The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 965 - 217: Pei Qin is Dying_3

Chapter 965: Chapter 217: Pei Qin is Dying_3

Seeing her smile with deep meaning, Eldest Madam Zheng secretly frowned. What wicked idea was Second Madam cooking up now?

Old Lady Zheng glanced at Elder Master Zheng and Second Old Master Zheng and gestured for Second Madam to speak.

Second Madam, with a dignified and spirited expression, expressed her own thoughts, "...Isn’t she far better than that Pei Wendong!?"

Upon hearing this, Eldest Madam Zheng furrowed her brow.

As the first son’s wife, although Old Lady Zheng favored the second branch, she still asked her, "What do you think?"

"If Mother wants to hear my opinion, it simply won’t do. Young Master Pei has already settled the match with Xie Yi, and it’s just a matter of finalizing it. It’s better to demolish a temple than to destroy a marriage. I think Pei Wendong is quite good, handsome and tall, a Scholar at such a young age, with a promising future ahead of him. He looks capable and reliable. If my daughter could find someone like him, I would be more than satisfied," she said.

"It’s just a casual remark. A life-saving favor is promised with oneself in return. They haven’t even been betrothed; how can you call it destroying a marriage? Besides, with such a good opportunity, if missed, it won’t come again!" Second Madam Zheng shot her a glance.

"Mo Heng is far stronger than that Pei Wendong!" Second Old Master Zheng also said.

Eldest Madam Zheng scoffed coldly, "You should be grateful if your daughter could land a man like Pei Wendong!"

"What kind of talk is this from my elder sister! Where is my daughter lacking!?" Second Madam Zheng immediately grew displeased.

Eldest Madam Zheng saw that Old Lady Zheng’s face was also turning sour and pressed her lips together, laughing softly without engaging further. She coldly observed as the group discussed how to reap the greatest benefits, not partaking in the discussion with an extra word.

When Pei Yuan came over, she heard that the Zheng family had arrived and did not wish to receive Xie Yi and her brother. She found Pei Qin and said, "Eldest sister! If Wendong is to marry Miss Xie, it would be inappropriate for her to live in our house. Let them stay at their maternal family instead. Don’t decide to keep them just yet!"

Pei Qin was not impressed with the Zheng family and nodded directly, "Alright!"

"They are sure to come back for them. If we don’t send Xie Yi and her brother away, we’ll need to give an explanation. I’ll go see them tomorrow!" At first, Pei Yuan thought Xie Yi was quite decent, a young miss from a scholarly family with learning, and also someone her brother liked. But if she stayed in their house with her brother, surely with time, she would come to disdain her more and more.

The next day, the Zheng family indeed came over again, arriving early to catch Mo Heng at home.

Old Lady Zheng and Elder Master Zheng had only heard of him but hadn’t yet seen Mo Heng.

Pei Wendong had already discussed the engagement with Mo Heng, and when he saw them arrive, he introduced Mo Heng to them.

Old Lady Zheng, seeing him seated comfortably in the seat of honor with an air of casual grace and stunning beauty, thought that compared to Pei Wendong, he was but a young man with no real substance. The superiority was instantly apparent, and she suddenly found Second Madam Zheng’s insight to be sharp. Having Xie Yi as his junior wife would be no loss at all! Despite Mo Heng’s aloofness, she smiled with a face full of wrinkles, looking incredibly pleased with herself.

Pei Yuan had left a message with the servants the day before, informing her when the Zheng family arrived. She had left Happy with her mother-in-law and brought two boxes of pastries to see Old Lady Zheng and her party.

Seeing that Pei Qin had not come out, Second Madam Zheng was even more convinced that Pei Qin would not live long, hanging on by a thread. Besides, with Mo Heng’s extraordinary and striking handsomeness, she couldn’t believe that Xie Yi wouldn’t be moved by him day after day.

After exchanging pleasantries, Pei Yuan got straight to the point, "My younger brother saved Miss Xie, and the two are bound by fate. Although Sir Xie has passed away, and Miss Xie must observe three years of mourning, my elder sister and I have discussed it. To be responsible towards Miss Xie, it’s better to decide the engagement first, and then after the mourning period, the marriage can take place, which would be just the right timing. It’s perfect that you’ve come, take Miss Xie back with you, and our two families can plan the engagement and exchange marriage documents!" She spoke diplomatically and made it clear: if the Zheng family took Xie Yi and Xie Ze back, they would discuss the engagement; if not, they wouldn’t.

Second Madam Zheng raised her eyebrows slightly—what status did this Pei Yuan think she had to come and threaten them? She exchanged a glance with Old Lady Zheng and simply stated that their house had collapsed, and the family members were all cramped together with no spare room. "Once the repairs are done and the weather warms up, we’ll take them over. So our whole family, including Old Lady Zheng, has come to see them!" Not agreeing to the engagement was exactly what she desired! If Xie Yi really got engaged to Pei Wendong, there wouldn’t be a chance! Staying here and unavoidably coming across Mo Heng every day, with a delicate young girl right in front of them, and Pei Qin on the verge of death, any man would be tempted to stray!

Pei Yuan felt puzzled; their behavior didn’t seem like reluctance. They insisted on keeping Xie Yi in their house—were they afraid Wendong would deny the engagement in the end?