Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 023

Chapter 23: Aunt Meng

In order to make it easier for them to talk, Madam Li found an excuse to go out.

An Zhi stood up and bowed slightly to Meng Jie. According to her age, she should call her “sister”, but now she had to follow the seniority. “Hello, Aunt Meng.”

Meng Jie’s voice was neither high nor low, unlike Mistress Xu’s delicate and charming voice, but more sonorous and powerful. She was dazed for a moment when she heard An Zhi call her Aunt Meng. “Please sit down. My old lady is seriously ill, so I can’t invite you over. I will tell her about your feelings later.”

“Then I’ll trouble you, Aunt Meng. Let’s be frank. In addition to coming to see the old lady, I also have something to ask Aunt Meng.” An Zhi looked at Meng Jie and saw that the veins on the back of her hands were slightly bulging, but her face did not show anger. It seemed that she was a capable person.

“I already knew everything about your father.” Meng Jie picked up the teacup and slowly put it down. “My family won’t regret this marriage, so you can rest assured.”

“Aunt Meng misunderstood what I meant.” An Zhi smiled. “I didn’t come here today to persuade you not to regret the engagement. I just thought that you might have been kept in the dark about something, so I came here to explain.”

When An Zhi heard Meng Jie say that she would not regret the engagement, she knew that Meng Jie was very eager to get married, and she probably felt that someone in the Meng family was putting pressure on her.

Seeing Meng Jie’s doubtful expression, An Zhi continued, “People outside say that my father has a mistress and is a playboy. This is all true. He is passionate, but also loyal. After so many years, he has had new lovers, but he still cares for that mistress. I say this not to praise him, but to say that we can look at things from all sides.”

An Zhi picked up the teacup and took a sip. “For us women, getting married is like a second life. If we don’t choose the right husband, the rest of our lives will be worse than death. Our two families want to be friends, not enemies. So Aunt Meng, you have to think carefully. If you are sincere about marrying into our family, that’s all. You can ask me if you have any questions now. If you want to cancel the engagement, I can ask my father to do it.”

“Young Lady An can make the decision for your father?” Meng Jie asked with her head tilted.

An Zhi understood what Meng Jie meant. “Of course not. Father hates threats and intimidation the most. But if you speak softly and think for his benefit, he will naturally listen. It just depends on whether you use the right method. As for me, Aunt Meng, don’t worry too much. In less than two years, I will not be at home. I don’t have a grandmother to serve, and no brothers to fight for the family inheritance. My father has only one legitimate son, my brother, and one illegitimate son. My brother is naturally nothing for you to worry about. Although the illegitimate son is young, he is just the right person for you to raise. When you have your own child, you can raise him well.”

While speaking, An Zhi kept looking at Meng Jie. She wanted her to get married, so she said the good things first, but she also had to say the bad things in advance. “However, my father is weak-willed and has no ambition. In this life, the fourth-grade rank is already the peak. That mistress is not an easy person to deal with. Even my mother was plotted against. If Aunt Meng wants to live a good life, she must first deal with the mistress and secondly, control my father’s belt. I have said both good and bad things. Life is your own life. Aunt Meng can reconsider. I dare not say that your life will be too good if you marry into my family, but at least it will be better than your current one.”

Meng Jie had already passed the mourning period, but she still wore plain clothes made of old cloth. This showed that the head of the family, Madam Li, did not take good care of Meng Jie, and the only person who cared about her, her grandmother, was old and had no power to do anything about her.

Having said all that needed to be said, An Zhi stood up and said goodbye. “My half-brother likes green rice cakes. If Aunt Meng doesn’t mind, make some for him tomorrow. He’ll be very happy.”

An Zhi was a little reserved in her final words. The sun was shining brightly when she left the Meng family’s house. The spring rain had been falling for half a month, and her bones were almost brittle.

She asked the driver to go through the six shops she owned. “Binglu, the day after tomorrow is the fifth day of the New Year, right?”

Binglu nodded, opened the curtain a little, and seeing the bustling crowd outside, she asked, “Miss, are you really going to close both stores when the time comes?”

“Of course. Now that the words are out, there’s no reason to regret them.” An Zhi knew what Binglu was worried about. “You’re worried that the remaining four shopkeepers will be greedy again. But I’m telling you, no one in business doesn’t want to be greedy. If they want to make a little profit, that’s fine. I’ll turn a blind eye. But if they still want to do things the same as before, the two eliminated shopkeepers will report them first without us having to investigate.”

It was impossible for An Zhi to show up in public to negotiate business on her own. She always needed capable people to help her. Although the remaining four were definitely not good, they could make money for her first, and then she could slowly cultivate people she liked in the future.

After strolling around the street, An Zhi returned home and received a letter from Meng Zhou, saying that An Rong had already had an affair with a wealthy businessman arranged by her, and was just waiting for An Rong to take the abortion pills herself.

“Miss, why do you think she did this?” Binglu was puzzled. “Young Master Pei gave up everything for her. He must really love her to do that. Even if Young Master Pei is a little poor now, he is still a juren. He can make a living no matter what.”

“She used to want wealth and glory, but now she realizes she can’t have both, so she chose wealth and glory.” An Zhi wrote to her brother in the border area, informing him that her father was planning to remarry. “This is her own choice. No one else can be blamed for what happens in the future. I’ve already given her a chance to survive, but she didn’t cherish it.”

Binglu sighed beside her, “It would be great if Young Master Pei didn’t regret the engagement.”

An Zhi finished writing the letter and sealed it with beeswax. “It would be great if he regretted it. If I find out he’s not the right person for me after we get married, I’ll truly regret it. We’ll just have to wait and see. Pei Yu swore an oath that if An Rong abandons him one day, he’ll come back and be my slave.”