Liu Xiangjun, under his sister's gaze, hesitated for a long time before saying, "Smart, virtuous, and someone who respects my family from the bottom of her heart."
"I heard that such a girl has appeared recently, and you seem to be avoiding her as if she were a plague. What's going on?" Although Wu Caiwei had been focusing her energy on the Grand Tutor's mansion recently, she still paid close attention to her brother's affairs.
"She's a bit too smart. She deliberately creates opportunities to run into me every day. She has too many schemes." When speaking of her, a look of disgust involuntarily appeared on Liu Xiangjun's face.
"That precisely shows she cares about you. I have no prejudice against intelligent women, as long as they are kind. If you truly dislike her, you must express your feelings clearly. You can't always avoid her. Even I have heard about you two. If this continues, gossip will spread through the neighboring streets, which will be detrimental to your future marriage," Wu Caiwei advised.
Liu Xiangjun nodded. Seeing how truly repulsed her brother was, Wu Caiwei felt a pang of regret. How could she not investigate a woman who was purposefully approaching their family?
She wondered why this girl would set her sights on them. Was it because they had bought a three-courtyard mansion here, making them appear slightly wealthier than their neighbors? But they had no means of livelihood. Wasn't she afraid of marrying into their family and suffering hardship?
This woman was named Zhang Qiuyue. The Zhang family lived across the street from the Liu family and ran a small restaurant. She would diligently help out in the restaurant every day. Her father was the chef, and her stepmother was the proprietress.
Her constant interaction with customers had cultivated a forthright personality. Actually, Zhang family wasn't without other children. Her stepmother had given her a younger brother and sister. The brother attended private school, and the sister, three years younger than her, was said to be prettier than her. She was kept in the inner chambers, and the couple intended to arrange a good marriage for her, reluctant to have her appear in public.
As the daughter of the first wife, neither her father nor her stepmother doted on her. They wanted to keep her around longer to do more chores for them. Yet, they also feared gossip, that people would say they mistreated their elder daughter by not letting her marry. If she left, there would be no one to help with the work, so they thought of selling her for a good price and hiring someone.
A young man from the neighborhood fancied her for her intelligence and capability and proposed marriage. Zhang Qiuyue thought several families were well-suited for her, more than she deserved. To her surprise, her stepmother demanded a betrothal gift of three thousand taels. This sum would not be out of place even for a lady from an official family, let alone an ordinary one.
Although some could afford this sum, others thought that since she was a stepdaughter, the betrothal gift would surely be a case of "a meat bun thrown to a dog, never to return." Three thousand taels could marry ten wives, so there was no need to cling to one.
Zhang Qiuyue felt somewhat dejected. Only she knew the hardships and grievances she had endured in the Zhang family for so many years. Originally, she thought that by working hard and learning as much as she could, she would have a good life after marriage and things would gradually improve.
What was the situation now? They wanted to keep her forever? Didn't they realize that she was merely passable in appearance? Ordinary families would not spend three thousand taels to marry her. Even if such a person existed, would it be a good outcome? Whenever she thought of this, tears would stream down her face.
After succumbing to dejection, she would once again muster full spirit. Rather than being sold to an unknown person by her mother, it was better to take the initiative and find a suitable match.
Unfortunately, the small restaurant catered to common folk, and among the people she met, there was no one particularly wealthy. During her free time after meals, she would walk the streets and overhear people talking about the Liu family.
She immediately perked up her ears and listened. Once she had learned what she wanted to know, she began to pay attention to the Liu family.
After some investigation, she found the Liu family to be perfectly suited to her requirements and began to intentionally or unintentionally interact with Liu Xiangjun. If she had approached the Liu Xiangjun of the small town, perhaps Liu Xiangjun would have felt they had a special destiny and gradually developed feelings for her. But after so many experiences, if he were still as naive as before, he would truly be beyond saving. The moment he saw Zhang Qiuyue now, he looked at her with suspicion and scrutiny, naturally noticing her deliberate actions.
Initially, out of politeness, he would avoid her as much as possible. Who knew that the girl would be so persistent? He investigated her and naturally learned her intentions for approaching him. Although he sympathized with her plight, she had chosen the wrong person. His family's wealth all belonged to his sister, so he couldn't possibly spend so much money to marry her.
His sister's words enlightened him, and he felt it necessary to make things clear to her. When they met again, Zhang Qiuyue was secretly delighted when the other party invited her to sit down and talk. She thought her persistent efforts had finally paid off. Unexpectedly, he spoke to her so seriously and sternly, and her tears flowed uncontrollably.
So, he had seen through her intentions from the beginning. In his eyes, was she a woman with very strong materialistic motives? Little did he know, during their interactions over this period, although he always avoided her, it didn't stop Zhang Qiuyue from slowly developing feelings for him. Having seen too many hypocrites who put on a facade, gentlemen like Liu Xiangjun were rare.
She, who never blamed heaven or others, suddenly felt heaven was unfair. Her whole being instantly became listless, losing her spirit. She smiled through her sobs and said, "You deserve a better woman. Someone like me, mired in the mud, is not worthy of you. I hope you and your future wife live in harmony and are blessed with many children."
Before Liu Xiangjun could react, she quickly stood up and walked away. She walked faster and faster, finally unable to help but cover her mouth and run.
Liu Xiangjun slowly extended his hand, as if to grasp something, but finally let it fall powerlessly. He hadn't been oblivious to her changes and felt immense guilt. In this period, she had practically orchestrated an encounter with him every day, showing concern. This was something he hadn't experienced in years, apart from his family.
His distractedness was noticeable to everyone in the Liu family. Wu Caiwei, after a moment's thought, knew what had happened. She figured her words yesterday had taken effect, and he must have met the Zhang girl today, but she didn't know what had transpired between them.
Wu Caiwei decided not to interfere further, as some things needed to be understood by him on his own.
As for Liu Xiangjun, he had been replaying the scene of their last meeting in his mind for a while. "I thought my intentions were obvious, but I didn't expect Miss Zhang to misunderstand. It's impossible for us. I heard your family spread the word that to marry you, one must have three thousand taels. My family's money and property all belong to my sister. I am penniless and cannot possibly marry you. We are from two different worlds. Please don't create false encounters anymore."