CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49 I DON’T WANT SUCH GOOD FORTUNE 7

Ms. Qian He ordered the doors to be smashed and searched the entire Bai family home, inside and out, only to find nothing of value except for some worthless kitchen utensils and farming tools.

Her broom-like eyebrows stood on end as she placed her hands on her hips and began cursing in the courtyard.

"What kind of people are these, how can they do such shitty things? The Bai family, you’re really shamelessly despicable..."

With that tirade, Ms. Qian He managed to draw out all the people of Baijia Gully.

Although no one dared to confront Ms. Qian He, everyone kept their own score.

Almost everyone thought poorly of Ms. Qian He, and that the Qian family was completely inadequate in behavior.

Others wondered to themselves, why Bai Anning wouldn’t forgive Qian Du?

After all, Qian Du was an Advanced Scholar and was destined to become an official. By following him, she would have enjoyed endless blessings. Yet the Bai family preferred to leave their home behind rather than reconcile with Qian Du. This suggests that Qian Du’s character was so poor, who knows how Bai Anning had been mistreated in the Qian family home.

Seeing Ms. Qian He’s demeanor, most people were convinced that the Qian family did not treat Bai Anning well, or rather, Bai Anning might have been abused almost to death in the Qian home, and that’s why she fled as soon as Qian Du returned to the village.

With such thoughts taking root, it was inevitable that rumors began to surface at home.

Thus, word spread quickly, and in just a few days, the people in neighboring villages all knew about the Qian family’s mistreatment of Bai Anning.

Meanwhile, Qian Du was too busy wooing He Yue Niang to care about these rumors.

He Yue Niang had been staying with the Qian family lately.

Her parents also supported her closeness with Qian Du, hoping she would secure some benefits for their family.

He Yue Niang planned to leave the village with Qian Du’s help. She didn’t want to be a peasant girl, nor did she wish to marry someone from the countryside; she longed to be an official wife and live a life of luxury. With no connections of her own, Qian Du was the only one she could approach, so for the sake of a better future, He Yue Niang clung tightly to him.

That day, He Yue Niang made some snacks and brought them into the study.

In the study, Qian Du looked distressed and angry.

He Yue Niang knew he must be upset about Bai Anning, so she approached him with a smile on her face, "Cousin, have something to eat first."

Qian Du nodded, "Put it down."

He Yue Niang walked behind him and began kneading his shoulders with both hands, "Cousin, don’t be too anxious; Mrs. Bai is just an unfortunate soul, too ungrateful."

Qian Du was still worried, "Without Mrs. Bai, how can I secure a government position? We lack connections, and our family lacks wealth. It is even hard to make a few friends, let alone find a wealthy place to hold an official position."

He Yue Niang didn’t understand all this.

All she knew was that Qian Du was an Advanced Scholar, out of reach, and not just any Mrs. Bai, but perhaps even a Princess of the Royal Family would be suited for him.

She chuckled, "Mrs. Bai is not the only lucky one in this world; many can bring prosperity to their husbands, and there’s more than one or two of such wives. Moreover, it’s good that Mrs. Bai left. Cousin could then maybe marry the daughter of a high-ranking official, and with the Yue Family’s support, you’d be much better off than with Mrs. Bai."

These words sparked a light in Qian Du’s eyes, and he realized he had been obsessed with an idea.

Convinced by the Taoist that Mrs. Bai could bring him fortune, he thought only she could bring him good luck.

But now he realized that there were plenty of women in the world who could bring fortune, or even if they couldn’t, as long as their family had a good background and could support him, that would suffice. Why should he always be fixated on Mrs. Bai, that ugly woman?

Seeing Qian Du receptive to her words, He Yue Niang smiled and said, "Cousin, it’s good to be rid of Mrs. Bai. You might end up marrying a rich and gentle lady, and what about Mrs. Bai after leaving you? What else could she do, who would be so devoted and willing to marry her? She might just end up with a dirt-poor, illiterate country bumpkin or, perhaps, spend the rest of her life in bitter solitude with only a Buddha statue for company."

Thinking that Bai Anning had no one else to marry and would have to settle for a poor, crude man who couldn’t even afford three meals a day, Qian Du felt a surge of glee.

Isn’t that right, other than him who else would want Mrs. Bai with that appearance?

Having left him, Mrs. Bai’s life is likely to be somewhat bitter.

In the future, Mrs. Bai will regret it.

Thinking this way, all his worries vanished.

Qian Du’s spirits lifted, and he turned to grasp He Yue’s hand: "Yue Niang, what you said makes sense, I have thought it over, and it is indeed better to return to the Capital sooner. Once there, who knows if I might find a chance to make some connections."

He Yue was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head and wept: "Cousin, once you leave... I fear that we may never meet again in this lifetime."

"What happened?"

Qian Du frowned.

He Yue sobbed softly: "My parents said, said that I’m old enough to be married, and lately, our family has been struggling a lot, so, so they have found a match for me, someone who is known for beating his wife."

He Yue’s words caused a sharp pain in Qian Du’s heart.

He gazed fixedly at He Yue, and after a long while, he said: "I have wronged you, rest assured, I will explain everything clearly to your uncle. On this journey to the Capital, you and your mother should come with me. Although I may not be able to give you the status of an official wife in the future, I will ensure that you live a life without worries."

He Yue looked tenderly at Qian Du: "I, I don’t need any status, as long as I can be with you, cousin, I am willing to do anything."

He Yue’s sweet affection was very much to Qian Du’s liking; he was already lost in the gentle embrace of love, no longer concerning himself with Bai Anning.

Anning’s family traveled slowly in their ox cart, stopping and starting, it took them over half a month to find a place to settle down.

This place was not too far from the Capital, the town was bustling, and the security was not bad. Anning was keen on settling close to the Capital, but Bai Desheng and Zhang Yue Mei were somewhat reluctant.

In the end, Anning made up her mind, and Bai Desheng, unable to persuade her otherwise, agreed.

Speaking of which, the Bai family’s wealth was indeed quite substantial.

When Bai Anning married Qian Du, she did bring a considerable dowry with her.

Bai Anning was somewhat shrewd; when Qian Du divorced her, she took the silver notes and other valuable items with her, leaving only the less valuable parts of her dowry with the Qian family.

Now the family needed to settle down, which naturally meant buying a house and land.

Anning took out their wealth, but Bai Desheng chose not to use hers.

Bai Desheng and Zhang Yue Mei brought out a box full of silver notes, as well as a good number of valuable items, such as pearls and jades.

Anning saw an East Pearl the size of a thumb pad, uniformly sized pink South Pearls, and various brightly translucent jades. While these items might not be worth a fortune, they were certainly quite valuable.

Seeing these items, Anning became even more convinced of Bai Anning’s extraordinary identity.

Bai Anning, unworldly as she was, could not see that Bai Desheng was a eunuch, but Anning could.

And Zhang Yue Mei, who clearly bore the demeanor of a palace maid.

Anning had traversed countless times and spaces, dealing with eunuchs and palace maids being nothing new to her. Those coming from the palace had their own code of conduct, and Zhang Yue Mei’s every move was nearly identical to those palace maids.

Having observed these details, Anning naturally suspected that Bai Anning was of Royal Family origin.

Now that Bai Desheng had taken out these valuables, Anning was already convinced that Bai Anning must be a victim of palace intrigue.