The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 963 - 217: Pei Qin is Dying

Chapter 963: Chapter 217: Pei Qin is Dying

After Lady Zheng’s death, the Xie family had very little to do with the Zheng family, only sending festival gifts during the holidays due to the distance.

Xie Yi was somewhat clear on what the Zheng family was like. Seeing Old Lady Zheng come all this way to visit, she knew they had no intention of taking her and her brother in. A chill ran through her heart as she realized that, without their parents, she and her brother were now orphans with no home to return to!

Pei Wendong also discerned the intentions of the Zheng family and his gaze towards them turned cold at once.

Xie Ze, however, was very affectionate towards his maternal family and ran over to them, crying, "Grandmother! Uncles!"

Old Lady Zheng let out a pained exclamation and, with teary eyes, pulled him close, "What hardships you and your sister have had to suffer, my poor children!"

Elder Master Zheng and Second Old Master Zheng both had tears in their eyes as well, and Eldest Madam Zheng even hugged Xie Yi, shedding a couple of tears.

"Here we are standing outside crying, what kind of sight must we be? Let’s all go inside, shall we?" Second Madam Zheng suggested.

Pei Wendong stepped aside, letting everyone enter the house.

Zhang Gengshan had gone ahead to make arrangements, but his face was far from happy.

"What’s the matter? Pulling such a long face?" Huang Qiu asked him.

Zhang Gengshan leaned in to whisper, "All the members of the Zheng family have arrived and they clearly don’t plan to take Ms. Xie and her brother in." The master marries a wife, and naturally she comes with her siblings. Although the inheritance is left to him, Young Master Pei has always been with them. He himself always followed his elder sister, and now, with a new bride and a younger brother, are they all supposed to follow them as well? Thinking of this, Zhang Gengshan was somewhat dissatisfied with Pei Wendong.

Huang Qiu frowned. Even though Young Master Pei planned to marry Ms. Xie in the future, her living in the house now was quite improper, especially since she was still in mourning.

"Moreover, when our people went to gather information, they surely only found out about the Zheng family’s situation and let Xie Yi and Xie Ze know they were coming, but they already knew about the situation between Young Master Pei and Ms. Xie. It must have been Fang Hui and the Feng family stirring up trouble!" Zhang Gengshan grunted angrily.

"Has the Zheng family no shame? Insisting their grandson and granddaughter live in our house? And still have the audacity to come here!" Huang Qiu said irritably.

"Everyone’s in the front hall now! We should hurry and serve tea! And go report to Lady Mo, they want to see her!" Zhang Gengshan said with a stern face.

Huang Qiu nodded, instructed a young maid to see to the tea, and turned to enter the inner chamber to report to Pei Qin.

Old Lady Zheng and the others detained Xie Yi, Xie Ze, and Pei Wendong in the front hall to talk, waiting for Pei Qin to arrive, but after a long wait, even after the tea had been refilled, there was still no sign of her.

"Why haven’t we seen the General’s Wife? We are all waiting for her," Second Madam Zheng said with a smile. She felt that Pei Qin was taking advantage of her status, unwilling to come out and meet them.

Huang Qiu arched an eyebrow, "We are recuperating and do not receive guests. We have made an exception for Ms. Xie’s maternal family. We thought the ladies would be content speaking with their niece and nephew and did not plan to request an audience with her."

Second Madam Zheng’s face flushed instantly, "The General’s Wife... is sick!? Is it serious?" She seemed somewhat incredulous.

Old Lady Zheng looked at Xie Yi, who gave a slight nod in confirmation. Quickly, Old Lady Zheng stated, "As guests, we should have paid our respects to the General’s Wife first. It’s been several years since we’ve seen the siblings, so we got carried away talking! Maid, please lead the way, let’s pay our respects to the General’s Wife. We came in such a hurry, we were unaware of her illness," she said, smoothing over the situation.

"This way, please, ladies," Huang Qiu ushered the three women and Xie Yi towards the inner courtyard.

Elder Master Zheng also inquired about Mo Heng.

"My brother-in-law is occupied with business outside," Pei Wendong replied.

The absence of any suitable family member to receive them left Elder Master Zheng and Second Old Master Zheng, who had rushed over in a hurry, somewhat disappointed. They spoke to Pei Wendong about the matter of marriage with Xie Yi, "Her father has passed away, and although she must observe mourning, you can still settle the marriage arrangement beforehand."

Having met with the Zheng family, Pei Wendong had already considered this. The inheritance due to Xie Yi and her brother should have been claimed by the Zheng family on their behalf, but he had no standing to speak for them. Given the Zheng family’s attitude, it fell upon him to take action. Only by formalizing the engagement would he have the right to speak and the authority to rightfully defend them.

However, upon meeting Pei Qin, Second Madam Zheng’s thoughts shifted.

Pei Qin was gravely injured and had been poisoned severely. Though the poison was cured, she had succumbed to a chill that had taken to her body. Having been bedridden for so long, she naturally lacked vitality, energy, and spirit. Especially since the room was kept so warm, she felt like sweating after just a short while sitting.

"What kind of illness does Lady Mo have? She seems to dread the cold so much?" Second Madam Zheng inquired.

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