Jiang Qingran lay down on the bed and nodded. “Yes.”
Qinghe was puzzled. “But why? With your current influence, no one could force you to marry if you didn’t want to.”
“But I want to marry.”
If she had to marry someone in this world, that man would undoubtedly be Jing Moxuan.
In truth, the real Jiang Qingran had died on the way to the Manor Estate. The carriage driver, thinking that no one cared about a discarded daughter, had casually thrown her into a ditch.
Then, she—a medical doctor from the 21st century—had crossed over into this body.
But at the time, the original host was too young, sick, and injured. Even with all her skills, she couldn’t use them.
Just as she was on the brink of death, a young man in a wheelchair passed by. He was as radiant as the wind and the moon, handsome beyond compare.
He found a doctor for her, gave her water and food.
He said, “Live on, become strong.”
From then on, that young man took root in her heart.
“Knock, knock, knock…”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Qinghe opened the door and saw Cai Xiumei standing outside, holding the hand of a half-grown boy.
She said irritably, “What are you doing here?”
Cai Xiumei smiled. “I came to have a few private words with Ranran.”
Qinghe hesitated and looked toward the room.
Jiang Qingran had already sat up from the bed. “Let them in.”
As soon as Cai Xiumei entered, she pushed her son, Jiang Yuanchuan, toward Jiang Qingran.
“Ranran, look, this is your younger brother, Xiao Chuan.”
Jiang Qingran only glanced at him indifferently. Back then, Cai Xiumei had suffered a difficult labor and massive hemorrhage while giving birth to him, then turned around and blamed it on her, the Zaixing, for standing outside the door and bringing bad luck.
Seeing her remain silent, Cai Xiumei nudged Jiang Yuanchuan again. “Call her sister. In the entire Jiang family, she is your only true elder sister.”
Jiang Yuanchuan still couldn’t bring himself to call her “sister.” Instead, he turned to look at Cai Xiumei.
“If she is also your child, why have you never mentioned her all these years? Why didn’t you ever visit her in the countryside? Now that she’s about to get married and won’t be back often in the future, why are you putting on this hypocritical act?”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Cai Xiumei forced an awkward smile, her heart aching as if cut by a knife.
Everything she had done was for him!
Yet he didn’t understand at all.
“Ranran, your brother is young and doesn’t understand things. Don’t take it to heart.”
Qinghe pursed her lips and muttered, “I think the Eighth Young Master is much more sensible than you.”
Cai Xiumei pretended not to hear and continued to gaze gently at Jiang Qingran.
“Ranran, Mother knows you’re angry with me. But back then, I had no choice. If I hadn’t gone along with your father, not only you, but Xiao Chuan and I would have been driven out of the Chengxiangfu.”
Jiang Qingran found it truly unbelievable and shot her a disdainful glance.
“You are, after all, the eldest legitimate daughter of the former Vice Minister of Revenue and the rightful first wife of the Chengxiangfu. How could you trample your own dignity into the ground and then offer it to Jiang Wenxiang and Shen Ruoliu for them to toy with?
What if you were driven out of the Chengxiangfu? Isn’t your dowry enough for you and your children to live a comfortable life? What have you gained from toiling like an ox every day, bowing your head and submitting? And what fate have your children suffered?”
She, the “Zaixing,” was one thing, but Jiang Yuanchuan, the only legitimate son of the Chengxiangfu, was still bullied at will by the three illegitimate sons Shen Ruoliu had borne.
Cai Xiumei lowered her head, her eyes red as she sniffled.
“But your grandfather died long ago, and my maternal family has long since declined. Who could I rely on?… Let’s not dwell on the past. Now that you have been able to return, it is the greatest joy. Although Seventh Prince is in poor health, he is still the emperor’s son. Once you marry him, your life will surely be much better than it was on the Manor Estate.
Why must you be so stubborn? If you could speak a few kind words to please your grandmother and father, wouldn’t you finally see the light after enduring so much hardship?”
She did not expect this Zaixing daughter to become her support; she only hoped she would not bring more trouble upon her and Xiao Chuan.
Jiang Qingran sneered, “Now it’s Jiang Wenxiang begging me. Why should I go and please him? What kind of person is he? Once I become Seventh Princess Consort, won’t he still have to bow and pay respects to me?
Still dreaming of becoming Guozhang? A fool’s fantasy, his mind must be flooded! If you wish to degrade yourself, don’t drag me into it. From the moment you made me leave ten years ago, it was destined that we could only be strangers. Don’t come looking for me in the future, or don’t blame me for making things difficult for you.”