1260 Punish Ourselves for Other People’s Mistakes
“You will understand this just by looking at your own situation. If not for the sake of having a child, you can’t even be bothered about men anymore.”
“Regarding having a child, Wei De already has a son: Wei Wei. His parents already have a grandchild. Wei De already has someone to pa.s.s down the family line. Will the Wei family feel anxious for Wei De to find a woman to marry? Let’s talk about a disgusting situation. Didn’t that sister of Wei De also come to Ping Cheng? Wei De is lacking neither son nor woman. Wei De’s sister can also help Wei De in something that an ordinary woman and wife can do for him. Why would he marry at this point unless the woman is someone like you who can help Wei De? Otherwise, he would have ruined his own path to wealth then, no?”
Wei De did not lack a son or a woman. He only lacked the opportunity to rise in the ranks and become wealthy.
He was not capable. Hence, the only way to fulfill this wish was to marry a wife with a good birth status and family background. He would rely on the in-law family’s help then.
As Zhai Hua had been unhappy with Tian Dong’s performance, she had slight thoughts of softening her heart in order to be at odds with herself or Tian Dong. Nevertheless, she had abolished this intent totally after listening to Qiao Nan’s wise and earnest advice.
At that time, Zhai Hua only asked Qiao Nan one question. “If I don’t get married and don’t have a child forever, will you let the triplets support me when I grow old?”
Chinese are so traditional in their thinking.
Qiao Nan replied to Zhai Hua, “It’s never a problem to support you when you grow old. I am most concerned that you don’t have someone by your side then.”
Qiao Nan’s words made Zhai Hua feel sour. She also calmed down at the same time.
Yes, she had three niece and nephews. She was not worried that no one would support her when she was old. She was only worried that no one would accompany her.
However, there were so many man-made or natural calamities nowadays. Some illnesses could not be cured and some were terminal cancers. Despite being married and having children, most people did not have anyone by their side when they were old. Were they going to live on then?
She was the daughter of the Zhai family. Since these people could continue with their lives, why couldn’t she?
By the time she was old, the triplets would definitely have gotten married and they would have their own children.
At that time, she did not need anyone to keep her company. She would ‘kidnap’ the children of one of the triplets and raise them. It was similar to what the old master did in the past. That seemed fine too.
Her grandmother had pa.s.sed away early and the old master had been alone. Earlier on, when she and Zhai Sheng were still in Ping Cheng, the old master insisted on staying in the countryside and refused to stay in the city. He wanted to mix around with his former war comrades. The old master did not seem to be having a difficult life either.
If she could be like the old master and live her life such that she was as healthy and energetic as the youngsters, she would be very happy.
Since she had resolved her last concern, Zhai Hua did not give up on herself. Instead, she was freed. She might as well not trouble herself over marriage anymore. As such, she cast Tian Dong and Wei De aside.
If she had not heard a few wicked soldiers scolding her for being inhuman and being an old woman left on the shelves, Zhai Hua would not be in such a bad mood.
However, Zhai Hua would let whoever made her unhappy experience unbearable suffering.
Come on! Let’s harm each other and see who would bow first!
At the mention of Tian Dong, the initiator of all these, Zhai Hua found it hard to calm down. She immediately flared up. In addition, a sinister and murderous aura surrounded her. Her face was as black as a female Rakkhasa[1].
Upon realizing that she seemed to have overreacted, Zhai Hua took a deep breath and held her forehead. She lowered her voice. “Alright, I know my mood is not especially good. Don’t agitate me with these words. The Tian family did not handle this very well… Fine. Perhaps they have already expressed themselves and I am the one who doesn’t understand it thoroughly. After all, when Nan Nan gave birth, Tian Dong had helped a lot. In the future, if anything happens to the Tian family, we return the favor by helping them too. As for other matters, don’t think too much about or mention it. He’s like a lady since he was a child. How could I fancy him?”
Zhai Hua did not speak the last sentence from her heart.
She had taken a liking to him but Tian Dong had been so cold to her thereafter. He neither contacted nor expressed anything to her.
Regardless of the intent of Tian Dong and the Tian family, sorry, she was not playing with them anymore. They could scram!
This was Zhai Hua’s private affair. As much as the people around her could give her some advice, it would be meaningless to go overboard. After all, Zhai Hua was responsible for her own life.
You are not a fish. How would you know whether the fish is happy? One should not judge a person by their own thoughts.
Other people might not feel positive about this kind of life. However, Zhai Hua felt happy and carefree leading it. It was not important how others viewed it at all.
Qiao Nan was a woman. Of course, she sided with Zhai Hua. She could tell that Zhai Hua’s temper had been provoked by Zhai Sheng. Qiao Nan secretly nudged Zhai Sheng to hint at him to know when to draw the line.
Anyway, in her view, this matter’s responsibility indeed lay with Tian Dong and not Zhai Hua.
As a man, he should take practical steps and adopt an enthusiastic att.i.tude. If he felt that they were not suitable, it was fine not to give any clear explanation, but why did he always have to say something ambiguous and suggestive to stop the Zhai family from making matchmaking arrangements for Zhai Hua?
As such, Qiao Nan was also not pleased to bring up Tian Dong, let alone Zhai Hua.
Besides Wei De, Tian Dong was the next person whom Zhai Hua was together with for the longest time. In addition, she and Tian Dong got along quite well and he had spent a lot of thoughts and effort on Zhai Hua. Given Qiao Nan’s malicious eloquence, it was just a matter of seconds for her to nip Tian Dong in the bud, just like what she did to Wei De when she made the strong-headed Zhai Hua turn her back and give up on Wei De in the past.
However, Qiao Nan was not the kind of person who liked to exaggerate matters. Unless there was really a major concern, she was not willing to intervene in other people’s lives in this way.
The topic of marriage with Tian Dong ended along with Zhai Hua’s fury.
Miao Jing, who was sitting by the side and peeling fruits for her three grandchildren, heard the conversation clearly. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly without a word. Sometimes, Miao Jing could not figure out why. The Zhai family was so honest and responsible. She could not vouch for other families, but she dared to pat her chest and express that the Zhai family had a clear conscience. They had never let the organization, country, and people down.
Most importantly, they pa.s.sed down a few generations of soldiers who protected the country. Even if they were not considered heroes, they contributed to the safety and stability of the country.
They did not do any misdeeds. They did not do lesser good deeds either. Why was it that good fortune did not come to her daughter, that her affinity in love had to come so late?
Other people did not understand Zhai Hua’s trouble, but as the mother, Miao Jing did.
Zhai Hua was already of this age. Each time someone brought up the topic of marriage, they could not help using Zhai Hua as an example and make a few unpleasant remarks. It seemed that Zhai Hua, who was still single, became the cla.s.sic example that many parents used to chase their children into marriage. They did not hold back their tongues.
[1] A demon in Buddhism that eats human flesh