Chapter 300: Tit for Tat

Chapter 300: Chapter 300: Tit for Tat

A lump formed in Ji Huan’s throat.

She didn’t entirely believe Mrs. Meng. Given Song Jing’s character, there was no way he would be pursuing someone else while also coming to confess his feelings for her.

But the Academic Administrator’s daughter likely did exist, and her admiration for Song Jing was probably real, too.

Mrs. Meng glanced at her, the lines around her mouth deepening slightly.

"While our family isn’t one to curry favor with the powerful and look down on the humble, it’s hard to refuse the ardent affection of a fourth-rank official’s daughter. To be frank, a young lady from a prestigious family, with her looks and character, is a natural match for my Jing’er. If Jing’er were to become the Academic Administrator’s son-in-law, his future career as an official would be smooth sailing... And these are things the daughter of a farming family could never give him."

"Those things..." Ji Huan started to speak, but her voice came out raspy.

She cleared her throat. "It’s not as if Song Jing can’t achieve those things on his own merit. From a long-term perspective, I don’t think it’s a good idea, and I don’t believe he would choose that path."

Since they both knew exactly what this was about, Ji Huan felt there was no need to be coy any longer.

The corners of Mrs. Meng’s mouth turned down, but she acted as if she didn’t understand the subtext, continuing to speak in veiled terms.

"Whether the path is right isn’t important; what matters is that the person is right... But never mind. You don’t understand the world of officials. It’s no surprise, given your limited experience..."

She stopped abruptly, looking Ji Huan up and down before blurting out, "You’re of marriageable age too, aren’t you?"

Ji Huan didn’t answer. Her intuition screamed that it was a trap.

Mrs. Meng didn’t seem to mind and continued on her own:

"You’re a pitiable child, really. Pretty, kindhearted, good in every way... you just had the bad luck of being born into the wrong family. If you had been born to a family of officials, I’m sure you would be no less outstanding than Miss Fang.

What’s an even greater pity is that you’re registered as a female head of household. Though the court’s regulations on such households have loosened in recent years, that’s only here in our Northern Pass. Once you leave the Northern Pass for more prosperous lands, the rules are still strict.

Especially in the Capital City. Unless you have relatives with incredible connections, you couldn’t change it even if you spent a fortune. Once registered as the head of a female-only household, you are one for life."

’What an act,’ Ji Huan thought. ’Such heartfelt, painstaking advice.’

Mrs. Meng sighed. "You were so muddle-headed back then. What were you thinking... Now you can only take on a live-in husband, you can’t marry out. And what kind of decent man would be willing to do that? Then again, if you ask me, it hardly matters. You’ll likely spend your whole life in the Northern Pass anyway. It’s not like you couldn’t just get married normally. Would those officials really bother coming to a remote village to enforce such a rule?"

Mrs. Meng paused deliberately, but she couldn’t detect any sign of insecurity or defeat in Ji Huan.

’Shameless, just as I thought.’

"Don’t think I’m being nosy. Although we’ve only met a few times, I’ve heard a great deal about you and always thought you were a fine young woman. I only ever had one son, Song Jing, and I’ve always longed for a daughter. Seeing you now, I feel a special sort of kinship.

Some time ago, a few of Song Jing’s classmates came to our house for a meal, and one of them seemed quite nice. He’s studied for years without even passing the examination to become a child student, but there’s an upside to his lack of success—at least he isn’t so picky when it comes to marriage.

I thought about acting as a matchmaker for you two, but when he heard about your circumstances, he rejected the idea without a moment’s hesitation."

And what were Ji Huan’s circumstances?

Motherless, the registered head of a female-only household, saddled with a dependant, and cursed with a reputation for bringing misfortune to her relatives... even if she had the beauty of a goddess, it was enough to make any suitor recoil.

Her tone was grave and earnest, but it was far too intimate for such a shallow acquaintance.

Ji Huan wasn’t a child. How could she not realize this supposed classmate of Song Jing was a complete fabrication?

Before today, she and Mrs. Meng had never had a proper conversation. Why would Mrs. Meng suddenly decide to play matchmaker for her?

The woman wasn’t the kind-hearted type. She was simply using this story to warn Ji Huan: if even a scholar who couldn’t pass the most basic exam found her wanting, what hope did she have with Song Jing? The message was clear: Ji Huan was not worthy of him.

Mrs. Meng feigned great pity for Ji Huan, enlightening her with a magnanimous air. "You can’t blame the young man. It truly is a difficult situation for any normal family to accept."

Ji Huan replied with a straight face, "Why would I blame him? I’ve never even met the man. What do I care if he approves of me or not? Even if he were interested, that’s no guarantee I’d be interested in him."

"Are you getting defensive?" Mrs. Meng said, framing Ji Huan’s response as an unreasonable tantrum born of shame. "With your station in life, what kind of man do you think you’re worthy of? As an elder, let me offer you some advice: don’t set your sights too high. It’ll be difficult for someone like you to find a suitable match. Forget about marrying a scholar. Just find some country bumpkin who won’t hold your past against you and be done with it."

This time, Ji Huan really did laugh.

"Aunt Meng, a person might think you were trying to get rid of spoiled cabbages. Let’s not even talk about how my life is none of your business. Let’s just pretend for a moment: if you had a daughter, would you teach her to hold herself so cheaply?"

"How is that holding herself cheaply? If I had such an ungrateful, shameless daughter, I’d beat some sense into her! That’s far better than letting her live in a fantasy world. Even if she has ambitions as high as the sky, she can’t escape a lowly fate. The most important thing for a person is to know their place..."

"Whether a life is noble or base isn’t decided by others’ words. It’s determined by the path one walks."

Mrs. Meng had been excruciatingly blunt, stopping just short of pointing a finger in Ji Huan’s face and calling her life base. Yet, Ji Huan had casually tossed that line back at her.

Mrs. Meng’s chest heaved. She struggled to suppress her anger, forcing a frosty smile.

"You’re so stubborn. I don’t know who you get it from, but you’re certainly not like your mother. I met your mother, you know. A gentle, beautiful woman. She caused quite a stir when she first came to Dafeng Village. I saw her a few times when I’d visit my maiden home. It’s just a shame her life was so full of misfortune, being sold from one place to another..."

"Have you said enough?" At the mention of Mrs. Wei, Ji Huan’s expression turned to ice. It was the first time she had cut Mrs. Meng off.

Seeing that she had finally angered her, Mrs. Meng felt some of her own frustration dissipate.

"Why can’t it be said? Your father bought your mother. Who in all of Dafeng Village doesn’t know that? She had no parents to teach her, so of course she couldn’t teach you properly. That’s why you’re so rude and ill-mannered.

Now that I think about it, your greatest shame isn’t being the head of a female-only household, nor is it your jinxed reputation. It’s having a mother like that!

Strictly speaking, she was of the servant class. If not for your father, she would have been nothing more than a slave, or a concubine at best. What decent family would want such a mother-in-law? They would never be able to hold their heads high."

"First," Ji Huan said, her cold gaze fixed on Mrs. Meng as she enunciated every word, "I do not consider my mother a stain on my character. She did everything in her power to give her children all the love she could, and in that regard, she was better than anyone. Second, while a parent’s guidance is important, it depends on the parent. If parents are polite and principled, one year of their instruction is worth a decade from anyone else. But if parents lack virtue and compassion, then the children they raise will inevitably be..."

Realizing her words would be an unintentional slight against Song Jing, Ji Huan paused and swallowed the end of her sentence.

But Mrs. Meng did not appreciate the restraint.

"I offer you my well-intentioned advice, and not only do you refuse it, you mock your elders? Do you really fancy yourself some great lady from a wealthy family?"

"I don’t waste my time dreaming of being a great lady."

"Then be smart about it. Know your place. Don’t reach for things that are beyond you. Find someone who is also..."

"I think I’m wonderful, so why should I settle for less? How do you know an outstanding man won’t fall for me, Aunt Meng? It might even be someone you know.

In fact, I was hoping you could help me with something. I’ve been struggling with a problem recently. There’s a man... he’s wonderful in every respect, but there’s just one issue: his mother is very difficult to deal with.

No matter what he wants, his mother just does whatever she pleases. She uses ’it’s for his own good’ as an excuse to satisfy her own selfish desires and her need for control. Tell me, don’t you think a mother like that is a little selfish?"

Mrs. Meng’s expression changed in an instant.

"To associate with a man without your parents’ consent is shameless! And to slander his parents without cause is an even greater breach of etiquette!"

She saw that Ji Huan was done playing games, so she decided to preemptively brand her with accusations.

"My parents are no longer with us, so I have no one to ask for permission. You know that, Aunt Meng.

Besides, that daughter of the Academic Administrator has neither her parents’ consent nor a formal matchmaker, yet you don’t find her shameless at all. In fact, you seem to think it’s a match made in heaven. Don’t you think that’s a bit of a double standard?

As for slandering his parents, that’s not what I’m doing. After all, she was the one who was disrespectful first. It’s only proper to return a courtesy, isn’t it? If you want respect from others, you must first respect yourself."

Mrs. Meng was left speechless. After a long pause, she finally choked out, "You really have no breeding!"

Ji Huan’s lips curved into a smirk. "And what exactly is ’breeding’? Making veiled insults? Hiding daggers in your words? Insulting someone’s deceased parents? Aunt Meng, for all your years, your own breeding doesn’t seem to be anything special. And another thing—your son is excellent, I’ll grant you that. But that doesn’t mean every woman is falling all over herself to be with him. How do you know he isn’t..."

She still didn’t say the last part out loud.

Ji Huan wanted to verbally shred Mrs. Meng, but she held back, not wanting to implicate Song Jing. It was like wanting to throw something at a rat but fearing you’d break the priceless vase next to it. The frustration was suffocating.

"I suggest you get your facts straight before you speak."

With that, she turned to leave, but paused at the door.

"If you insist on making trouble, wait until after the provincial examinations. At least don’t let it affect Song Jing."

She was speaking plainly now, no longer bothering to play Mrs. Meng’s game of veiled words.

Mrs. Meng had struck first, but she had failed to gain the upper hand in their exchange. Seeing Ji Huan stride away, she could no longer suppress her rage.

"My son’s business is none of yours! Everything I do is for his own good! You’re the one who will destroy him!"

Parents always justify their actions by claiming it’s all for their children’s sake, even when that "sake" is suffocating.

In that moment, Ji Huan suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Song Jing.

"Ji Huan?"

Just as Ji Huan reached the courtyard gate, it was pushed open from the outside.

Song Jing stared, momentarily stunned to see Ji Huan in his courtyard. Then, his surprise gave way to obvious delight.

But then he noticed Ji Huan’s expression, and his mother rushing out right behind her—

The smile in his eyes slowly vanished.