The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

"I always argued with her because of this, but it never came to a conclusion. Later, she started having an affair with the coachman."

"The groom chases after her every day, wishing he could sleep in the same bed with her at night." At this point, Granny Wang laughed gleefully, "But the groom's son doesn't like her and often beats her behind the groom's back."

"Why is she hitting people?" Du Mingxian felt sorry for Granny Dong. She had let Granny Dong in, but who knew that Granny Dong would suffer so much from the servants alone.

Granny Wang laughed smugly, "Let her be beaten then. Who told her to be so restless, always trying to flirt with the coachman? The coachman likes her, but his son doesn't, and even calls her a slut."

"And now?"

Wang Pozi couldn't laugh when she mentioned it. "That slut was completely infatuated with the coachman. She could even make some pastries, which the coachman would then deliver to the lady of the house. Later, that slut was transferred to the pastry shop to make pastries."

"The pastry shop is an easy job. Not everyone in our family can eat pastries. Only the madam, the master, and those men who try to please the madam in the backyard can eat them. No one else can."

"That's all. Occasionally, when the lady gets tired of the pastries from the pastry shop, she'll have someone go out and buy some pastries from outside, so the pastry shop doesn't have to make any."

"Let me tell you, the work in the pastry shop is basically the easiest in the entire mansion, and there are even rewards for doing a good job."

Du Mingxian noticed the barely concealed jealousy in Wang Pozi's eyes. "How many people work in a pastry shop?"

“There were two in our household, but after that woman went in, she couldn’t work well with the man from the pastry shop, so the coachman found a way to transfer that man away.”

"Transfer?"

"Yes, we've arrived at the estate."

Du Mingxian now admires Granny Dong. She has indeed slept with quite a few men, and she is really good at manipulating them. After being mistreated at the beginning, she is now in complete control.

"Does the groom's son still bully her?"

“She’s been bullied. The groom’s son has never liked her. But children have to go to school, and sometimes when they’re in a bad mood, they’ll go and cause trouble. With the groom in front of them, the groom’s son doesn’t dare to go too far.”

Du Mingxian quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that Granny Dong was alright. If something had really happened to her, how would she explain it to her two young children?

"The groom was a man of temper. Once, his son splashed cold water on Granny Dong. In the dead of winter, Granny Dong fell ill immediately, and the groom was heartbroken."

"He directly whipped his son, but the lady arrived in time to protect the child. Even then, the coachman was still relentless, which shows that he was really angry that time."

"The lady couldn't stop them at the time. She had to call several guards who knew martial arts to stop them. The lady was angry with the coachman because of this and refused to let him drive for several days."

"The coachman followed behind the lady every day without saying a word, just silently following her. It seemed that the lady's anger subsided before she allowed the coachman to continue driving for her."

"After that incident, even if the groom's son bullied that woman, he didn't dare to go too far, for fear of angering the groom."

Du Mingxian felt something was off, especially with this groom. He was a servant who followed his master. Even though his master had stopped him, a servant would usually kneel down or let the matter drop, but this one didn't.

They were even very angry, and in the end, it was the guards who pulled them apart.

"Didn't you try to find out why the coachman likes her so much? There's always something you like about someone. What is it about her that the coachman likes her?"

Granny Wang shook her head. Of course she didn't know. If she did, she would have done it herself. Why would she need to say all this here?

"Forget it, let's not talk about her, it makes me angry just thinking about it."

Du Mingxian didn't know what else to say, but she kept it in mind. When she saw Granny Dong again, she would ask her what had happened. This coachman was quite... peculiar.

"Tell me about that scholar you like. What's so good about him that makes you like him so much that you'd even give up your childhood sweetheart who grew up with you and poured his heart out to you?"

Du Mingxian felt embarrassed. If she made up a story, she would need countless other stories to cover it up. "I don't know what I like about scholars. I'm just confused."

"You know what you like about scholars."

Granny Wang was a talkative woman, but even when she did talk, she didn't have many opportunities because she always had to work. If she talked too much, the person in charge above would be unhappy.

Now that she has a legitimate opportunity to chat and gossip, she doesn't miss a single chance.

"Scholars possess qualities that others lack, including their speech. They always make you feel gentle, they understand you, and every word they say makes you happy, as do everything they do."

"Scholars still have a future. If you can pass the imperial examination, your future will be limitless, and many good days will await you."

Du Mingxian chuckled inwardly. Was Wang Pozi talking about herself? And the complex emotions in her eyes—a mixture of nostalgia and resentment—and the sadness emanating from her, suggested a story had unfolded.

At this point, Granny Wang changed the subject, "Let me tell you, scholars are no good. They may speak sweetly, but they are truly deceitful. In this world, only scholars are the best at deceiving people, and only scholars are the most ruthless."

“I think you’re doing pretty well now. You have Mr. Niu by your side. As long as you live well with Mr. Niu, your future won’t be bad.”

Du Mingxian twitched the corners of her mouth, but since she really didn't know how to answer, she remained silent.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Granny Wang felt very uncomfortable and wanted to say something, "Tell me about your past."

"I haven't fully recovered yet. My throat feels uncomfortable if I talk too much, and I want to drink water. But if I drink too much water, I need to urinate, and I'll have to trouble you again. I'm really sorry."

"Why don't you tell me in the next couple of days? Once I'm feeling better, I'll tell you about anything you're interested in."

When Granny Wang heard Du Mingxian say that she needed to urinate after drinking too much water, she immediately lost her mind. "Alright, I'll tell you then. What do you want to hear?"

Have you ever had a crush on anyone before?

"Yes, I've been through that phase when I was young. How could I not have someone I liked?" Granny Wang was quite frank about this, recounting her experiences, though she embellished them.

“When I was little, my parents didn’t like me because they disliked that I was a girl, so they sold me to someone else to be a child bride. Who knew that the man would get sick and die young.”

"Later I agreed to my in-laws' request for a son-in-law, but when I grew up, my parents-in-law passed away. I took care of them until they died, and then I was all alone in this world."

“I was young then, and it was hard to protect my family’s things. The villagers bullied me, and I had no choice but to leave.”

"After I got out, I looked for work everywhere and helped others from time to time. I even saved quite a few people. Some people didn't want to live, so I went to save them and found them a good place to go."

"Later, I had some money, and as I got older, I wanted to find a man to settle down with. But... after we got married, my husband fell ill. I used all my savings to treat him, but he still died, and all the money was gone."

"Life was so hopeless, nothing seemed to go right. So I sold myself and worked for several different families before finally ending up with the lady."