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Chapter 9: Breaking off the Engagement\n“Are you all dead? Still not opening the door?!” A menacing voice carried into the Li Residence.\n
The big-bellied Madam Zhao had already headed to open the large door. While she went to open the door, Madam Wang’s chiding could still be heard. When she pushed the heavy door at the entrance open, standing there was an angry-looking Widow Zhang.\n
With an indifferent expression, Widow Zhang stood in front of the LI Residence and she seemed to be carrying a basket of eggs in her hands.\n
Madam Zhao’s heart panged with a bad premonition and she smiled stiffly, “Sister Zhang is here!”\n
Grandmother Li Ciying had naturally already caught a glimpse of Widow Zhang standing in the doorway, her heart a tangled mess. She quickly pushed Bailian away, “Quickly, you should take a rest!”\n
Grandmother Li Ciying was afraid that Widow Zhang had come to annul the engagement, which would only further embarrass and cause Bailian’s mental state to take a heavy hit.\n
Obviously, she understood Bailian’s personality and temperament very well. Zhang Youen and Bailian had little contact with each other, but Bailian had still agreed to this marriage. Which young girl didn’t like good-looking and handsome guys?\n
Bailian could only helplessly keep her mouth shut. She had only gotten up to tell the original owner’s family that she wanted to break off this engagement ah!\n
From the start when Bailian had fainted to getting cursed at by Matriarch Wang at the Village Banquet and getting slandered by the rest of the villagers, not once had Zhang Youen stepped out to defend his fiance. Bailian really thought this guy was quite unreliable!\n
However, after witnessing Grandmother Lil Ciying’s frantic efforts to hid Bailian, she could only obediently squat on the floor of the room, her ears perked up like a baby rabbit to hear everything going on outside.\n
“I’ve come to visit the Third Master and Patriarch of the Li Family.” Widow Zhang coolly smiled and walked inside.\n
Madam Zhao was obviously internally flustered, but since she wasn’t in the best physical condition due to being pregnant, she couldn’t bar Widow Zhang from entering the residence. \n
“Is Mister Li here?” Widow Zhang walked directly towards the main hall, followed by a jittery and anxious Madam Zhao.\n
Mister Li was exactly the Patriarch of the LI Family. He was merely a scholar who was never able to pass the county level imperial examination. Eventually, he gave up passing the exam and instead worked as a teacher at the Village Academy, instructing future candidates on passing the imperial county exam. \n
He went every few days and what he taught was not crucial or important information covered in the examination, but nonetheless, the villagers respected his philosophies and teachings very much. After all, he was considered one of the influential elders of the community.\n
Grandmother Li Ciying hesitated for a second, before deciding to stand outside the door of the main hall, because she was merely a concubine, and therefore was not given the privilege to enter the main hall.\n
Although Madam Zhao was the daughter-in-law to Concubine Li Ciying, no one ever took it seriously. The petty and narrow-minded Matriarch Wang only really hated Li Ciying and as a result, Li Ciying could only helplessly stand outside. \n
Madam Zhao nervously stood behind Widow Zhang with her stomach churning in uneasiness and foreboding. Madam Zhao stood nervously behind Madam Zhang\n
“Isn’t this Scholar Zhang’s mother? Come in and sit!” Matriarch Wang smiled fawningly at Widow Zhang, motioning for her to rest.\n
In her heart, she looked down on her very much, but she was a poor widow after all! Her son just happened to be a little better than her son in the exam, so what! It was because of that Zhang Youen that her own son’s limelight and recognition were subdued.\n
In the Wuming Village, two talents had suddenly appeared, but Zhang Youen was the top talent even amongst all the other candidates and was very highly respected. This point made Matriarch Wang feel uncomfortable and a bit annoyed. \n
By comparison, Zhang Youen was very talented, having passed a mere age of fifteen, while the Eldest Son of the Li Family had only passed at the age of thirty. Anyone with a brain could tell that Zhang Youen had boundless potential and high prospects.\n
Even so, the Li Family still believed that the Eldest Master was the hope of the family and firmly believed that he would become a high-ranking government official in the future.\n
Patriarch Li and Matriarch Wang were both present in the main hall, along with the First Branch couple.\n
“Congratulations to Scholar Li, I haven’t been able to properly congratulate you yet! The things I brought today are just a mere representation of Youen and I’s happiness for you!”\n
Widow Zhang set the basket on the table, and inside the straw basket were twenty fresh eggs.\n
“You are too kind!”\n
Matriarch Wang’s eyes had become almost disappeared from her happiness and quickly accepted the basket greedily. She headed towards the direction of the kitchen and when passing by the anxious Li Ciying, she gave a murderous glare.\n
Patriarch Li felt that he had lost some face from Madam Wang’s gluttonous actions but then relaxed after realizing they were still at home. As the Patriarch of the Li family, this is what he deserved!\n
The old Patriarch had always felt that his Eldest son’s potential was the most promising out of all of his children, no wonder he was the eldest! \n
“I…I actually came here with a presumptuous request. May I be so bold as to ask?” Widow Zhang slowly enunciated each word carefully.\n
“What’s the matter?” Patriarch Li asked and glanced at the flustered Madam Zhao standing behind WIdow Zhang. In his heart, he had long already guessed as to what the purpose of her visit was.\n
Madam Zhao’s face paled, and she tried to interrupt Widow Zhang, “Sister Zhang…”\n
“Don’t blame me for this Sister Zhao!” Widow Zhang resolutely stood up and grabbed Madam Zhao’s hand, “I’m here to ask that we annul Youen and Bailian’s engagement!”\n
‘This..” Madam Zhao felt very bitter and unwilling on the inside, her voice haggard and tired, “What happened yesterday was just a misunderstanding. Fifth, she’s really a good…”\n
“I know, Fifth is definitely a good girl, but my Youen’s marriage is very important! We know that Bailian is a good girl, but others might now know this! And..”\n
Bailian was also of concubine birth.\n
“This engagement was decided upon by Zhang He and Third, annulling so easily won’t be good…” Grandmother Li Ciying with a saddened expression on that wrinkled face could only helplessly chime in.\n
“I thought that girl seemed like a little vixen, just look!” Let’s annul this engagement!” Matriarch Wang gleefully agreed with Widow Zhang.\n
It seemed that Matriarch Wang wanted to ruin Bailian’s marriage and wanted to see Li Ciying’s grandchildren suffer.\n
“Matriarch!”\n
At this point, Grandmother Li Ciying had become desperate. This was the first time the Third Branch had talked back to the Main Branch!\n
“Humph! She’s just an old vixen and still wants to insult other scholars!” Matriarch Wang threateningly looked at Li Ciying, daring her to speak out again.\n
“Mother!”\n
Li Yonghe, the Eldest Master, coughed softly, signaling Matriarch Wang to compose herself and pacify her bad temper.\n
This Li Yonghe was the apple of Matriarch Wang’s eyes and doted on him the most. Seeing her Eldest Son’s actions, she instantly stopped talking and didn’t notice that her son’s wife frowning at her in disdain and contempt.\n
“Master, this annulment cannot be easily canceled ah!”\n
Grandmother Li Ciying knew that it would be useless to try to convince Matriarch Wang, so she directed her pleas at Patriarch Li instead.\n
“I also felt that we shouldn’t cancel the engagement in this way, so we won’t demand too much. We won’t ask for any of the dowry and instead compensate you with two taels of silver to show our sincere remorse.”\n
Widow Zhang quickly retrieved a jubilant red card from her sleeve and placed it on the table, along with two shining silver taels. Bailian’s birth date was written on the red paper.\n
When the engagement had been set, both families had exchanged birth cards, so naturally, if the engagement was called off, it would have to be returned.\n
“Good!”\n
Matriarch Wang’s eyes lit up seeing the silver taels on the table. If it wasn’t for the Patriarch sitting next to her and warning with his eyes not to act rashly, she would have long scooped up those silver taels!\n
Patriarch Li actually did not want to annul this engagement. If his concubine-born granddaughter could marry such a top talent, it would bring high honor to the Li Family and only further his good reputation!\n
It seemed that they had uselessly pressured the Zhang family to agree to this marriage, but in his heart, he also felt that his granddaughter was truly unworthy of Zhang Youen.\n
“Call the Third Master home!”\n
Patriarch Li glanced at Madam Zhao and motioned for her to call her husband into the main hall.\n
Although the Third Branch had no power to oppose this matter, the “annulling” had to be decided and personally completed by the Third Master. The Third Master naturally had to be notified.\n
“No need!”\n
Bailian walked in calmly, a red card in the palm of her hands. Cooling looking at Patriarch Li, she responded, “My father is very busy working in the fields. He single-handedly manages all of the Li’s farmland and is so occupied, that he rarely even takes a break to eat! Let’s not bother him with his small matter.”\n
Bailian’s fluttery and childish voice had spoken quite lightly, but in reality, she had heavily slapped everyone’s faces in one go with these seemingly harmless words.\n
This was because, apart from those of the Third Branch, no one else in the Li Family worked the fields. When Madam Zhao and the others went busy cleaning the residence or doing chores, they had to go to the fields and help the hard-working Third Master in the hot fields.\n
Patriarch Li and the Eldest son were self-proclaimed scholars who didn’t have the time to farm, and they wouldn’t even know how anyway. As a result, they never did any of the chores in and outside of the residence, leaving it all to the Third Branch.\n
Not to mention, the pampered, arrogant Fourth master was even lazier, as he was constantly lauded and praised for resembling his father in his prime. Naturally, his father would not force his cherished son to work.\n