Chapter 34: The Hongmen Banquet

  Afraid of adding to Cinderella's psychological burden, Charlotte concealed the fact about Katie and only mentioned that the king had been assassinated. Cinderella felt sad for Rochester while secretly being delighted, thinking that now no one could stop her from being with him!

  These days, no matter the wind or rain, Cinderella would not forget standing under the oak tree, Charlotte was moved by her devotion and silently prayed for Rochester to appear soon.

  Coming back from the party outside, Uncle didn't say a word. Aunt couldn't figure out how someone outside could dare to make him unhappy and teased her husband, saying:

  "Who dares to mess with you in this small place? This is really rare!"

  Uncle's face turned iron-green and he let out a cold hum.

  "Hum! That old lecher Ed is simply delusional! He actually threatened me with the estate's water source to force me to marry my daughter off to him, how despicable!"

  "What! Absolutely not! We don't want that estate at all, sir, you absolutely cannot agree to it!"

  "I certainly won't answer him! But we can't sell the estate either. If we sell the estate, others will think we're afraid of Ed, which is absolutely unacceptable!"

  Uncle began to sigh, Auntie

  "Darling, I have a good idea."

  Aunt suddenly showed a happy expression, uncle was curious what good idea she thought of.

  "Lucas was exiled and will never be able to return for the rest of his life, Lydia is once again alone, as her younger brother, how can you not think about her remarriage?"

  Auntie winked her eye, and uncle immediately understood.

  "Haha, good idea, madam is smarter than me, this way we can drive Lydia away and keep the estate."

  Uncle was delighted for a moment, then lowered his head and sighed.

  "But I'm afraid Mother won't agree, she dotes on Lydia and married her off to an old man, she definitely can't agree to this!"

  His aunt poked him and said sarcastically,

  "Hmph! She's still acting like she's the young lady of Martia's family! Who knows how many men she's been with?! First, she eloped with a commoner and got pregnant! Then, she married an officer and drove him to death. After that, she became the stepmother of a merchant and drove them to bankruptcy and exile! Look at her, this calamity star, born with bad luck, marrying old man Ed is just right, evil people match evil people, maybe they'll even live in harmony."

  Her uncle quickly covered her mouth

  "Just forget it, don't talk nonsense, or mom will be furious if she hears about it!"

  Auntie used force to pry open Uncle's hand.

  "You're afraid of her! A dead old woman, what are you afraid of?! You're really weak, how did I end up marrying a coward like you?!"

  "Shut up!"

  Aunt glared at uncle and he softened up.

  "Alright, alright, let's not talk about me for now, let's just discuss how to convince mom."

  "Hmm, mother still trusts"

  "Mine, don't you worry about this matter. First of all, we need to invite Ed for dinner and then call Lydia over. I'm not saying it, but your sister is still charming despite her age. If that old lecher takes a liking to her, there's no way things won't go well?"

  Uncle didn't stop, and they finalized the details before setting off separately.

  Ever since the last time he was scolded by the old lady, Uncle has been thinking of ways to drive Lydia out of his house. Lydia's various expenses made the stingy aunt gnash her teeth, and their daughter often ran over to say some sharp and bitter words. Except for occasional visits, Uncle's family rarely showed enthusiasm like today, not only inviting them to attend a family banquet but also preparing beautiful dresses for each person. Charlotte couldn't help but suspect that Uncle had ulterior motives - was this going to be a trap?

  Emily also disagreed to go, but Lydia said it was her own brother and he wouldn't harm her, and the old lady was going too, so they shouldn't be on their guard all the time. Charlotte and the others had to agree, but they were still uneasy in their hearts.

  In the old lady's room, Auntie used her silver tongue to persuade Mother.

  "Mother, although Ed is a bit old and not as good-looking, what's the use of being handsome? The previous ones... oh, never mind. Anyway, Lydia will definitely be pampered by Ed when she marries him. The Ed family has been inheriting titles for generations, so their family background doesn't need to be mentioned. Even if Ed dies, his two sons wouldn't dare mistreat their stepmother. Those two are of good character and are widely praised in town. Mother, don't hesitate anymore. I'm definitely doing this for her own good. Think about it, this year's drought... although our family isn't affected at all, we still need to be prepared. Lydia marrying into the Ed family will be a great help to our entire family!"

  The old lady was initially not very supportive of Ed becoming her son-in-law, after all, Ed was only ten years younger than herself and it was hard to accept psychologically. However, after she said that, she began to waver. In fact, Lydia was also not young anymore, and there were rumors about her husband's infidelity. If Ed could truly love and care for Lydia, then she could also accept it. So she nodded and said

  "As long as Lydia is willing, I won't stop her, but don't let me find out you're forcing her to marry!"

  Ede is actually notorious, but the old lady has not gone out to socialize for a long time and no longer knows the "figures" outside. When she was young, Ede was not in their eyes, so she doesn't know much about this blind date.

  "Mother, I dare to force her, can she listen to me? Don't wrong me!"

  The aunt seemed to be sulking as she coaxed the old lady.

  "It's not wrong for me to observe him before making a decision. Let's invite him home for dinner tomorrow."

  "Let's have him stay over today instead of tomorrow, he came to see the master on some official business."

  The old lady cast her a sideways glance,

  "How come it feels like it was arranged, I just agreed and he came?"

  Aunt hastily waved her hand

  "No need, no need. How would I know if you agree or not? It's just a coincidence. Alright, I'll go inform the kitchen to set up a banquet for our honored guest tonight."

  In name, Charlotte and the other two were Lydia's maids, without a seat. When Lydia arrived, there was only one position left at the dinner table, with Charlotte's aunt on one side and an unfamiliar old man on the other. Lydia didn't know why this arrangement was made and had a bad feeling about it. She reluctantly took her seat next to the old man after the elderly lady glanced at her aunt, who quickly moved over to sit beside him.

  "What's there to celebrate today, and yet they've even invited a cripple like me to the banquet?"

  Uncle's wife felt something was wrong and quickly looked at Ed, the old man who was originally smiling suddenly became stiff after hearing this sentence, and his wife quickly made amends.

  "Your wound has almost recovered, and it's okay to go out and have some fun. Don't stay cooped up in your room all the time. Look, I've found someone for you, Ed, he doesn't have much going on either, so let him keep you company and play around with you, take your mind off things."

  He finished by pointing at Ed. Ed gave a self-deprecating smile that looked quite suave, leaning in slightly towards Lydia.

  "Lydia, nice to meet you, I'm Ed, a good friend of your brother."

  She spoke with good measure, and the old lady nodded secretly. If Lydia didn't understand what kind of party this was, she would have lived in vain. She picked up her cup to drink water, and Ed retreated awkwardly with his right hand. The old lady frowned, Lydia was too rude, even if she didn't like it, she couldn't turn her face away like that.

  "Lidia, look at your attitude! Apologize to Ed."

  "Old lady, don't say that, I'm just a sudden beauty, Lydia is very proud, and such beauties are rare nowadays."

  Ed also spoke for Lydia, the old lady was satisfied, and Aunt and Uncle exchanged a sly smile, it seemed that things had been settled, Ed indeed had taken a liking to Lydia.

  Charlotte was seething with anger on the side, and "beauty"?! Several times she impulsively wanted to go up and slap that man, but was stopped by Emily, who whispered words of persuasion.

  "Miss, don't be impulsive, madam is not a fool, she won't be deceived by him. It's obviously your uncle's trick to marry off the madam, no way!"

  Charlotte had just finished speaking when she heard the kindly voice of the old lady.

  "Lydia, you shouldn't stay at home for the next few days either. The newly built mansion has just been completed, and I want you and Ed to go inspect it together and take the opportunity to communicate with each other. Don't say anything about your body not being well yet, I've asked the doctor and he said it's fine as long as Ed is there to take care of you."

  Ginger is still old and spicy. The old lady basically blocked all the excuses that Lydia could push away, and Lydia cut off a piece of beef with a gloomy face.

  "Mother, it's fine to let my brother take care of inspecting the new estate. I don't know anything about it and I'm not involved in any way. Besides, I don't need to communicate with Ed emotionally, I have Emily and that's enough. Mother, you don't need to worry about me anymore, I can handle my own affairs."

  Aunt was anxious, pulled Ed, hinting him to say something, but Ed saw Lydia refused and was heartbroken, couldn't think of anything to say. Aunt was speechless, this old man usually so hateful, now honest? Did he really encounter the second spring of his life?

  "Lidia, your mother is doing all this for your own good, it's just us as family showing our care and concern for you, so stop refusing already."

  Aunt could speak eloquently, Lydia didn't know what to say. Although she was in her own home now, it wasn't the same after all. The master of this house was her younger brother, and she was just a guest. She had been living here for free for so long and had spent so much money on medical treatment. Lydia knew that this was all her mother's love, but she couldn't be as willful as before, so she could only compromise. Lydia didn't speak, so Uncle and Aunt thought she agreed. The old lady wasn't at ease, and asked Lydia in a soft voice.

  "Good daughter, if you really don't want to, then forget it. Mother doesn't want to see you looking so down."

  The uncle's family became tense, and just as things were about to be settled, the old lady suddenly made a big turn! Lydia's eyes turned red, her mother was still so gentle, considering her feelings in everything.

  "Mother don't worry, I just overslept and wasn't feeling well, I'll go to the new villa."

  Charlotte clenched her fist tightly, this uncle's family is really calculating! Using the old lady to force her mother into submission. Hmph! Does he think he can push her mother into the fire pit like this? It's not a inspection or anything, and it didn't say she couldn't bring a maid, let's see how she'll deal with this old lecher!