The maid's road to success

An Zizhong was dragged by the villagers to talk for two days. It was only when An Yu told them to leave quietly and not to disturb him that the situation became quieter. Even so, many aunts and sisters brought their daughters and sisters to talk to An Wenniang. The brave ones even started to introduce their daughters to An Zizhong. People who didn't know her would think that her daughter was a fairy-like girl.

An Wen's mother was speechless as she looked at the girls sitting there with their heads down, their faces bigger than their plates and their eyes not much bigger than melon seeds. Fortunately, An Hongzhi came in time and drove them away with just two words.

"My sister's in-laws are here to send us some snacks. My mother asked you to go and support us. This time she has to subdue the crowd. As long as you subdue my sister's mother-in-law today, we will pay for all your meals before you leave this year."

An Wenniang was so amused that her eyes were curved with laughter. This was why she liked the An Gu family. Everyone had ulterior motives towards them, but only the An Gu family was the most direct. They would not beat around the bush and try to trick you. They asked An Zizhong and his sister to go over just to show off. They wanted to use An Zizhong's identity to fear Sister Meihua's husband's family and let them know that Sister Meihua had someone backing her up.

As the three of them walked on the road, An Hongzhi explained the situation in detail.

"My sister's father-in-law went to inquire about Zi Zhong's situation. He thought we were exaggerating. As a result, the rumors about Zi Zhong in Gongzhou were even better. The Hua family and the nephew of the prefect were all sworn brothers of Zi Zhong. The dean of the academy also thought highly of Zi Zhong. They were so happy that they urged to advance the marriage. But her mother-in-law and eldest sister-in-law were afraid that they would not be able to control my sister in the future. They have been lecturing my sister since today. Their words and deeds all told us not to disrespect our parents-in-law by relying on our status as a juren. My mother was furious and asked me to call you quickly."

When he arrived at An Gu's house, An Hongzhi shouted loudly.

"Mom and Dad, Zizhong is here, and Wenniang is here too."

The two families sitting in the main hall immediately stood up to greet them. In order to save face for An Gu, An Zizhong bowed down.

"Fourth Uncle, didn't you say that Meihua's husband had arrived and asked me to come and meet him? Why did you tell me so late? I didn't even have time to prepare a gift for him."

An Gu was delighted to see that he was so understanding.

"I didn't know my in-laws were coming today. It was only until Hongzhi reminded me that I remembered."

An Wen's mother is almost fourteen years old. There are men from other places here, so she can't stay here for long.

"Uncle, Aunt, where is Sister Meihua? She said she would draw patterns for me, and I've been waiting for two days."

Wang smiled and took her to the ear room on the right. An Meihua was sitting in front of the window crying. Wang saw that her mother-in-law's words were becoming more and more outrageous, so she found an excuse to let her come to the ear room.

"I don't know what to call my uncle. I seldom come back to Gongzhou. I have always wanted to visit you since Meihua got engaged, but I have never had the chance."

The couple stood aside awkwardly, and the man was the first to react.

"My last name is Li. I own the Li's Tavern in Lin County. I'd like to meet you, Mr. Juren."

An Zizhong walked over to him, helped him up and sat him down, smiling gently.

"Uncle Li, there is no need to go through all this formality. You are Meihua's father-in-law, and you are our elder."

The purpose of An Zizhong being invited here was to keep the situation under control. He would only speak when asked by a few people, and otherwise he would just sit aside and listen.

It was a coincidence that Hua Yesheng came to see An Zizhong at this time, but was turned away at their house. The neighbors said that they were at An Hongzhi's house, so they followed him here.

"Meet Uncle An."

Hua Yesheng casually greeted An Gu, and without caring whether the other person spoke to him or not, he walked straight to An Zizhong.

"You said you came back without telling me. My dad takes me to social events every day. I'm fed up with it. But you came back without asking me to play or telling me. Are you brothers?"

An Zizhong told him to quiet down, saying that he was dragged here to calm down the situation for An Gu's family, but he kept complaining.

"Brother, let's go home first. There are so many people around our fourth uncle, let's not make things more complicated. Mr. Hua can't stay here with us either."

An Wenniang secretly didn't want An Zizhong to be dragged here as a mascot to attract attention. He was the son of a marquis, and he used to be a handsome young man in Kyoto. Everyone said that he was born with wealth and was born in a blessed family. Unfortunately, because he was harmed by others, he couldn't even have his own name. He couldn't be looked down upon by those ordinary people, who tried to get involved in his interests and acted as if it was natural.

The Wang family's goal has been achieved, and there is no need for them to stay here and watch the Li family's faces.

"Hua, Master Hua, I am the owner of Li's Tavern. We met last year. You..."

Hua Yesheng interrupted Li Fugui before he could finish his words.

"Li family? Oh~oh, what are you doing here?"

He didn't remember that An Zizhong had relatives doing business in Lin County? When had he met him? At the Hua family?

"This is my fourth uncle's home, the head of our village. Meihua is Wenniang's sworn sister, and Uncle Li's son is Meihua's future husband."

Hua Yesheng found the relationship very confusing, as he was fourth uncle, sworn brother-in-law, sister, and husband, but he roughly knew that the daughter of a relative who had a good relationship with An Zizhong was getting married.

"That's a coincidence. I didn't prepare anything when I came here. This ring will be a bonus for you guys."

Hua Yesheng did not see Wen Niang's sworn sister, but he was always very polite to An Zizhong. He took off a ring from his finger, which was bought from Gongzhou. It was not a unique one, but was owned by many young men. However, it was not a very small gift.

Wang took it tremblingly and watched Hua Yesheng hurriedly pull An Zizhong away. Looking at the backs of several people, she felt for the first time that they might not pay much attention to An Zizhong's current status and still regarded him as a young man who had just returned to Anjia Village and still had some support for his family.

They were from the village and had barely been to Lin County many times in their lives. To them, the people harmed by the Hua family were already a very powerful family, but the young master of the Hua family actually had such a good relationship with An Zizhong.

"My dear, are Zi Zhong and Young Master Hua really that close?"

Li Fugui's wife approached carefully, and her voice was no longer arrogant. Wang's mind was pulled back, and she looked at the faces of the Li family looking at each other in bewilderment, and the pride in her heart overwhelmed the strangeness just now.

"From the beginning to the end, the young master of the Hua family respects Zi Zhong the most. Zi Zhong also contributed to his success in the imperial examination. There is also Young Master Li Changan, who is the nephew of the prefect. He is with Zi Zhong every day. There is also Zhou Chunsheng from the Zhou family pharmacy, the young master of the Lin family restaurant, and the young master of the Huai'an Escort Agency. They always like to follow Zi Zhong. Sometimes Sister Wen can't even see Zi Zhong."

An Hongzhi was not exaggerating at all. An Zizhong's status in Gongzhou Academy was not as simple as that of an ordinary student.

"Nephew, have you seen those people too?"

Li Fugui was not concerned about the superficial things about his wife. For them, it was a good thing that An Zizhong was powerful, but An Hongzhi was An Meihua's biological brother. If he had the ability to get along with those people, the Li family could really benefit.

"We see each other every day in Gongzhou. Isn't my brother-in-law coming to give us a gift during the Chinese New Year? Usually those young masters will come to visit Zi Zhong during the Chinese New Year. I will take my brother-in-law to drink tea and chat with him then."

Mrs. Li's face was filled with joy. She pulled her son to quickly thank An Hongzhi. You know, those young men were among the best in Gongzhou. It must be good to have a good relationship with them. Their son was drinking tea with the nephew of the prefect and the young master of the Hua family. Who wouldn't look up to their family?

"We are no longer relatives, but we will be one family in the future. Zizhong is also a good boy. When the time comes, let them spend more time together. It will always be good. Look at my son. He was a simpleton before. He has been in Gongzhou for more than a year and passed the examination for Tongsheng. Zizhong told him to temper his temper before taking the examination for Xiucai. He is so restless all day long. You are the ones who know how to educate your children. They are all good children who know etiquette."

An Gu saw that it was almost done. Those who should be suppressed had been suppressed, and Meihua's backers had been shown. Then he couldn't go too far. After all, they would be Meihua's parents-in-law in the future. If they were too provocative, he dared not bully them openly. It was not good to hurt people with soft knives.

"No, no, my nephew is really smart..."

Each of them achieved their goal. The two families sat together with a smile and flattered each other. You say I have ability and craftsmanship, and I say you have vision and prestige. They got along very harmoniously. An Hongzhi didn't want to listen to their idle chatter here. He wanted to go to An Zizhong to read a book, but was suppressed by his mother's eyes. He sat on the chair and sighed. It was his future brother-in-law Li Baijin who patted his arm and took out a very small copper nine-ring chain from his sleeve. The two of them sat in the corner and solved the nine-ring chain.

Meihua saw this from behind the curtain and smiled. She thought that her younger brother just didn't like listening to the elders talking together, so it was hard for Brother Baijin to coax her.

When she was looking for a husband's family, she chose the Li family because of nothing else but Li Baijin. Although he was barely handsome, he was a very good person. When they met for the first time, she was hiding in the inner room of the teahouse and accidentally knocked over someone's teacup. She was blushing and didn't know what to do. Mrs. Li was also a little dissatisfied. It was Li Baijin who helped her out and knocked over a teacup himself. Only then did no one care about her recklessness.

Li Baijin listened to his mother's scolding and secretly looked at the inner room of the teahouse and smiled. He looked so beautiful when he smiled, just like the flowers blooming on the hillside that Wen Niang talked about. They looked very ordinary when they were just looked at, but when bathed in the sun, the breeze blew the soft grass and thin petals, and the fragrance of the flowers touched your skin.

Meihua was stunned. She felt that she liked Li Baijin and would be happy if she married him, even if her future mother-in-law was mean and her father-in-law looked down on her, but she was willing. Fortunately, Li Baijin was sensible and always tried to stop his mother when she went too far and spoke for her.

Too many women are bullied by their mothers-in-law after they get married, and men rarely care. The rules passed down from generations are that women should be respectful to their mothers-in-law, considerate to their husbands, diligent and sensible, not talk back to their parents and parents-in-law, and not cause trouble for their husbands. Even when my mother was pointed at and scolded by my grandmother when she was young, my father only dared to say one word and ask her to say less.

Li Baijin seemed to be aware of Meihua's gaze. He tilted his head and smiled at her. Seeing her blushing face, he quickly lowered the curtain and then came back to his senses to talk to his wife's brother. He liked having such a beautiful and gentle lady very much.

An Zizhong brought Hua Yesheng home and saw the carriage parked at the door. He opened the door and let him in. The servant behind him took down two bags from the carriage and then he felt strange and asked him why he brought so much luggage.

"I told my dad that I have too many people at home, so I want to come to your place to endorse my studies. My dad agreed. I will stay here until the New Year."

An Zizhong disagreed. The house was so small and it would be inconvenient for Wen Niang to move if he, a man from outside, lived here.

"No, our house is too small to accommodate you. Go back to Lin County."

Before he could finish his words, Hua Yesheng grabbed his arm and winked at his servant to drive the car away quickly.

"No, these days my father has been dragging me to meet those uncles whom I don't recognize, and my mother has taken me to the silver shop to appreciate flowers. What kind of flowers are we appreciating in the middle of winter? They clearly treat me as a flower. We are all brothers, you won't stand by and watch me die, right? I'm only asking you now, my father will agree."

An Zizhong still refused to give in. An Wenniang was already fourteen years old. If Hua Yesheng moved in today, someone would spread rumors tomorrow and throw dirty water on Wenniang.

"No, we are the only two siblings in our family. What would it mean if you moved in? Boys and girls can't sit at the same table at the age of seven."

Hua Yesheng let go of his arm and looked at the docile An Wen Niang in front of him, thinking that if anyone gossiped about it, he would marry An Wen Niang, so that the two families could become closer. Although he did not agree with An Zizhong becoming his brother-in-law, he could allow him to become his elder brother-in-law. However, his intuition told him that if he dared to say this, An Zizhong would definitely let him know why the flowers were so red.