The Rebirth of an Orphan

The courtyard of Zhao Xihua's house has become unusually lively these two days. The eldest wife has added a few servants to her place, and Old Lady Zhao has also sent a not-so-generous gift. There are also a lot of gifts sent by relatives from various branches of the clan piled up everywhere.

Zhao Xihua instructed Pingshui one by one on how to store and arrange these things, and asked her to take the new servants to clean them up.

Pingshui didn't enter Zhao Xihua's bedroom until everything was arranged. She said to Zhao Xihua, who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, "Sister, everything is ready."

Zhao Xihua slowly opened her eyes and asked, "Well, is there any news from the second house?"

Pingshui lowered her voice and said, "I heard that the second young lady either beats or scolds the servants around her, and everyone dares to be angry but dares not say anything. Yesterday, she beat two new servants, and one of them had his hands badly injured."

Zhao Xihua said calmly: "Find an opportunity to meet that person and give him the healing ointment I prepared. By the way, ask him if there is anything he needs my help with. You can tell me."

Pingshui quickly agreed. She understood what her sister meant. It seemed that she would have to fight with the second young lady this time.

Zhao Xihua has been relatively free recently. Her wedding date with Sun Xiao is set for two months later, so she is staying at home and preparing for her marriage.

But in this case, the Zhao family was in a dilemma about preparing her dowry. After all, they were marrying into the Sun family, which was the most aristocratic family in Yuncheng. A dowry that was too shabby was not worthy of being on the stage.

But although the Zhao family looks prosperous now, they are actually in deficit everywhere. They did have some savings in the past, but their eldest branch was too extravagant, especially in the training of Zhao Chenyang and Zhao Ziqin.

Zhao Ziqin's usual consumption level is quite considerable, and his style is no less luxurious than that of the wealthy families in Kyoto.

Not to mention Zhao Chenyang, who worked very hard to get a public office in Kyoto. In order to gain a foothold, he often had to spend money on gifts and curry favor with the bigwigs in Kyoto.

Moreover, the people he wanted to make friends with were all children of high-ranking officials and wealthy families, who were very generous in spending wherever they went. Zhao Chenyang certainly couldn't be too stingy when hanging out with them, so he relied on the first wife to constantly give him money to pave the way for him.

Where would there be any extra money to prepare Zhao Xihua's dowry now?

The divorce date was getting closer, but Zhao Xihua and his family hadn't even seen the shadow of the dowry.

But Zhao Xihua sat quietly in front of the window every day, flipping through the medical books in her hands. These medical books were left by her master, and she liked reading them very much and valued them very much.

Pingshui, who follows her every day, is extremely anxious. The Zhao family has gone so far, how can her sister still have the leisure to do this?

"Sister," Pingshui couldn't hold back her anger, "What on earth do they mean? You are at least a respectable lady of the Zhao family, why... why are they like this?"

Zhao Xihua closed the book in her hand, took a sip of tea in the cup and smiled, "Why rush? They just haven't made up their mind yet. It will definitely hurt for a few days if they have to cut flesh from their bodies. But even if they are unwilling, they will prepare a dowry, but it will definitely be very shabby. But they will do their best to save face, after all, they dare not offend the Sun family."

Before Zhao Xihua finished speaking, a maid beside the first wife came to pass on a message: "Fourth Miss, the first wife wants you to come over. The old lady is ill, so she has handed the dowry issue over to the first wife to handle, so she wants to ask the fourth miss to come over to discuss it."

Is the old lady really ill? Could it be that he has offended her and is deliberately avoiding her?

Since this matter has been handed over to the first wife, the formalities still have to be gone through. However, if it is handed over to the first wife, the dowry will definitely be disgraceful.

After changing her clothes, Zhao Xihua went straight to the front hall of the main house. As soon as she entered, she found that the main hall was already full of people.

Everyone came here to eat, and there was definitely no seat for Zhao Xihua before, but today a seat was reserved for her.

After she entered the room, she greeted the eldest wife and the wives of the other rooms, and then sat down with confidence.

Several younger generations of the Zhao family were also present. Except for Zhao Chenyang, the other young ladies sat around the dining table. Except for Zhao Chishu, everyone looked at her with hatred.

The atmosphere in the main hall was awkward and cold. It was Zhao Chishu, who was sitting next to Zhao Xihua, who broke the deadlock first: "Fourth sister looks a little haggard. Did you not get enough rest? I have some bird's nests and I'll send them to you later to replenish your body."

Looking at Zhao Chishu's pure and innocent face, Zhao Xihua couldn't help but sigh that this third sister is so kind and what she says is so heartwarming.

She smiled back and said, "Thank you, third sister. I also happen to have something to say to you." Zhao Chishu nodded.

At this time, the eldest wife in the main seat coughed and began to speak: "Everyone is here today just to discuss the marriage between the dead fourth girl and the Sun family. The day is coming soon, and the dowry issue needs to be discussed."

The eldest wife looked around and then looked at Zhao Xihua: "The Sun family is a wealthy family in Yuncheng. It is a blessing for our Zhao family to marry into the Sun family. The wedding date is set on the winter solstice. The day is coming soon, and the dowry must be decided quickly."

The Fifth Madam laughed and said, "Sister-in-law is right. We the Zhao family cannot be looked down upon by others. I think the dowry cannot be too shabby."

Zhao Xihua didn't say anything, just sat there quietly listening to what they said.

This Fifth Madam is really smart. Zhao Lingyun must have inherited her good manners. If it weren't for the tragic experience in her previous life, she would definitely be grateful for what this Fifth Madam said.

She had expected that the Fifth Madam would have more to say, and sure enough, the Fifth Madam said, "Now that the fourth girl has been registered under the name of the eldest sister-in-law, she is naturally the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family. Can't the dowry be prepared according to the standards of a legitimate daughter?"

When Zhao Ziqin heard this, his face immediately darkened. Who the hell is Zhao Xihua? Why are you comparing her with me?

Mrs. Five took the lead, and the others followed suit.

The third wife smiled and said, "My sister-in-law is right. The marriage with the Sun family is the most important thing for our family right now. We must prepare the dowry well."

The third wife would definitely be willing to curry favor with Zhao Xihua. After all, her daughter has a good relationship with Zhao Xihua. When Zhao Xihua marries into the Sun family in the future, the eldest young master of the Sun family will come into contact with noble men, and her daughter's marriage will be more secure.

The eldest wife smiled faintly and said, "If that's the case, then we should prepare the dowry for the fourth girl. I have already prepared the dowry list, and we will use the family account when the time comes. If you have no objection, then it will be settled."