Jiang Buchen leaned against Meng Wanzhi’s chest and thoughtfully glanced towards Jiang Li.
By now, he should be able to give this big sister a checkmark.
She seemed to have no hostility toward Mom.
Jiang Bufan couldn’t quite grasp the conversation among the adults, his mind already drifted far away, starting to fiddle with the bouquet of sunflowers he had bought.
Meng Wanzhi, with her prejudices against Jiang Li gone, relaxed a lot, even starting to chat with her.
The more they talked, the more she marveled at this young lady’s transformation and her current perspective.
She even had a thought:
If Jiang Li had become sooner, maybe her days at the Jiang Family would have been easier before.
When she had just gotten married and was brought to the Capital, she was unfamiliar with everything and wasn’t very close to Jiang Mingchuan.
In the massive Jiang Family, she could only exchange a few words with Lin Manru.
But Jiang Li and Jiang Yan constantly disdained her background, either arguing or making a fuss, the second family’s cold war unnerved her as an outsider.
Coupled with the hormonal changes during pregnancy, she nearly became depressed.
So when the two children grew older, she hastily returned to her family, unwilling to stay another second here.
Watching Jiang Bufan and Jiang Buchen playing on the side, Meng Wanzhi then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Previously, your grandfather said my Four Pillars of Destiny was the best match with your Third Uncle. Now it seems that fortune teller must have been talking nonsense. If our pillars match, there would be no unmatched ones in this world."
Jiang Li pondered, "Third Uncle and your pillars really don’t match well."
And this is one of the reasons she feels something’s off with that Daoist Xu Mei.
Because their Four Pillars of Destiny were supposed to match.
Originally, Jiang Zhao Yuan had gathered several marriageable women’s pillars, but Daoist Xu Mei picked Meng Wanzhi out from the crowd, saying her destiny was equivalent to having Ziwei with her, benefiting the husband and the family.
The Old Sir happily brought rich betrothal gifts and proposed marriage.
But she recently reviewed their Four Pillars and found not only do they not match, but also there are numerous entangled fates.
This is one reason she finds Xu Mei mysterious.
This wasn’t his first time giving their family an unreliable love match.
How could there be such successive coincidences in the world?
Meng Wanzhi was somewhat astonished, "You actually understand Four Pillars of Destiny?"
Jiang Li snapped back and nodded, "Not only do I understand the Four Pillars, but I also know some Mystical Skills."
Meng Wanzhi, upon hearing this, became somewhat intrigued.
Her village people always believed in mysticism, and the Jiang family’s ancestors came from there, deeply influencing Old Sir, which is why he settled her marriage with Mingchuan based on the fortune teller’s word.
"How much do you understand? Can you read mine?"
Jiang Li had this intention anyway, so she seized the opportunity, "Then Third Aunt, give me your Four Pillars of Destiny."
Meng Wanzhi revealed her pillars.
Jiang Li immediately performed the divination.
"Third Aunt, your pillars have many injuring officials and no secondary yin, the day pillar is weak without a main owner, which signifies a relatively poor background, with not much help from your parents, the monthly pillar has water running to wood, with many competing energy, this indicates you should have more than one sibling, but the position is poor, they not only can’t help you but may also hinder you."
"I know you have an elder sister, but from your pillars, you should have had an elder brother, only your brother’s pillars were too weak, should have passed away early."
Meng Wanzhi was extremely surprised.
Listening to the earlier parts, she did not feel much, as Jiang Li surely knew some details about her family situation.
But regarding this brother... even Jiang Mingchuan knew little.
Her brother was second in rank, a year younger than Meng Xuezhi.
Most rural people favored sons over daughters, and her parents were no exception.
Her brother had always been unwell since birth, so her parents cherished him even more.
When he was three, she was born.
During that snowy month’s end her brother fell gravely ill and died before spring came.
Her mother cried incessantly, and her father was silent for a long time.
Later, the village elder said their pillars clashed; her brother was already frail and couldn’t withstand it.
The elder’s words left a mark on her parents’ hearts, and from then on, they found everything wrong with her, entrusting all the dirty and heavy tasks to her.
But feeling guilty, she never complained.
Because in her belief, her brother died because of her.
Even when her parents preferred her sister, she never resented them.
Things improved from the year the Jiang Family proposed.
The Jiang Family’s ancestral home was also in their small fishing village, the only one to settle in the Capital.
On an ordinary afternoon, the village’s renowned matchmaker brought them good news, saying that wealthy Old Sir Jiang had chosen their daughter as a daughter-in-law.
Her parents were elated, preparing a sumptuous meal in celebration that evening.
When Old Sir Jiang personally visited, handing over the betrothal gifts, their attitude towards her completely changed.
Not only did they show concern but even prepared a generous dowry for her.
One significant reason for accepting the marriage was this.
She felt too guilty towards her parents; since she couldn’t redeem them with a son, she opted to compensate materially instead.
Later, she gave birth to Bufan and Buchen.
Her mother then lavished her love for her son onto these two grandchildren.
She too benefited from this, becoming more valued by her parents.
This explained why she frequently brought Bufan and Buchen home.
It seemed her identity was truly acknowledged only when they were present.
Thinking of this, a bitter smile curled at Meng Wanzhi’s lips.
Feeling somewhat chilly, she pulled the blanket up and then pretended as though nothing happened to look at Jiang Li.
"I didn’t expect you really understand these things, impressive. I did have a brother, but... he was clashed to death by me."
Jiang Li frowned, "Why would Third Aunt say that?"
"Earlier a fortune teller said our pillars clashed."
Jiang Li pondered, "Your brother was indeed weak, but your pillar isn’t too strong either, shouldn’t clash to such a degree... Do you have your brother’s pillars? Can you show me?"
Meng Wanzhi naturally knew her brother’s pillars, as her mother often mentioned matters concerning him.
Upon obtaining the pillars, Jiang Li then smiled.
"That elder was probably amateurish, your aspects indeed clash, but your day pillar is strong, going earth and wood, partial official and wealth, plus your yearly trajectory looks promising, theoretically speaking, you should enhance your surroundings, especially blood relations."