The Tian Mansion was a famous family in Shuixi, so it was very easy to find.
Mother Xue took Shuiwu to ask the passersby and easily found the location of the Tian Mansion. When the guard at the gate heard that they were relatives of Steward Xie, he didn't dare to neglect them. He quickly invited them into the gatehouse and served them two cups of coarse tea before going in to report.
Shuiwu sat in the gatehouse, feeling very nervous. Her impression of Brother Xiaofeng was still at the age of twelve or thirteen. At that time, Brother Xiaofeng was studying with the young master, and when he was free, he would take her out to play. After so many years, both of them were adults, but she didn't know what he had become.
If she hadn't met Ye Xiaotian, Shuiwu would inevitably be a little shy and expectant, because she was about to see the husband she would accompany for the rest of her life. But now, her heart was filled with fear. Was she really going to marry him?
Her mother would never allow her to marry Ye Xiaotian. How could she disobey her mother's order? Her mother stubbornly regarded Ye Xiaotian as an enemy, but he was clearly her benefactor. What should she do if she was caught in the middle?
Shuiwu was distressed and helpless when a young man in a green robe came to the gatehouse with two servants. As soon as he entered, Shuiwu felt that he was a little familiar. Looking carefully, she could vaguely see some of Xie Chuanfeng's shadow in the past. But after all, he was an adult and had changed a lot.
Xie Chuanfeng walked into the gatehouse impatiently. His father had sent several letters to him, urging him to go home and get married, but Xie Chuanfeng refused, saying that he was too busy with the affairs of the Tian Mansion. After coming to Shuixi and becoming the steward of the Tian Mansion, Xie Chuanfeng's status was high, and so were his horizons. He didn't think much of the Xue Family, who were also servants.
In his impression, Xue Shuiwu was a silly girl who followed him around and played with him. There was nothing outstanding about her. There were many pretty girls in the Tian Mansion. He was the third steward at a young age, and had a bright future. Who knew how many pretty girls would take the initiative to throw flirtatious glances at him. How could he not find a wife?
Now that he heard that Mother Xue had come to him with a young lady, Xie Chuanfeng was filled with disgust. However, the two families were old friends, so he couldn't be too heartless. Along the way, he had been thinking about how to reject this marriage, but when he entered the gatehouse, his eyes lit up.
There was only one young girl in the gatehouse. She was Shuiwu. A girl really changed eighteen times between womanhood and womanhood. After not seeing her for a few years, she actually became so beautiful. Needless to say, there were only a few maidservants in the fu who were more beautiful than her. Although there were, they were all people by Eldest Young Miss's side. They had high aspirations and high standards.
Moreover, once Eldest Young Miss got married, they would be the people around Eldest Young Miss. They would follow Eldest Young Miss to marry out and become servants. How could he touch them? But even if those maids were no less beautiful than Shuiwu, their temperament couldn't compare. They were all servants, but why did Shuiwu have such an elegant and refined temperament when she stood here? She was clearly the daughter of a noble family.
Xie Chuanfeng turned to look at Mother Xue, and his impatience completely disappeared. He greeted her with a smile, bowing to her, and said affectionately, "Aunty, I am Chuanfeng. We haven't seen each other in years."
Mother Xue stood up happily, looking Xie Chuanfeng up and down. The more she looked, the more satisfied she became. Mother Xue laughed, "Child, although you and Wu 'er haven't married yet, the marriage is still set. Why are you still calling me Aunty? Shuiwu, hurry up and greet your Big Brother Chuanfeng. "
Shuiwu braced herself and walked forward, bowing to Xie Chuanfeng, saying, "Big Brother Feng."
Xie Chuanfeng liked Xue Shuiwu more and more the more he looked at her. He hurriedly said, "Aunty … ah no, Mother-in-law. Haha, little sister Shuiwu, it must have been hard for you to come from afar. Come, come, come. Rest in my residence for a while. I'll arrange a place for you to stay."
Xie Chuanfeng led Mother Xue and Shuiwu to his residence. The two servants he brought with him naturally took over Shuiwu and Mother Xue's burdens, and they eagerly saw them off.
The Tian Estate occupied an area of three hundred mu. As the third steward, Xie Chuanfeng naturally had a place for himself in such a huge mansion. In the third courtyard, on the left side of the courtyard, there was a secluded little courtyard. This was Xie Chuanfeng's residence. It was actually a house with its own entrance and courtyard, with three rooms.
Xie Chuanfeng ordered the two servants, "Go and tidy up the east wing." He then invited Mother Xue and Shuiwu to the main hall and served them tea. Both sides sat down and chatted.
Mother Xue didn't say much before she brought Shuiwu and Shuiwu to Shuixi. "My dear son-in-law, I came to Shuixi this time because of your father-in-law's murder case. You're familiar with Shuixi and have a wide network of people. You should help me a bit more. Wu 'er isn't young anymore. When this matter is over, you can come back to Tongren with me. It'll be just nice for you two to get married. "
Shuiwu couldn't help but say, "Mother, your daughter has endured for a long time. I really can't take it anymore. Our Xue family can't bite the hand that feeds us. Brother Xiaotian is my great benefactor, not our family's great enemy. Mother! You … What do you want me to say for you to understand? Why are you so muddle-headed? "
Mother Xue added oil and vinegar to what Xu Boyi and Li Qiuchi had said. There was truth in it, but there was also a scene she had imagined. But after saying it twice, she believed it was true. Now that she heard Shuiwu refute it again, she couldn't help but fly into a rage. She jumped up and scolded, "You disobedient and unfilial girl! You've been blinded by lard! You don't even want to avenge your own father's blood feud, and yet you're still protecting that little bastard!"
Xie Chuanfeng was very fond of this little wife of his, so how could he bear to let his mother-in-law scold him like this? He hurriedly comforted her, "Mother-in-law, don't be anxious. Let's listen to what Sister Shuiwu has to say. I know what I'm doing and what I'm doing."
Mother Xue was now relying on him, so she was very obedient. She angrily sat down. With tears streaming down her face, Shuiwu recounted how Ye Xiaotian had escorted her out of Jingzhou and how he had gone through untold hardships to rush back to Shuixi.
She was afraid that Xie Chuanfeng would have other ideas. Moreover, as a girl, she was too embarrassed to speak of Ye Xiaotian's pursuit of her in front of her fiancé. Thus, she omitted this part of the story.
Mother Xue sat to the side and said angrily, "In today's world, where can you find such a chivalrous and courageous person? He escorted you back to Tongren, so he didn't have any good intentions. What kind of kindness is there to thank? He knew that you already had a husband, but he still asked for our hand in marriage. Your father didn't agree, so he killed him out of hatred. Isn't that the case? "
Xie Chuanfeng was able to become the third steward of the Tian household at such a young age. Naturally, he was a clever and quick-witted person. Because Shuiwu had hastily omitted a few things in her narration, he felt that it was somewhat untrue. Hearing Mother Xue's words, his expression immediately turned ugly.
Xie Chuanfeng thought to himself, "It doesn't make sense to say that they traveled thousands of miles because they saw injustice on the road. They were a man and a woman alone. Could something have happened along the way? Otherwise, why would Ye Xiaotian work so hard? If they didn't have an affair, why would he propose marriage when they arrived at the Xue household? Uncle Xue personally said that he died at the hands of Ye Xiaotian. Why would she still side with Ye Xiaotian? "
Men valued their wives' reputation the most. If they were taking in a concubine or visiting a prostitute, they would reward them with good looks and want a plaything. Before this, she didn't care if she had a pair of jade-like arms that could be pillowed by a thousand men or a bit of red lips that could be tasted by ten thousand men. But a wife was different. Even if she was a heavenly beauty, the moment she heard that someone else had taken her place, she immediately became worthless.
Xie Chuanfeng's expression was gloomy. Seeing Shuiwu arguing with her mother and being extremely protective of Ye Xiaotian, his mood worsened. After a long while, Xie Chuanfeng couldn't take it anymore and finally stood up. With a sullen expression, he said, "Auntie, Shuiwu, since Lawyer Li has already agreed to take over, then whether Ye Xiaotian is guilty or not will be decided by the authorities. The two of you should stop arguing!"
Mother Xue angrily glared at her daughter and said in a bad mood, "Go out and help tidy up the east wing. I want to talk to my son-in-law!"
Mother Xue chased her daughter out of the guest hall and said to Xie Chuanfeng, "My dear son-in-law, a grown girl really can't be controlled by her mother. When this matter is over, the two of you should get married as soon as possible. This old lady will be relieved to hand her over to you. "
Xie Chuanfeng's expression was gloomy as he said in a strange tone, "Auntie, you might be relieved, but I'm not."
Mother Xue was stunned and asked curiously, "What's there to be worried about, my dear son-in-law?"
Xie Chuanfeng sneered. "That Ye Xiaotian sent me off from a thousand miles away. I don't know what happened between a man and a woman, but that Ye Xiaotian immediately asked for her hand in marriage the moment he arrived at your house. Moreover, Shuiwu is so biased that she doesn't even care about her father's enmity. Auntie! Although I'm not a noble person, if I want to take a wife, she has to come from a clean family and have a clean body. "
Mother Xue immediately became anxious and defended her daughter, "Shuiwu has been well-educated since she was young. How could she not uphold her reputation? My dear son-in-law, you're wrongly accusing her. "
Mother Xue had always been honest and slow. It was precisely because of this personality that she became paranoid after her husband's death that she became delirious from time to time. However, she still doted on her daughter deep down and naturally didn't want her daughter's reputation to be tarnished. It was just that her mind wasn't clear and her words were incoherent. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken without consideration just now.
Xie Chuanfeng said, "Auntie, that's what you say, but who doesn't love their children? You can naturally vouch for Shuiwu, but if there's really something going on … Haha, I, Xie Chuanfeng, am considered a respectable person here. I can't afford to lose face like that. "
Mother Xue was so angry that she was trembling. "Child, how can you humiliate my daughter like this? I know my daughter the best. She's not someone who doesn't follow the rules!"
Xie Chuanfeng shook his head. "Auntie, our families have always been on good terms. I won't chase you out just because of that. You can stay here and talk about other things later."
Mother Xue anxiously said, "What do you mean by talk about it later? What about your marriage with Shuiwu?"
Xie Chuanfeng replied impatiently, "Didn't I say we'll talk about it later?" With that said, he walked away. Mother Xue's paranoia flared up again as she pulled him back. "No, you have to make it clear right now. What's going on with your marriage with Shuiwu?"
Xie Chuanfeng shook off Mother Xue's hand and said angrily, "Can you stop pestering me? You want me to marry your daughter? Deal! Then let her consummate with me first. If she's still a virgin, I'll take her as my wife. If she's not, hehe! I'm only taking her as a concubine because our families have always been on good terms. "
Mother Xue said, "Deal! Then you can consummate with her first before getting married! I know my daughter very well. She won't embarrass the Xue Family. "
Xue Shuiwu didn't go far after leaving the Guest Hall. She was afraid that her mother would say something to slander Ye Xiaotian again. She didn't expect to hear such a ridiculous conversation. Xue Shuiwu couldn't restrain her anger as she dashed in and shouted, "I don't agree!"
Xie Chuanfeng looked at her and sneered at Mother Xue. "How about it? It's better for you to teach your daughter. "
Mother Xue flew into a rage and slapped Xue Shuiwu again. She scolded, "You're really possessed. Why can't you do it? This is a chance to prove your innocence. Are you willing to sully your reputation and never be able to raise your head again? "
Shuiwu didn't dodge. She looked at her mother who had gone crazy and cried, "Mother! The one who's possessed isn't me, but you! How can you agree to such a ridiculous condition? What kind of person do you take your daughter for? "
Mother Xue raged, "Who? Who do you think I am? As long as you enter the bridal room, won't you prove your innocence? You little girl, why are you so persistent? "
Shuiwu's voice trembled. "Mother, I … I really can't explain it to you. I feel so bitter in my heart. Do you understand?"
As Shui Wu spoke, she retreated to the door. When she entered the courtyard just now, she saw a well in the courtyard. After retreating out of the door, Shui Wu suddenly turned around and went straight to the well. Without thinking, she leaped into the well. Mother Xue was stunned for a moment before she screamed, "Quick, save her! Quick, save her! My daughter is jumping into the well! "
When Xie Chuanfeng saw this, he was also startled. He hurriedly called over the two servants who were cleaning the east wing and hurriedly fished Shui Wu out of the well. Shuiwu was already drowning and suffocating. After everyone tried their best to save her, Shuiwu finally spat out a few mouthfuls of water and started to breathe again. Seeing this, Xie Chuanfeng heaved a sigh of relief.
Shui Wu slowly woke up and weakly opened her eyes. She saw Xie Chuanfeng sneering and disdainfully saying to her mother, "You see, if she wasn't guilty and timid, why would she jump into the well to commit suicide? Heh! What a good daughter you raised. You want to claim kinship with my Xie family? I'm sorry, but I'll politely decline. "
Hearing this, Shuiwu's blood surged and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Mother Xue was about to argue with Xie Chuanfeng when she saw her daughter spit out blood. She was shocked and hurriedly squatted down to hold her ice-cold hands. "Daughter, what's wrong? Daughter? "
Shuiwu opened her empty eyes as if she was looking at her mother. But it was as if she didn't see anything. She only muttered to herself, "Mother, be kind and let me die. Let me die …" Two streams of tears flowed down from the corners of her eyes …
