Mrs. Huang has never understood what these sisters mean by dumplings?
She always thought Shu’er liked the Huang Mansion because she liked Huang Kun, and Huang Kun buying gifts for Shu’er was also a sign of affection.
But now, having heard the gist, there’s an undisclosed deal between these cousins.
And Chun Nuan seems to understand very well.
"Shu’er, what do you think of Huang Kun?"
"The eldest cousin?" Chun Shu thought for a moment: "Mother, should Shu’er speak the truth?"
"Of course."
Mrs. Huang felt a bit annoyed, what does it mean to speak the truth?
"Shu’er feels the eldest cousin is used to pretending, one way in front of people and another behind their backs."
Mrs. Huang’s mind was abuzz.
Who is Huang Kun?
He is the legitimate eldest grandson of the Huang family, their pride, who became a scholar at sixteen and a scholar at twenty. Father once said he had the demeanor of their ancestors, but it turns out in Chun Shu’s words, he’s utterly useless.
"Shu’er, do not be disrespectful."
Unable to bear Chun Shu’s words, Mrs. Huang scolded directly.
"But isn’t it you who said to speak the truth?" Chun Shu muttered softly, "You get angry when I do."
"Keep quiet."
Mrs. Huang shouted in haste.
Chun Shu’s face was full of grievance.
The Xiao Family... look how they’ve driven her.
Indeed, Mrs. Huang prides herself on her family’s reputation, seeing Huang Kun as representative of the Huang family’s honor and future.
She was confident in Huang Kun and even considered sending her daughter to become a concubine to please her family.
Who would have thought her daughter would directly tear away Mrs. Huang’s pretense, leaving her without face in front of her husband’s family.
"Chun Shu, I want to send you to the Capital."
Mother’s letter had already confirmed it, sending Chun Shu to the Capital was to pave the way for Chun Qiang and the others, or else in this poor, remote place, how could they ever break through.
"If the whole family returns to the Capital, I’ll return home. But if it’s just me going back to enjoy the benefits, I certainly won’t go back."
Zhu Shu assumed her mother intended to send her back to the Capital to meet prospective families.
"Mother, wake up, even if the Huang Mansion is considered, who would care about the marriage of a cousin, truly not even on par with a concubine. What kind of people could I possibly meet there."
"Your mother wants to send you back to the Huang family to be Huang Kun’s concubine."
"What?"
Chun Shu’s eyes widened looking at her mother, and then turned to ask her aunt: "Is this something the family decided?"
Her small body was already beginning to tremble.
It’s anger, it’s grievance, it’s rage, it’s unwillingness.
"No, the Xiao family may be in decline, but the rules are still intact." Mrs. Xu hurriedly held her hand: "The Xiao family ancestral teachings, men do not take concubines, women do not become concubines, the family never intended to send any of you sisters to become concubines."
"Moreover, in the Capital, the Xiao family now does not need to send daughters to become concubines either."
Mrs. Xu is most vexed by Mrs. Huang’s inability to comprehend.
Chunyu is now the wife of General Yuanhuai, the head mistress bestowed by the Emperor, Panpan calls the Great Prince, no, now the Crown Prince, ’big brother’, with the privilege to freely enter and leave the Imperial Palace. With such a family, her sister, even if a cousin, has no reason to become a concubine.
The Huang family wants to draw in the Xiao family but fears backing the wrong side without any gain, so they found a concubine’s position to place Chun Shu, which is not even considered charity, but rather an insult.
No relationship is okay, but not this kind of relationship!
"Thank you, aunt."
Tears welled in Chun Shu’s eyes; the one wanting to push her into the abyss is her own mother.
What exactly was she thinking?
"Chun Shu, you need to seriously consider, you are fifteen this year, next year after mourning, you’ll be sixteen. At sixteen, here in Changzhou, in this poor remote place, what kind of family could you possibly marry into?"
"A farmer? That poor young man Tang Si who hangs around the gates all day, or Zhou San who helped carry firewood once? A well-bred lady like you, what have you degraded yourself to?" Mrs. Huang couldn’t control her emotions anymore; her years of refinement collapsed at this moment: "Do you want to live here for the rest of your life? Do you want your descendants to suffer here too?"
"Mother." Chun Shu couldn’t believe this was her well-read, gentle, virtuous mother: "If you don’t want to live here your whole life, you can return to the Capital. I too don’t want to live such a life; I can also return to the Capital, but not in this manner."
"I, Xiao Chunsu, have hands, have feet, have the Xiao family, have elder sister, have older brother, why should I degrade myself to be Huang Kun’s concubine, returning to the Capital in such a way for what? For the Xiao family to be a laughing stock? Or does it mean when discussing me, Xiao Chunsu, your name, Huang Yashu, sounds nice?"