Chapter 5

Shen Cui was so shocked that she sprayed all the hot tea on the table and coughed, asking, “W-what remarriage?”

Mrs. Zheng reached out to comfort her and explained slowly, “My child, don’t be anxious. Let mother tell you slowly.”

It turned out that on this day, Mrs. Zheng and her daughter-in-law were buying New Year goods in the city when they heard some news—the Feng family in the county was looking for a wet nurse.

The Feng family was a well-known wealthy family in the local area, and their main family did big business in the capital!

Although Mr. Feng was just a branch son, he was still a prominent figure in the county.

His wife had always been in poor health. She had finally become pregnant last year, but giving birth was like passing through the gates of hell for women at that time. Mrs. Feng couldn’t bear it and died in childbirth, leaving behind only a daughter.

Miss Feng was also in poor health. Mr. Feng had hired many wet nurses to take care of her. However, this winter, there was a mistake, and Miss Feng caught a cold.

Mr. Feng was angry at the negligence of the wet nurses. But since his daughter couldn’t be separated from people for the time being, he decided to temporarily fill their vacancies first.

The monthly salary of Feng’s household servants was not based on the local county, but on the price level of the capital. They provided food and accommodation, clothes every quarter, and two taels of silver per month.

For ordinary people, if they could get this job, it would be a huge stroke of luck.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a proposal that had been agreed upon for her. Shen Cui let out a long breath and said, “They’re looking for a wet nurse, and I don’t have that.”

“Does the Feng family, as big as it is, still lack a wet nurse?” Mrs. Zheng frowned and looked Shen Cui up and down, puzzled. She said, “Normally, you and I are in sync. How come, after not seeing you for over a month, you suddenly become so clueless?”

Shen Cui couldn’t connect with the strange logic of her biological mother. She forced a smile and said, “This matter has nothing to do with remarriage.”

Mrs. Zheng slapped her thigh in agitation and said rapidly, “With the main mistress gone in the Feng family, Mr. Feng has no concubines either. Miss Feng is still too young to remember. My child is beautiful and of the same age as Mr. Feng. If she enters the Feng family, wins the love and admiration of Miss Feng, are you still afraid of not having the chance to climb up? When you married Mu Cheng back then, it was because you didn’t look down on the rural peasants and went for a better life! Now that Mu Cheng is gone, don’t you have to plan ahead for yourself?”

Shen Cui pretended to hesitate and said, “I naturally know that mother is thinking of my best interests. But if you could get this information, there must be many families in the city with the same idea. Many young girls and new brides are eyeing this opportunity. My second son is already so big, how can he compare to others? And… Mu Cheng has only been missing for a few months. He might come back one day.”

Shen Cui, who was familiar with the original book’s plot, naturally knew that Mu Cheng had disappeared and was unlikely to return. However, this didn’t stop her from using it as an excuse for now.

“What does it matter if he comes back or not?” Mrs. Zheng stood up in frustration and stamped her foot. “Even if he comes back soon, you’ll just be working at the Fengs’. If he comes back late, you’ll already be a part of the Feng family. He’s just a smelly carpenter. How could he overturn the sky?”

Back when the Shen family wasn’t as prosperous, Mrs. Zheng thought Mu Cheng was a good match and helped her daughter drug him.

Later, when the Shen family cleaned the mud off their legs, Mrs. Zheng looked down on Mu Cheng.

Shen Cui, feeling a headache coming on, didn’t want to argue with her anymore. She firmly said, “I was seriously ill before, almost lost my life. Having passed through the gates of hell, I’ve now realized many things. Climbing high branches is not easy. I’ve suffered enough at the Mu family. Am I supposed to suffer again at the Feng family? The Feng family may seem prosperous, but wealthy families have many hidden troubles. How could I handle that? Mother, please don’t persuade me. If it’s about working for someone else, I’ll agree. But if it’s about having such thoughts and going to the Feng family, I definitely won’t agree!”

Seeing Mrs. Zheng’s sharp eyes, Shen Cui added, “Not to mention, even if it’s not for myself, just for my second son? He has never left my side since he was little. If I go to the Feng family, I can’t take my son with me. Do you expect me to separate from him? What will I do without him?”

When Shen Cui mentioned Mu Er Pang, Mrs. Zheng’s voice softened slightly, but she still insisted, “Are you foolish? With me here, are you afraid that no one will take care of Mu Er Pang? You can plan for your future, and I’ll take care of Mu Er Pang. With me looking after him, you can rest assured that I won’t mistreat him! Moreover, for Mu Er Pang’s sake, you should plan ahead. In this rural place, you have no skills, and you’re a widow with a child. How can you live? Are you still waiting for the eldest son of the Mu family to take care of you and your son?”

“That’s not the case.” Shen Cui said, “We make our own way in life. I’ll find a way in the future.”

Seeing that Shen Cui was not receptive and hearing that she had been seriously ill before, Mrs. Zheng felt both heartbroken and angry. She didn’t want to force her at this moment. Finally, she stood up and said, “I’ve said all the good things. Think it over. I won’t harm you. Mu Er is still young, and you have no skills. Without a man in charge, you’re only twenty-six. Are you going to stay single for the rest of your life? You should remarry into a good family early. When you’re established in the Feng family, you can bring Mu Er over to live a good life together.”

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Shen Cui naturally refused, and Mrs. Zheng finally threw out a last remark, “Since you don’t listen to me, don’t come back to your mother’s house for the New Year!” Then she left angrily.

Li Shi, who had followed Mrs. Zheng out of the courtyard, quickly returned.

“Younger sister, Mother is stubborn but soft-hearted. She’s angry today, but I’ll persuade her more when I go back. By the time the New Year comes around, it should be fine.”

Li Shi’s words were tactful, but they also showed her support for her younger sister not to remarry at this time.

There were still rational people in the Shen family!

Shen Cui was about to smile, but before she could, she heard Li Shi hesitate and say, “Mother just said something at the door. She gave you five taels of silver when winter started, but now the family’s finances are a bit tight. Would you consider…”

“I could return the silver money first…”

Shen Cui: …

In recent years, the Shen family had been doing well while the Mu family struggled. The original Shen Cui often visited her mother’s house to chat.

Mrs. Zheng had always supported her daughter privately and had never asked for the silver money back.

Suddenly asking her to return the money was obviously a way to pressure her, making her understand the difficulties of living without money and then obediently following her mother’s orders!

If she didn’t return the silver money, it might lead to trouble.

She asked Li Shi to wait a moment, then quickly went into the bedroom to get the silver ingot.

Li Shi, with a flushed face, whispered a few more words of advice, saying they would find a way to return the money later. Then she immediately took the silver ingot out and gave it to Mrs. Zheng.

Known for being frugal and not giving her sister-in-law any face, Mrs. Zheng stood at the door waiting for the two sisters-in-law to argue, so she could come in and continue persuading her daughter to go to the Feng family.

Unexpectedly, in less than half a moment, Li Shi had retrieved the silver money.

With no reason to return, Mrs. Zheng left in a huff with Li Shi.

Upon hearing footsteps, Shen Cui quickly came out and closed the courtyard gate.

Actually, today’s incident wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She had already planned to temporarily cut off contact with her original family.

However, with the New Year approaching, it was impossible not to bring Er Pang back to her mother’s house.

This argument with Mrs. Zheng gave her a reason to temporarily cut off contact with her family.

But this matter was indeed somewhat strange.

Because this matter was obviously not in the original book’s plot. According to the original Shen Cui’s character, which was similar to her mother’s, she would definitely be eager to climb up the Feng family’s social ladder.

The original Shen Cui had a thick skin and low means. It was possible that she could indeed become the Feng family’s mistress, thus freeing herself from the role of the male lead’s stepmother.

In that case, there wouldn’t be as much plot involving the Shen family in the book.

Why did she have to deal with this kind of thing after transmigrating?

The Feng family… The Feng family!

Shen Cui remembered that Mu Yunchuan had a close friend, someone he had met in his early days when he came from the capital to study in this county, staying with relatives. Later, this person became his right-hand man after he rose to power. Wasn’t his surname Feng?

If it was Mu Yunchuan manipulating things behind the scenes, then it was truly a clever move—

He just leaked a bit of information to the Shen family, and what the Shen family did had nothing to do with him.

If Shen Cui really climbed into the Feng family’s bed, she would become a member of the Feng family and have nothing to do with Mu Yunchuan. She wouldn’t be able to use filial piety to manipulate him.

If it didn’t work out, and things happened in the Feng family, Feng Gongzi would definitely cover for him and not tarnish his reputation.

And if Shen Cui didn’t agree to go to the Feng family, then it would be like the argument with her mother just now, leaving her in a panic.

Perhaps the only thing he didn’t anticipate was that Shen Cui had changed her mindset and wanted to distance herself from her family. She took advantage of this to gain benefits.

Thinking of this, Shen Cui felt a chill. The male lead in the original book was only fifteen years old. She was born in an orphanage in her previous life and was considered precocious, but at fifteen, she was far from being able to calculate people’s hearts like this!

Moreover, after she transmigrated, she didn’t do anything bad. She just gave him some silver money and borrowed a book.

Was it worth him calculating her like this? Could it be that she was overthinking things? Perhaps today’s events were just a coincidence.

Lost in her thoughts, Shen Cui, who had been thinking about Mu Yunchuan, was tactfully given access to Mu Yunchuan’s data panel by the system connected to her consciousness.

A line immediately caught Shen Cui’s attention—

Mu Yunchuan: Mood Value +10

Mood Value: 70 (Solved a small problem, mood slightly improved).

Shen Cui: !!!

Whose opponent was she standing against?