Help! The General’s Gone Mad With Pampering Me

Chapter 7: Marriage Talks

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Shen Jiao was stunned. She did not know whether to celebrate or to a tantrum.

It was a hundred taels for two rolls of cloth. If her father found out about this, he would give her an earful.

She pointed at Shen Li. Her face was twisted in anger.

“You… You did this on purpose!”

Shen Li’s expression did not change. She ignored her and turned to look at other fabrics.

Shen Jiao was not in the mood to bicker with Shen Li anymore. She reluctantly took out the silver and looked at Ma Ziming’s grin that had stretched from ear to ear. Her heart ached.

Thanks to Shen Li, Ma Ziming had made a lucrative sale. He waved her over.

“Miss Shen, right? Take a look at the other fabrics in our shop. For you, I’ll give you a special discount.”

In the end, Shen Li spent two Taels to buy a roll of silk, a roll of cotton, and three rolls of high-quality brocade. She returned home with a full load.

On the way home, Xiao Shuang had not yet recovered from her shock.

“Young lady, you did not see how black Shen Jiao’s face was when she left? I have never seen her suffer such a big blow.”

Shen Li was also relieved. After all, the original Shen Li had always been terrified of her.

It was getting late. Shen Li spotted a restaurant from the corner of her eye. It was bustling with customers. She called for Xiao Shuang.

“Let’s go. We’re having a proper meal today.”

Shen Li placed an arm around Xiao Shuang’s shoulder and boldly entered the restaurant.

The attendant went to the door to welcome the guests.

“Please come in. There are private seats upstairs.”

Shen Li did not plan to go upstairs. She settled on a first-floor window seat.

However, just as she was about to move, she suddenly caught a glimpse of two people sitting in the corner by the window.

The person sitting in front of her was drinking tea with his eyes lowered. His sharp features looked familiar.

In an instant, Shen Li’s mind buzzed like lightning.

Shen Li quickly grabbed Xiao Shuang’s shoulder. While ignoring the attendant’s shocked expression, she pulled Xiao Shuang and walked out.

She had changed directions with the grace of flowing water and passing clouds. There was no trace of the poise and confidence she had demonstrated in the cloth shop.

Xiao Shuang was puzzled when she saw Shen Li’s confused expression.

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

Shen Li’s throat was dry. She coughed twice and said, “Something tells me that we should go home for dinner. If I take any longer, Mother will worry.”

Xiao Shuang thought it made sense and asked no further questions.

Shen Li was still panicking. Her back was covered in cold sweat. She had almost fled on all fours.

Ever since the wedding incident, Shen Li had not asked around or told anyone about the person who had saved her. She was afraid of getting herself into trouble. After all, that person did not look like a simple person.

Who would have thought that she would meet him again? This world was too small!

Fortunately, his good features had earned a few more glances from her. It was precisely how she had recognized him.

When they walked out of the door, Shen Li raised her hand to calm herself down. That was close.

Xiao Xiong was chattering away when he suddenly noticed Si Yan tensing up. He followed Si Yan’s line of sight and happened to see Shen Li’s back.

Xiao Xiong let out a strangled laughter of shock.

“Oh, so a girl has finally caught your eye.”

Si Yan retracted his gaze. He glanged at Xiao Xiong and said coldly, “She was simply acting suspiciously. Do I have time to look at girls?”

Xiao Xiong said in a gruff voice, “Don’t look at me, I’ve never even held a girl’s hand before.”

He seemed to have been reminded of a tragic event. His eyes were filled with frustration as he continued to speak.

“It’s the lady that my family has arranged for me. I wanted to take her out for a walk, but she got bored listening to the play and started to complain about being tired. She had promised to go to Xiangshan Mountain with me in two days, but she changed her mind at the last minute. She’s quite a handful.”

After he finished speaking, Si Yan remained silent. Xiao Xiong pressed him with a question.

“Don’t you think she has something against me?”

When Si Yan heard this, he raised his eyes and glanced at Xiao Xiong. He took note of the man’s unkempt beard and puffy cheeks that had been stuffed with food. He said helplessly, “You’re marrying a bride, not kidnapping her. Do you have to make yourself look like a bandit?”

At the mention of bandits, Si Yan’s hand that was holding the teacup paused. He seemed to recall something.

Shen Li rushed home as if she was running for her life. When she reached the door, she found a few people standing there. One of them was a middle-aged woman with a big red flower on her head.

‘Is this a guest? Her outfit stands out a fair bit.’

Shen Li continued to walk forward, only to hear the big red flower’s spittle flying everywhere as she spoke.

“She’s already married once, and she really thinks of herself as an exotic dish. If she had not inherited her father’s good looks, who would want to take her in as their first wife?

She should already appreciate the fact that someone would want a girl brought up by a widow.”

Shen Li was confused. Was she referring to her?

The big red flower seemed to have felt someone approaching from behind. She turned around and was stunned for a moment. Then, she started to size Shen Li up from head to toe. The smile on her face gradually widened.

She tried to grab Shen Li’s arm, but Shen Li evaded her.

However, the big red flower remained unperturbed. Instead, she started to chat enthusiastically.

“You must be the Chen family’s young lady. You are truly beautiful. I have arranged a good marriage for you here. Let’s go in and talk about it.”

Shen Li could not help but admire this person’s ability to change her expression. She seemed to almost morph into a different person before her eyes.

Before Shen Li could say anything, the door was opened. Zhong Ning had heard the matchmaker shouting at the door and was about to go out to chase her away when he saw Shen Li return.

“Li’er, ignore her. Come in quickly.”

The matchmaker had a thick hide. She leaned against the door and prepared to make her way in. Old Master Zhang had promised her an immense sum of money for the wedding. If she actually succeeded, she wouldn’t have to worry about her retirement.

Old Madam Liu gestured as she spoke.

“Madam Zhong, you should really give this some thought. Old Master Zhang is a tad bit old, but he’s rich.

“He could have picked any young lady to be his second wife, but he chose your Shen Li. Don’t you think this is fate? She’d still end up as the main wife.”

Old Madam Liu’s mouth was about to spit out sparks, but when Zhong Ning’s expression remained unchanging, she suddenly changed her tone.

“If you really don’t want to, Old Master Zhang would also settle for you, Madam Zhong. Remarriage is not out of the question. You will be the main wife.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Sheng, who had been silent all this while, suddenly closed the door with a bang.

Old Madam Liu’s scream came from outside the door.

“God, you blind man, you almost hit me.”

Gu Sheng released the door handle with a huff. When he turned around, he pulled Zhong Ning’s wrist and said, “Let’s go.”

Zhong Ning seemed to allow him to lead her away.

Shen Li watched all this unfold before her, finding it strange.