The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 87 I Don't Want to

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Shang Zishu hit her head in frustration.

Her original intention was to find Chen Che and ask him if he had a girl he liked. If not, she would get along with him. If they had similar personalities and could treat each other as equals, they would get married.

If you can't appreciate and tolerate each other, then just give up.

Shang Zishu wanted to learn how to stir-fry Longjing tea, but she couldn't completely ignore Chen Che. She couldn't forcefully separate a couple just because Chen Che already had someone else in his heart. She couldn't even rush to get close to Chen Che just because he truly disliked her.

With this idea in mind, Shang Zishu decided to meet Chen Che privately without telling Mrs. Chen.

Unexpectedly, he was angered by Chen Che to the point of losing his mind. He was unwilling to proceed step by step with him and simply went straight to the point.

But Chen Che showed no joy, embarrassment, or rejection. He just blinked his beautiful peach blossom eyes, his eyes full of inquiring desire: "Second Lady Shang, why did you marry me?"

"Not everything in this world needs a reason!" Shang Zishu became increasingly irritable. "I want to marry you. There's no reason. I just want to know if you're willing!"

"No, Madam Shang and I have only met a few times. We are not close, let alone good friends." Chen Che may not be very smart, but he is definitely not stupid. "Madam Shang, your family is as wealthy as the Chen family, so you are not after money. I am not a popular person either, so you are not after me. Although I have a good appearance, Madam Shang is definitely not superficial..."

Chen Che wasn't talking to Shang Zishu, but instead was analyzing things on his own. Suddenly, an idea struck him: "Second Madam Shang, you want the method for stir-frying Longjing tea!"

Shang Zishu never expected that Chen Che, who in her eyes was as easy to deceive as a child and ignorant of the world, would actually see through her thoughts!
Her first reaction was not to dodge out of guilt, but to look at Chen Che with a dim gaze.

Meeting Shang Zishu's gaze, Chen Che hesitated: "Isn't it?"

Since everyone had guessed it, Shang Zishu simply didn't hide it: "You are right, I am following the method of frying Longjing tea."

"Second Madam, how could you treat marriage so lightly?" Chen Che disagreed. "Marriage is about a lifetime, and you're just talking about a tea-roasting method? You—you're so careless about the marriage. What do you think of the bond between our two families?"

"This is my business. You just need to tell me whether you want to marry me or not?" Shang Zishu could listen to Shang Mingshu's persuasion, but she was impatient to listen to others' persuasion.

"I..." Chen Che felt very aggrieved. He said angrily, "I don't want to!"

She had thought it was a sure thing, but she was rejected by what she thought was a second-best option. Shang Zishu was so angry that her eyebrows raised: "You don't want to? Why... don't you want to?"

She almost said without thinking, "Why don't you want to?" But she still had some sense in her heart and changed her words to "Why don't you want to?"

"You want to marry me for the tea recipe today, and you will need a new tea recipe tomorrow. If the rules of other families are the same as mine, will you divorce me and marry again?" Chen Che asked confidently.

Shang Mingshu subconsciously wanted to refute, but she suddenly realized that it was understandable for Chen Che to think this way.

Shang Zishu opened her mouth and wanted to say no. Marrying Chen Che was mainly because of the tea recipe, but there were many other considerations, such as whether she was of marriageable age, whether she felt that Chen Che was quite compatible with her, and whether she could be the head of the Chen family in the future.

Without all these factors, how could she easily promise to spend her life together?

But she knew that Chen Che was a stubborn person. If she said this, would Chen Che ask her about the next holder of the tea recipe she needed? Would all these things move her?

How would she answer?

That she has the responsibilities and conduct of a wife?
It was a perfect answer, but it did not meet Chen Che's expectations. Chen Che would not accept her using morality to restrain herself and suppress her inner feelings.

She didn't know why, even though they hadn't spent much time together, and even though they hadn't explored each other deeply, at that moment, she had a terrifyingly clear understanding of Chen Che's character. "If you don't want to, then forget it." Shang Zishu closed her eyes, said this, and turned away.

She had originally wanted to ask about his wishes, but since he didn't want to, why should she force him?

"you……"

Seeing that Shang Zishu didn't respond to him and left without looking back, Chen Che felt a tightness in his chest and had difficulty breathing.

The servant saw the carriage drive away and walked over to his master. "Sir, should we continue our search for the gentleman who brewed the osmanthus wine?"

Chen Che lowered his head and kicked a piece of dirt and stone at his feet, saying angrily, "Go back home."

***
"Didn't the deal go through? Or does Chen Dalang have someone he likes?" Shang Mingshu couldn't understand why Shang Zishu leaned to the side with a gloomy look after getting on the carriage.

Shang Zishu sighed deeply, not afraid of embarrassment in front of Shang Mingshu: "He doesn't have anyone he likes, but he rejected me."

Shang Mingshu just raised her eyebrows without showing any surprise.

"Did you guess that he would reject me?" The depression in Shang Zishu's heart dissipated instantly as she diverted her attention.

"It's not difficult to guess." Shang Mingshu had anticipated this possibility.

"How could you guess that? Do you think I'm not worthy of him and will be despised by him?" Shang Zishu found it unbelievable.

"Does Chen Dalang dislike you?" Shang Mingshu asked in a calm tone.

Shang Zishu pursed her lips and said nothing.

"I've only met Chen Che twice. He must be a serious person. Such a person is not afraid of hardship or fatigue. He will get to the bottom of things he wants to know. If you go to him and talk about marriage, he will definitely find out why you want to marry him.

You've never been close to him, so it's clear you're not attracted to him. He could easily guess you want the recipe for stir-frying Longjing tea."

Shang Mingshu's voice has the unique softness of a Jiangnan woman, and her tone is neither hurried nor slow, which makes it easy for people to listen carefully and take it in: "People like him treat everything and everyone sincerely and passionately. If they understand your intentions, they won't agree to it."

Shang Zishu admired her sister's ability to judge people. Sisters, because of their intimacy, could not help but say something without scruples: "Since you saw it so early, why didn't you stop me?"

"Can I stop you if I tell you?" Shang Mingshu asked back.

"No." Shang Zishu answered honestly
She had no intention of blaming Shang Mingshu; it was just a casual complaint between sisters.

Shang Mingshu naturally understood and didn't take it to heart. She held Shang Zishu's hand and said, "Let's think of other ways. Maybe a second-rate tea recipe can also be effective in enlightening you."

Shang Zishu held Shang Mingshu's hand in return: "Okay."

The two sisters smiled at each other, threw away the worries that they were powerless to solve, and moved on to the next solution.

During this period, Shang Mingshu received a letter from Cheng Mian, saying that he was jointly recommended by the prefect He and the principal of Ziyang Academy to study in Shuntian Prefecture, so that he would be more capable of preparing for the next spring examination under the guidance of famous teachers.

This was a great opportunity and he didn't want to miss it. Unfortunately, when Shang Mingshu returned home, he had already set off. The thought of not seeing her for half a year made him miss her tormented. He only hoped that Shang Mingshu would write to him more often.