Xu's mother said awkwardly, "Sister, don't listen to her nonsense. She's young and thin-skinned. If she wanted to remarry, she wouldn't say it. Just listen to me and find her an honest and reliable man, preferably unmarried. But if there's a suitable widower, it's okay too."
Wu Caiwei was still waiting for "that person" to appear and didn't want to marry just anyone. She quickly said, "Auntie, don't listen to my mother-in-law. I can't bear to part with my daughter. Besides, marriage is about mutual consent. If I don't agree, no one can force me."
Seeing that they hadn't reached an agreement, the middle-aged woman was reluctant to get involved and politely refused, "Sister, it's not that I don't want to help you. As you know, for decades, I've been honest about the conditions of both parties when matchmaking and never concealed anything. Most of the couples I've matched have had very good lives, which is why I have a good reputation. You're trying to ruin my reputation."
Xu's mother said apologetically, "I'm truly sorry. I'll go back and discuss it with her properly. Please keep an eye out for me for now."
The middle-aged woman readily agreed and politely escorted them to the main gate.
Xu's mother walked back dejectedly with Wu Caiwei, saying hatefully, "Can't you save me some face in front of outsiders? I'm genuinely doing this for your own good. Why are you so ill-fated?"
After speaking, her mouth opened and closed a few times, as if she wanted to say something, but hesitated and swallowed her words.
For some reason, Wu Caiwei could see anxiety and worry for herself on her face, which made her somewhat puzzled. Could someone not tolerate her staying in the Xu family any longer?
But as a widow, how could she stand in anyone's way? This feeling of not knowing anything was terrible. Wu Caiwei decided that after returning, she would definitely take the time to receive the memories.
Upon returning home, Xu's mother took the young girl to play. Wu Caiwei, guided by instinct, found a room and sat down to understand what was really going on.
About a quarter of an hour later, she slowly opened her eyes.
After understanding her predicament, she finally grasped Xu's mother's anxious mood.
The original host's name was Leng Shuixiang, a girl from the Leng family in the neighboring village. Her father and Xu's father had a good relationship, and they were betrothed from childhood, considered childhood sweethearts.
The Leng family had two daughters and one son. Although they couldn't completely avoid valuing sons over daughters, compared to children of the same age, the Leng parents treated them quite well. When they reached the age of marriage, she was married into the Xu family.
The couple lived in harmony and had a sweet period of time, soon welcoming their daughter, Xu Shuqin.
The Xu family had only one daughter and one son. The elder sister, Xu Danxia, had already married into town and become the proprietress of a small inn, working tirelessly day in and day out, and seeing her parents only a few times a year.
The Xu family was one of the most prominent in the area, with fifty mu of land but only one son, Xu Yijie. Xu's father and mother farmed ten mu themselves and rented out the rest, collecting rent annually. Xu's father was far-sighted, believing his son shouldn't spend his life farming like himself.
Conveniently, they had some spare money, so they sent him to a private school in the neighboring village to learn some characters. This could be a way out for him to become an accountant in the future.
Unexpectedly, he studied for more than ten years, and to their delight, this child managed to pass the Xiucai examination, becoming a renowned young scholar in the surrounding villages.
However, fate is unpredictable. When Xu Shuqin was two years old, he went to participate in the Juren examination and never returned.
At that time, Leng Shuixiang felt like the sky had fallen. She constantly sent people to search for him, but there was no news. It was rumored from somewhere that someone had seen him fall into a lake. From then on, everyone believed he was long dead. After all, the prefectural city was not too far from here. If he were still alive, he would have definitely returned on his own.
Four years passed in the blink of an eye. In the eyes of others, she was a widow. Leng's parents had also advised her to find someone else, but the original host had genuinely loved Xu Yijie and wanted to remain loyal to him.
Initially, Xu's father and mother were happy to see this. They had their own selfish reasons: when they became too old to move, Leng Shuixiang could still run errands for them, serve them tea, and care for them. If she left, what would the elderly couple do when they were old?
But starting about a year ago, Xu's father's attitude towards her began to change. He treated her as if she were invisible, never addressing her. Xu's mother also started urging her to remarry quickly.
Things like today had happened in the original host's lifetime, and she couldn't understand why, feeling deeply hurt. She had treated Xu's father and mother as her own parents and been filial, so why couldn't they tolerate her?
After receiving her memories, she realized it wasn't that Xu's father and mother couldn't tolerate her, but that someone couldn't stand her existing in the world as Xu Yijie's wife.
In the original host's previous life, no matter how much Xu's mother persuaded her, she withstood all the pressure and persisted to the end. One day, as she was walking by the river, a man suddenly rushed out and, seeing that no one else was around, directly pushed her into the river. Unable to swim, she could only struggle in vain, eventually sinking to the bottom.
She never understood why someone would want to kill her in this life, having never left the village or offended anyone. Yes, she was certain that someone had deliberately pushed her, because as she struggled, she had looked up at the riverbank and seen the man standing there indifferently, looking at her with the eyes of someone dead.
If Wu Caiwei guessed correctly, this matter was related to her husband, Xu Yijie. Since Xu's mother wanted her to leave, then she would leave. Of course, her leaving meant she wanted to transfer her household registration and sever ties with the Xu family, not to find another person to rely on, as Xu's mother imagined.
So she took the initiative to find Xu's mother and said politely, "Mother, I've thought about it carefully. As a woman, I will eventually get married. However, I haven't met anyone suitable yet, so I want to establish my own household and find a son-in-law to marry into the family later."
Xu's mother looked up in surprise, not expecting her to change her mind after just one trip out. She asked uncertainly, "You mean you want to sever ties with us?"
Wu Caiwei nodded, saying with some emotion, "Although our mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship has been very pleasant, as you said, I am still young and have a bright future. I want to establish a female household at the yamen, move to the city, and never return. However, I have one condition: I want to take Shuqin with me. From now on, whether you adopt or do whatever, you won't lack children. I'm afraid she'll be wronged if she's with someone else."
Hearing the first part of her words, Xu's mother breathed a sigh of relief, feeling her long persuasion had paid off. But when she heard about taking her granddaughter away, she became reluctant. Without thinking, she said, "She is a child of our Xu family. We will protect her no matter what. You can rest assured about that."