Chapter 176 FCADW? IRTBTMOTMM

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 Favoring Concubines and Destroying Wives? I Refuse to be the Mistress of this Marquis' Mansion

 Chapter 176: 

Someone In Mind

 

"Madame, I have no experience as a steward, so when would it not be too early to learn how to employ people?" Lin Yunwan looked puzzled, as if she was genuinely curious.

Madame Zheng pinched her handkerchief, hesitating to reply immediately. This was something she, as the stepmother, could arrange as she pleased, but feeling guilty, she couldn't come up with a rebuttal. She pursed her lips and said, "...Take it step by step. There's no shortcut to managing a household."

Lin Yunwan smiled faintly and didn't press further.

Madame Wen sat beside them, her eyes shifting... Madame Zheng clearly didn't care much for this stepdaughter. She even said she would give her a generous dowry to marry her off. Would Madame Zheng really fulfill her promises?

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She looked at her son again, not even sparing a glance at Lin Yunwan. Really... he was too timid!

"Wenhai."

"Ah... Mother? Did you call me?"

Wenhai stood up, bowing his head.

Madame Wen pulled her lips to the side. Her son was good in many ways, but he lacked masculinity!

She had to give her son a hand and said, "The snacks on your table were specially prepared by your aunt. But how can you enjoy them alone? Why don't you share them with your sister?"

These were snacks from the Lin Family. How could the young ladies of the Lin Family not taste them?

Wenhai couldn't refuse his mother, so he obediently picked up the snacks and stood up, not knowing which sister to give them to first.

Fan Mama came in and bowed, reporting, "Madam, the treasurer from the gold and silver shop has come to deliver the account books."

This was usually Fan Mama's responsibility as she was getting older. Madam Zheng wasn't worried, as long as she was informed. She would occasionally check the accounts.

"You go and collect them for me."

"Yes."

Lin Yunwan took the opportunity to stand up and said, "Madame, I'll go with Fan Mama to see how she manages the account books."

She had just mentioned wanting to teach her stepdaughter about stewardship, and now the opportunity had come.

Madam Zheng couldn't easily refuse, so she said, "Go ahead!"

Lin Yunwan left with Fan Mama.

Wenhai, holding the snacks, had no choice but to offer them to Lin Yunjiao. He whispered, "Cousin, have some snacks."

"Tch."

Lin Yunjiao didn't take them and didn't allow the maidservant to take them either.

Wenhai's face turned red with embarrassment as he silently recited, "A real man doesn't fight with women."

He placed the snacks in front of Lin Yunjiao and then returned to his seat, feeling extremely awkward.

Madam Zheng, feeling annoyed watching him, sent Madam Wen and Lin Yunjiao away, and when Fan Mama returned, she asked her, "How is Miss Lin doing in learning to handle accounts?"

Fan Mama paused before replying, "Miss Lin just sat there and listened. She didn't ask me anything. I don't know if she understood."

"Of course she didn't!"

"If she could understand how to handle accounts just by sitting there, then what's the point of my more than ten years of experience as a steward?!"

Fan Mama agreed, "Madame is right."

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Madam Zheng thought of Wenhai and frowned, "He's really useless! He doesn't even dare to speak to Yunwan. How can he get married like this?"

Fan Mama said, "It's not his fault, Madam. With parental arrangements and matchmakers' words, it all depends on whether the master agrees. If the master agrees, then everything Wenhai does will be considered commendable!"

"Madam, you still need to work on the master."

Madam Zheng's eyes lit up, "That makes sense. As a girl, regardless of whether she agrees or not... we still need to find a way to make the master agree."

But she was also very worried, "But we can't let her learn how to manage the household... we need to get rid of her quickly!"

"She said she wants to choose a maid. You help her with this matter. So she won't go to the master to complain."

"She's already quite favored in front of the Old Madam. I don't know how she's scheming against me behind my back."

Some face-saving measures had to be made.

Fan Mama comforted Madam Zheng, "Miss Lin wouldn't dare, and Old Madam wouldn't let Miss Lin do such improper things."

Madam Zheng was still anxious. Her reputation as a stepmother was bad enough, and she wasn't worried about anything else, but if her daughter's marriage was delayed, what would she do?

Lin Huabin returned from the yamen and went to the study first before coming to Madam Zheng's place.

Madam Zheng seized the opportunity and quickly brought up Lin Yunwan's matter. "Master, you don't know, but Miss Lin has become close to Wenhai."

Lin Huabin didn't believe it.

Yunwan was a determined girl who had already rejected Wenhai once. How could she suddenly take an interest in him?

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Perhaps Zhao Jingyi had spoiled this girl, making her look down on a mere scholar.

Although he felt Wenhai was suitable for Yunwan.

"Master, please don't doubt it. You can ask Zhao Mama. Yunwan has been coming to see me quite often recently. Do you know why?" Madam Zheng tried to convince her husband.

Lin Huabin chuckled, "Why are you beating around the bush? Just say it in one breath!"

Madam Zheng helped him with his coat, still smiling as she spoke, "Because Wenhai often accompanies me and his mother. That's why Yunwan comes over."

"Earlier, Yunwan didn't know that Wenhai is such an honest and talented young man. Being a girl, even if she changed her mind, it's not something easy to express openly. But if she didn't have any intentions, she wouldn't come to see me every day."

"Think about it, after attending lessons with Fan Mama all day, she still rushes over to see Wenhai. Do you think she has no other intentions?"

Lin Huabin was somewhat swayed by her words.

Madam Zheng teasingly scolded, "You, after all, are a man. You don't understand a girl's thoughts at all."

"In matters of marriage, how can a girl speak for herself?"

"It has always been following the parents' wishes, and there's wisdom in that tradition."

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Huabin said, "You're right."

In the end, it was Zhao Jingyi who had the final say.

Why not just go directly to Zhao Jingyi? Why wait for that girl to agree?

As long as Zhao Jingyi was satisfied and thanked him, that would be enough!

"Master, our daughter is not young anymore. We can't keep delaying things for Yunwan... Hmm? Am I right?"

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

Madam Zheng paused in the middle of her sentence, surprised. How did it suddenly become her being right again?

She was delighted inside and laughed loudly, "So, do you agree to this marriage?!"

Lin Huabin didn't nod. He didn't change his clothes either, just said, "I'm going out for a while. I won't be home for dinner tonight."

He walked out energetically.

Actually, Wenhai was a decent husband, with no bad qualities. He was a good match.

Yunwan was just a sheltered girl. After she got married, she would understand his good intentions.

What would Zhao Jingyi do to thank him then?

~

"Miss, Fan Mama just came to say that tomorrow you will go to the meeting hall to select maidservants."

Xiruo came in to deliver the message but saw Lin Yunwan lost in thought, holding a golden hairpin.

"Miss?"

Lin Yunwan put down the hairpin, paused for a moment, and then said, "I understand."

She put away the hairpin, feeling a bit restless.

In her previous life, she had been a housewife for twenty years, managing the household, raising children, and caring for her husband.

She had done everything a woman should do.

Yet she had never been a real woman, and she didn't know what it felt like to have someone in her heart.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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