BXBX NOVEL Chapter 98: Following the Shameless
Han Hao would never admit to being inferior to a boy from the countryside, so even though he liked Xiao Xi, he did not easily agree to marry her as Mrs. Zhou had imagined. In his heart, he thought that if he was to marry, he should at least marry a girl with a decent background. If he couldn’t marry a Miss from a Wealthy Family like Han Yu, he should at least marry a girl of good birth from In The City.
Han Hao actually wasn’t bad-looking, being a member of the Han family; their genetic heritage was quite commendable. The reason he remained unmarried to this day had much to do with the people of the Main House and his own haughty yet inadequate self-regard. With modest qualifications, yet high expectations, which girl with such excellent conditions would be willing to marry someone like Han Hao, who possessed no special abilities and came from such a complicated household?
“Grandma, Xiao Xi is indeed not bad, but after all, she is just a Servant girl. If I were to marry her, I would be the laughingstock of others. My cousin married a Miss from a Wealthy Family, yet I marry my cousin’s Servant girl. Where would I put my face if this were to get out? It’s not just about my face – even the Main House would be disgraced.”
The Old lady valued face above all. After hearing Mrs. Zhou’s analysis earlier, she thought the idea wasn’t bad, but hearing her youngest grandson’s words now, she felt that he also made sense, and she began to hesitate.
“Third Brother, you can’t just say that. Isn’t there a saying that ‘heroes are not judged by their origins’? Xiao Xi is good, and although she is a servant girl of the Su Family, she stands out in every way, in no way inferior to ordinary girls. Our family is not of vast wealth and nobility. If her conditions were really that good, who would be willing to marry into our family? Xiao Xi’s circumstances are just right. If it weren’t for her background, with her looks and character, we wouldn’t even be in a position to pick her.” Mrs. Zhou was indeed displeased that Han Hao had not followed her expectations, yet to achieve her goals, she still tried her best to persuade.
“Sister-in-law, this is because you look down on me, so you want me to marry a servant girl. Although big brother and I do not share the same mother, we are still brothers connected by blood. Sister-in-law, aren’t you going too far with this?” Previously, Han Hao had not directed his suspicions toward Mrs. Zhou, thinking she was merely conveying a message. Now, hearing Mrs. Zhou speaking for that servant girl, he immediately became suspicious and his speech turned impolite.
“How can you speak like that, Third Brother? If you are not willing, just say no. Why must you wrong your sister-in-law like this? I was only trying to be helpful. Seeing that you took an interest in Xiao Xi, I brought it up. Otherwise, who would want to meddle in such affairs? What kind of daughter-in-law you marry has nothing to do with me. Grandma, your granddaughter-in-law is really wronged this time.” Mrs. Zhou always appeared amiable in front of the Old lady and naturally did not confront Han Hao, instead lamenting her grievance to the Old lady.
Of course, the Old lady wouldn’t blame her grandson. A granddaughter-in-law simply could not compare to a grandson. However, Mrs. Zhou’s words did catch her attention: “Brother Hao, don’t blame your sister-in-law. She meant well. So, from what your sister-in-law says, do you really have feelings for Xiao Xi?”
“What’s the use of liking her? Her status is simply too low. In short, it’s unacceptable to marry her as my wife. I cannot lose that much face. If you really think Xiao Xi is good, I could take her as a concubine,” Han Hao thought, increasingly convinced that this was a brilliant idea.
Mrs. Zhou couldn’t help but smirk coldly to herself upon hearing this. Han Hao really thought too highly of himself, not considering his own mediocrity. With no talents to speak of, he still looked down on Xiao Xi for being a servant girl. A good family’s girl would never fancy him, and even Xiao Xi might not look his way. The reason she was targeting Xiao Xi was that Xiao Xi’s master was Han Yu’s wife. If the Old lady applied some pressure on the Second House, the matter would likely be settled. Han Hao even had the audacity to consider taking a concubine. Truly, he was out of his depth.
When the Old lady heard her grandson speak like this, she knew he was interested but disdained the girl’s social status. However, the idea of taking her as a concubine was not very practical. Even the most promising eldest grandson had not taken a concubine. Although she favored her youngest grandson, in her heart, she thought he wasn’t as capable as her eldest grandson. He found it difficult to marry a wife, yet he still dreamed of taking a concubine; indeed, Mrs. Wang had overindulged the children’s pride.
Although the Old lady thought this way, she couldn’t bear to speak harshly to her youngest grandson and said earnestly, “Brother Hao, it’s not that Grandma won’t agree with you, but Xiao Xi after all comes from the household of a Wealthy Family and has good conditions. To make her a concubine would be too demeaning. If you like her, there’s no need to mind her identity. As long as she is a good person, that’s enough. You don’t have to compare yourself with Brother Yu all the time. Brother Yu’s marriage was arranged by your grandfather, and it’s not his own doing. Don’t take it to heart.”
“But Grandma, I really don’t want to be laughed at. Could you talk to my cousin and ask her to give Xiao Xi to me? Although I cannot grant Xiao Xi the status of a first wife, I will treat her well in the future. It’s just the absence of a formal title. Besides, the status of a concubine is always more respectable than that of a servant girl. I think Xiao Xi is also somewhat interested in me. Grandma, you just go and speak. My cousin-in-law might agree.”
Once Han Hao made up his mind, he began to coax the Old lady, thinking about bringing Xiao Xi in to be his concubine. As for Han Hao saying that Xiao Xi was interested in him, it was only because he had been staring at Xiao Xi, and she had given him an annoyed glance, which Han Hao, with an inflated ego, misinterpreted as a sign of her affection.
“This…” The Old lady hesitated upon hearing her grandson’s argument. She actually also felt Xiao Xi’s status as a servant girl was too low. Moreover, hearing her grandson say that Xiao Xi was interested in him, she thought the servant girl was too flirtatious, enough to have seduced her grandson. As a first wife, it indeed wasn’t appropriate, but as a concubine, it didn’t really matter. Concubines were bought and sold, and if Xiao Xi became unruly and didn’t obey her, she could simply be sold off, which would be more profitable than the silver paid for her contract – no matter how you looked at it, it was a good deal.
In the Kitchen, Su Wenyue and Xiao Xi squatted together washing dishes, the two confiding in each other in whispers.
“Miss, I feel like the people of the Main House are all a bit strange. Look at Mrs. Zhou; she was sneakily watching us before, thinking we didn’t notice. I don’t know where she has gone off to. I hope she’s not plotting something bad. We have to be cautious,” Xiao Xi said, not out of fear but to remind Su Wenyue to stay alert lest they were caught off-guard by the scheming of the Main House.
“No need to worry, even if they are plotting something bad, they can’t get the best of us. Am I, your Miss, easy to bully? Besides, I’ve already made arrangements. After this, the people of the Main House will definitely stay quiet for a while,” replied Su Wenyue, reassuring Xiao Xi. Now the Miss had become increasingly formidable, no longer the mischievous girl she once was. Since she confidently said so, it must be alright.
Xiao Xi felt relieved hearing her Miss’s reply. Her Miss had indeed become more powerful, no longer the whimsical girl of the past. As Miss had said, there surely wouldn’t be a problem.