Chapter 235 -227: Paving the Way

Zhao Lan asked, “You refused?”

Bai Zhi nodded. “Of course. We’re friends, but we haven’t reached the point where we need him to support us. If I accepted his offer to go to the capital, with his status, his family would definitely find out. How would we be able to face anyone then? People would think I was his mistress, kept outside the family estate. No way.” She said it half-jokingly, but Zhao Lan and Hu Feng both knew she wasn’t joking at all. It was the simple truth.

Hu Feng said nothing and continued to eat. Her answer was what he had expected. Bai Zhi was different from other girls. She had no desire to climb the social ladder and possessed the ability to support herself. The debased act of becoming a concubine in exchange for wealth and glory was something she would naturally scorn.

Zhao Lan nodded, pleased. “Zhi’er, you did the right thing. We may be poor, but we have our pride. It’s better to marry a simple man from the mountains as a wife than to enter a powerful family as a concubine. A concubine is a slave. You can never escape it in this lifetime.”

Bai Zhi nodded. “I know, Mom. Don’t you worry. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll spend my life right here, taking care of you. As long as the two of us can live well, that’s all that matters. I won’t think about anything else.”

Zhao Lan knew what was on her daughter’s mind and wanted to say a few words to her, but with the Hu family father and son present, it wasn’t the right time. She just nodded and said, “Eat up.”

‘Meng Nan is leaving Qingyuan Town in three days. I need to move my plan up. If I don’t, once he’s gone, it won’t be nearly as easy to pull off.’

“Mom, I’m heading into town tomorrow. Do you need me to buy anything?”

Zhao Lan shook her head. “I don’t need anything, we have everything we need at home. Why the sudden trip to town? Weren’t you just there yesterday?”

Bai Zhi said, “I wasn’t planning on going tomorrow, but Meng Nan is about to leave. Our yams will be ready for harvest soon, so I need to go and arrange for buyers. Otherwise, once Meng Nan is gone, we’ll lose his powerful connections. Finding buyers won’t be nearly as easy then.”

The moment Bai Zhi said this, even the perpetually silent Hu Changlin couldn’t help but ask, “You want Lord Meng to pave the way for you?”

Bai Zhi smiled. “It’s not so much about him paving the way for me. I just need to meet some people, and I need him to make the introductions. People of our standing can’t just go and meet whomever we please. But Meng Nan is different. In Qingyuan Town, there’s no one who isn’t trying their hardest to get on his good side. With him around, I can get twice the results with half the effort.”

Hu Feng slowly set down his chopsticks. He picked up a nearby cloth napkin to wipe his mouth, his movements slow and elegant. Once he had placed the napkin aside, he finally spoke, his voice measured. “I wonder who it was, just a moment ago, who said they didn’t want to accept favors for free? What? Have you forgotten your own words in the blink of an eye?”

Bai Zhi shot him a sidelong glance and said coolly, “Who said I’m accepting his help for free? I’ll be repaying him.”

Hu Feng raised an eyebrow, turning to stare at Bai Zhi. “Oh? And how do you plan to repay him? By offering yourself to him in marriage?”

Bai Zhi was starting to get annoyed. ‘This Hu Feng is clearly just trying to pick a fight.’

“That’s right, I am planning to offer myself to him in marriage! So what? It’s none of your damn business!”

Even though he knew she was just saying it out of anger, Hu Feng’s face darkened inexplicably. He grunted. “You’re right, it’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.” With that, he stood up and went back to his room.

Seeing Hu Feng storm off in a huff, Zhao Lan tugged on Bai Zhi’s sleeve. “Zhi’er, what nonsense are you spouting? Offering yourself in marriage? How can you joke about something like that?”

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