"Mother, please don’t get agitated, I’m just guessing. I just feel that my brother treats that sister very differently. You should ask my brother for specifics."
Seeing that her mother was about to burst into anger, Chu Huan thought it best to shift the matter onto her brother’s shoulders.
As expected, upon hearing this, Madam Chu immediately sent a maid to summon someone.
"Xiaohuan, who exactly is that girl? Who could possibly lack the discernment to spurn my son?" Madam Chu continued interrogating her daughter after sitting down, still in disbelief.
"..." Chu Huan thought the issue had been dropped, but her mother persisted in wanting to know who the girl was, so she had no choice but to answer, "It’s the one who came later."
"..." The one who came later? Wasn’t that the one without an invitation, who was willing to ruin her own reputation just to attend the selection for marriage? How could she now dismiss my son?
Madam Chu grew more incensed the more she thought about it, and said sharply, "What kind of game is she playing at, playing hard to get?"
"..." Hearing her mother speak , Chu Huan feared that the sister might have been misunderstood.
"Mother, you’re overthinking it. It’s not that she’s playing hard to get. It’s more likely that my brother did something to offend that sister, and she’s here to settle accounts with him, not to participate in the marriage selection."
At this moment, Madam Chu’s mind started racing. What had her son done to wrong that girl? Could it be that her son had finally seen the light? This was a great piece of news! Did this mean she would soon be holding a grandchild?
All of a sudden, Madam Chu’s face lit up with joy, leaving Lord Chu and Chu Huan utterly baffled.
The two whispered to each other, "Your mother is getting carried away with her thoughts again."
Chu Huan nodded, "Yes, yes, let’s not bother with her."
Before long, Chu Lian entered the room. Without even asking, one could tell that his mother was about to question him about the results of the marriage selection event.
Sure enough, as soon as he entered, his mother asked with a smile, "Lian, what do you think of those girls? Which family’s daughter is acceptable? Mother will start preparing the dowry tomorrow."
Seeing his mother’s beaming expression, Chu Lian felt helpless. His mother was always preoccupied with such matters, to the point that he no longer enjoyed coming home. Irritably, he responded, "None of them is suitable; I didn’t fancy any of them."
Upon hearing this, Madam Chu’s expression changed dramatically. She suddenly slammed her hand on the table and bellowed at Chu Lian, "Repeat what you just said."
Chu Lian was shocked by his mother’s outburst, but he replied nonchalantly, "Oh, come on, I just didn’t fancy any, so let’s not do this anymore."
His attitude infuriated Lord Chu, who standing beside them, was from a prestigious family and couldn’t fathom how they had raised such an ill-mannered son.
Holding back his anger and speaking in a very calm voice, he began slowly, "Chu Lian, what exactly did you do to have that girl come knocking at our door?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the room instantly fell silent, all eyes turning to Chu Lian, awaiting his answer.
"..." Was this about the issue with that unruly woman? If he spoke the truth, his father would give him a thrashing, so he absolutely could not tell, "I did nothing."
No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a loud slap as Lord Chu also slammed his hand on the table, "Speak up, don’t make me investigate."
"..." His father was angry, truly angry. He was usually affable, but when he got mad, it was serious, and no one could withstand it.
If he didn’t speak up, his father would still go ahead and find out, and he would end up in a sorry state. Knowing he was in the wrong and lacking confidence, he said in a low voice, "I told someone outside that she was my unwed bride."