8 - Marriage proposals

Chapter 8 – Marriage proposals

Shangguan Yan knew that he came to the Qin Mansion with a purpose and should not be the same as her.

Is it because he couldn’t get any results and now feels depressed?

Based on their relationship of ‘treading on the same path’, she decided not to be petty with him, so she pretended she did not see him and walked farther away to avoid being an eyesore.

(Treading on the same path means to have the same motive or doing the same thing.)

“Where are you going?” Di Jing’s cold voice sounded.

She paused and was just about to answer him when he threw out an order. “The tea is cold, prepare another pot and bring it over.” After speaking, he turned around and walked into the room.

Shangguan Yan showed a puzzled look on her face.

It looks like he is very angry. Since the weather is hot, one should be drinking cold tea but why is he expressing his dislike for the cold tea?

Alright, she has no objections, and anyway, she is not the one who is going to drink it. She will change it to the hottest pot of tea to kill him!

She entered the room with a small stove and put it on the side table. Then she placed the teapot on top of the stove and started to make tea. When she turned her head around, she found that he was still staring at her with a deep meaningful look.

She returned the stare straight at him and asked. “What’s the matter with you? If you’re in a bad mood, don’t take it out on me.” Her tone was uninhibited and it was the usual way she talks to him when they interact in private.

Di Jing snorted. “Your charms are no less. Unexpectedly, I heard people became jealous and fought over you!”

Suddenly, Shangguan Yan realized that he was looking down on others! She was not bothered and instead showed a wicked smile.

“In this Qin Mansion, it’s not only someone’s peach blossom luck that is very prosperous. Some people are also capable but the only thing is that they keep a low-profile.”

The corners of Di Jing’s mouth twitched as he looked at her boasting shamelessly and the damn thing is that he actually thinks she looks cute like this and his initial unhappiness had reduced a lot.

Whenever they talk, they would bicker with each other before they were satisfied. He was about to start a quarrel with her when they were interrupted by a voice outside the door.

“Brother Di……..Brother Di……..”

Qin Jikang’s voice drifted in from outside. Di Jing lifted his head to look outside the door and Shangguan Yan stepped aside to continue making the tea, resuming the façade of a humble servant again.

Qin Jikang lifted his robe to step over the threshold and walked in with a face full of smiles while Di Jing stood up to welcome him.

“Why is Brother Jikang so happy?”

“The matter you mentioned to me the last time has finally made headway.”

“Oh?” Di Jing’s eyes flickered slightly but on the surface, he still pretended to be calm and waited for Qin Jikang to continue.

Qin Jikang was about to explain when he spotted someone out of the corner of his eyes, and involuntarily, turned to look at Ma’er.

Thinking that Qin Jikang was about to say something inconvenient for other people to be around, Di Jing gave an order. “Ma’er, withdraw.”

“Yes.” Shangguan Yan bowed to both of them and exited the room with her head lowered.

When Ma’er was leaving, Qin Jikang’s eyes were still focused on her without shifting away. He stared so intensely at Ma’er that Di Jing felt slightly surprised.

Usually, when Qin Jikang comes to look for him, he would never look directly at Ma’er but why is he acting so abnormal today? At the same time, he is revealing interest in his eyes. Can it be he has feelings for Ma’er as well?

“What headway is Brother Jikang talking about?” Di Jing deliberately prompted Qin Jikang to draw his attention away.

When Qin Jikang turned his head back, he had a smile on his face. He did not reply to Di Jing’s question but instead, he talked about Ma’er.

“Initially, I thought that girl is nothing much to look at with all those pockmarks on her face which made her look ugly. However, after taking a closer look just now, I feel she is actually not that ugly.”

Although the change in Di Jing’s complexion was not obvious, his heart tightened.

This Qin Jikang can’t be interested in her as well, right?

The thought made him feel very repulsive.

“She is only just an ugly girl with rough hands and feet. Compared with those beautiful maids around Brother Jikang, the difference is extremely vast.” Although Di Jing said those words carelessly, he was wary. Somehow, he did not want Qin Jikang to take note of Ma’er because he was afraid that Qin Jikang would suddenly take Ma’er as a concubine on a whim. So, he specifically degraded Ma’er as being worthless.

Qin Jikang did not know Di Jing’s thoughts and continued. “I think so too. However, you are unaware that Ma’er is quite popular and we might have been mistaken. In our residence, three male servants came to see my mother saying that they want to marry her and take her home as a wife.”

Di Jing was stunned. “Don’t joke.”

“I’m not joking, it’s the truth and I didn’t believe it at first. Since that Ma’er is not pretty, I was wondering why her peach blossom luck suddenly became so prosperous and popular. So I asked the three young male servants in private. Can you guess what they told me?”

“What did they say?” Di Jing could not help but ask.

“They said that this Ma’er did not look pretty in the beginning but after getting along for some time, they like her more and more. They said that she has a good temper and is amusing. At first glance, they didn’t feel anything for her but after seeing her for some time, they realized that she is pleasing to the eye. Moreover, no matter how they look at her, they don’t feel tired of her, so they want to marry her and take her home as a wife.”

Di Jing could not help but clench his hands into fists. It turned out that he was not the only one who has this kind of feeling.

“Did the Old Madam agree to let her marry anyone?”

“No…….because the three of them requested to marry her at the same time and my mother was also surprised. She said she will ask for Ma’er’s opinion before making a decision but I guess Fang Dahu, the son of Steward Fang, has the best chance.”

As Di Jing listened, it seemed as though his mind had clogged up but then he seemed to have thought of something and smiled.

If his guess is correct, Ma’er would not marry anyone because she came to Qin Mansion for a purpose and would not remain in Qin Mansion for long. Thinking up to this point, he felt relieved.

“Brother Jikang, about the headway you mentioned just now, what is it?”

“Oh, yes…….look at my memory! I almost forgot. It’s about the matter concerning Lord Yan Zheng…….didn’t you wish to have an opportunity to meet him? Father said that he will be drinking at Ru Yue Fang tomorrow and invited both of us to go with him.”

Di Jing hurriedly clasped a hand over his fist in salute and said. “It’s this little brother’s honor to meet Lord Yan Zheng. I offer my thanks to Brother Jikang in advance.”

“Don’t be courteous. We are good friends, therefore matters that concern you will concern me as well.” Qin Jikang placed both his hands on Di Jing’s shoulders and his gaze was extremely deep and bright smoldering with hidden feelings of love.

Di Jing smiled and stretched out his hand to hold Qin Jikang’s wrist as he said warmly. “Brother Jikang treats this little brother with the spirit of brotherhood and this brother is moved. Come, let’s enjoy a cup of wine in the garden.” After speaking, Di Jing took the lead to walk out of the room.

This guy likes him……….it’s too dangerous to remain inside the room!

His peach blossom luck with women is prosperous and it seems it’s the same with men!

***☆☆☆***

To Di Jing’s surprise, Ma’er was promised to the son of Steward Fang, Fang Dahu. It was said that when Old Madam Qin asked her, she had nodded and agreed.

When Di Jing heard the news, his face showed indifference without any ripples but in his heart, he felt as though a jar of vinegar had overturned and inexplicable anger arose.

She had actually agreed?

(Vinegar is associated with the feeling of jealousy.)

He did not understand what he was angry about.

Can it be he cares for her? That girl with a pockmarked face? How can it be possible?

Perhaps, he was just too surprised and refused to admit that the news made him very unhappy. But on the very day he received the news, he told the young servant, Ah Fu, to inform Ma’er that she no longer need to serve in the inner room. She was transferred back to the outer courtyard straightaway while Ah Fu replaced her to serve in the inner courtyard.

Although Shangguan Yan was surprised, she felt fortunate.

It was good to work outside the house. She did not have to get up early in the morning to wait on men to change clothes and clean up. She felt relaxed and happy.

When Di Jing saw her joyful appearance, he felt even more unhappy. He felt irritated but since he had spoken, it was impossible to take back his words.

So be it since she was unwilling to remain in the inner courtyard, and he no longer wanted to force her. Both could regain the peace they sought.

Shangguan Yan slept comfortably for two consecutive nights and was full of energy. Just as she was returning from the servant’s mess with a full tummy after a meal, from the corner of her eyes, she spotted a familiar figure hiding at the side and peeking at her. She knew the person was Fang Dahu but deliberately pretended not to see him and continued to move forward.

“Ma’er…….”

Shangguan Yan stopped, turned her head around, and looked at him with a bright smile.

“Brother Hu.”

When he saw Ma’er’s lovely bright smile, Fang Dahu’s heart fluttered. For some reason, the more he looked at her, the more he likes her. When he found out that Xu Chang and Jia Lu had the intention to request for the Old Master’s permission to marry Ma’er, he immediately went to his father, Steward Fang, for fear that he would be a step too late.

Later, when he learned that Ma’er had consented to marry him, he was so happy that he felt as if he was about to soar into the sky. Usually, Ma’er treats Xu Chang very nice and she also talks and laughs with Jia Lu. His jealousy increased as each day passed and then eventually he realized that he likes her. Fortunately, it was not too late when he realized it and even more so, he did not expect she would be willing to marry him.

It showed that she likes him more than she likes Xu Chang and Jia Lu.

Now that both of them are engaged to be married, Fang Dahu finally felt relieved. When he recalled Xu Chang and Jia Lu’s disappointment at that time, he was filled with pride.

Although Ma’er is not pretty, she is much more interesting than the other maids. No doubt, those maids are beautiful, but they placed themselves too high and after getting along with them for some time, they would reveal their bad temper. Unlike Ma’er, the longer one interacts with her, the more one feels she is like the spring breeze. When one talks to her, one would still feel unfulfilled afterward.

When she saw Fang Dahu staring at her with a smile, she asked him.

“Brother Hu, do you want to see me for some matter?”

Only then did Fang Dahu discovered that he had forgotten his manners. He looked very embarrassed and when he saw no one was around, he said gently to her. “I came just to see you.”

With just a glance, Shangguan Yan could see through him. Fang Dahu is someone easy to understand and she had picked him because she was only going with the flow.

Anyway, their marriage will never happen, and maybe through the relationship of a fiancée, she can get other news from Fang Dahu. His father is Steward Fang and he would usually serve beside Old Master Qin and follow him around. Thinking of this, she showed a sweet smile to Fang Dahu.

As a female constable and a businesswoman, she is slick and sly when dealing with matters and is skilled in cultivating good feelings with others.

In the beginning, it was just an excuse to build a good relationship with the Qin Family’s servants. Who would have expected that she would be liked by others? It was also beyond her expectation.

Although she had agreed to the marriage, she purposely found a reason to postpone the marriage to half a year later. It was more than enough time for her. Anyway, half a year later, she would no longer be in the Qin Mansion.

This Fang Dahu is destined to meet with disappointment.