Chapter 153: A Child Betrothal with the Gu Family?
"No matter how well you take care of yourself, you’re still nearly sixty. We’re all getting old," Mrs. Zhan said with a chuckle.
"Alas, you’re right. We’ve gotten old in the blink of an eye." As Mrs. Xiang spoke, she looked at Zhan Chi. "This must be Zhan Chi."
"It is. You still remember him." Mrs. Zhan gave him a little pull. "Quick, greet Mrs. Xiang."
Zhan Chi snorted. Without getting up, he raised a hand in a perfunctory salute.
"Mrs. Xiang, please don’t mind him. I’ve spoiled this child rotten. He’s been causing trouble everywhere lately. Just a few days ago, his father gave him a good whipping, and he still hasn’t recovered. Once he sits, he can’t get back up." Mrs. Zhan looked embarrassed and could only offer a helpless explanation.
"It’s quite all right. I remember he always loved playing with Minghou when he was little. He’s grown so big in the blink of an eye," Old Mrs. Xiang said, also chuckling.
Zhan Chi snorted again. "You remember me, Mrs. Xiang, because I threw mud at you, didn’t I?"
Old Mrs. Xiang’s expression faltered for a moment, and she, too, looked a little embarrassed.
"You child, how can you speak to Mrs. Xiang like that?" Mrs. Zhan shot him a subtle glare.
Zhan Chi shrugged nonchalantly.
"Heh, still so mischievous," the old matriarch said with a dismissive smile, then turned to Elder Gu. "Elder Gu..."
"Oh, you two go on with your chat. I came today to wait for the little girl," Elder Gu interrupted her.
"Which little girl?" Old Mrs. Xiang asked, confused.
"Your granddaughter, of course."
Old Mrs. Xiang was still puzzled. She couldn’t understand why Elder Gu would suddenly visit to see Zhenzhu. And seeing the large, red chests being carried outside, she wondered, ’Could Elder Gu be here to arrange a childhood betrothal for Zhenzhu?’
At this thought, the old matriarch’s face lit up with joy. "Quick, go and bring the young miss here."
"The little girl is back?" Elder Gu was delighted.
"She is. She just gave this old woman a peace charm." Old Mrs. Xiang was gleeful. ’It wouldn’t be bad at all to be joined with the Gu family by marriage,’ she thought.
An irrepressible smile spread across Elder Gu’s face.
Mrs. Zhan and Zhan Chi exchanged a glance. Mrs. Zhan didn’t know how to bring up the matter of her granddaughter.
Old Mrs. Xiang looked over and was the first to speak. "Mrs. Zhan, is there a particular reason for your visit today?"
"I heard that Miss Xiang had a scare at Lou Mountain. Since it’s a rest day, I brought some restorative tonics to help the child recuperate," Mrs. Zhan said.
The moment Old Mrs. Xiang heard it was about the "little wild seed," her expression soured. "How would you know her, Mrs. Zhan?"
"A few days ago, when the child had her scare, it was my husband who went to check her pulse. Besides, my husband is especially fond of the little girl, so he asked me to come and see how her recovery is going."
"What could possibly scare her? You were probably deceived by her. Mrs. Zhan, you don’t know, but that child is a venomous snake." Old Mrs. Xiang gritted her teeth in hatred just mentioning Ye Qianning.
Mrs. Zhan was stunned by her words. "What do you mean?"
Zhan Chi, however, understood everything perfectly.
"She isn’t a child of my Xiang family to begin with. I don’t know what kind of potion she fed my son to bewitch him, but he insisted on bringing her back to the manor. Now our Xiang family is in complete chaos because of that little wild seed." As Old Mrs. Xiang spoke, she lost all restraint.
’Little wild seed?’
Zhan Chi’s eyes darkened.
Mrs. Zhan was also displeased. "Mrs. Xiang, she is still a child. Even if she is not of the Xiang family, how can you call her that?"
"Alas, Mrs. Zhan, you just don’t know. That child is consumed by jealousy and can’t stand to see anyone do better than her. If she hadn’t meddled, my Si Yan and Zhenzhu could have both entered Lou Mountain Academy. But now look, she’s the only one who got into Lou Mountain, and only because my son begged the dean to open a back door for her," Old Mrs. Xiang sighed.
Although Mrs. Zhan didn’t go out much, her son had told her about this matter. The dean had accepted her granddaughter as a personal disciple, and that was how her granddaughter had entered Lou Mountain.