EBE Chapter 33 Does My Cousin Want It?
Chapter 33 Does My Cousin Want It?
Such a foolish and vulgar person, if it weren't for Qiao Qingshu's efforts to protect the Qiao and Xiao families in her previous life, how could her incompetent father have enjoyed such wealth and honor?
Looking back now, it seems laughable. Such a heartless, ungrateful, and foolish man should have stayed in the lower class that belonged to him.
If you try to lift him up with great effort, it will only make him arrogant and think it's his own ability.
Standing in the twilight, Qiao Qingshu thought to herself, "Good father, with such a stupid and dull-witted person like you, the Qiao family will surely perish faster with you around."
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. Qiao Jizhou turned to her, puzzled, and asked,
"What are you laughing at, Shu'er?"
Qiao Qingshu said lightly,
"I feel proud of Father's majestic appearance. With a father like you, Shu'er can rest assured."
Qiao Jizhou thought his daughter was really praising him, and immediately tilted his head back, feeling inexplicably proud.
Xu Biyun is now receiving no respect from the Qiao family, and has no choice but to endure the humiliation and kneel before the Bai family's memorial tablet for three days before she can finally obtain the simplest of ceremonies.
The Qiao family prepared a meal, but only the family members ate it, and that was the end of it.
Xu Biyun cried several times because of this, but nothing could be changed.
The next day.
When Qiao Qingshu heard that the old lady of the Xiao family, Madam Xing, had come to visit with her son Xiao Chengyan, she was still somewhat surprised and shook some of the incense ash she was fiddling with, which fell onto the pear wood table.
Lin Dong deftly swept the incense burner ash together with a handkerchief and threw it away, chuckling softly.
“Young lady, the second young master of the Xiao family must have come for your marriage.”
Qiao Qingshu frowned slightly. She thought that the Qiao family had made such a big scandal and joke in Beijing, and that she had deliberately spread it, so they would definitely look down on the Qiao family now.
She thought that the Xiao family might look down on the Qiao family because of this scandal, so she found an excuse to break off the engagement with her.
But the words spoken by Old Madam Xiao when she held her hand on the day of her mother's funeral made her realize that the people from the Xiao family who came today were not there to annul the engagement, but to push the marriage forward.
Qiao Qingshu frowned deeply as she thought of this.
She absolutely cannot let this marriage go smoothly.
Lin Dong, Wan Qiu, and Xia Zhi had no idea that their young lady harbored such thoughts. They excitedly rummaged through their chests and cabinets, finding beautiful clothes and jewelry to dress up Qiao Qingshu.
Qiao Qingshu pushed aside the gorgeous clothes, her expression one of annoyance.
“I’m still in mourning, how can I be so conspicuous?”
Qiao Qingshu was still dressed in a plain white dress, her lips were unpainted and her eyebrows were undrawn, and she only had a Hangzhou white silk flower in her hair. She was so quiet and pure that one could not bear to touch her.
On her way to Fushoutang, Qiao Qingshu met Liu Wan'er and her two younger sisters, Qiao Qingqiao and Qiao Qingle.
The second younger sister, Qiao Qingqiao, and the third younger sister, Qiao Qingle, both greeted her respectfully.
Hello, big sister.
Qiao Qingshu looked at her two half-sisters in front of her. Because she was a head taller than them, she couldn't help but look down at them.
The second younger sister, Qiao Qingqiao, was born to Aunt Chen, but her personality was nothing like Aunt Chen's.
The second younger sister is well-read, has a serious and unsmiling personality, and sometimes even speaks with a masculine air.
She looked down on her disreputable birth mother and was never close to Aunt Chen. On the contrary, she treated Bai with great respect and often served her.
This is also one of the reasons why Aunt Chen often throws tantrums: her own daughter is not close to her, but is closer to others.
In her previous life, Qiao Qingqiao was also deeply saddened after Bai's death and even fell ill.
For several years in a row, Qiao Qingshu encountered Qiao Qingqiao, who came to pay her respects, at the memorial garden on the anniversary of her mother's death.
Unfortunately, although Qiao Qingqiao tried her best to sever ties with Aunt Chen, she was still schemed against by her own birth mother. For money and fame, she was tricked into marrying into the Jing Prince's mansion as a concubine. Later, she was pregnant three times, but was miscarried by the ruthless Princess Jing. After years of torment, her body was weakened and she died three years earlier than Qiao Qingshu.
This second younger sister once risked her life to secretly pass on the news of Prince Jing's defection to Qiao Qingshu, who was then the Empress of Nanzhao. This allowed Qiao Qingshu to respond in time and prevent a coup.
Looking at Qiao Qingqiao, whose face was still young and who was only fifteen years old, Qiao Qingshu silently calculated in her heart that there were still two years before her engagement, and she was sure she could change this tragedy.
His gaze then fell on the third sister, Qiao Qingle. Qiao Qingle was born to Aunt He and her personality was just like Aunt He's—obedient and docile.
Fourteen-year-old Qiao Qingle is still small, with her eyebrows and eyes not yet fully developed, looking like a child, innocent and naive.
Qiao Qingshu never understood why this little girl would help that bitch Liu Wan'er to deal with her years later, and in the end, she was also tricked into going to a foreign land to marry in place of Princess Biluo.
Qiao Qingshu still remembers the day she was sent to marry a foreign ruler, and how Qiao Qingle cried bitterly after suddenly realizing her mistake.
Neither of the two younger sisters had a happy ending in their previous lives.
If we had intervened earlier in this life, could we have changed their fate?
A soft voice interrupted Qiao Qingshu's thoughts.
"Cousin, let's hurry up, the old lady is waiting."
It was Liu Wan'er's voice.
Liu Wan'er stood between her two younger sisters, her face beaming with pride, as if she were looking forward to something.
Qiao Qingshu sized her up for a moment and saw through Liu Wan'er's thoughts.
Although Liu Wan'er was also wearing light-colored clothes today, the cuffs and collar were decorated with intricate patterns, and the satin was of the finest brocade.
She applied the finest rouge and lipstick from He Xiang Ge, and wore her most prized possessions: a jade hairpin and a ruby, glass, pomegranate-shaped gold hairpin.
Others might not have noticed anything amiss with her disguise, but Qiao Qingshu saw right through her and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
With all this effort, Liu Wan'er will surely seize the opportunity to seduce Xiao Chengyan today.
Qiao Qingshu is now happy to act as a matchmaker, helping them create the necessary conditions and environment.
He gave Liu Wan'er a cold look and a joking smile.
"Why are you in such a hurry, cousin? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the one being asked to marry today."
Liu Wan'er's face turned bright red instantly after hearing Qiao Qingshu's words.
The two younger sisters beside her, however, were naive and laughed as they helped Liu Wan'er out of the predicament.
Qiao Qingle was naive and genuine.
"Big sister, I'm just as anxious as cousin Wan'er. Brother Xiao is so handsome, I've never had a good look at him before. Today I must take a good look at this famous handsome man in the capital."
Qiao Qingqiao tapped Qing Le's forehead and sternly reprimanded her.
"You little brat, aren't you ashamed? That's your older sister's fiancé. Aren't you afraid of making her angry by talking nonsense like that?"
Qiao Qingshu's gaze remained fixed on Liu Wan'er, never wavering.
"Why would I be angry? If my sister likes Xiao Er, I'll give him to you. Cousin, do you want him? I can give him to you too."