ebookland Chapter 37 Shu'er is Jealous
Chapter 37 Shu'er is Jealous
Old Madam Xiao asked, puzzled.
"What's wrong? Do you think the date is bad? If Shu'er doesn't like this date, we can pick another auspicious one."
Qiao Jizhou's face darkened at this moment, and he slammed down his chopsticks, saying...
"You silly child, why are you throwing a tantrum now? This is an auspicious day that your elders carefully selected for you, and you're already complaining!"
Qiao Jizhou was just waiting to get married into the Xiao family and climb the social ladder, because only in this way might his bleak career prospects have a glimmer of hope.
He absolutely would not allow this marriage to go wrong in the slightest!
Madam Qiao was naturally of one mind with her son. The Qiao family was now in dire straits, and their only hope was Qiao Qingshu's marriage. If anything unexpected happened, Madam Qiao was terrified just thinking about it.
At this moment, Madam Xing warmly grasped Qiao Qingshu's hand and coaxed her,
"Shu'er, did that wretched thing say something to anger you again? Just tell me, and I'll punish him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall to vent your anger! Don't be angry with him; once the wedding date is set, it's hard to change it."
Everyone put down their chopsticks, no longer daring to eat, and looked at Qiao Qingshu, waiting for her answer.
Xiao Chengyan was also a little puzzled. He recalled his conversation with Qiao Qingshu in the flower hall just now, where he had been very polite and courteous, even somewhat attentive.
Why would I anger her? Does Qiao Qingshu really want to choose the day herself?
He couldn't help but put down his chopsticks out of curiosity and look at her.
Qiao Qingshu slowly raised her eyes and met Xiao Chengyan's eyes.
This time, she didn't flinch at all. Instead, she looked him straight in the eye and said something that shocked everyone present.
"It seems that Brother Xiao has someone else he loves. It's better not to go through with this marriage."
Madam Xing was still holding Qiao Qingshu's hand when she heard these words and her body trembled uncontrollably.
She hurriedly let go of Qiao Qingshu's hand and took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth to hide the fear on her face.
Could it be that Qiao Qingshu found out about his son's visits to brothels and his hiring of prostitutes?
No way, that happened almost a year ago. She even kicked that prostitute out of the capital and made some arrangements to keep it a secret from the entire Xiao family. There's no way Qiao Qingshu could know.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Xiao frowned and asked inquiringly,
"Good boy, what makes you say that? Does Brother Yan have someone else he loves? Do you know anything about this?"
Madam Xiao looked at Xiao Chengyan with a somewhat serious expression. This grandson had always been obedient and respectful in front of her, and his character was first-rate in both his studies and his interactions with others.
He is usually well-behaved and never goes astray. He focuses on his studies and is dignified and upright. He is a rare and good child.
How come you've fallen for someone else now?
Where does he find the time to have someone else he loves?
Qiao Jizhou also frowned and reprimanded in a low voice.
"Shu'er, where did you hear these rumors? The imperial examinations are just around the corner, and Young Master Xiao must be focused on his studies. He has no time for anything else! Stop fooling around!"
Then Qiao Qingshu pointed her hand directly at Xiao Chengyan's waist.
"Where did Second Brother's purse come from? I didn't see it when we were having tea in the flower hall earlier."
Everyone immediately turned to look over, and sitting next to Xiao Chengyan were Qiao Er and Qiao San.
Qiao Qingyue, the third daughter of the Qiao family, was startled. Her hand had already grabbed the purse, and she blurted out with wide eyes, "..."
"This stitching was done by my cousin Wan'er, wasn't it?"
After entering the Marquis's mansion, Liu Wan'er was very popular because of her excellent embroidery skills. She would almost always accept any request from anyone in the mansion to do needlework. Even the maids would sometimes receive things that Liu Wan'er had embroidered herself.
There were several pieces of Liu Wan'er's embroidery in Chunfen's box. Because Liu Wan'er loved to use Suzhou silver fish silk thread, the embroidery would produce different lusters under the sunlight, which was very beautiful.
Liu Wan'er's needlework techniques are mostly Suzhou embroidery techniques, which are quite different from those of the embroiderers in the capital. Therefore, her embroidery is very easy to identify.
Qiao Qingle seemed to remember something, and pointed at Liu Wan'er from a distance, laughing and shouting.
"Oh dear, no wonder Cousin Wan'er and Brother Xiao made excuses to leave earlier; they were secretly delivering purses!"
As soon as Qiao Qingle opened her mouth, Qiao Qingqiao covered her mouth, telling her to stop talking.
Qiao Qingle was young and still had the mind of a child, saying whatever came to mind, unaware that her words had already ignited the entire room.
Everyone at the Eight Immortals table saw it clearly, and their expressions varied, making for quite a spectacle.
Liu Wan'er was sitting at the lower end of the table, leaning against Qiao Antai, that fool. She thought that the lower end of the table was an inconspicuous position and no one would pay attention to her.
But at that moment, dozens of eyes were all shooting over, making Liu Wan'er feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, and her whole back was soaked with sweat.
She was so frightened that she didn't dare to lift her eyes, only clutching her handkerchief tightly, her gaze lowered and silent.
Madam Xing glared at Liu Wan'er with particularly unfriendly eyes, as if they were poisoned, and looked her up and down.
I thought to myself that I was on guard against everything, but I never expected that there was a little slut here who I didn't even notice.
She knew her son's character all too well; there was never any baseless rumor. If it was a rumor, it was most likely true.
His son is like a gluttonous cat; he'll lick anything that smells fishy.
She was tired of cleaning up after him every day, and she had been hoping that once they got married and the important matter was settled, she would stop caring and let him be.
Even at the very last moment before the wedding, her precious son is still going to cause her some trouble.
Madam Qiao and Qiao Jizhou's eyes were also very displeased, even icy cold.
The Hou family's biggest chance to turn things around now is Qiao Qingshu's marriage.
Liu Wan'er, a relative who was staying with the Qiao family, ate the Qiao family's food and still dared to seduce the Qiao family's prospective son-in-law.
Madam Qiao originally thought Liu Wan'er was a sensible and well-mannered person, but now she completely changed her opinion of her. She couldn't tell from her usual behavior that this girl was just as despicable as her mother.
Old Madam Qiao slammed her hand on the table and angrily rebuked,
"Wan'er! How dare you do such a thing!"
Startled, Liu Wan'er trembled suddenly, her mouth opening as if to defend herself.
Xiao Chengyan laughed loudly and stood up.
He remained completely calm, untied the purse, and generously handed it to his grandmother, who was sitting at the head of the table.
He calmly explained to everyone,
"I thought it was something big. It turns out Shu'er is just jealous. I begged my cousin Wan'er to make this purse. With the imperial examinations just around the corner, I saw that all my classmates had this for good luck, but I didn't have one. My sisters are all clumsy at embroidery, and I knew that your cousin Wan'er was very good at it, so I begged her again and again. At first, she wouldn't even listen to me, and I almost knelt down to her before I finally got this purse."
Then he looked at Old Madam Qiao and smiled ingratiatingly.
"Grandma, please don't scold her. It's all my fault. I'm the one who relied on my cousin to make the purses. If you scold her now, she might refuse to take my work again."
His words easily dispelled everyone's displeasure and tension, instantly making the atmosphere more relaxed.
At this moment, Liu Wan'er looked up with a moved expression, her eyes filled with admiration, gratitude and tender affection as she looked at Xiao Chengyan.
Seeing her son's cleverness, Madam Xing also pointed at him and jokingly scolded him.
"You brat! You've made Wan'er do all the hard work for you for nothing. You really know how to boss people around! She's not even your own sister, yet you're so informal. Go back and copy the book a couple more times. And don't you dare order people around like that again, you hear me!"