A few people sat together happily, talking about their recent encounters. When she heard that the woman was her future mother, Zhang Hexiang's mouth widened in disbelief. Her surprise was as they expected, after all, they had the same expression when they first heard the news. They couldn't help but cover their mouths and smile.
Meanwhile, Wang Shuisheng came to the Zhang family and stated his purpose. Zhang's mother immediately jumped up, "I don't know where she is. If anything happens to her in the future, don't come to me. She's already got nothing to do with me. I wish they would stay far away from me. Hurry up and leave, or don't blame me for chasing you away with a stick. Besides, didn't you divorce her? Even if you go to court, you won't be in the right."
Seeing that Wang Shuisheng was unmoved, she pushed him with her hands, all the way to the door, and slammed it shut with a "bang."
Wang Shuisheng truly felt like crying without tears. He never expected things to turn out this way. He had a wife yesterday, and today he was a man all alone. Sudan Novel Network
It's worth mentioning that Zhang Tieshan had been recuperating in his room and rarely went out. Buying groceries, cooking, and fetching medicine were all done by Zhang Tiehua. As she came in and out, many people in the neighborhood knew her. When asked, they learned that she had delayed marriage due to observing mourning rites.
Speaking of Zhang Tiehua, she was indeed quite beautiful. She had read books and knew how to write when she was young. She had not appeared in public for many years and had not worried about making a living, so she possessed a unique temperament that made people feel favorably towards her.
Although young men were somewhat infatuated with her, the significant age difference and their families' disapproval prevented anything from happening. As for those her age or older, they began to stir.
Just then, the owner of a nearby restaurant, whose wife had died in childbirth the year before, leaving him with a son and a daughter, had not remarried in a hurry, fearing that a stepmother might mistreat his children.
He had seen Zhang Tiehua several times as she passed by the restaurant, and he became interested. He knew many young men were interested in her, and he felt he should act fast, otherwise, it would be a great regret in his life if she married someone else.
Thus, every time Zhang Tiehua passed by the restaurant, she would "coincidentally" meet the shop owner, Li. At first, she thought it was a coincidence, but after a while, she realized he was interested in her.
Zhang Tiehua was not an innocent damsel. She began to dress up intentionally and unintentionally. Of course, she also knew that the more reserved a woman was, the more others would respect her, so she never spoke much with him.
Shop owner Li knew that three matchmakers had visited her home, and he became anxious. Their recent encounters had yielded no progress. If they continued to communicate slowly, the beauty would soon belong to someone else.
So, this time, when Zhang Tiehua went out to buy groceries again, she was stopped by shop owner Li. She walked east, and he walked east. She walked west, and he walked west. After several attempts, Zhang Tiehua had to stop and look at him with some confusion, "May I ask what business Shop Owner Li has with me?"
"I won't beat around the bush. I believe you've guessed my intentions after our few chance encounters. I'll say it directly: I'm interested in you. I wonder if you'd be willing to marry me? If you are, I'll find a matchmaker to propose. If not, then just pretend I never said anything." Shop owner Li looked at her sincerely. He was genuinely attracted to her, primarily by the scholarly air about her, feeling that only such a woman could properly educate his children.
Zhang Tiehua's face immediately turned red. She quickly lowered her head and said a bit shyly, "This is too sudden. You need to let me think about it properly."
Shop owner Li nodded, "You can take your time to think. I have plenty of time. The reason I came here so abruptly today is that I heard someone proposed to your family. I was afraid you wouldn't know my feelings. Saying these words makes me feel better. I hope you'll consider me carefully."
Zhang Tiehua nodded haphazardly and left in a hurry. Once out of shop owner Li's sight, her face became unnervingly calm.
In fact, shop owner Li's circumstances were good. The reason she didn't agree immediately was to maintain a maiden's reserve and keep him on his toes. After all, they still had dozens of taels of silver, and their lives were relatively stable. They weren't in a rush to find another partner. Secondly, she wanted to see if anyone in town with better conditions fancied her.
Wu Caiwei, who received the news, was extremely speechless. She had only not paid attention to her for a few days, and she had already found another one. She didn't know what these men saw in her, one after another being drawn to her.
Just two days after confessing to Zhang Tiehua, shop owner Li stopped her again. "I see you dress very simply. I bought you a hairpin."
Zhang Tiehua felt delighted in her heart but still put on a calm expression, "A gift without merit is not accepted. Please take back the hairpin, Shop Owner Li."
"I bought this hairpin for the girl I love, and I give it willingly. Even if you don't choose me in the end, I have no regrets. After all, I pursued you and tried my best. It's okay if I fail." With that, he stuffed the item directly into her hand and left in a hurry, fearing she would refuse.
Wu Caiwei, standing in the corner, saw Zhang Tiehua's smugness and snorted coldly before turning to leave.
When Zhang Tiehua returned home, she secretly took out the hairpin given to her by shop owner Li and admired it repeatedly. Although she appeared to be going to the market to buy groceries normally these past few days, she had intentionally or unintentionally chatted with people about shop owner Li. Slowly, she learned that shop owner Li was indeed a gentleman. For many years, he had been very self-disciplined and had never been involved with other women. He was very shrewd in business, and under his management, his business had developed rapidly. He also had shops in the neighboring town.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of porcelain shattering from the adjacent room. An expression of impatience involuntarily appeared on her face. She quickly tidied up her things and went to the next room. As expected, upon entering, she heard his questioning, "You've been home for so long and haven't come to see me. I've noticed my importance in your heart is decreasing. Tell me, has some young man outside seduced you again?"
Zhang Tiehua felt that ever since her brother's leg was broken, his temper had become increasingly strange. She retorted impatiently, "What are you lying in bed thinking about all day? Your most important task now is to recover your leg."
Zhang Tieshan looked at her deeply and said sternly, "I have nothing now, only you. My leg might even be crippled. Don't let me know you've betrayed me, or I don't know what crazy things I might do."
Zhang Tiehua's head felt guilty as she lowered it, not daring to meet his eyes. After a moment, she said, "You're overthinking. Our more than twenty years of affection are not fake. Why do you have so little confidence in yourself?"