At the end of summer, a heavy downpour suddenly occurred. The temperature dropped by a few degrees as a result. As the storm passed, the heat swept through, keeping the air humid and sticky.
At a teahouse by Pingjiang.
Two artistes were seen holding a lute each in their hands. It played a gentle and delicate tone, a popular musical commentary of the day.
While listening to the performance, the crowd discussed the hottest topics at Pingjiang.
[As Old Master Tang falls ill, his children begin to seize his inheritance]
"The old master is ill, but there has been many happy happenings in the Tang family recently. Engagements, weddings... They said they did it to bring good fortune for the old master. What a joke."
"They just want to get married before the old master passes away. With more headcount, they may get a bigger share of the inheritance."
"They're willing to do anything to get that money. That's why I say, being rich ain't a good thing."
"There's a rumor that the Tang family had an arranged marriage with the Jiang family of Sijiu City. Apparently, the eldest Tang wanted to marry his stepdaughter into the Jiangs."
"I don't know what the Jiangs are thinking... They obviously have two sons, but..."
In fact, the Jiang family and the Pingjiang's Tang family were evenly matched half a century ago. However, the Tang family had been in decline over the years, and the Jiang family increased in prominence. As a matter of fact, the eldest granddaughter of Tang family may not even be appropriate for the Jiang family, yet...
When everyone mentioned it, they sighed again.
"Stepdaughter? How about the eldest young miss..."
"There's no choice. The stepmother is in charge now, she has to fight for her daughter's benefit to the greatest extent."
"This marriage was originally decided with the eldest young miss. Whatever the Jiang family does, it's not her place as a stepdaughter to interfere, right?"
At this moment, a girl sitting in the corner stood up, paid the bill, and left with a box of tea and snacks.
On the stage, the two performers were singing the excerpts from the legend, "To switch a prince with a racoon".
"... knowing how perverse Empress Liu is, we shouldn't make the swap. Switch the racoon in place of the prince, and that is how I show my loyalty."
She was the focus of the discussion, the eldest young miss of the Tang family -- Tang Wan.
***
At the Tang family's villa in Pingjiang.
Tang Wan's car had just stopped when a woman in her early sixties walked over. Although her face was full of hardships, it was clear that she was particular about how people came out. "Miss, you're finally back."
"What's wrong?"
"Someone from the Jiang family is coming!"
"Where are they?" She did not see any other cars in the courtyard.
"She hasn't arrived yet."
"Then I'm afraid the two boxes of pastries I bought for grandfather aren't enough to share." The bestseller at the bakery, it was sold out very quickly everyday. If she had not gone there earlier, she would not have been able to buy it at all.
"What time Is it now? Why are you still thinking about these pastries? I heard that the Jiang family came over this time to discuss the marriage between our two families. Although this marriage is not set in stone, if it is snatched away by the second miss, you will inevitably cause people to gossip behind your back..."
Whether this marriage would succeed or not was one thing, but if it was snatched away by a stepdaughter, the story would be different.
"Where's Grandpa?"
"He went out. He said that he was bored at home and wanted to take a breather."
"He ran out when he wasn't feeling well. He asked me to buy him pastries, but he left himself?"
***
They chatted as they entered the house and saw a mother and daughter chatting. The older woman looked to be about 35 or 36 years old. She was beautiful and charming. She wore a simple black dress and yet looked dignified, although it did nothing to hide her allure.
"Wan Wan is home."
This person was Tang Wan's stepmother, Zhang Liyun.
"Aunt Liyun." When Zhang Liyun married into the family, Tang Wan was already a middle schooler. She could not change how she addressed the older lady.
"Sis," the girl sitting next to her whispered.
She was wearing a princess dress with lace edges. She was nineteen this year, three years younger than Tang Wan. She was the stepdaughter of the Tang family, Tang Mo.
Her name was changed after she entered the house. She was not related to the Tang family by blood.
Tang Mo looked like Zhang Liyun. She was not old and yet already had a flirtatious attitude. At this moment, she was obedient and lovely. However, Tang Wan had seen her acting like a spoiled brat outside. She relied on the fact that she was a young miss of the Tang family, and her attitude was quite arrogant.
After being caught by Tang Wan, her image of being timid and self-abased at home was completely destroyed.
Although Tang Wan did not gossip with others, Tang Mo felt guilty and did not dare to approach her. As a result, the relationship between them remained tepid.
"Miss, have some tea." The maid had already brought a cup of black tea over.
Tang Wan took the tea and sat down slowly, as if she didn't see the anxiety in the mother and daughter's eyes.
"Wan Wan, actually, the Jiang family is coming later." Zhang Liyun smiled humbly.
"Is that so?"Tang Wan's expression didn't change.
"They must have come to discuss the early marriage between the two families. Although it was a verbal engagement and there was no written proof, the old man is a man of his word and still wants to fulfill the agreement." Zhang Liyun looked at Tang Wan, with kindness in her eyes.
"Although the Jiang family said that you can choose your husband, our of their two sons, in that case..." Zhang Liyun sighed. "It's normal that your father doesn't want you to marry them."
"Fortunately, your father is not here today. Otherwise, if someone from the Jiang family came, I'm afraid it would be chaos."
The Jiang family had two sons. The meaning of his family was that they could let the Tang family choose any son they wanted. It seemed very sincere, but the problem was..
The eldest son of the Jiang family was well-known as a capable and honorable young man. Yet, he had a son whose mother was not known.
The second son was a sickly man. It was said that he had a medical condition and would not live past 28. Therefore, he was eccentric and stubborn.
Even so, there were many people who sent their daughters to the Jiang family. After all, as long as they were married and their position was stable, they would live the rest of their lives in prosperity.
Zhang Liyun was the kind of person who would do anything to stuff her daughter into the Jiang family.
However, Tang Wan's father doted on her. He felt that the Jiang family's wealth was limitless and that it would be a disaster if she were to marry into it. He did not agree to it, so the marriage was not decided for a long time.
After all, if she were to marry into the Jiang family..
She would either become a stepmother or be destined to be a widow!
***
At this moment, in a private room in a teahouse
Two men, one young and one old, sat opposite each other.
"How is it? Isn't my granddaughter beautiful?" The old man's laughed deeply. Just from the sound of his voice, one could tell that he was not in good health and was weak.
The person across from him lowered his head to drink his tea. From the corner of his eyes, he glanced at the seat where Tang Wan had sat just now.
In fact, in his position, he could only vaguely see the side. People came and went. He only remembered that her eyes were very beautiful, just like Pingjiang City after the rain. They were light, hazy, and her figure was sparkling.
"Old Man Tang, the people say that I won't live past 28. Actually, if you want her to have a good life, it's better to choose my brother."
The old man didn't say anything. He just sized him up. Such a good person, how could he..
His life just had to be short!