The Lucky Heiress

Translator: 549690339

“That’s true, everyone in the Mansion knows the young lady is rich,” Xiumei nodded.

Though they weren’t entirely sure just how rich their young lady was.

“Let’s continue making our drunken seafood and pickled seafood. I’ve been wanting to taste these dishes for a while now,” Wei Ruo shifted her attention back to the food.

“Alright, I’ll go prepare the pickling sauce and chop some onions, ginger, and garlic.”

The two of them continued with their tasks.

###

The next morning, after Wei Yichen met up with Xiu Fengyuan, Fengyuan had a strange look on his face, as if he had something to say to Wei Yichen but hesitated to speak up.

“If Brother Xiu has something to say, please feel free,” Wei Yichen took the initiative.

After some thought, Xiu Fengyuan said, “Brother Wei, my grandfather spoke to me yesterday. He wants to see me settled down soon.”

Ever since the old Master Xiu had a fall, he’d been worried about his grandson’s marriage.

He feared his old bones wouldn’t last long enough to see his granddaughter­in-law enter the family.

Though everyone tried to reassure him that he would live a long life, the old man was still set on seeing his eldest grandson get married.

Wei Yichen looked at Xiu Fengyuan. The last time they spoke, Fengyuan had mentioned his mother, Madam Xiu, was interested in his elder sister. Hence, even though Fengyuan didn’t specify this time, Wei Yichen had an inkling of it.

“Then I can only offer my early congratulations to Brother Xiu,” Wei Yichen said.

“Brother Wei, as you know, my mother has taken a liking to your elder sister.”

“Yes.” Wei Yichen indeed knew, but after discussing it with his mother last time, he realized he had not much say in this matter if both sets of parents agreed.

“I wonder what impression Miss Wei has of me.” Fengyuan blushed at his question, looking somewhat bashful.

“I’m not too sure,” Wei Yichen could only say. Lately, his sister Ruoruo rarely spoke to him, let alone discussed her impression of Brother Xiu.

“Brother Wei, you can speak frankly. There’s no need to hide anything from me.” Xiu Fengyuan looked worried. He feared he had made a bad impression on Wei Ruo, that’s why Brother Wei didn’t want to say much.

“Brother Xiu, I’ve been spending most of my days in the academy recently, and I rarely go home. I hardly spend any time with my elder sister, so I really don’t know.”

“That makes sense,” Fengyuan nodded, then broke into a smile, “I hadn’t thought about that.”

###

After Wei Ruo returned from the Tianqin Garden, she was called to the Cangyun Garden by Cuiping.

“Miss, Madam has something important to discuss with you today.”

Cuiping looked pleased, but Wei Ruo’s face was filled with suspicion.

If Cuiping had a serious expression, she wouldn’t be this worried, but her current disposition made Wei’s stomach churn with unease.

Upon entering the main hall of the Cangyun Garden, she saw her mother waiting for her, a bright smile on her face.

Wei Ruo’ s heart sank a little more. It was not that she disliked seeing her mother happy. Rather, if her mother’s joy had anything to do with her, it was probably not good news for her.

“Ruoruo, come and sit next to your mother,” her mother gestured for her to sit down next to her.

Wei Ruo hesitated for a moment, then chose a spot closer to her mother to sit.

“Mother, did you summon me here for something urgent?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad,” her mother said gently, “The Madam Prefect visited me today and discussed a few things with me.”

Hearing this, Wei Ruo had a rough idea of what was going on.

“Actually, the Prefect’s wife had hinted at this earlier, but since she didn’t formally bring it up, I didn’t feel it was appropriate to discuss it with you. However, today she formally mentioned it to me, so I will not keep it from you any longer. You’ve met the Xiu Family’s eldest son, right?”

“Mother, could you help me refuse the Prefect’s wife?” Wei Ruo cut straight to the chase without waiting for her mother to slowly reveal her intentions. She made clear her stance.

Upon hearing her words, the joy on her mother’s face disappeared. Her expression turned grim.

After a long silence, her mother suppressed her sudden surge of anger: “Ruoruo, do you realize that the Xiu Family is a distinguished family in Taizhou prefecture? Don’t just look at the Prefect’s current official rank being similar to your father’s, the actual difference is significant.”

Fearing that Wei Ruo didn’t understand, she explained, “Firstly, civil officials in our dynasty are ranked higher than military officials. Secondly, the Xiu Family has a long line of officials. Four of them are currently in office, including the Prefect’s younger brother from the same mother, who works in the capital and often has the opportunity to see the Emperor.”

“Yes, our Wei Family holds the hereditary title of Earl, but we lost our voice in court a long time ago. Your father is the only one among the last three generations who has reached this position. Neither your uncles nor your grandfather have illustrious achievements. We are not sure whether we’ll be able to keep this title, but even if we can, it would be passed down to your eldest uncle, not related to your father.”

“Now, about the Xiu Family’s eldest son, like your elder brother, he became a scholar at a young age and has excelled in the Anzhou Academy. If he can pass this year’s imperial examination, his future would be limitless.”

“Ruoruo, the Xiu Family’s proposal to arrange a marriage with our family now is our good fortune, and especially yours. If the eldest son of the Xiu family passes the examination, our Wei family may not be able to match him anymore.”

Her mother could not find any reasons for her daughter to refuse this marriage proposal. From all perspectives, her daughter seemed to be marrying above her station.

“Mother, I don’t want to get married so soon. And I don’t think I’m suitable for the Xiu Family. Aren’t you afraid that they’ll find out I’m not a well-behaved lady? Aren’t you worried they’ll discover that instead of managing family affairs and handling charity work, I actually spend my days working in the fields?”

“How could you mention that? If you know your behavior doesn’t correspond with that of a lady of a prominent family, and isn’t proper for your future marriage, then you shouldn’t be behaving this way,” her mother frowned.

“If I don’t behave this way, then it wouldn’t be me. Yes, I could pretend for a while, but can I pretend for a lifetime?” Wei Ruo retorted.

Her mother’s face was instantly filled with anger, and her chest heaved with emotion.

Wei Ruo anticipated that her mother might get angry, but she had no intention of backing down. She gazed at her mother with an unwavering expression.

As their glances collided, the air was filled with tension. Neither giving way, the tension became palpable, causing both Cuiping and Xiumei, who were waiting on them inside, to feel anxious.

After some time, her mother, seemingly coming to a realization, managed to suppress her anger. She tried to reassure Wei Ruo, “Actually, you don’t need to worry too much. The Prefect’s wife knows a bit about your situation. She’s even aware of the land that you cultivated south of Xingshan County and the advice you gave her last time to change her seedlings sooner. This has left a rather positive impression on her. Maybe the Xiu family will find these attributes attractive in you.”

“Mother, are you promoting this marriage because you think the Xiu family will accept the real, not-so-proper me, or because the Xiu family is a prestigious family?” Wei Ruo queried.