Chapter 193: The Eldest Son’s Grievous Mistake—He Actually Set His Sights on Ah Wu!

Chapter 193: The Eldest Son's Grievous Mistake—He Actually Set His Sights on Ah Wu!

The letter was from Grandfather Liu's eldest son.

The majority of the letter was filled with inquiries about Grandfather Liu's health, with a few lines also asking after Ah Wu's recent situation. However, the last few sentences subtly mentioned that Ah Wu was no longer young. He knew a young and promising official, the youngest son of a certain prestigious family. His wife had passed away three years ago, leaving behind only an infant. If Ah Wu were to marry him, as the second wife, she would not need to manage household affairs. Moreover, the three-year-old child could be raised under Ah Wu's care. If Ah Wu did not wish to have more children, she would not need to suffer through childbirth again.

Furious, Grandfather Liu tore the letter to shreds on the spot.

What nonsense!

Did he really think that because Grandfather Liu was old, he couldn't see through his despicable intentions? This was just a pretense of concern for Ah Wu's future, hiding his selfish and scheming motives!

Now that he had retired to the countryside, they were in a hurry to use Ah Wu as a bargaining chip to gain favor!

Bah!

What so-called Qinghe Cui family! That disgraceful son of his actually wanted Ah Wu to become a second wife!

What did being a second wife mean? It meant having to perform rituals as a secondary wife before the memorial tablet of the first wife!

The more Grandfather Liu thought about it, the angrier he grew, his frustration boiling over at the thought of Ah Wu being treated like a mere bargaining chip!

His eldest son was clearly bullying Ah Wu because her parents were no longer around!

Grandfather Liu felt a sharp pang in his heart, as if the loss of Ah Wu's parents still cut deeply. If Ah Wu's father were still alive, he would have stormed into the main household and fought his elder brother!

Lost in his sorrowful thoughts, Grandfather Liu was suddenly brought back to reality by a small hand gently patting his back and a worried voice calling, "Grandfather?"

Grandfather Liu snapped out of it.

Ah Wu stood before him, her face filled with concern. "Grandfather, are you feeling unwell? Let me get you a cup of hot tea."

His granddaughter's concern dispelled Grandfather Liu's sadness. He nodded and said yes.

Ah Wu brought over a cup of hot tea and handed it to Grandfather Liu herself.

Grandfather Liu, appreciating Ah Wu's care, drank several sips before putting down the cup.

Ah Wu then sat in the chair next to Grandfather Liu, still looking worried. "Grandfather, if you're feeling unwell, you must tell Ah Wu, alright?"

Grandfather Liu looked at his granddaughter with loving eyes and replied with another yes.

Ah Wu had intended to ask Grandfather Liu about the matter of a marriage where the husband moves in, but the letter had interrupted her, and she had forgotten.

Later, when she returned to her room, Ah Wu played for a while with the two items Grandfather Liu had bought from the Yujia Commercial Store. It wasn't until much later that she remembered.

"Ah! I forgot to ask Grandfather."

Ah Wu patted her head, looking a bit disappointed. "Moliu, why didn't you remind me..."

Moliu thought to herself that, given how Grandfather Liu had torn up the letter from the capital in a fit of rage, she, a lowly servant, dared not speak up.

But Ah Wu, with her naturally good nature, said to herself, "It's alright. I'll just ask Siyang about it later."

She lay down on the canopy bed and hummed a carefree tune.

……

After Moliu left, Grandfather Liu and Maoye sat in the flower hall for a while.

Maoye, who had been with Old Master Liu for many years, shared a special bond with him. He asked proactively, "Was that a letter from your eldest son in the capital?"

Old Master Liu snorted coldly, "That ungrateful son, I'm not dead yet, and he's already plotting for Ah Wu!"

He briefly explained the contents of the letter, in which his eldest son proposed marrying Ah Wu to the youngest son of the Cui family of Qinghe.

Maoye sighed, and after a long while, he said, "I heard that the Emperor has recently cracked down on corruption in the capital, and one of those caught was a long-time friend of the eldest son. It seems he’s using this opportunity to strengthen his ties with powerful families to secure his position."

Old Master Liu was naturally aware of this.

His expression turned somewhat heavy, "For years, my eldest son has been relatively well-behaved. Although there have been some small schemes, the Emperor is not the type to abandon someone so easily... Given my years of service to the country and the people, as long as my eldest son doesn’t actively seek his own ruin, he can at least be guaranteed a life of wealth."

But my eldest son clearly has ambitions beyond his capabilities, seeking to advance further.

Normally, if a son wishes to advance, his parents should be happy for him.

However, Old Master Liu knew well that the eldest son was mediocre in talent. Advancing further would be beyond his abilities, and now he was even scheming for Ah Wu!

Old Master Liu took a deep breath.

He began to think about which connections in the capital could still be useful.

As long as I’m alive, Ah Wu will have nothing to worry about.

But I’m getting older, and if something happens to me, I need to find someone who can protect Ah Wu after I’m gone.

Old Master Liu spent the entire night thinking things through.

The next morning, he felt somewhat light-headed.

Maoye was worried, "Sir, should we get a doctor to check on you?"

Old Master Liu waved his hand, "It's nothing, I know my own body well."

After much thought, he decided it was important to keep an eye on the Yujia family.

He wanted Ah Wu to live a carefree life.

Old Master Liu, accompanied by Maoye, left the house...

---

When Xingxing woke up and was dressing herself, Shuang He, who was handing her an outer garment, suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"

There was surprise in Shuang He's tone, "It feels like Miss Xingxing has grown again; the sleeves of this outer garment are revealing your wrists now. I'll let out the extra fabric in the cuffs."

Xingxing, still sitting in her bed, was so happy she almost wanted to jump up, "Xingxing has grown taller!"

Seeing her granddaughter growing so fast, Wei Pozi couldn't help but smile broadly.

Although the outer garment had extra fabric for adjustments, Wei Pozi decided on the spot to go to the cloth shop and buy more fabric.

Not just for Xingxing, but for all the ladies in the household to make two more sets of clothes.

And the young masters, being at an age where they were growing quickly, should also have some new clothes made.

Spring was approaching, and wearing new clothes would be a good omen!

After Xingxing got up and had breakfast with her brothers, Wei Pozi had Shuang He measure the young masters so they could go to the cloth shop prepared.

After a lively breakfast at the Yujia household, Wei Pozi helped out in the shop for a while, staying busy until just before lunchtime. When things had slowed down, she finally took Xingxing's hand and left the shop with Shuang He, making their way towards the fabric shop.

As the one in charge of the Yujia family's finances, Wei Pozi was never stingy. The fabric was cut in enough lengths for each person to make two outfits. Even Shuang He and Shuangyun were included, though their clothes would be slightly simpler in design to differentiate them.

"…Since I'm buying so much fabric from you, give me a discount, will you?" Wei Pozi bargained energetically with the shopkeeper, as is customary in these shops, where haggling over prices is part of the experience. The shopkeeper grinned sheepishly and said, "Old sister, I always give you the best price whenever you come."

"Come on, can't you throw in just a little extra discount for an old friend?"

Neither of them noticed as someone quietly slipped out of the shop. This person then relayed a brief summary of what was happening to Grandfather Liu, who was waiting in a carriage down the street.