The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 1931 - 1906: Each One’s Standpoint

I don’t know why, but Manbao was hesitant to let her dad and Xia Xia be alone in a carriage, so after scanning the area, she ran over and pulled Mr. Zhuang along, introducing him to Xia Xia, "This is my teacher, Mr. Zhuang. I’ve been studying with him since I was little."

Then she let Mr. Zhuang and the two of them ride together.

To do this, Manbao decided not to ride a horse and instead dragged Bai Shan and Bai Erlang to occupy Mr. Zhuang’s carriage.

Mr. Zhuang:...

In the end, he still boarded the carriage and sat opposite Xia Xia along with Old Zhou.

Xia Xia curiously asked about Zhou Man’s life in the Zhou Family, while Old Zhou inquired about Zhou Yin’s circumstances when he ended up in Shangzhou years ago.

The two exchanged information back and forth, quite harmoniously, while Mr. Zhuang quietly listened, occasionally intervening with a smile to change the topic when sensitive subjects arose.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Xia Xia was carried up, with Manbao supporting Ms. Qian behind them.

Ms. Qian’s health was better than before; climbing mountains was no problem for her. She glanced at Xia Xia being carried in front and couldn’t help but ask Manbao softly, "Have you examined him?"

Manbao nodded, whispering, "He’s terminally ill; at most, I can make his departure less painful."

Ms. Qian sighed and comforted her, "Ultimately, people can’t compete with fate; you shouldn’t be sad or blame yourself."

Manbao nodded. Teacher Mo had also mentioned that human effort has its limits; as doctors, they should do their best but cannot force things.

The group arrived at the grave of Xia Yan and his wife; Xia Xia, supported by Xia Yi and the servants, trembled as he got off the rattan chair, beckoning Zhou Man over, "This is the grave of your grandparents."

Manbao and the others had already visited yesterday, and this time they obediently knelt down, offered incense, and kowtowed, then asked, "I see the incense ashes are fresh, and the wild grass isn’t overgrown. Has someone come to pay respects to my grandparents?"

Xia Xia sat back on the rattan chair, gasping, "I used to bring your uncle and cousins here to pay respects, but I really couldn’t get up this year. During Tomb-Sweeping Day, your uncle brought the family to do it."

Manbao turned to Xia Yi, who had been standing quietly nearby, and bowed deeply, "Thank you, Uncle Xia."

Xia Yi hurriedly reached out, "Niece, there’s no need..."

Now that Zhou Man no longer carried the Xia surname, he was unsure whether to address her as niece or niece-in-law.

Old Zhou also instructed Zhou Dalang and Zhou Wulang to set out the items they had brought, then had them kowtow to the two graves, each paying gratitude for the lifesaving kindness Xia Yan and his wife had shown Zhou Yin.

Seeing the Zhou family act so considerately, openly acknowledging Xia Yan as the grandfather, Xia Xia found himself unable to voice the many prepared words stuck in his chest.

The unresolved issues between the Xia and Zhou families were hard to clarify, but Xia Xia, after a moment of silence, still broached the topic.

He said, "Back then, Zhou Yin was supposed to marry into the Xia family, and the child was agreed to follow the mother’s surname..."

Old Zhou felt his scalp tingle; he’d known the Xia side would surely bring this up, so he glanced at his wife, held back his original words, and instead recited what Mr. Zhuang had taught him last night, "Granduncle, we know about this. Manbao was meant to have the Xia surname."

He paused before continuing, "But you didn’t know, when my second brother and sister-in-law’s deaths couldn’t be made public, we couldn’t even let her have the Xia surname; we had to sneak to pay respects to her parents."

Having heard about this from Manbao yesterday, Xia Xia nodded in understanding, "And now..."

Old Zhou sighed, "Manbao has always had the Zhou surname. She was listed in the Zhou Clan genealogy when she was very young, and later studied and practiced medicine under this name."

Xia Xia frowned.

Old Zhou continued, "Even now, in her official capacity, she’s using this name. If we change it, what if the Emperor mistakenly calls her by the wrong name in court?"

Xia Xia:...

Though he felt Old Zhou had a good point, he still sensed it as an excuse.

"However, I understand. The Xia family only has Manbao as a daughter; if she doesn’t change her surname, the family line ends."

Although the term "family line ends" made Xia Xia uncomfortable, he still nodded, acknowledging it as truth.

"So when we arranged the marriage, my in-laws and I agreed that once Manbao has children, the second one will bear the Xia surname." Old Zhou felt they handled this matter well and looked proudly at Xia Xia.

Xia Xia glanced at Manbao, somewhat at a loss for words.

Seeing this, Ms. Qian said, "Manbao, why don’t you take Shanbao and Erlang to walk around elsewhere while we adults have a talk."

Manbao observed the expressions of the adults and noticed they didn’t seem to want her to stay, so she had no choice but to turn and leave with Bai Shan and Bai Erlang.

Coincidentally, given the mention of marriage, Bai Shan felt uneasy and glanced at Daji, who was standing under a tree.

About to follow them, Daji paused and continued to stand still.

Once the three left, Xia Xia dropped all concerns. He didn’t realize that Daji and several guards left behind were Bai family servants; he assumed they belonged to the Zhou family.

After all, it was the Zhou family visiting relatives, so naturally, these people were theirs.

And since Mr. Zhuang was Manbao’s teacher, he did not object; a teacher is like a father, after all.

He sighed, "My in-law, it’s not that I’m criticizing your choice in marrying her off, that young master Bai does seem admirable, but the young lady’s situation is unusual, and you really shouldn’t have settled her marriage so early. My suggestion is that it’d be best to annul it."

Old Zhou widened his mouth in shock, "What’s wrong with the marriage arrangement?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Old Zhou had felt proud for quite a while because of this marriage.

Mr. Zhuang and Ms. Qian also frowned as they looked at Xia Xia.

Xia Xia said, "Zhou Yin and Lady Xin only have this one daughter. In my opinion, she could marry in and follow in Lady Xin’s footsteps by choosing someone of lower social standing so that their children can all have the Xia surname. Of course, if the in-law wants to choose one child to carry on the Zhou Yin surname, that’s fine too..."

Although this idea had once crossed Old Zhou’s mind, he had long abandoned it, and resolutely retorted, "What kind of good man and good family would agree to marry in?"

Ms. Qian lightly coughed, prompting Old Zhou to add, "Of course, there may indeed be good men whose families are poor, like my second brother. But to be blunt, if the Xia family hadn’t saved my second brother’s life back then, he wouldn’t have married in either."

He said, "Manbao is so exceptional now, and to let her just choose someone to marry in, you don’t feel it, but I do."

He continued, "I’m telling you so much because you’re an elder, but if you ignore the Bai family’s status, just look at Bai Shan, a fair and clean young man, great at studying, good-looking, already the Crown Prince’s study companion, sure to have a great future. Such a family is willing to let a child carry the Xia surname because my second brother and sister-in-law saved their family elders."

"Not to mention, the two children grew up together and share an exceptional bond; trying to find another, who knows if their hearts are genuine or sinister?" Old Zhou remarked, "If Manbao were a boy, it’d be fine, but she’s a girl. We have to consider carefully, don’t we?"