Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 683 - 681

Chapter 683: Chapter 681

"Miss Zhu is being modest. I didn’t do much, even if Miss Zhu hadn’t told me the truth, the Imperial Court would have discovered it and cleared your family’s name. The only thing I should be thankful for is the evidence provided by Miss Zhu which helped us solve the case quickly," replied Shen Jingrui.

"Regardless, our Zhu family will always remember your great kindness, Master Rui’an County," said Zhu Yan, though she didn’t take the words to heart. Who knows if things would have ended sooner if she had gone straight to the officials or maybe even put her family in more danger.

No one could have predicted that Mr. Gao would be a man of General Li’s influence.

As local magistrate, Mr. Gao has jurisdiction over grain transport, family farms, water resources, and lawsuits, and has the responsibility to supervise the provincial governor. If she had chosen to seek redress directly from the Magistrate, Mr. Gao surely could not have been kept in the dark.

Therefore, she didn’t dare to trust any official from the provincial government.

Had the Marquis Shengping and his family not returned to their hometown for a birthday celebration, she had plans to present a petition of grievance in the Imperial Capital herself.

"Miss Zhu is overstating things, I just put in a word for you, it wasn’t even a big effort," Xiao’er said honestly.

Zhu Yan smiled, thinking that it’s easier said than done to rescue her family. People in power have a lot of people helping them with their affairs, they don’t need to do everything by themselves!

However, she didn’t say much else. She knew that gratitude should be expressed through actions, not words.

Beautiful words spoken don’t compare to actual deeds of repayment.

The meal was served at this time, and the two stopped talking.

After the dishes were served, Xiao’er beckoned Zhu Yan to eat. Only then did she speak of her intention, "I presume Miss Zhu has heard about the marriage proposal that my mother mentioned when she invited my aunt to my brother’s mansion yesterday."

Zhu Yan, who was eating a piece of chicken, was taken aback by the statement, and choked on her food.

Although she had guessed why the Master of Rui’an County wanted to meet, she hadn’t expected him to be this direct!

Shouldn’t such matters be discussed in a more subtle manner, especially in front of the person involved?

After taking a sip of water to swallow the chicken, Zhu Yan blushed and nodded, "Yes, my mother mentioned it."

Her cheeks were flushed, not because of the question from the Master of Rui’an County, but due to her own surprise. It was a petty shock, indeed!

Jingrui, who was quietly drinking tea in the next booth, almost spurted out his tea when he heard Xiao’er’s straightforward question. Luckily, he held it back.

"What does Miss Zhu think of my big brother?" Xiao’er threw another bomb.

Jingrui’s hand shook, causing tea to spill from his cup, wetting his clothes.

Looking at the damp patch on his clothes, Jingrui managed a bitter smile. He thought to himself how lucky he was that the tea cup didn’t topple over. He decided to keep seated silently.

Jingrui thought that his sister’s questioning was too startling - even he, as a man, would struggle to answer such blunt questions!

Yet, he couldn’t help but prick up his ears to listen to the conversation.

Having been primed by the first question, Zhu Yan was now prepared for Xiao’er’s straightforwardness.

So, when Xiao’er asked such a direct question again, Zhu Yan was much calmer.

But how should she answer this?

Should she praise Young Master Shen as a charming and elegant gentleman, full of talents?

Or should she describe Young Master Shen as a one-in-a-million good man?

These answers would sound too official.

After pondering for a while, Zhu Yan murmured, "Young Master Shen is quite good."

Jingrui’s lips curled upwards slightly.

Hearing Zhu Yan’s answer, Xiao’er asked, "Oh? In what ways is he good?"

Unable to contain his amusement, Jingrui covered his face with his hand. He had had enough of eavesdropping.

Seeing his sister being so direct, he wondered if Miss Zhu would blush!

Zhu Yan was taken aback by Xiao’er’s question.

In terms of family background, appearance, and talent, Shen Jingrui was great. To be honest, considering her status as a merchant’s daughter, it was a privilege that Marquis Shengping’s family was interested in her in the first place. This made Shen Jingrui’s attributes very satisfactory in her eyes.

As Zhu Yan often travelled for business, she was not as shy as a woman who has been raised in quiet seclusion.

Xiao’er’s question, although blunt, wasn’t embarrassing enough to make her shy away from answering.

"Everything about him is quite good," Zhu Yan sincerely replied.

A wave of indescribable joy welled up in Jingrui’s heart when he heard Zhu Yan’s answer.

"Miss Zhu, you’ve only met my big brother twice. How can you think that he’s quite good in everything? In fact, my big brother can be quite old-fashioned sometimes!" Xiao’er seemed to glance at the partition as she added.

Upon hearing that he was being described as old-fashioned, Jingrui suppressed a rising urge to retort. He thought, "This is my sister, right? Surely my sister wouldn’t undermine me in this way?"

"Since I talked to him only twice, I don’t know anything bad about him, that’s why I think he’s quite good in every way," Zhu Yan replied.

Xiao’er was left speechless at Zhu Yan’s reply.

"So, Miss Zhu, are you happy about this arranged marriage?"

Zhu Yan had thought about this the night before. To her, Shen Jingrui was remarkable in terms of family background, talent, and appearance. She couldn’t think of any reason she wouldn’t be happy.

For her, this was like a perfect match that would be difficult to find even with a lantern.

Although Zhu Yan was thick-skinned, she didn’t have the courage to utter the words that she was pleased with the arrangement. Instead, she gave a small nod, lightly humming in approval.

"That’s great! Tomorrow is a good day, I will have my mother invite a matchmaker to our house so we can exchange the engagement tokens," Xiao’er said.

Zhu Yan looked confused. Why was Xiao’er in such a hurry?

Seeing her surprised expression, Xiao’er explained, "My father has official duties to attend to and has already taken a month off for the New Year. He must return to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible. I hope Miss Zhu doesn’t mind. We can finalize the marriage date early, but there’s no rush to set the wedding."

Zhu Yan realized that she had overreacted again. There had been so many shocking revelations that she felt she was reeling.

"To be honest, my father’s health is deteriorating, and I’m afraid he doesn’t have much longer to live. If my father... passes away, I’ll have to observe a three-year mourning period. My family’s situation is somewhat special, and I can’t be absent for a day. I thought it would be best to wait until my older brother gets married before I do," Zhu Yan said somewhat hesitantly.

She wondered if Marquis Shengping’s family would be willing to wait for three years.

"Let the elders agree on the date of the wedding, there’s no hurry. Miss Zhu seems to be very blessed, your father will surely recover. Let’s eat, the food is getting cold," Xiao’er consoled.

Zhu Yan nodded.

In the ensuing conversation, they discussed various other topics and soon finished their meal.

After the meal, Zhu Yan excused herself first. If she didn’t leave, the person hidden in the next booth would probably starve.

After Zhu Yan left, Xiao’er called Jingrui out of his hiding place.

"So, big brother, did you find out what you wanted to know? Well, I actually wanted to ask ’Do you like my big brother?’ But I was afraid I might scare Miss Zhu off, so I didn’t. I guess this was the question you really wanted to know, right?"

Jingrui frowned at Xiao’er and retorted, "Your question made no difference whether you asked it or not!"