Chapter 181 – Showing Her Ambition
Seeing the scorn in Yan Shuxiu’s eyes, Yan Shujing gritted her teeth in silent anger.
“I am the eldest daughter of the Yan family. Am I so easily frightened into foolishness?”
At a time when everyone else was anxious and flustered, her calmness even earned a measure of appreciation from Old Master Yan.
Noticing his gaze on her, Yan Shujing spoke coolly, “Grandfather, I was serious about what I said. The Yan family has spent so much money on raising me, wasn’t it all to pave the way for a marriage into a high-status family? Although General Zhan is a distinguished person from Xijing with an extraordinary status, he is still a man.”
And all men have a weakness for beauty.
Yan Shujing didn’t voice the rest of her thoughts, but Old Master Yan understood what she was implying.
After pondering for a moment, he felt there was some reason in her words. However, the Yan family’s wealth, while considerable in Xize County, was nothing compared to the noble families of Xijing. A hero like General Zhan from Xijing… why would he marry a woman from a family of modest status?
“Jing’er, your idea is good, and your analysis is not wrong. But given our family’s wealth, even if General Zhan is willing to take you, you can only be a concubine in his residence. The position of his wife might be…”
Yan Shujing had already considered this.
She would rather be a concubine in a noble house than a wife in a poor family.
“Grandfather, even if I am to be a concubine for General Zhan, I am willing. For someone of his status, being a concubine in his residence is more honorable than being the wife in an ordinary family. In the future, if I bear him children, my status will naturally rise. Then, the entire Yan family can benefit from my position, and perhaps my brother’s career will be smoother.”
His eldest’s reputation was ruined, and now the only hope for the Yan family to enter officialdom was Yan Wenfeng. Old Master Yan was quite moved by her words. However, he was aware that General Zhan was not an easy person to approach, and he felt uncertain.
“Jing’er, if you want to marry General Zhan as a concubine, you must first get close to him and catch his eye. But approaching General Zhan is not an easy task.”
Yan Shujing, with a furrowed brow and a calm demeanor, replied, “Grandfather, isn’t County Magistrate Yao Jin also trying to curry favor with General Zhan? Yao Jin has no daughters, and he doesn’t trust the beautiful maids in the county court, nor does he trust their abilities. If grandfather can persuade Yao Jin to acknowledge me as his adopted daughter…”
These were the ideas Yan Bozhang had shared with her.
Yao Jin initially wanted to present a beauty to General Zhan but had no daughters, and he didn’t fully trust the beautiful maids in his house.
“Grandfather, you were once the magistrate of Xize County and a senior to Yao Jin. If you intervene, Yao Jin should give you some respect.”
After all, if she succeeded in captivating General Zhan, it would also benefit Yao Jin’s career. There was no reason for him to refuse.
For the first time, Old Master Yan discovered that his granddaughter was quite intelligent.
Seeing that neither Ms. Jiang, Ms. Li, nor Yan Wenfeng opposed the idea, Old Master Yan nodded, “Alright, I will take you to meet Yao Jin at the county court tomorrow.”
Yan Shuxiu sneered to herself.
She was waiting to see Yan Shujing return, embarrassed and humiliated.
The next morning, Yan Shujing dressed up elaborately, and Old Master Yan personally took her to the county city.
…
In the cave at Big Sister Peak, the rich aroma of food woke Yan Xiaosi. A beam of sunlight slanted in through the cave entrance, signaling a clear and sunny autumn day. Even without lighting a lamp, there was light in the cave.
Yan Xiaosi opened her eyes to see her mother and two sisters busily working around the stone-built stove. Her mother was stirring a wok, her big sister was tending the fire with tongs, and her second sister was chopping wood. It was a warm and heartening scene, and seeing such a scene made Yan Xiaosi’s mood brighten every morning.
Hearing her stirring, Ms. Zhong glanced back.
“Xiaosi, you’re awake. Get dressed and wash up quickly, we’re about to have breakfast,” Ms. Zhong said as Yan Xiaosi woke up.
Yan Xiaosi quickly got dressed and washed her face with cold water from a stream outside before returning to the cave for breakfast. Casually, she asked Ms. Zhong, “Mother, the weather is nice today. Are you planning to go cut more wood?”
Recently, despite the hard work of selling firewood at the market in Daxing Town, they hadn’t earned much money. Ms. Zhong had already decided not to chop wood for sale anymore.
“I won’t be chopping wood today. I plan to take out your father’s books and air them in the sun,” Ms. Zhong replied.
Previously, when they lived in the rundown temple at the end of Shaoyao Village, Yan Bowen’s books had been kept in an old wardrobe, which protected them from moisture. However, the wardrobe was too heavy to move during their relocation, so they had to leave it behind. Now, Yan Bowen’s books were stored in a burlap sack, leaning against the cave’s stone wall. The cave was quite damp, and after only a few days, the sack had become moist. If the books were not aired out soon, they would rot away.
Yan Bowen’s only legacy was those books, and Ms. Zhong couldn’t bear to let them spoil.
Knowing how important these books were to Ms. Zhong, Yan Xiaosi offered, “Mom, after breakfast, I’ll help you air the books.”
After breakfast, while Ms. Zhong and Yan Shuqin tidied up the cave, Yan Xiaosi and Yan Shuxue carried the burlap sack outside. The sun was already high, casting gentle light just outside the cave.
There was a small flat area outside the cave, perfect for airing the books.
“Second Sister, the sunlight is good here. Let’s air Dad’s books in this spot,” Yan Xiaosi suggested.
“Alright,” agreed Yan Shuxue.
The sisters opened the sack and carefully took out Yan Bowen’s books one by one, spreading them open under the sunlight to dry.
Ms. Zhong and Yan Shuqin finished tidying the cave and came out to help. Yan Shuqin’s foot injury had clearly improved, and she moved more easily than the day before. Seeing her eldest daughter recover so quickly further convinced Ms. Zhong of her youngest daughter’s medical skills.
With such profound medical knowledge, opening a clinic in the future would not only provide a livelihood but also help the sick and injured – a truly virtuous deed. Ms. Zhong felt it was her duty as a mother to support this.
Ms. Zhong picked up a book from the sack and, while airing it, said to Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, I don’t want to chop and sell wood anymore in the future.”
Yan Xiaosi had long hoped her mother would give up this hard and unprofitable work.
“Mom, if you don’t want to chop wood, then we don’t have to. I’ve grown up, and with my medical skills, I can support you,” Yan Xiaosi reassured her.
Ms. Zhong smiled contentedly and said, “Xiaosi, teach me how to recognize medicinal herbs. In the future, I can help you gather and sell them, right?”
