, who had been accustomed to hardship most of her life, could not bear to spend Ah Qiao’s hard-earned money extravagantly.

After having breakfast, Lady Zhao and Xiuqin finished eating, and while Qing Min tidied up the dishes in the food box, she said to Lady Zhao: "When I went to get breakfast, I ran into my lord. He said that after breakfast, if you have time, he would like for you to speak with him in the parlor. Once you are available, please let me know, so I may take you there."

Lady Zhao knew that Qi Younian was looking for her, certainly about Ah Qiao’s marriage prospects. Such matters were inevitable, and she was not intimidated. As the mother who had raised her son through hardships, she would naturally have the final say in his marriage—regardless of the fact that she was not willing to have Miss Zhou as a daughter-in-law, her eldest brother and Fourth Brother would not be able to object.

After breakfast, Lady Zhao rested for a while. She called Qing Min to go to the parlor in the front courtyard, instructed Xiuqin to rest in the room, and that if she felt bored, she could walk around the yard but not to wander too far.

In the parlor, waiting were only Qi Younian and Cheung Wusi indeed to inquire about Lady Zhao’s opinion on Wong Qiao’s nuptials.

Once the three were seated, after exchanging a few pleasantries, they turned to the matter of Ah Qiao’s marriage prospects.

Qi Younian did not beat around the bush but directly stated, "We bunch of old men, there are many things we don’t quite consider thoroughly. Still, Miss Zhou is a fine young lady, gets along with Ah Qiao, and what’s rare is that Madam Zhou is also fond of Ah Qiao. This is why we are considering making this match between the two kids. What are your thoughts on this, sister-in-law? Let us hear them."

Behind a temporary screen set up in the parlor, a small stove was burning with a kettle atop, whose quiet gurgling, along with the rustling of clothes from Ye Xinyan and Zhou Biyao, who occasionally shifted their bodies, concealed their presence.

Qi Younian was initially against their eavesdropping on the elders’ conversation, but Zhou Biyao persistently pleaded, saying she wanted to understand why Lady Zhao was displeased with her. Ye Xinyan also felt it was better for Zhou Biyao to know the reasons rather than have her conjure up baseless worries on her own.

Thus, taking advantage of Lady Zhao’s unfamiliarity with the Qi family’s environment since she had just arrived, Ye Xinyan had a screen placed in the parlor. Behind it they sat, listening in secret.

As Qi Younian broached the substantive matter, the two listeners held their breath in anticipation.

They overheard Cheung Wusi, following Qi Younian’s lead, ask, "What’s with the niece you brought along, sister-in-law? Could it be... Sister-in-law, if we were still a poor family or if an engagement had been arranged from early on, then it would make sense to marry into a poor family. But now that our days are better, we should find a girl for Ah Qiao who matches our current status, someone who can handle household affairs well and properly educate the children."

From Cheung Wusi’s implication, was he no longer optimistic about Xiuqin?

Lady Zhao sat in the lower seat, directly opposite Cheung Wusi. She raised her eyes to look at Cheung Wusi and said, "Wusi, even if our lives are better now, can we compare to the background of the Prefectural Magistrate’s family? And as for raising children, aren’t the daughters of poor families capable of bringing them up well too? Not to mention Ah Qiao, my sister-in-law admits she’s illiterate and hasn’t seen much of the world, but isn’t Ah Qiao still an outstanding and good child?"

Qi Younian’s gaze grew heavy as he said, "Second Miss Zhou has been working for me for some days now, and she’s not only clever but also has a good nature. Don’t worry for now, sister-in-law. Take your time to get to know this child and then make a decision."

Lady Zhao took a serious look at Qi Younian and Cheung Wusi, stood up, bowed deeply to them, and said apologetically, "It’s not that your sister-in-law is unappreciative or defiant towards the wishes of my two brothers. It’s just that our family’s status is too low; we can’t accommodate such an esteemed figure."

"Sister-in-law, there’s no need to be so formal, sit and talk," said Qi Younian. He had never married and didn’t know how the relationship between husband and wife, mother-in-law, and daughter-in-law should be. But in a family, as long as there is honesty between one another, where do notions of high and low status come in? And what’s this about accommodating big Buddhas and small Buddhas?

Since Cheung Wusi lived close to Wong Qi’s House and was more familiar with Lady Zhao, she advised, "Sister-in-law, you are Ah Qiao’s mother. Even if Miss Zhou comes from a better family, as long as she and Ah Qiao love each other, she will surely respect you as her mother-in-law. You don’t need to worry at all; Miss Zhou is kind-hearted and not the type to bully others using her status."

Lady Zhao sat back down, shook her head, and said with a forlorn expression, "I’ve suffered so much over the years to bring Ah Qiao up. Now that Ah Qiao has grown up and can work, I’ve finally been able to breathe a sigh of relief and can expect filial piety from my son and daughter-in-law. But now he’s married to a great Buddha. Having endured hardship all my life, in the end, I’m still expected to serve my daughter-in-law... What hope is there for the future?"

Although Lady Zhao’s words were full of sorrow, Qi Younian felt something was amiss, "Sister-in-law, even if Biyao comes from a good family, she’s your daughter-in-law and can still be filial to you."

Lady Zhao smiled faintly, her head lowered as she said, "No one has been in my shoes, so naturally, they won’t understand the hardships I’ve endured raising Ah Qiao. Regardless of how sensible and virtuous Miss Zhou from the Zhou family may be, her status is there for all to see. Could she really be at my beck and call, doing as I command?

For all these years, I’ve held on through gritted teeth, hoping that Ah Qiao would make something of himself, that he would marry a wife who would always be by my side, serving me devotedly. Can Miss Zhou do that?"

The tone of Lady Zhao was filled with melancholy, and the atmosphere in the room became heavy.

Qi Younian sighed inwardly, as expected. His Seventh younger brother’s wife didn’t want Ah Qiao to get a wife; she wanted a servant girl she could command.

Ye Xinyan, who was behind the screen, glanced at Zhou Biyao and thought, Now you see? Third Brother Wong’s mother wants a daughter-in-law who will completely follow her lead. Can you do that?

Just then, they heard Cheung Wusi outside saying, "Seventh younger brother’s wife, Ah Qiao is now earning a good amount of silver, and in the Construction Industry, The Old Master is even planning to give Ah Qiao a share. If the household chores are too hard for you, we can buy a servant girl or an old woman servant to attend to you. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?"

Lady Zhao lowered her eyelids and said stiffly, "Having servants attend to me is only due to circumstances, it’s not nearly as whole-hearted as being served by my own daughter-in-law."

Cheung Wusi opened her mouth but took a long time to respond, "But Ah Qiao likes Miss Zhou, and aren’t we all just wanting Ah Qiao to have a good life?"