Fate Trading System – Chapter 51

Plan A

Old Shadows of the Republic of China 3

Shen Xiangting

“Is it worth it?”

Su Xin had already finished eating the snacks, poured herself another cup of tea, and was satisfied.

“Who knows?”

Liu Shiqing looked at her own nails, her expression not looking good.

“I just think, if I’m marrying someone else, I might as well marry him. After all, I like him.”

Liking a person and marrying him would make one very happy, right?

Liu Shiqing felt that as long as she treated Wei Ting sincerely, there would definitely be a return.

Liking is not necessarily suitable. Sometimes, a wrong liking can instead create pain. Su Xin couldn’t determine Liu Shiqing and Wei Ting’s future; maybe this matter won’t even come true.

“I will suggest it to my brother and mother. After all, you are my good friend. If you marry my brother, we become relatives by marriage, and I will be more at ease. My brother can’t handle women he likes and is especially prone to problems, so I need a sister-in-law who is clear-headed and sees things broadly. And if you become my sister-in-law, you won’t bully me, no matter what.”

Su Xin comforted her, expressing her supportive stance to her friend.

This is the expectation of the original owner, Wei Zhi, and also the path Liu Shiqing wants to take herself.

“But I can’t guarantee it. You know I don’t have that much ability, so I can only do my best.”

“Got it, thank you, Zhizhi. I will express my opinion to my dad. He spoils me and hopes for my happiness.”

“Mm-hmm, but Qing Qing, you don’t need to abandon your original self for my brother and live in a way you don’t like. You were originally very good, and forcibly changing into another way makes people feel uncomfortable instead.”

“Really?”

Liu Shiqing touched her hair. She originally had fashionable curly hair, but now it’s straightened.

“But doesn’t Brother Ting dislike me like this? He once joked with me that he thinks I don’t have any femininity like this.”

Actually, it’s not that there is no femininity; it’s just that the Western style of dressing isn’t the petite woman in Wei Ting’s mind because the old-style woman he likes wouldn’t wear high heels.

“But even if you become that way, it still doesn’t quite fit. Maybe it’s because you’re not that kind of person deep down, and the original way makes people feel more naturally poised.”

“I’ll think about it myself.”

Liu Shiqing frowned, feeling troubled. Everything is so chaotic now. Not only does she have to worry about this and that every day, but she also has to worry about getting married.

Actually, she’s only 22 years old, so there’s no rush. But even though the mindset has become somewhat more open, many girls here still get married and have children at sixteen or seventeen.

“Mm-hmm.”

Su Xin propped her chin on her hand on the table, looking at the scenery outside.

“Extra, extra, the train tracks in Qicheng have been bombed… Extra, extra…”

A child kept shouting, and someone stopped to buy a newspaper.

“Ah, it’s getting more and more unsettled. It looks like this fire will eventually spread to us. Where will we escape to then…”

Liu Shiqing found that after returning home, she was always sighing, as if there were countless worries throughout the day. The years studying abroad were still the best, so comfortable.

“Oh, you’ve finished eating? This teahouse has other snacks, all quite good. Waiter…”

Liu Shiqing ordered another plate of different pastries, drinking tea slowly.

Around three-thirty in the afternoon, the two of them said goodbye.

Su Xin got into a rickshaw¹ and saw Liu Shiqing waving at her from where she stood.

At this time, small Western-style houses had already appeared, and there were quite a few here, but those who were more traditional still lived in their large mansions.

Su Xin’s home was a typical high-walled courtyard mansion.

When the rickshaw stopped at the intersection, Su Xin paid the fare and walked to the entrance.

She knocked on the door, and the servant guarding the entrance opened a crack to look. Seeing that it was the Fourth Miss returning, he quickly opened the door.

Su Xin walked directly to the courtyard where her family lived. The servant attending to her took the small leather bag from her hand and stepped aside.

“Where’s my mother?”

“Madam is in the room.”

Su Xin walked toward a room in the courtyard and knocked on the door.

The maidservant serving the Second Madam opened the door and bowed to Su Xin.

“Madam, the Fourth Miss is here.”

Su Xin’s biological mother, the Second Madam, is surnamed Bai.

When she was young, she always has the role qingyi in an opera troupe², with a slim figure. Her singing, gestures, and even a glance could leave people in awe.

So, when Master Wei took a fancy to her, he insisted on marrying her, even though his first wife was pregnant with their first child.

The Second Madam didn’t get along with the First Madam as soon as she entered the household. After all, which family’s first wife can harmoniously coexist with the second wife? The Second Madam was a thorn in the First Madam’s side, someone who made the First Madam angry just by seeing her. Moreover, the First Madam’s first child was a daughter, and the Second Madam gave birth to a son the following year. This comparison was hard for the First Madam to accept. Decades have passed, and they are still old enemies.

The original Wei Zhi was the second daughter born to the Second Concubine and is now twenty-one years old.

Though the Second Concubine has reached middle age, her charm remains unchanged, and she still possesses allure.

“You all may leave.”

The Second Concubine was embroidering. Hearing the maid’s voice, she dismissed everyone.

“Back?”

“Yes, Mother, I had tea and snacks with Qingqing at the teahouse.”

Su Xin affectionately sat next to the Second Concubine, watching her embroider.

“Mother, your embroidery on this handkerchief is getting better and better.”

The embroidery was of a crane, looking very exquisite.

“Mother’s hands were clumsy before and never learned these things. Back then, I was often scolded by your First Madam, so I got more and more skilled at this work.”

The Second Concubine spoke to her daughter while embroidering.

“You, I remember forcing you to learn when you were young. You just didn’t like to learn and always pricked your hands. Every time you got pricked, you cried and refused to continue learning. But later, you also left, and Mother didn’t have the chance to make you learn.”

“I’m also clumsy and don’t like this kind of thing. I just appreciate it by looking.”

“You, you say you don’t know this—how will you embroider for the boy you like in the future?”

The Second Concubine put down the handkerchief in her hand and started scolding Su Xin.

“Alright, Mother, Mother, Mother, don’t nag anymore. I don’t have a boy I like now. It’s still too early for such things, so let’s not talk about things that haven’t even happened yet.”

“You’re still young? At this time, I had already given birth to your brother.”

The Second Concubine continued to nag.

“Let’s not talk about me. How is Father now? Is he better?”

“How would I know?”

The Second Concubine let out a cold laugh, but her brows showed worry.

“Isn’t he being taken care of by that woman he treasures so much? How would he dare to die?”

Speaking of which, Master Wei’s injury was indeed puzzling. He was a healthy person, went out standing, and was carried back lying down.³

It was said that he was attacked on the street, shot, and a foreign doctor was quickly called to treat him, barely saving his life.

The police station found nothing, and this matter strangely just ended without resolution.

The whole family didn’t understand. Master Wei was initially extremely angry, but later it seemed he had no choice. The police station couldn’t provide an explanation, and he couldn’t do anything about those people.

“I’ll go see Father. This situation is not a solution. Father’s health must be deteriorating, so this family…”

Su Xin trailed off.

The Wei family can be considered large and prosperous, with many people watching from outside, and it’s not very peaceful inside either. The first and second houses are like fire and water. If the first house didn’t have a son, it would be precarious. But the first house had three children, and the last one was a boy, which gave her confidence.

“Of course, it’s your brother’s, just that woman’s son, still young. The Master doesn’t favor either one. Although that woman’s son is legitimate, in this day and age, how different can legitimate and illegitimate be? Don’t talk about this with outsiders, though it’s obvious to anyone with eyes.”

The Second Concubine seemed quite confident. Indeed, although there is only a four-year difference between Wei Ting and Wei Xuan, the distinction between them is significant.

It’s not that the First Wife’s youngest son is useless, but Wei Xuan is only nineteen years old. No matter how strictly the First Wife trains him, he still lacks real-world experience. He is green and immature, incomparable to Wei Ting, who is already quite smooth in his methods, although not yet fully mature.

“Don’t worry, Mother, I still know my limits.”

“As long as you do. But that woman will definitely not give up fighting; after all, she has legitimacy on her side.”

The Second Concubine’s expression was sarcastic, but then it calmed down.

Over the years, she had seen it clearly.

Back when she followed the opera troupe traveling north and south, she had an idea. She didn’t want to marry a poor man and be poor for a lifetime. Her figure and appearance were enough to find good support. However, she was also clear-headed, knowing that no matter what, she could only take a minor role.

Which family’s master or young master would marry an opera singer as the main wife? They would have to be crazy.

But she was still unwilling. When she first came in, relying on the Master’s favor, she constantly fought with the First Wife, attempting to push her out.

“Alright, go see your father and show some filial piety in front of him. Perform a bit better.”

The Second Concubine waved her hand, no longer thinking about the previous matters. She had been fighting with the First Wife for so many years; the children could already have families of their own, yet she remained the Second Concubine, always a notch below that woman.

Su Xin walked out of the courtyard, heading toward another part of the residence.

As soon as she stepped into the courtyard where Master Wei was, she smelled a strong scent of medicine. Although a foreign doctor had been invited to treat the wound and prescribed Western medicine, people still subconsciously trusted traditional medicine more, so Master Wei was taking both types of medicine together.

The Third Concubine was not sitting in the room but was standing in the corridor outside, looking toward the pond.

“Third Aunt.”

Su Xin called out to her, and Shen Xiangting turned her head to look at her.

Shen Xiangting was wearing a qipao today, slit up to just below the thigh, in a plain white color embroidered with orchids, looking very elegant. She wore embroidered shoes and had her hair styled simply, with a small curl at the sideburns, lying against her face.

Her brows and eyes carried a faint sorrow that made others want to help smooth away all her pains.

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1. Rickshaw: A small, lightweight vehicle used for transportation, traditionally pulled by a person. It originated in Japan in the late 19th century and was commonly used in many Asian countries. There are two main types:
   1. Hand-Pulled Rickshaw: This is a two-wheeled vehicle pulled by a person on foot. It was more common in the past and is now mostly a historical or cultural feature in some places.
   2. Cycle Rickshaw (or Pedicab): This is a more modern adaptation where the rickshaw is powered by a cyclist. It typically has three wheels, with the passenger seat located at the back.

   Rickshaws are often used for short-distance travel in busy urban areas and are valued for their maneuverability and eco-friendliness.

2. Qingyi: Also known as Zhengdan, is the main woman roles in traditional Chinese drama. Qingyi is the most important role in Peking Opera and plays dignified, serious, and decent characters, which are mostly wives or mothers. The roles dress in yellow clothes and feature a small range of motion, and singingwith a pure and high-pitched quality.
3. He was a healthy person, went out standing, and was carried back lying down: A figurative way of describing a sudden and unexpected change in someone’s physical condition. It suggests that the person left their home or a place in good health and on their own two feet, but due to an unforeseen event, such as an accident or attack, they had to be carried back in a state of injury or incapacitation.