"An Hao’s birth date is bad?" Li Junping really did not want her son to end up with such a daughter-in-law, and hearing that An Hao had an unfortunate birth chart, she was even more determined to get to the bottom of it.
"Yes," Bai Xue sighed with resignation, "She was born under the ’Lonely Star of Death’. It killed her mother, just look at the elder An’s health? And if you look at the constant troubles in our household, you’ll understand. There’s nothing I can do. No matter what, An Hao is still elder An’s child, I can’t just let An Shuchao abandon her, can I? That’s why I went to see fortune-teller Liu, who said she could break the curse."
"Indeed." Bai Xue’s suggestion quickly led her to believe that An Hao’s birth chart was a problem. If Qin Jian married her, could it possibly bring bad luck to the family?
As she pondered this, she suddenly heard Bai Xue say, "Oh dear, speaking of which, I completely forgot. The fortune-teller said that the child An Hao could also bring bad luck to her husband and father."
"If she’s already under the ’Lonely Star of Death’, how could she not bring bad luck? Such a birth chart is the worst," Li Junping muttered to herself.
Seeing that Li Junping had taken the bait, Bai Xue secretly rejoiced for a while before continuing, "Just think, how will she ever marry off? I can’t keep an old maid at home forever, can I? I used to worry that Yanjiao would have a harder time finding a match than An Hao, and I casually asked the fortune-teller about it. And guess what? She actually said that our Yanjiao has a good fortune. In the future, she’s meant to be a high-ranking official’s wife, blessed with a fortune that benefits her husband."
She left the matter at that and seeing Li Junping looking perturbed, Bai Xue decided to quit while she was ahead, "Well, I should be going now. There’s still cooking to be done at home."
Li Junping nodded her head.
Watching Bai Xue’s retreating figure, Li Junping felt unsettled, unable to make up her mind.
In her lifetime, the one thing that worried her the most was Qin Jian’s marriage. She used to say that Qin Jian would bring bad luck to his wife, so if he could just find a partner to get by with, that was enough.
But now, it seemed that wouldn’t do.
Qin Jian’s destiny may bring bad luck to his wife, but it didn’t pose a threat to others. However, with An Hao being under the ’Lonely Star of Death’, that was troublesome.
If she really did marry Qin Jian, he might not survive her, instead of him bringing bad luck to her, she might bring bad luck to him, and that simply wouldn’t do.
This nagging concern occupied Li Junping’s mind for several days.
Time quickly passed from the end of May to mid-June; June 13 was the death anniversary of An Hao’s mother. On that day, An Hao began to prepare offerings for her mother’s grave.
An Shuchao’s leg had been healing for over two months and still wasn’t quite right. Going to the gravesite, which involved climbing a hill, would definitely be too much for him.
An Hao told him that if his leg was in discomfort, he needn’t go; her mother’s spirit in heaven wouldn’t blame him.
So it was decided, An Shuchao would stay and An Hao would go with An Ping.
However, Bai Xue made an unusual offer this year. Hearing that An Shuchao wouldn’t be going, she stepped forward and said, "Elder An, it’s the anniversary of An Hao’s mother’s death after all. With your legs inconvenienced, just stay back. But I’d feel uneasy letting just the two siblings go. How about I go in your place to accompany them?"
An Shuchao agreed, "It’s rare for you to feel this way. If you want to pay respects to their mother, then please go ahead."
An Hao, upon hearing this, was very unhappy, "We are going because we need to pay respects to our deceased mother, but what business is it of yours?"