The Lucky Heiress

Mother, did my sister say something to annoy you again?” Wei Qingwan asked. “She did more than just say something, she did everything in her power.” Mrs. Yun sneered coldly, “I don’t know what misfortune I’ve brought upon myself.” “Mother, don’t be angry. My sister probably didn’t mean it. She just has a bit of a straightforward nature, she doesn’t mean any harm,” Wei Qingwan comforted.

“You! You’re just too kind! She doesn’t treat you like a sister at all, yet you always insist on defending her,” Mrs. Yun said with a helpless sigh.

“We can’t say that. After all, I have been enjoying my parents’ love as her for all these years. My sister endured hardships in the past years, cultivating her current character. I should be more understanding towards her,” Wei Qingwan explained.

“You’re right.”

Mrs. Yun sighed, her mood somewhat placated by her daughter’s comfort.

“Mother, your health is the most important. I’ll prepare some ginseng soup for you.”

No need. Help me up, I need to review the accounts,” Mrs. Yun protested.

“Mother, you’re feeling unwell. Why don’t you rest for a while? You can look at the accounts on another day,” Wei Qingwan advised.

“You don’t understand. Your sister is now assisting Madam Yuan and Seventh Prince.”

Mrs. Yun narrated the day’s events at the Yuan Residence to Wei Qingwan.

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingwan’s expression darkened, and her mood became increasingly gloomy.

Wei Qingruo was once again assisting high-ranking individuals…

Mrs. Yun was so absorbed in her talk that she did not notice the change in Wei Qingwan’s expression, “Such a great opportunity, the Wei Family cannot miss out. I initially thought that as the eldest legitimate daughter of the family, she would naturally have a part in it. It appears I was thinking too much. Our eldest legitimate daughter is only thinking for herself without any thought of seeking glory for the family.”

Regaining her composure, Wei Qingwan chimed in, “What does mother plan to do?”

Mrs. Yun said, “I will ask your father what he thinks. Maybe we could send a message to Capital City. Your grandparents should still have some private savings.”

Mrs. Yun was reluctant to use her in-laws’ resources ideally, but this matter was beneficial to the Wei Family. The old lord and his wife in the Capital City would also be glad to see this happen.

Besides, they would have to inform Capital City about this issue eventually. If, by that time, the old lord and his wife felt that they should be involved and blamed her for not discussing it with them beforehand, she would end up in hot water from both sides.

Thus, sending a message to discuss it with them in advance would bring more benefits than harm.

Wei Qingwan nodded, her eyes still filled with worry.

Of course, she hoped for the Wei Family to achieve more, and for her father’s official position to be promoted further. Only in this way could people like Xiu Yaojun, who arrogantly looked down on her, be silenced.

Regardless of whether they are married off or not, the strength of a woman’s birth family always serves as her backbone.

She didn’t know why Wei Qingruo didn’t understand this fact; helping the Wei Family was essentially helping herself. She surely couldn’t believe that if she were a girl from the He Family, a merchant family, she could really be favored by the illustrious Xiu Family.

###

Although Mrs. Yun was very angry, she had no choice but to follow Wei Ruo’s suggestion and postpone the marriage proposal with the Xiu Family.

While Lady Xiu’s fondness for Wei Ruo had greatly increased, she understood that the current situation was not conducive for discussing marital alliances. Especially since the eldest daughter of the Wei Family indeed had more important things to busy herself with. Whether it was for her small family or the larger one, this matter had to be temporarily set aside.

However, Lady Xiu still wrote a letter to her son, Xiu Fengyuan, who was studying at Anzhou Academy, informing him of the situation.

After reading his mother’s letter, Xiu Fengyuan looked at the letter with even more admiration for Wei Ruo.

He took the letter and ran to find Wei Yichen, who was in the next dormitory, and told him about it.

“Brother Wei, your eldest sister is truly intelligent; she came up with such a clever strategy! It’s funny that we, who are well-versed in literature, have discussed this matter several times, yet were unable to come up with a solution half as good as hers!”

Saying this, Xiu Fengyuan began to recount, “Using work to aid the relief effort, involving the dignitaries from Taizhou prefecture to contribute funds in exchange for labor, then clearing wasteland to increase grain production, and finally using the productive lands as a reward for the contributors, the deadlock was completely broken! Brilliant! Brilliant!”

Wei Yichen was stunned for a long time after hearing this. It wasn’t until Xiu Fengyuan patted his shoulder that he came to his senses.

“Yes, my eldest sister’s strategy is indeed brilliant,” Wei Yichen conceded.

Wei Yichen then looked up at Xiu Fengyuan’s gleeful face and couldn’t help but feel worried. He explained to Xiu Fengyuan, “Brother Xiu, my eldest sister is not like other girls.”

“Of course, you don’t need to tell me.”

“What I mean is, my eldest sister loves pastoral landscapes and household chores. She does not want to be a woman in a large household. I hope Brother Xiu can understand.” Wei Yichen stated.

“Brother Wei, rest assured, if I am able to marry her in the future, I will not confine her within the mansion. I will allow her to do what she wants.” “But Brother Xiu, you are the eldest legitimate son of the Xiu Family, and you will sit for the official examination in the future. How can you be flexible as the wife of an official?”

“Do you mean… you’re not optimistic about me and your sister?”

“Yes, I’m not optimistic. Besides, Brother Xiu, you know my eldest sister’s attitude. Raised in the countryside, my eldest sister has suffered a lot in her early years. Now, my family hopes that she can live a peaceful life for the rest of her days, we do not seek wealth.”

“I will give serious thought to Brother Wei’s words, but I don’t want to give up so easily. I still want to fight for it,” Xiu Fengyuan candidly expressed.

“I still hope that Brother Xiu could consider it carefully. I don’t wish to see my sister unhappy,” Wei Yichen added.

Brother Wei, you should understand. My agreement to my family’s arranged marriage is not purely because they fancy your sister. And if, one day, I do marry your sister, I will surely want her to be happy.”

The two argued for a while, but neither was able to convince the other. Their discourse on this subject thus came to a halt.

###

After the relief work was settled, Wei Ruo became incredibly busy, leaving early and returning late each day for successive days. Hardly anyone in the Military Prefecture saw Wei Ruo apart from the guards at the gate, not even Wei Mingting and Mrs. Yun.

Early in the fourth day, Wei Ruo was about to leave when she was stopped at the door by Mrs. Yun. Behind Mrs. Yun was Wei Qingwan.

After their last dispute, the two had not spoken to each other since. Today, with Wei Qingwan in tow, they stopped Wei Ruo, but the reason was unknown.

“Mother, is there anything you need?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Today, when you go to the Yuan Residence, take Qingwan with you.” Mrs. Yun didn’t ask, she simply ordered..