She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 572 - 570 Everything is up to mother

Chapter 572: Chapter 570 Everything is up to mother

"When your mother visited the Qi family for the first time, she knelt before Second Miss Zhou and spoke words of utmost respect and honor. Both of your uncles and your mother had a conversation, which Ah Yan and Second Miss Zhou listened to throughout. She knows what Aunt Wong means."

Jiang Yifan saw the shock on Wong Qiao’s face as he stared at him, a look of utter despondency, and continued, "However, Second Miss Zhou didn’t indicate that she was giving up. It seems she wants to wait for you to return, to hear your thoughts before making a decision."

"So, what do you plan to do?" Jiang Yifan asked.

"I..." Wong Qiao’s voice was hoarse, his eyes gradually reddening. He managed only to utter "I" before he found himself at a loss for words. That was his mother, and given her obstinate nature, changing her mind would be incredibly difficult.

Yet, such an excellent marriage prospect and Biyao being such a good girl, why wouldn’t his mother like her? This outcome was something he could never have expected; he had always thought his mother would be overjoyed upon hearing such good news, so happy she couldn’t stop grinning or fall asleep.

Jiang Yifan stared at him and asked, "Do you also think your mother had a hard time raising you, right?"

Wong Qiao looked up at Jiang Yifan, his voice filled with sorrow, "Others indeed don’t understand; my mother truly suffered a lot. Other families have fathers who work to earn money, or they have land for crops, while the mothers stay at home, tend to the house and raise children. In my family, my mother had to handle everything, both indoors and outdoors.

"Coming from a family of craftsmen with no land of our own, my mother farmed land that was rented to us. She faced the elements on her own. During the autumn harvest, she took on the hard labor all by herself. Afterward, she still had to pay the rent. Throughout the year, there were few occasions when we could eat our fill. Meals mixed with elm leaves were already a luxury; my family even ate willow leaves often.

"Lord Jiang might not have tried them, but willow leaves are incredibly bitter. My mother usually made two kinds: mine had more grains and fewer leaves, while hers was the opposite. Whenever I wanted to swap with her, she wouldn’t allow it, saying that our food was all the same."

"Listening to you, the days your mother spent raising you were indeed tough," Jiang Yifan said with a smile, then asked, "So your mother has the right to deprive you of the right to marry the woman you love and live a comfortable life?"

This was Jiang Yifan considering the mother-son affection of Wong Qiao’s family – the unspoken part was: If Lady Zhao truly was a selfless mother, then she should act with her son’s best interest in mind. Why should everything be according to her will, thus depriving her son of happiness in his life?

Startled, Wong Qiao defended subconsciously: "My mother didn’t think like that, she just, just..." He repeated the word "just" several times, but failed to articulate a more persuasive argument.

As Jiang Yifan turned the teacup in his hands without looking up, he merely asked in a calm tone, "What about Second Miss Zhou? Do you intend to let down her sincere feelings for you? She comes from an official family, her father being a prefect, and it took much effort for her to persuade her parents to agree to your marriage. Are you going to disappoint her just like that?"

"I..., but my mother gave birth to me, raised me, I..." Wong Qiao’s eyes reddened as he stammered, unable to continue. How could he go against his mother’s wishes and break the heart of the mother who had raised him with such hardship?

Jiang Yifan shook his head, "If that’s how you think, even if your mother agreed for you to marry Second Miss Zhou, it would be better for Second Miss Zhou not to marry you, lest she suffers in the future without a place to turn to for help."

"Jiang, Lord Jiang, how can you say such a thing? I was actually planning to go back and persuade my mother. Maybe once she understands that I love Biyao, she will agree to let me marry her?"

"What if your mother adamantly refuses?" Jiang Yifan did not respond, but instead posed another question.

Wong Qiao slouched, disheartened and defeated.

Jiang Yifan drank the hot tea in his cup, then refilled both their cups before he slowly began, "Ah Qiao, although you always call me Lord Jiang, I consider you a friend. Today, let’s talk about your marriage."

Wong Qiao looked up, a hint of hope in his eyes as he gazed at Jiang Yifan.

"Firstly, it was you whom your mother toiled to raise, not your wife. Your wife chooses to show filial piety to your mother because you are her husband, and you should be grateful that she’s willing to do this for you,"

Wong Qiao opened his mouth, as if to agree with this reasoning, but it seemed to go against the common sense of the world, didn’t it?

"Secondly, since you like Second Miss Zhou, you surely want her to be happy and joyful. You wouldn’t want her to enter the Wong Residence only to swallow her pride, keep her voice low, and live by looking at others’ faces, right?

No matter whose face one has to look at, it’s never a happy affair. Back in her parents’ house, she doesn’t have to mind others’ faces. It would be unreasonable to love her so much and yet make her live unhappily because of you, wouldn’t it?"

Indeed, Wong Qiao nodded. Yet, the pain in his heart couldn’t be quelled. He knew what kind of person his mother was. His mother might have had her struggles, but everything in the house was decided by her. From childhood to adulthood, he always followed his mother’s wishes. If his mother was displeased, he, too, would fall silent and not dare breathe too loudly. If Biyao were to marry into the family...

His head suddenly began to ache unbearably.

Jiang Yifan, looking at Wong Qiao, felt a sudden sense of schadenfreude, "So if Second Miss Zhou marries you, you should make her happy to have married you, not filled with a lifetime of regret and sorrow."

"But I, my mother, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to persuade her," Wong Qiao felt incredibly feeble admitting such a thing. But this was filial piety, particularly since his mother was not like other mothers—she was so difficult to please.

Jiang Yifan nodded, "Right, I understand. Now, let’s see if it’s necessary for you to marry into the Zhou family."

Wong Qiao nodded eagerly, showing that he was listening attentively.

"Ah Yan is very protective, you know that, right?"

Wong Qiao continued to nod, knowing that Ye Zi was indeed protective, but how did Ye Zi come into the conversation about him and Biyao?

"If Second Miss Zhou becomes sad out of your account, and if her future husband does not meet her expectations, or if she can no longer work with Ah Yan, Ah Yan might just have an opinion of you, but she would surely despise your mother."

"A person’s talent is important, but the environment and opportunities are even more crucial. Without you, Ah Yan could still find other craftsmen to help her and the Qi family. However, if you leave Ah Yan and the Qi family, you would just be a craftsman with good skills. What future can be anticipated for a craftsman, no matter how skilled he is?"

"Even if Old Master Qi takes your father into consideration and keeps you at the Qi Family Construction Business, if you just do ordinary tasks on the periphery, you wouldn’t be any different from a regular steward or craftsman, am I right?"

Wong Qiao was stunned, not quite understanding what Jiang Yifan was getting at. Yet, he could clearly see the outcome Jiang Yifan described, and it was pretty much incredibly far from his dreams, wasn’t it?