Volume 1 Chapter 4 I'll Never Be Fooled Again

  Xie Wenjing suddenly opened her mouth, beaming with a bright smile, and took the medicine from Mei Lan's hand. She felt no bitterness, just like drinking water, and gulped down the entire bowl of bitter medicinal soup in big mouthfuls.

  In this life, I will never be so foolish again, deceived by Auntie's smiling face, to expose myself and manage this already dilapidated and empty shell of a home.

  In this life, I will not marry into the Zhao family of Yangzhou, who are renowned for their love of books.

  The Zhao family is now also barely supporting their dignity with the financial resources left by their ancestors, just like their own family. However, their ancestral mansion is much larger than their own, and there is also the highest pavilion in Yangzhou in the mansion, which makes the Zhao family still a prominent family in Yangzhou in the eyes of ordinary people.

  Recalling her past life, Xie Wenjing's face gradually darkened.

  Dad is a very elegant man, even if he has been bedridden for many years, his demeanor is no different from that of any other man.

  Mother was the eldest daughter of the Du family in Hangzhou. After marrying Father, she gave birth to me in the second year and my younger brother Xie Wenbao in the fifth year.

  When Xie Wenbao was two years old, he almost died of illness. Later, his grandmother spoiled him excessively after she took care of him, but although his grandmother spoiled him, she did not neglect to teach him. However, after his grandmother's death, Xie Wenbao was doted on by his aunt and became one of the most notorious young rascals in Yangzhou.

  There was also an aunt at home, who had lost her husband a few years ago and had been robbed of their property by her brother-in-law. She had been living a hard life, but last year she was brought back by my maternal grandmother, along with my weak and frail cousin, Pei Yezhu, who later married Zhao Qiusheng as his concubine.

  I had never wronged this poor mother and daughter, but at that time I couldn't have imagined that my weak and timid cousin would have such deep thoughts, deeply rooted in her grandmother's teachings.

  Taking advantage of her own ignorance, she privately seduced Zhao Qiu Sheng and conquered her fiancé with her weakness.

  In order to be able to follow her own heart and marry the man she likes, she ruthlessly made herself infertile.

  Now thinking about it, perhaps Zhao Qiusheng also knew about this matter.

  Zhao Qiu's love for her was so deep that he might have wanted to marry her as his wife, and used his own infertility as a reason to dissolve his engagement with his current fiancée.

  It turned out that when I was unexpectedly diagnosed as infertile by the doctor, Zhao Qiusheng wanted to break off the engagement on the spot. My aunt and grandmother managed to persuade him to go back and report to his family's elders before making a decision.

  The next day, Zhao Qiusheng's mother brought Zhao Qiusheng to their home, saying repeatedly that she could not be a disloyal and unrighteous person, repeatedly saying that she wanted to marry him as her husband, and would never regret it. As for the incense and fire, they would naturally also be inherited.

  Later on, when it came to taking a concubine, Zhao Qiusheng and his good cousin were naturally compatible, and at the time, I still understood Zhao Qiusheng, thinking that he was indeed a responsible and dutiful man.

  At that time, I also thought that my aunt was kind to me. Now thinking about it, my aunt knew very well that her granddaughter could not become the mistress of the Zhao family, and the only way for her granddaughter to have a good life was to be infertile herself and then follow me, an infertile person, as a noble concubine.

  Married to Zhao Qiusheng for seven years, married him at the age of 18, until her own death, she treated him with respect and courtesy. On the first night after their wedding, after drinking a cup of wine together, he hastily left for his cousin's place.

  It wasn't until then that I realized this man was not my soulmate, unfortunately it was too late.

  That night, I didn't sleep all night, thinking hard for a whole night, before finally figuring it out.

  Zhao Qiusheng's mother took a liking to him because of the large dowry that came with marrying him.

  When she married into the Zhao family, she brought with her a whole street of shops and twenty-eight sedan chairs full of dowry.

  Well then, just stay at the Zhao's and be a good mistress of the house. With this money, even if you can't have children, no one will dare to bully you.

  But Zhao Qiusheng is also not a responsible and dutiful man, if he were, how could he let his lawfully wedded wife spend the wedding night alone? Become the laughing stock of the Zhao family?

  Who knew that the next day, her cousin would kneel down and apologize to her with tears in her eyes, saying she had deep feelings for Zhao Qiu and asked her to forgive.

  He also swore to heaven and said that he would put his firstborn son under his own name.

  Even Zhao Qiusheng lowered his head and apologized to himself, saying that he had a deep emotional connection with his cousin, but would not betray himself, the position of the mistress of the Zhao family was always his for life.

  Looking at the two loving people, she softened her heart. As a woman who couldn't bear children, marrying into any family would make her a lower-class person, even if it was to a farmer's household. Zhao Qiusheng could give her the title of mistress of the house, which was already quite generous.

  Later on, when their first child, Zimo, was born, they indeed put Zimo under their own names and considered him as their own son.

  At that time, I was moved again.

  Now reliving it, looking back and thinking about it, I found that at that time, I was still too stupid. With so many dowries of mine, they didn't put their son under my name, those dowries, as long as I wasn't happy, the Zhao family couldn't get a single penny.

  Moreover, I have a younger brother who often comes to me for money. They are afraid that in the future, I will leave all my dowry to my own younger brother, so they use their son to tie up my wealth.

  Look at what the Zhao family did after you died?

  They didn't mourn for their own death, but instead stared at their own dowry.

  Grandfather also stared at his own dowry, which was a huge dowry that everyone in Yangzhou envied.

  When Grandfather Zhao suggested returning the dowry to the Xie family, the Zhao family refused to return it on account of their son Mo.

  Not only that, but also to thank the Zhao family for a favor, because of their own tarnished reputation, they harmed the Zhao family and lost face in Yangzhou. To seek justice against the Xie family in Yangzhou is the good daughter taught by the Xie family, letting the Zhao family be humiliated.

  In the end, both sides took a step back. The Xie family would no longer pursue the return of their substantial dowry, and the Zhao family would also stop demanding compensation from the Xies.

  Thinking of this, Xie Wenjing couldn't help but shed tears. Is this the two noble families that she had worked so hard to support all her life?

  Are you stupid enough to be used by others and still think that it's your unshirkable responsibility?

  "Miss? Is the medicine too bitter? Quickly eat a dried plum to relieve the bitterness." Suddenly, Wet Nurse Du appeared.

  "Mother Du, I'm suffering too much."

  Yes, it is bitter, but what's bitter is not the mouth, it's the heart.

  Xie Wenjing took a deep breath, suppressing the regret in her heart. The road ahead was still long, and she had time to plan and rip off the hypocritical old woman's ugly face.

  "Miss, be good, don't cry, eating a dried plum will make it not bitter." After Du's mother stuffed the dried plum into Xie Wenjing's mouth, she couldn't help but hug Xie Wenjing in her arms and gently patted her back, coaxing her like when she was a child.

  Xie Wenjing was teary-eyed and eating the dried plum that her wet nurse, Du Mama, had given her. In Du Mama's arms, she felt some warmth.

  No matter what, you are not alone, there are people who truly care about you and will always be by your side.

  Even if they were the most stubborn women in Yangzhou when they were alive, even if they became the most promiscuous women in Yangzhou after death, they never abandoned themselves.

  This life has been reborn, and I will never be foolish again.