Chapter 257: Chapter 257 Beautiful Temptation
257 The Allure of Beauty
As she listened to the surrounding crowd, their flattery and compliments filling the air, Lady Zhao’s face was filled with a sense of accomplishment. She held her head high, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the young ladies as if she were selecting goods.
Looking at these rustic country girls, I’m not satisfied. These girls aren’t pretty enough, too mediocre to attract my husband.
Then, her eyes fell on Zhao Zhitong.
She couldn’t help but pause. This young girl has really blossomed, but she’s a little too young. If I were to cultivate her, it wouldn’t be impossible. But then her eyes caught sight of Sun Mei, and another young lady next to her.
This young lady was slightly older, looking to be eleven or twelve. Although not as lively as the younger one, her looks were still sufficient.
In a flash, Lady Zhao had made up her mind.
The younger one must be Sun Mei’s daughter. I know this young girl; she was personally taken as a student by Scholar Meng. She’s too sharp and clever, probably not easy to control. The other one, the older one, must be Zhao Ya, the daughter of my eldest brother’s family. This girl is perfect; she looks a bit dull, definitely easy to control.
She smiled and walked towards Sun Mei, her voice kind, "Second Sister-in-law, I know there have been some misunderstandings between us before. But I believe we’re still family, no matter what. I think you should go back and persuade Second Brother to return to our clan. If we support each other, we can go farther, right?"
Lady Zhao sounded full of sincerity. Before Sun Mei could speak, Lady Zhao’s gaze fell on Zhao Ya, and she continued, "Sun Mei, my Eldest Brother and Second Brother are both my real brothers. Now that Eldest Brother and Elder Sister-in-law are gone, their child has been with you all this time, and I’m grateful to you for that."
"But you can’t keep shouldering this burden forever. We are all siblings here; we should love each other and support each other."
"So, how about this? I’m in a better position now. From now on, let Zhao Ya come with me. I promise to find her a good husband in the county town. That’s much better than her staying in the countryside, don’t you think?"
When Lady Zhao said this, Zhao Ya tightly clung to Sun Mei’s arm, her face etched with anxiety. She didn’t want to leave her aunt. All these years, I’ve thought of Auntie as my own mother. I don’t want to leave my mother!
When Lady Zhao mentioned taking a young lady from the clan to the county town, Sun Mei had already guessed her intentions. She definitely isn’t as kind-hearted as she claims. Never mind whether she has the ability to find a good match in the county town; even if she did, why wouldn’t she arrange it for her own daughters first? Why would she willingly give this opportunity to someone else? Saying that Zhao Yun and Zhao Cai could find good husbands is just a lie to fool idiots. Undoubtedly, if this girl goes with her to the county town, nothing good will come of it.
Therefore, Sun Mei decisively declined, "I appreciate your kindness, Fourth Sister, but you know your Second Brother’s temperament. Since he has been expelled from the clan, he is no longer a member of the clan. This great opportunity shouldn’t fall on us."
Lady Zhao inwardly cursed. She immediately said, "Second Sister-in-law, you can’t be so selfish! Just because of your own grudges, you’re holding Zhao Ya back. You should ask Zhao Ya for her opinion."
She then looked at Zhao Ya with a warm smile. "Yaya, would you like to come live in the county town with your aunt? If you come with me, you can wear beautiful clothes and pretty jewelry, and there will be lots and lots of delicious food and fun things to do, just like your cousin."
With such temptation, Zhao Ya will definitely agree, Lady Zhao thought. After all, what child could resist this?
Unfortunately for her, Zhao Ya shook her head. She clung tightly to Sun Mei’s arm and said softly, "I don’t want to. I want to stay with Auntie Sun Mei. I won’t leave Auntie Sun Mei."
She clearly remembered how, before the families separated, this very aunt (Lady Zhao) had let her own daughter, Niu Lili, bully her whenever they visited.
Lady Zhao was stunned. She found it hard to believe and said, "Yaya, are you foolish? If you come with me, you’ll have a great future! If you stay with your Aunt Sun Mei in the countryside, what kind of future can you have? Eventually, your Aunt Sun Mei will probably marry you off to some dirt-poor farmer, and you’ll suffer for the rest of your life!"
Zhao Ya still shook her head, refusing. "Thank you, Aunt Zhao. I don’t think it’s suffering. I like being with Auntie Sun Mei; she’s very good to me."
Lady Zhao wanted to persuade Yaya further, but at this moment, Zhao Zhitong suddenly looked at Lady Zhao and spoke up. "You’re really strange. Weren’t you the one always saying our family framed Third Uncle and got him thrown in prison? That you hated us to death? Now you’re insisting Sister Yaya should go with you for her own good."
"I’m starting to think you’re trying to get revenge on us. Does that mean going with you to the county town would be like falling into a fiery pit?"
After saying this, she covered her small mouth, feigning surprise. "OH! I remember now! Three years ago, you wanted to buy Sister Yaya to be your daughter’s maid!"
Then she turned to the surrounding people and shouted, "Everyone, don’t let your daughters go with her! They might end up being sold as maids to her family in the county town!"
As soon as Zhao Zhitong said this, the enthusiasm of those who had considered letting their daughters go to the county town instantly waned.
Indeed, Mrs. Wang (Lady Zhao) practically wanted to eat Zhao Dong’s family alive; how could anything good from her possibly fall to them? the onlookers thought.
Seeing her plans about to be ruined by Zhao Zhitong, Lady Zhao felt a surge of resentment. This girl is certainly no pushover!
She immediately snorted coldly. "Fine, think what you like! If you’re not willing, then don’t be. Why slander me? Would I really take my own clan members all the way to the county town just to harm them? Truly ungrateful for my kindness!"
She continued, her voice laced with sorrow, "Forget it, forget it. If that’s what you think of me, then so be it."
"SIGH! I even saw two particularly good families in the county town and was thinking of making introductions for my own clan members. It seems I was being sentimental."
With that, she shook her head sorrowfully and turned to leave.
Her words left the other clan members confused, unsure whether this was a genuine opportunity or a trap.
However, Sun Mei remained firm in her conviction that this was definitely not a good thing. So, after a brief discussion with Shi Tou’s wife and a few others, she took Zhao Ya and Zhao Zhitong home.
Shi Tou’s wife and the other women also took their own daughters and departed.
Thanks to Zhao Zhitong’s disruption, the gathering ended. Although Lady Zhao didn’t select any young ladies to take away at the banquet, she had already cast her bait, and there would naturally be fish willing to bite.
And indeed, there were quite a few, including Mrs. Zheng and the Village Chief’s second daughter-in-law.
「At the Village Chief’s house.」
When Tian Cuihua heard about Mrs. Liang’s intentions, she was shocked. She tried to advise Mrs. Liang earnestly, but unfortunately, Mrs. Liang’s mind was dazzled by the allure of wealth in the county town, and she was determined to let her daughter go.
Mrs. Liang replied confidently, "Elder Sister-in-law, I think this is a good opportunity. Don’t be fooled by that young girl from Mrs. Sun’s family."
"Besides, Lady Zhao has no reason to harm us."
Tian Cuihua frowned. "Are you really sure? Have Father and Mother agreed? Have you discussed this with Second Brother? This needs careful consideration."
Mrs. Liang said dismissively, "Don’t worry, Elder Sister-in-law. I’ll go talk to them now. I’m sure my husband and my parents-in-law will agree."
Then, Mrs. Liang went to speak to them. Predictably, no one in the family agreed. Everyone thought the matter was settled.
But who knew what Mrs. Liang told her daughter, Miss Zhao. The young girl started crying and wailing, insisting she wanted to go.