Chapter 283: She Must Kowtow Before Your Mother’s Grave
Chapter 283: Chapter 283: She Must Kowtow Before Your Mother’s Grave
Dong Aniu panicked. "Don’t be like this, Lifen. We had an agreement."
He ran to Lifen’s side, constantly apologizing and trying to sweet-talk her.
Meanwhile, Lifen and her family were looking at Grandma Qin out of the corners of their eyes.
But Grandma Qin was perfectly calm. She simply walked into the kitchen, scooped some water, and started preparing to cook.
Aunt Ma felt she wasn’t being given the respect she deserved.
Dong Aniu was begging to marry her daughter, yet this Grandma Qin was acting all high and mighty.
"Lifen, it looks like there’s nothing more to discuss about this marriage. We’re leaving now!" Aunt Ma said, then let her two sons help her out the door.
Lifen violently shook off Dong Aniu’s hand and followed her mother out.
’He had given them his entire fortune. How could the wife he’d practically secured just run off like that?’
"Lifen, don’t go! Let me explain!" he shouted, chasing after them.
A short while later, when Dong Aniu returned, he stared at Grandma Qin, who was stoking the fire to cook, his eyes full of resentment.
"Aunt, why did you have to ruin my marriage to Lifen?"
"Didn’t I talk to you about this before she came? Why were you so cold to her mother, Aunt Ma? How am I supposed to save face!"
Grandma Qin placed the washed white rice into the pot.
She straightened up, steadying herself on the edge of the stove.
"Ah Niu, I’ve already looked into it. When your mother was alive, she didn’t approve of you marrying her!"
"But you, behind their backs, you went and sold the bricks from your own house."
"How much silver could you get for a few worthless bricks? You must have lost your mind! The one who killed your parents wasn’t the snowstorm, it was you and your foolishness!"
As Grandma Qin spoke, she could no longer hide her anger.
If Chen Ye hadn’t made a trip to Dong Aniu’s village to ask around, she would have never known that the Dong Family’s tragedy was caused by Dong Aniu himself.
Dong Aniu was stunned.
’How did Grandma Qin find out? It must have been those gossiping villagers...’
"Aunt," Dong Aniu said, seeing he could no longer hide it. He fell to his knees, crying. "I already regret it! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to get married."
"My mother’s dying wish was to see the three of us siblings get married. Please, just grant me this."
"Lifen is hardworking and pretty. With my circumstances, I’m already incredibly lucky to be able to marry her."
Grandma Qin turned her back to him and sat down on a stool, silent.
So Dong Aniu crawled over and knelt before her again.
He clasped his hands, kowtowing and bowing repeatedly, his sallow face streaked with tears.
"Aunt, this is something you can do with just a lift of your hand! Why must you make things so difficult for me? I’m one of the few relatives you have left in this world!"
"Have you forgotten, Aunt? Back then, my mother had my little sister secretly bring you food to help you out. You weren’t as well-off as you are now."
"How heartbroken would my mother be if she knew that I’ve given everything to Lifen, only to be abandoned by her family?"
Grandma Qin closed her eyes. Her graying hair made the deep furrows in her brow seem all the more weary.
When she spoke again, her voice held a note of compromise. "I can agree to your marriage, and I can give you some silver to help."
"However, there is one condition," Grandma Qin said, opening her eyes, her gaze stern. "You must wait until after the forty-ninth day since your mother’s passing to get married."
"For her first seven-day memorial, which is tomorrow, Lifen must go to her grave and kowtow. If Lifen can do this, I will help you marry her, no questions asked."
Dong Aniu hesitated. "But..."
Grandma Qin immediately made her stance clear. "If that’s not possible, then I do not approve of your marriage to her."
"In the village where Lifen lives, the villagers all say she’s ’fickle and flirtatious.’ You had better think this through!"
Dong Aniu saw that Grandma Qin somehow knew everything, clear as day.
He started to panic.
"Aunt, we agree. We’ll do as you say."
But Grandma Qin gave a short, cold laugh. "It’s not your decision to make. Go and ask her. If she agrees, you will both accompany me tomorrow to pay respects to your mother."
The next day, the wind was bitingly cold.
Chen Ye drove the carriage, accompanying Grandma Qin to Nanshui Village to pay respects to her younger sister, Mrs. Dong Sr.
Two lonely graves stood on the desolate, snow-covered mountain, without even a single headstone.
"Little sister, we both live such bitter lives," Grandma Qin said with tears in her eyes, her aged hand stroking the burial mound.
Chen Ye found a wooden plank nearby and used his dagger to carve the surnames of Mrs. Dong Sr. and her husband onto it, fashioning a makeshift headstone.
Grandma Qin had just taken out a plate of food and placed it before the graves.
Just then, Dong Aniu’s panting voice came from behind them. "Aunt, we’re here!"
Grandma Qin turned to look and saw Dong Aniu dragging Lifen along as they hurried over, stumbling through the deep snow.
Lifen was clearly unwilling, constantly shoving Dong Aniu.
"Stop dragging me! I can walk on my own," she grumbled in displeasure.
When they finally reached Grandma Qin, Dong Aniu breathed out a puff of white mist, a fawning look on his face.
"Aunt, is this good enough? Lifen was willing to come."
Grandma Qin looked at Lifen. "Kneel and kowtow to Ah Niu’s mother."
Lifen’s eyes went wide.
She immediately shot a hostile glare at Dong Aniu.
"You only said we had to come! You never said I’d have to kowtow to your mother!"
Grandma Qin’s tone was cold. "If you marry Ah Niu, you become part of the Dong Family. You must kowtow to his mother to enter the family."
Dong Aniu gave Lifen an appeasing smile. "Just this once, please."
Chen Ye noticed a secret seem to pass between their eyes. They exchanged a look for a moment before Lifen reluctantly knelt.
Chen Ye’s gaze deepened, and he committed this subtle exchange to memory.
After Lifen kowtowed before the graves, Grandma Qin’s expression finally softened.
She spoke to the burial mound. "Sister, Ah Niu is getting married. Don’t you worry, I’ll keep an eye on him."
Afterward, back in the carriage.
Before leaving, Grandma Qin handed Dong Aniu a bundle.
"There’s some silver inside. Take it and buy what you need. You still have a month, which should be enough time to prepare everything properly."
With that, Chen Ye drove the carriage away.
Lifen stood in the cold wind, grinding her teeth in anger.
"That Mrs. Qin Sr. didn’t even offer us a ride in the carriage."
She poked Dong Aniu hard on the head. "You’re so useless! You just do whatever she says?"
"Didn’t we agree that you were going to make her help me find that arrogant little bitch from the other day?"
"But you didn’t even dare to say a single word! You..."
Before Lifen could finish, Dong Aniu had already opened the bundle.
Instantly, both of them were captivated by a brilliant white gleam.
It turned out that Grandma Qin had put fifty taels of silver in the bundle!
With this much money, they would be much more comfortable!
「Three days later.」
Shen Ningning was being held by Xie Suzhi as they came to the Willow Pavilion in the west of the city to see off Xie Mingxu, who was about to depart for the border.
"Godfather, you can put me down. I can walk by myself."
"Let Godfather hold you. The snow up ahead is too deep," Xie Suzhi said, standing inside the pavilion. He watched Xie Mingxu in the distance, who had just finished assembling his troops and was now riding toward them.
Xie Suzhi urged coolly, "Isn’t it time to go? Don’t delay."
Xie Mingxu nodded, his dark, narrow eyes turning to look at Shen Ningning.
"Ningning, come to Brother."