Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 412 Exploitation

"A marriage exchange?!?"

Xu Xianglan trembled when she heard those two words. Although she had heard of this kind of thing, she never expected that it would happen to her one day!

"How could this be? How could my grandmother treat me like this!"

"Does Father know? Father actually agreed?"

The old woman glanced at Aunt Xu in the main room and gestured for Xu Xianglan to lower her voice, "I don't know the specifics, don't be misled by her momentary enthusiasm."

She gave Xu Xianglan a look that signaled her to stay calm and not let anyone see through her.

Aunt Xu was afraid that someone would gossip, so when she saw that Xu Xianglan hadn't gone to the main room for a long time, she personally came over with her cane to check on her.

Xu Xianglan's heart was already in turmoil.

But she wasn't a child after all, and she was able to suppress her resentment and frustration, only her expression remained indifferent.

Aunt Xu then criticized her hairstyle, saying it wasn't pretty, so she put down her cane and personally helped her style her hair.

Xu Xianglan was heartbroken.

This was the first time her grandmother had ever combed her hair.

What was supposed to be a heartwarming and touching scene turned into a surprise: she was to be swapped with the mentally challenged son of another family.

It felt as if a thousand swords had pierced her heart, causing her unbearable, indescribable heartache.

"Grandmother hasn't told us where this family is from yet. We'll be meeting them later, and I can't be completely ignorant of them and then neglect them." Her voice was barely audible, seemingly shy and soft, but it was actually a suppressed roar from within.

Seeing that her face was red, Aunt Xu thought she was shy. "He's the youngest son of a wealthy man from a neighboring county. He's definitely from a prominent family."

"Although your father is somewhat famous, compared to the other party, he is like heaven and earth."

"If I hadn't said that you are highly regarded by Duchess Liu Yuechu, my family would have had some hesitation and felt that you were not good enough for her."

"I did exaggerate a bit when I spoke, but it's easy to make up for. You can take the master to the Duke's mansion and ask the Duchess to show her her face."

Aunt Xu didn't care at all about the fabricated relationships. As long as it made her family look presentable, she would go to great lengths to make it sound more impressive, almost to the point of claiming that her granddaughter was a fairy descended from heaven.

Xu Xianglan paused, "How can you speak so casually about the Duchess?!" Her words suddenly became somewhat urgent.

"You brat, you scared me to death!" Aunt Xu was startled by her scream. "Did I say something wrong? The Duchess did see you and even praised you for your intelligence."

"It's as difficult as climbing to heaven for others to see her."

"You should have been gloating over this benefit, but you didn't say a word, so I had to do it!" Aunt Xu tightened her grip on her hair, her hand ruthless. "You'd better behave yourself later and not be so jumpy. If you scare this rich man's family away, I'll tear you apart alive, you hear me!" She finished combing Xu Xianglan's hair and couldn't help but pinch her again!

Xu Xianglan could no longer feel any pain in her skin. She was completely numb.

Soon, that family arrived.

Looking at Xu Xianglan, he noticed that she was pretty, but her clothes were worn out and her hair ornaments weren't very valuable. He felt a bit disgusted with her.

However, the mistress asked her about her meeting with Liu Yuechu, and Xu Xianglan didn't make a big fuss about it. She answered whatever was asked, which pleased the people in the manor.

She gave Xu Xianglan a set of pearl hairpins and jewelry, as well as several bolts of fine fabric.

Not long after they left, the matchmaker arrived.

"Their household is very satisfied with Lan Niang, and they are only asking when the engagement will be held. They don't want to delay for too long and would prefer to get the wedding done as soon as possible."

"What about the dowry?" Aunt Xu was more concerned about this issue.

"You should at least give something to maintain appearances. Is your family really so stingy?" The matchmaker was also somewhat dissatisfied upon hearing her words. "You should know that the girl from the other family is also going to marry into our family. If you don't give anything, they won't give anything either. In the end, you're the one who loses out!"

Aunt Xu let out a sharp cry.

After careful calculation, the matchmaker was indeed right.

"We'll have to wait a bit longer. My son has gone to participate in the carving competition. If he wins a prize and becomes a court official, the betrothal gifts will have to be more generous."

"Isn't that something for the future? What if she doesn't get married?" The matchmaker looked at Xu Xianglan, who was standing silently to the side. "Getting married isn't easy. She might never come back. You can't be too harsh on a young lady like her."

"Besides, this is someone the Duchess values. If you treat her too lightly, whose face will you be slapping?"

The matchmaker kept talking, and Aunt Xu finally gave in.

They said they would set a date for the engagement after Xu Shan passed the first round of the competition, and that was the end of it.

After seeing the matchmaker off, Xu Xianglan claimed to have a headache and wanted to go back to her room to rest.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Aunt Xu realized that she might have found out something. "Don't blame your grandmother for being mercenary. If you go to the official's mansion, at least you won't have to worry about food and clothing."

"As for what kind of man you marry, that's not important at all. What's important is that you're careful and save up enough money."

Xu Xianglan chuckled softly, "Yes, I do need money." After saying this, she ran away crying.

Aunt Xu was so angry that she raised her cane and was about to chase after her, but the old woman quickly stopped her, saying, "We have to give the girl some time so that she can think things through and get married in a better way."

"It must be because of your loose tongue!" Aunt Xu had already guessed what had happened.

"This old servant isn't being sarcastic, but I hope the young lady will have a clear understanding and carefully weigh the pros and cons." The old woman cursed inwardly that Xu Da Niang's eyes were full of copper coin holes, no wonder she gave birth to Rabbit Lord's son and had a stupid grandson.

Aunt Xu was unwilling to scold anymore.

He took out his ledger and began calculating how much it would cost to arrange Xu Xianglan's marriage and how to fill the dowry chests most economically.

Xu Xianglan returned to the house and cried for a long time.

She cried until her tears ran dry, and she truly wished she could die.

She cried herself to sleep without knowing when, and woke up in the middle of the night.

Her younger brother was already fast asleep, so she quietly got out of bed.

Stepping outside, she gazed silently at the full moon in the sky, her mind blank.

Has she just resigned herself to her fate?

Xu Xianglan didn't want to accept her fate, but what could she do if she didn't accept it?

Looking at the courtyard wall, she suddenly felt a strong urge to leave.

Yes, why didn't she just leave? Why did she have to bear all the burdens and exploitation of this family?

She suddenly looked at the towering courtyard wall and really wanted to jump over it.

She walked to the corner of the wall and measured the dimensions. The wall was half a head higher than her, and it would be really difficult for her to climb over it unless she used a ladder.

But if we use a ladder, it will definitely alert everyone.

But there was nothing to step on, so she could only search around and eventually found a half-meter-long wooden stake about the thickness of an arm.

The wooden stakes stood on the ground, but she could easily slip and fall.

After several attempts, Xu Xianglan gradually found her balance.

With dawn approaching, she had no choice but to give it a shot.

踩！

Jump!

"thump!"

"Who's throwing things out in the middle of the night?!"

"Holy crap, it's a person!"