The woman twitched her lips slightly, and ignored the middle-aged woman's words. Instead, Qiu Cheng smiled and stood up to greet her, taking the food box from the middle-aged woman. He said, "A little drink can make you happy. Madam knows that I have no other hobbies but this. If I don't drink a little when talking about business, I will feel uncomfortable all over. It's not like she didn't advise me before, but I didn't listen."
The middle-aged woman smiled upon hearing this, and said coquettishly, "Oh, then, Master, do you want to listen to me or not?"
Qiu Cheng hurriedly said: "Listen, listen, I must listen today."
The middle-aged woman raised her hand and pushed his chest away, saying shyly, "My sister is still here, you are shameless to say such things. Okay, okay, I know you can't give up this habit, but drinking on an empty stomach is harmful to your internal organs. I specially prepared some food to nourish your stomach today."
Qiu Cheng exaggeratedly expected to be caught off guard.
"Madam's cooking skills are unrivaled in the world. I am in for a treat today."
He called the woman over to come and taste it.
The woman agreed in a dull tone.
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "Why are you still so polite, sister? We are all family. You work hard for your husband's career. I am not as capable as you, so I can only do these little things within my ability." As she said that, she added more dishes for the two of them.
Qiu Cheng was moved when he saw this.
The middle-aged woman was Qiu Cheng's first wife, and they had been married since they were young. Although Qiu Cheng was born in the second branch of the Qiu family and was the only direct heir of the second branch, the resources of the second branch were far less than those of the first branch. He could only eat the dregs that appeared between the fingers of the first branch.
Therefore, the couple had suffered together.
Qiu Cheng truly respected his first wife, who was also virtuous and generous. She not only kept the inner house and backyard in good order, but also handled all household chores clearly and treated the concubines in the backyard with kindness. Qiu Cheng had many children, which was inseparable from her care.
As long as it is beneficial to Qiu Cheng, she will always take the initiative to give in. For example, she was the one who took the initiative to bring up the matter of the woman.
Qiu Cheng didn't have this idea at first.
It's not that he has principles, but in terms of relationship, the woman is a distant niece of his first wife's family. The woman was born in Longwu County, and her family was prosperous. Even if there were not many scholars and warriors, three generations of people took root in Longwu County and actively managed the business, and accumulated enviable assets. However, there were unexpected events, and Shen Tang came to Longwu County.
It's truly a nemesis sent from heaven!
According to the woman, this man was cunning, greedy and treacherous. His reputation for "kindness" in the outside world was false. As soon as he arrived in Longwu County, he showed his ugly face and found excuses to rob and kill people. He killed the men in each family and robbed their land.
They were afraid that the families would retaliate and kill the males.
The women in each family lost their protection and suffered a miserable end.
The woman watched with her own eyes as all the male members of her family were brutally killed by the butcher's knife. Her mother took her and the sisters in the backyard to flee, but unfortunately they were betrayed by a slave on the way. They fled in a hurry, and the poor women had to face the chaotic outside world, some died and some fell ill.
My mother starved to death on the way.
The sisters were also sold by their stepmother in exchange for food.
She was the only one who was lucky enough to survive and live with her distant aunt.
Hatred grew in her heart.
In the middle of the night, the faces of her family members flashed before her eyes one by one. She dreamed of the carefree days when she and her sisters admired flowers and played the piano in the backyard. She dreamed of her strict but loving father, her brother who doted on her, and her younger brother who clung to her.
No matter how beautiful the picture is, it will eventually be frozen in the form of falling heads and terrified and hideous faces.
she-
I really hate Shen Tang!
I hate this man so much that I want to drink his blood and eat his flesh!
But she also knew there was nothing she could do.
Even though Shen Tang was only the governor of a small frontier county and had little reputation outside, he was not someone that a mere orphan like her could shake.
She was smart since she was young, and her father raised her as a boy. Her father even hugged her several times and said with regret that if she was a boy, there would be no one to inherit the family business and prosper it. What a pity. She also had the education that the boys in the family had.
She didn't know if God heard her prayers, or if she was really the one chosen by God, but one day after she settled down in Qiu Mansion, she discovered something unusual. When she discovered the anomaly, she was afraid, frightened, surprised, and happy.
She didn't tell anyone.
But she knew she saw hope for revenge.
Secretly planning how to bring down Shen Tang.
She was an orphan living under someone else's roof, with no power, no influence, no fame, and soon she was the only female scholar. If her secret was discovered, there was a small chance that she would be "a rare commodity" and a high chance that she would be killed as a demon, so she couldn't take the risk.
The safest way is to seek refuge with reliable people.
Grow steadily under each other's protection.
After much thought, the only one is Qiu Cheng.
The girl was still in her twenties at the time, just coming of age, and despite the huge changes she had encountered, she was still not on guard enough and underestimated the complexity of human nature. She looked for an opportunity to show Qiu Cheng how special she was, and begged to be accepted as his retainer.
Qiu Cheng was naturally shocked.
His first reaction was that his wife's distant niece was not a niece, but a nephew. He immediately regretted that he had not judged people well and actually let his wife settle him in the backyard. When he thought that he might have more than one hat on his head, his face turned green.
Until the misunderstanding is cleared.
The lady asked her personal nanny to verify the woman's identity.
It is indeed, 100% a girl.
The awful feeling of being cheated on stayed away from him.
However, the tricky stuff isn't over yet.
The woman became a hot potato.
I have never heard of any literary scholar in the world being a woman.
Is this an ominous and strange omen like a hen crowing at dawn, or is it a unique auspicious sign from heaven
Whether it is good or bad depends entirely on what people say.
Qiu Cheng knew that the woman was smart and clever.
The other party would also give him advice through his wife's mouth. Although neither of them said anything, Qiu Cheng knew his wife's ability - she was good at managing household chores, but knew nothing about business planning. Naturally, there was someone behind the scenes giving him advice.
While showing love for her, he still spared the woman's life.
Only a few confidants know the truth.
The more they got along, the more he felt that the other person was different.
Completely different from ordinary women in the inner house.
Whether it is what you see or what you have in mind.
The wife said: Sir, this is not appropriate.
Qiu Cheng was confused at first, but he soon came to his senses.
Pretending not to know: How is that inappropriate
After all, Shu Niang is still an unmarried woman, and she often has long conversations with her husband in private. If this gets out, will she lose her reputation
Qiu Cheng understood the elegant meaning of the music and felt itchy in his heart, but he couldn't take the initiative: She is your niece from your mother's side, and I am her uncle. I have nothing to fear if I am innocent... What's the harm if it gets out
The wife said: "She is my niece, but the relationship is getting more and more distant, and the relationship between aunt and niece is getting weaker and weaker. It is inappropriate after all... She is an orphan... If I can change my identity, my husband won't have to worry about it anymore."
Qiu Cheng asked: What identity do you want to change to
The wife smiled and said: What does my husband say
Qiu Cheng: How can she agree? In her prime, she is with a much older man. Isn't that a waste of her
The wife said: You don’t have to worry about this, my dear.
Afterwards, the wife went to persuade the woman again.
It is also about appealing to people's emotions and reasoning with them.
She said: "Shun Niang, we are one family and we should not have different opinions. Your aunt is not harming you. Think about it, are you more trusted by the master as a strategist, or are you more valued as his family member? One is always an outsider, and the other is always an insider, there is a difference between closeness and distance. The master is a man of loyalty and righteousness, and he will not abandon you."
The woman looked at her aunt who was a hypocrite, and naturally had a hard time speaking out. She wanted to refuse, but she knew that the initiative was not in her hands, because refusal meant that the current situation would change. And she had not yet avenged her great revenge, so she could not be easily rejected by Qiu Cheng.