Aunt Qin's brain didn't react at first. She looked at Mrs. Lu and had only one thought in her mind: what was her mother talking about
In Lu's opinion, her daughter's expression was moved. She thought, since her daughter cared about her grandson, this idea was naturally very good. If someone said something good about Niu Dan in Qin Fang's ear, wouldn't Niu Dan benefit from it? So Lu continued, "Look, what about your niece? Although she is only fifteen years old, she is so beautiful. She is also a flower in our village." Lu's words were not bragging, her granddaughter was indeed good-looking.
Finally, Aunt Qin came back to her senses. She opened her eyes wide and said, "Mother, what do you mean? Fang is married."
Mrs. Lu said disapprovingly, "So what? How can domestic flowers be as fragrant as wild flowers?"
Aunt Qin understood what she meant: "You want my eldest daughter to be Fang's concubine?" Oh my God, what was her mother thinking? Her granddaughter was going to be a concubine? Did their family still have any shame
Mrs. Lu glanced at her and said, "What's the big deal? Which high-ranking official doesn't have a concubine? It's better to be a concubine in a powerful family than to be a poor girl in our family. Besides, you watched Qin Fang grow up. If you say a few words to Qin Fang, will he still treat you badly?"
Aunt Qin looked at her mother who was full of confidence in her niece and felt that she couldn't imagine it. If she said this, she suspected that the Qin family would beat her to death. And what about the eldest sister's appearance? Okay, if this happened in the countryside, her niece was indeed good-looking, but: "Mother, you haven't seen Fang's wife. If you have seen her, you will know that compared with her, the eldest sister is just a morning glory on the mountain, and she... is a rich flower from a wealthy family."
When Mrs. Lu heard this, she immediately patted Aunt Qin on the back and said, "You silly girl, how can you say that about your niece?"
Aunt Qin didn't care: "I have always been fair in what I say. I am here to help the right, not the relatives. Please don't be so thoughtful. Although I am not smart, I am not stupid. Afang's wife is not a simple person. When she came back, she took Shoufang and Si Ya away. My sister-in-law is protecting her like her own daughter.
Besides, my relationship with my eldest sister-in-law is not very good. Even if Afang wants to take a concubine, he will not take my niece. Moreover, Afang's wife is educated and can read. The reason why Afang became a general is because his wife taught him to read and read. Our old man said that Afang's wife is a great contributor to the Qin family.
Besides, if word gets out that my niece is my nephew's concubine, I will lose all my dignity and prestige."
Mrs. Lu now understood what Aunt Qin meant, and she immediately became unhappy: "You are such a heartless person. You have married into the Qin family, and you are unwilling to help your parents even though you have the opportunity to do so. Has your conscience been eaten by a dog?"
Aunt Qin said with a snort, "I helped my parents, but I have to leave the family. Mother, don't talk about filial piety. How can others' well-being be as important as your own? Expecting your niece to be a concubine to help Niu Dan? I'm not that stupid. In my heart, Niu Dan is the most important, and then I am the head of the family. I also think clearly. I don't expect A Fang to treat Niu Dan as well as he treats Shou Xi and Shou Ye, but I also know that A Fang has a conscience. He has made a good career today and can take out 100 taels of silver to buy 10 mu of high-quality land for our family. This is enough to prove that he will not ignore Niu Dan.
I don't want Niu Dan to be successful, as long as he is better than farming. If Niu Dan is not good at anything, as long as the family has an acre of good land, I can let him become a rich man. "
Mrs. Lu: "You...you..." She couldn't swallow the breath. This heartless girl, really too heartless. But Mrs. Lu knew her selfishness. This girl was smart. Sometimes stupid, sometimes smart. She loved to take advantage of others, but she wouldn't take it to heart if she couldn't get it.
Aunt Qin said again: "Mother, don't think about this or that. I am still filial to you. Look, we have a buffet, and I called you here. This is a chance to eat meat. If I were not filial, why would I call you here?"
It would have been fine if she hadn't said this, but once she did, Mrs. Lu was furious. "I've raised you in vain."
Aunt Qin smiled and said, "Mother, your daughter is doing well, and you have face. When Niu Dan becomes successful in the future, you as a grandmother will also have face. If not, when Niu Dan becomes successful, you can ask your niece to be his concubine."
Mrs. Lu: “…” She was dumbfounded by this unfilial remark. How could a concubine be like this? How promising did she think Niu Dan was? Pah.
The two chatted for a long time. Mrs. Lu wanted to say something, but Aunt Qin was already impatient. She pushed the door open and went out. She still had to listen to how her mother-in-law arranged the salary. Compared with her mother's family, her own family was not as important. Aunt Qin knew one thing from childhood: if you can take advantage of something, you are a fool. If you can't take advantage of something, you are also a fool if you force it. She followed this principle all the way.
Mrs. Lu had no choice but to follow her daughter out.
As soon as the two of them went out, Uncle Qin came over. When he saw Aunt Qin, he asked, "Where have you been? I turned around and you were gone."
Aunt Qin said, "When Auntie was helping to burn firewood just now, a bug got into her clothes, so I went to catch it for her."
Uncle Qin was stunned and looked at Mrs. Lu. He didn't even notice whether his mother-in-law had burned firewood just now.
Seeing her daughter say this, what else could Lu do? She could only smile awkwardly at her son-in-law. Although Lu had selfish motives, her daughter had already refused. As a mother, she couldn't send her granddaughter to the Qin family by herself, right? Wait... If being a concubine in the Qin family is not enough, what about being the main wife? Doesn't the Qin family have a son who is about to be married? That's Qin Fang's biological brother. Thinking of this, Lu got angry again. She pulled Qin's second aunt and said, "My daughter, my back is itchy. You didn't clean it when you looked for bugs just now. Look for it again for me." As she said that, she pulled Qin's second aunt into the house again.
Uncle Qin and Aunt Qin: "..."
Aunt Qin, who was dragged into the house, was also in a bad mood. She had already made it clear to her mother that this matter would not work. If her mother continued to pester her, don't blame her for being merciless.
When Mrs. Lu saw her daughter's irritable expression, she hurriedly said, "You are not going to be a concubine this time."
Aunt Qin: "? Then you still want to be the principal wife? The marriage of Afang and his wife was also arranged by the court. If you disobey the order, you will be beheaded. Therefore, our family cannot divorce Afang's wife."
Mrs. Lu hurriedly explained, "No, no, she is the principal wife, but not Qin Fang's principal wife. She is Qin Fang's younger brother, your eldest sister-in-law's second son, the one called Shouye. What do you think of your eldest sister and Shouye? They are about the same age, so they can be a good match, right?"
Second Aunt Qin reached out and touched her mother's forehead.
Lu pushed her hand away: "What are you doing?"
Aunt Qin said, "Let me see if you are sick or have a fever in your head. You can think of such an outrageous thing."
Mrs. Lu said angrily, "Why did I get so hot-headed and sick? How outrageous is this? The eldest sister is about the same age as Shouye, so why can't she marry Shouye? Besides, they are both your nephews and nieces, so they are a good match. It will also be good for you, his aunt, if the eldest sister becomes Shouye's daughter-in-law."
Second Aunt Qin would not listen to her: "Mother, don't think about the Qin family. Let me tell you something. My eldest sister-in-law wants to say good things about Shouye. They plan to go to Afang and ask Afang's wife to introduce him to someone, so there is no chance for my eldest sister. Besides, Shouye's eldest brother is a general, and my eldest sister-in-law is now an imperial edict. Our Qin family has changed its status. How can my eldest sister, who comes from a farming family, be worthy of Shouye? Not to mention Shouye, even our Niu Dan is not worthy of my eldest sister. Mother, it's not that I look down on my eldest sister or my family. I am just lucky and was born early. If I was born later, my head of the family would not have married yet, and I would not be worthy of him."
"You... you unfilial daughter, you are going to piss me off to death." Mrs. Lu really wanted to yell at the slope. If she wasn't from the Qin family, she would have wanted to pick up a broom and beat this unfilial daughter for fear of being embarrassed by speaking too loudly.
Second Aunt Qin didn't think what she said was wrong at all. She added, "Mother, don't worry about it. What I said makes sense. And you don't have to worry. Our Qin family is well off. I am your daughter after all. How can I not respect you?" Of course, it is impossible to empty the small house to respect her parents, but she still has the most basic filial piety. For example, during festivals, she bought food and clothes for her mother and gave her a hundred coins for pocket money. Second Aunt Qin thought she was willing to do so. After all, she was a person with an acre of first-class land.
The mother and daughter didn't get along, so the second conversation ended unpleasantly. Mrs. Lu didn't want to stay in the Qin family anymore, so she left with her family in a huff. Aunt Qin sent them to the door heartlessly, and said, "Mother, we're going to renovate our 100-acre land in a few days. Please ask Dad and my brothers to come and help."
When Mrs. Lu heard this, she tripped and almost fell, but she still said, "I know." She didn't know what to do. Her daughter married into the Qin family. The Qin family was successful, which meant that her daughter's status was different. For such a daughter, she could only serve her in a good way. Otherwise, she felt that this unfilial daughter would not go back to her parents' home.
After seeing her old mother off, Second Aunt Qin thought about her mother-in-law's monthly salary of four taels of silver. She had no idea that the same thing was happening in the main house.
Mother Qin has an older brother and two younger brothers. As the only daughter in the family, she is quite favored by her parents, which can be seen from her somewhat straightforward and aggressive personality. Mother Qin is a person who loves to laugh, but at this moment, she really can't laugh: "Third sister-in-law, what did you say?"