allonlinenovel Chapter 211 Am I not worthy of a good life?
Chapter 211 Am I not worthy of a good life?
With a dark expression, Zhao Rushan led Zhao Rufang back to the guest house. Zhao Rushan's wife, Zhu, had been waiting for a long time. Seeing that he had a light sweat on his forehead, she handed him her handkerchief to wipe it off.
Zhu was the wife Zhao Rushan married after returning to his hometown. She was only seventeen years old and came from a security escort agency. She was straightforward and kind, but this time, she really didn't like her sister-in-law, whom she was meeting for the first time.
"Let's talk things out, don't resort to violence. Go back," Zhu said, without even glancing at Zhao Rufang.
Zhao Rufang frowned and looked Zhu up and down: "Sister-in-law, do you not like me?"
Madam Zhu remained calm and unhurried, saying, "My sister-in-law is mistaken. You are my husband's sister, and it's only natural for your sister-in-law to extend that affection to you..."
“Sister-in-law, there’s no need for such falsehoods,” Zhao Rufang interrupted Zhu Shi.
Zhu's face immediately fell: "If that's the case, why ask any more questions? Just prepare for your marriage and don't cause any more trouble to upset your brother."
Since they're so ungrateful and insist on tearing off this mask, then so be it.
Zhu pulled Zhao Rushan inside: "After traveling for many days, I asked someone to boil some hot water and prepare some food. Let's wash up and eat first. When the princess and the marquis have some free time, we will go to pay our respects."
Zhao Rushan nodded: "I just met the princess and the marquis, and they told us to go and pay our respects tomorrow evening."
"Tomorrow evening will be just the right time to get some rest and avoid being impolite." Madam Zhu nodded in agreement, and the couple went inside together. Seeing that the hot water had been boiled, she urged Zhao Rushan to wash up. Then she took out her needle and thread, embroidered a few stitches on the torn clothes, and then took them to the courtyard to wash up.
Zhao Rufang followed and said, "Why do you need to do it yourself? Just ask a maid or servant to come."
"It's just a matter of clothes, why would it be worth hiring someone? My aunt has been living a good life for too long, she doesn't know how ordinary people live."
Zhu spoke in a neutral tone, but her hands never stopped moving. She took a soapberry and rubbed it inside the clothes, then rubbed and tapped it to wash out the dirt.
Zhao Rufang frowned, feeling very uncomfortable.
She would rather face Zhao Rushan, who was furious and ready to beat her up, than face the indifferent Zhu Shi. Her words were polite, but they clearly revealed her dislike.
"Why?" Zhao Rufang bit her lip. "I don't think I've done anything wrong to you, so why do you hate me so much? Is it because I've made you all work so hard? But I'm my brother's sister, and it's only right that I get married."
Madam Zhu originally didn't want to say much, but since she insisted on asking, her expression changed: "Little sister, do you know that the kindness and favors in this world are only so many? Once they're used up, they're gone. My husband once said that the princess liked you, little sister, and that keeping you by her side was a good thing."
"But now, my sister-in-law is using my husband's kindness to ask the princess for a marriage with a high-ranking family. Where does that leave my husband?"
“My husband thinks you are being inconsiderate, disturbing the princess and the marquis and causing trouble, which is wrong. But I think it is also wrong for my sister-in-law to use the friendship that my husband risked his life to obtain.”
"My husband and I have decided that we will open a martial arts school now to earn some money. When we have a child, and the child is five or six years old, we will come to Qindu. The child can then enter the Pingxi Marquis's mansion and be taught by the teachers and seniors invited by the Pingxi Marquis's mansion. In addition, with the kindness that the princess and the marquis remember, it will be easier for the child to rise in the future."
"Auntie, how can I like you?"
Zhao Rufang was speechless. She frowned and said, "But these were promised to me by the princess. What does this have to do with my brother?"
"The princess found you this marriage and will protect you for life. Isn't that because of your brother? Is it all on your own?" Madam Zhu was very unhappy. "Aunt, there are many guards in the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion. Many of them even followed the Marquis to the battlefield and died. Why are you the only one standing here?"
"I earned it myself."
"Yes, it was you who fought for it, so you benefited. The princess prepared a dowry for you and promised to marry into a high-ranking family. She will protect you for life. Others are very foolish. They just stay at home and wait for their children to grow up. Once they are a little older, they will send them to the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion to learn literature and martial arts, just waiting for the day when they can make a name for themselves."
"Don't you know that since our Zhao family has already benefited, if there are other good things to come, they might not be our family?"
Zhao Rufang was annoyed by what she heard: "Sister-in-law, the Marquis is not that kind of person. When the Marquis uses people, he always looks at their abilities."
"If it's all about ability, what about people who are equally talented? Wouldn't that give the opportunity to someone else?"
“Sister-in-law.” Zhao Rufang felt that Zhu was bewitched. “You’ve lost your mind. Not to mention that you and your brother don’t even have a child yet, what you’re saying is just your guess. To give up the benefits right in front of you just for a little guess is putting the cart before the horse.”
On Qin Yizhen's birthday, the mansion invited a female storyteller named Suoyu to tell stories. Qin Yizhen was deeply moved after hearing Suoyu's story of seeking wealth and finding her daughter, and thus she conceived the initial idea of establishing the Department of Child Care.
Later, Qin Yizhen planned to hire a female tutor to teach Zhao Rufang knowledge and etiquette, and invited her back. Zhao Rufang worked very hard in order to marry into a wealthy family, and now she has achieved some success and her speech has become much better.
Madam Zhu paused for a moment, then said, "I dislike you because you stole what would have been mine for my child. Don't you understand?"
Everyone has selfish desires, Zhu Shi did not deny. She was not a bad person, but she felt that Zhao Rufang had taken away something from her future child, so she did not like her very much.
Zhao Rufang bit her lip: "But if I marry into the He family, I can help my own family a lot in the future, I..."
Madam Zhu said, "Your marriage into the He family will indeed make the He family treat you well because of the patronage of the princess and the marquis. But this is an exchange between the He family and the Pingxi Marquis's mansion. How could the He family possibly give you anything else?"
"Even if you acknowledge the Zhao family as your relatives, you'll only be treated as relatives who might come to your door to freeload. Aunt, you're asking for too much..."
If Zhao Rufang were seeking a marriage of equal standing with her, a union between the two families, even with the princess acting as matchmaker, would be a happy ending for everyone. However, since she wants to climb the social ladder, the princess would have to put in much more effort.
Zhao Rufang retorted, "What do you mean I want too much? Am I not worthy of a good life?"
Madam Zhu didn't want to argue with her anymore: "Alright, alright, you're right, you should fight for it, but I feel indignant for my unborn child and don't like you very much, but that's my own business."
Zhao Rufang was speechless with anger and turned back into the house.
Without even looking up, Zhu scooped a ladle of water from the bucket and poured it onto the worn-out clothes, continuing to scrub them.