Chapter 902: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 902: Caution and Planning (4)
When Old Madam Zhao heard this, her eyes widened in shock. She hadn’t expected her granddaughter to have such thoughts. She scolded loudly, “Nonsense! You child, for the sake of revenge, you would throw away your own future. This is ridiculous!”
Seeing that her idea didn’t earn Old Madam Zhao’s approval, Fan Meijiao pouted and defended herself, “I’m not being ridiculous. I just think that Lord Mo has a much brighter future than the Marquis of Yongchang’s nephew. Right now, it doesn’t seem like it, but who knows what will happen in the future? Didn’t Uncle say that Lord Mo’s future is limitless? Why can’t I choose Lord Mo? And I can still use my position as a relative to get back at that vile girl. You should be supporting me, Grandma!”
Old Madam Zhao, having heard from her son that Mo Qingze had a brighter future than the Marquis of Yongchang’s nephew, understood the situation. However, since Mo Qingze refused to remarry and even turned down the Crown Prince’s goodwill, could the Zhao family really have the face to approach him with a marriage proposal? It would be improper for the woman to send a matchmaker, after all.
“Even so, you, as a young lady, can’t just throw away your dignity and go ask to marry him. Besides, if you want to get back at that girl, there are many ways to do it. Didn’t your Aunt visit the other day? Didn’t I discuss this with her? I’m sure your Aunt has already spoken to her mother-in-law about this. Just wait a couple of days, and that girl won’t be able to escape from your Aunt’s grasp.”
Though Fan Meijiao hadn’t seen her Aunt’s mother-in-law’s methods, she had heard of her reputation. Hearing Old Madam Zhao’s confident words, she hesitated. “Does Aunt’s mother-in-law really have that much control over that girl? After all, she’s a princess!”
Old Madam Zhao snorted disdainfully. “So what if she’s a princess? Wasn’t she once just a lowly country girl? How powerful can she be? She only dared to act wild before you because she was relying on her title. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have the courage. Your Aunt’s mother-in-law is incredibly capable. Do you think she could keep control of so many daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law if she wasn’t?”
Fan Meijiao saw the sense in this and gave up her insistence. “Well... then I’ll listen to Grandma!”
Though she still preferred Mo Qingze’s looks and temperament, and even though her uncle refused to advocate for her, she realized that even if she threw herself at him, he might not even give her a second glance. It was better to wait and see how things went with the Marquis of Yongchang’s nephew. If that didn’t work out, she could still make her plans later.
Old Madam Zhao, seeing that her granddaughter had finally quieted down, let out a small sigh of relief. She turned to her son, Zhao Fengnian, and said, “You need to investigate the situation with the Marquis of Yongchang’s nephew quickly. If everything checks out, I can talk to the Marquis’s wife and settle this matter sooner.”
Zhao Fengnian immediately replied, “I’ve already sent people to look into it. We should have news soon. Don’t worry, Mother.”
Old Madam Zhao nodded, smiling at her granddaughter, who was now blushing and looking a bit more lively. The wrinkles on her face seemed to soften.
……
After receiving a letter from her father, Mo Yan couldn’t help but praise her pet parrot, rewarding it with some walnuts. The parrot chirped happily in response.
After reading the letter, Mo Yan felt a deep sense of relief, but also thought that such things might happen again unless her father remarried.
Mo Yan was conflicted about her father remarrying. She hoped her father would find a woman who truly loved him, so that he wouldn’t be lonely in his later years. But she also felt her younger sisters were still too young, and she was afraid a new stepmother might not treat them well, disrupting the harmony of their family.
Mo Yan had tried to ask her younger sisters what they thought of their father remarrying. Both of them, understanding beyond their years, expressed a desire for someone to care for their father, but the sadness and unease in their eyes didn’t escape Mo Yan’s notice.
For this reason, Mo Yan was deeply torn. She didn’t know whether to let things take their course or remind her father to pursue his own happiness.
But after two days of internal struggle, Mo Yan found she had no time to dwell on it any longer. The second phase of the winery project had been completed, and she had invited Master Lu to help with the design of the orchard villa.
The winery was almost done, with only the final phase left. Compared to the first two phases, the third phase was much smaller. If everything went smoothly, they could complete one or two of the orchard villas before winter. This would be perfect for launching them in the spring, when all the flowers would bloom.
With nothing else to do, Mo Yan had drawn many designs for the villas. Each villa had a unique layout, carefully designed to fit the terrain.
For example, in a lower-lying area where a small pond could be created, she planned to dig out the depression and bring in water from a nearby creek to form a natural living water pool. In other places, where wild vegetables grew in the spring, she planned to leave the land untouched, as some people might enjoy picking and preparing the vegetables. In areas suited for planting flowers or fruit trees, she could plant them, offering the enjoyment of flowers in the spring and fruit in the fall.
After Master Lu reviewed the designs, he had no objections to the adjustments based on the terrain. He did, however, suggest a few changes to the architectural style of each villa, elevating them to a higher level of harmony and beauty with just a few strokes. It was clear that a professional architect like him had an exceptional eye.
After finalizing the design, Master Lu nodded in satisfaction and smiled at Mo Yan. “When these villas are finished, don’t forget to leave one for Uncle Lu.”
Mo Yan had a good relationship with Liu Tinglan, so she called him “Uncle Lu.” Because of this, Master Lu treated her with great kindness, especially after she had helped the Liu family, giving her many advantages.
[End of Chapter]
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