Chapter 967: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 967: Revealing the Hidden Trouble (4)
Da Ni-er had gone through this kind of situation many times and had gotten used to it. Just like before, she once again told Wu shi that she didn’t want to get married just yet.
But this time, Wu shi didn’t let it go. For the first time, she showed displeasure over her daughter’s marriage prospects. “Da Ni-er, that family is a good match. Even if I tried to find fault with them, I couldn’t. What exactly are you dissatisfied with?”
“Mother, I…” Da Ni-er began to speak, but Wu shi cut her off. “Don’t try to brush me off with the excuse that you don’t want to get married yet. You’re my daughter—do you think I don’t know you? You’ve been sensible since you were young and never gave me any trouble. I remember when you were seven, you went up the mountain to chop firewood and accidentally cut your leg. You came home bleeding the whole way, and I was scared out of my wits. But you still comforted me, saying it didn’t hurt… You couldn’t bear to let me worry. Even if you didn’t want to marry, if I told you to, you would’ve obediently gone through with it.
“But now there’s a suitable family, and instead of agreeing, you’re willing to let me worry. That means there’s something else going on. Even if you don’t say it, I can guess… Is there someone in your heart?”
No one knew a daughter better than her mother. Wu shi had long noticed Da Ni-er’s strange behavior. She hadn’t asked earlier, thinking that as her daughter got older, she’d naturally have thoughts of her own, and she didn’t want to interfere too much. But now that Da Ni-er’s stubbornness was threatening her future happiness, Wu shi had no choice but to bring the matter into the open.
Da Ni-er stared at Wu shi in shock. Clearly, she hadn’t expected her mother to see through her so easily. Her mind went blank. She wanted to come up with an excuse to cover it up, but when she met her mother’s worried gaze, she couldn’t say a single word.
Wu shi raised her hand and gently caressed her daughter’s gradually paling face, speaking softly, “Tell me who he is, will you? Only if you tell me can I help you. If you don’t say anything, I’ll have to choose a suitable match for you myself. You’re already nineteen—you can’t delay any longer.”
Da Ni-er’s tears began to fall without warning. “Mother, it hurts so much inside. I don’t know what to do… I really don’t know…”
What good would it do to tell her mother? Could her mother really marry her off to that man? No. Even as a concubine, that man probably wouldn’t spare her a glance. Her mother would never allow her to be a concubine either. To live her whole life under someone else, and for her own child to call another woman “mother”? She couldn’t do that.
It would be better to simply hold onto these feelings silently, and slowly forget about him.
When the day came that she could forget and let go, only then would she be able to accept her mother’s arrangement and marry someone suitable. Only then would she not betray her feelings—or her future husband.
Wu shi’s tears fell uncontrollably as she held her daughter, who was sobbing in her arms. “Da Ni-er, please, just tell me who he is. As long as he’s a good man and truly cares for you, I won’t object.”
But Da Ni-er could only shake her head, unable to speak a word. She knew there was no possibility. Saying it out loud would only make her mother worry even more.
Just then, Mo Yan walked in and was startled by the sight of mother and daughter crying together. For a moment, she thought something terrible had happened.
Seeing Mo Yan, Wu shi’s eyes lit up and she quickly said, “Yan girl, come help me talk some sense into this silly girl. She has someone in her heart but keeps hiding it from me, and now refuses to marry anyone I suggest. If this goes on, her future will be ruined.”
Mo Yan had come for this exact matter and felt relieved to find that Wu shi already knew. But now even Wu shi couldn’t get the identity of the man out of her—how could she?
Still, the current situation left no room for delay. When a girl fell in love, it was all too easy to lose her head. If she made a mistake and did something foolish, it would be too late for regrets.
With that thought, Mo Yan made up her mind—it was best to get to the bottom of this now.
Wu shi was thinking the same thing. She was afraid her daughter might do something irreversible, so she was determined to get to the truth today.
Da Ni-er ultimately couldn’t resist their joint persuasion. Maybe she also felt that sharing it with the two people she trusted most might help her figure out what to do. So, she cast aside her shame and finally revealed the man who had captured her heart—a man no one could’ve expected.
“Mother… Yan girl… You both know him. It’s Young Master Yan. I know I’m not worthy of him, but I really tried. I just can’t control my feelings!”
Mo Yan could hardly believe her ears. But seeing Da Ni-er’s bashful expression, and hearing her clearly say the words “Young Master Yan,” she had no choice but to believe it.
Disaster… That guy really is a walking disaster!
“No wonder… No wonder Sister Da Ni-er has been visiting my house so often lately. So that’s what this was all about…” Mo Yan murmured under her breath, her gaze toward Da Ni-er turning complicated.
The Marquis of Wu’an’s household was the Empress Dowager’s natal family—one of the most elite aristocratic families in the capital. Even without the Empress Dowager, just the Marquis’s influence in court was enough that no one dared look down on them.
Yan Junyu might seem carefree and dismissive of status, but as the heir of the Marquis household, his marriage wasn’t something he could decide for himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have hidden away in Liuyang Village.
Mo Yan was certain—Yan Junyu had no romantic interest in Da Ni-er. Even if he did, the gap in their status was too great. There was almost no possibility of them being together. Unless… one day, Da Ni-er, like her, could earn herself a new identity.
Only then might there be the faintest sliver of a chance.
(End of Chapter)
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