Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 409: Mrs. Xiao and Rongniang

Ignoring the compliments between Liu Ji and Mr. Ding nearby, Qin Yao turned her head to look at Ding Xiang, who was so shocked she couldn’t close her mouth, and asked in a lowered voice:

"Did Mr. Ding take you and your siblings to join a new family?"

"Huh?" Ding Xiang was momentarily confused.

Qin Yao coughed softly to mask her embarrassment, then asked again, "Your father... has remarried?"

This time, Ding Xiang understood and earnestly explained that her father hadn’t joined a new family.

But the remarriage was true.

"Do you know why I came to your house?" Ding Xiang asked in a small voice.

Knowing that Mr. Ding had already remarried, Qin Yao had some guesses in her mind.

"Are you not planning to return?"

Ding Xiang nodded, her emotions visibly low; in fact, she was somewhat scared and confused.

So before leaving, she felt she had to meet with Qin Yao.

She was not concerned about her father and brother’s intentions; she simply wanted to see Qin Yao and ask her, "What should I do? Can you teach me?"

After the New Year, Ding Xiang would be fourteen in nominal age.

It was an age where marriage could be discussed, and some had already arranged marriages.

One thing Ding Xiang was very aware of was that when her father informed her and her brother that he had married a widowed daughter of the Mutual Market Supervisor, her own marriage was destined to become a bargaining chip for her father’s stable position in the Capital.

Fortunately, she wasn’t a pessimist and didn’t surrender easily.

However, she couldn’t do much, except perhaps choose the most acceptable conditions within limited options.

Another thing Ding Xiang was grateful for was that after her father returned, he not only stopped preventing her from practicing riding and archery but even encouraged her to go out more.

Her father said that the noblewomen in the Capital, the more prominent they were, the more they needed to be seen.

On the bustling Chang’an Street of the Capital, the patrolling guards were all female soldiers.

Those female soldiers wielded power, all belonging to the noblest families of Sheng Country, casually stopping newly appointed third-place scholars on the street, bantering and teasing.

When Mr. Ding first arrived in the Capital, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

The noblewomen of Sheng Country were indeed too bold and fiery!

However, strangely enough, outside the Capital, such flamboyant women were hard to find.

In remote places like Kaiyang County, it’s not just flamboyant noblewomen that are hard to find; even charming young gentlemen are scarce.

Sheng Country is like a pyramid; whether male or female, the higher up they go, the more prominent and flamboyant they become.

That is power!

The power endowed by the Holy Empress and Your Majesty.

It’s no wonder everyone wants to climb higher; the view at the peak is truly dazzling and rich.

Yet, considering it carefully, compared to the previous dynasty, the power structure is quite different.

In earlier times, noblewomen indeed had a status superior to ordinary people, but not to the extent of wielding military power or even teasing third-place scholars on the street.

This New Dynasty, in Mr. Ding’s eyes, was quite rebellious.

But precisely because it was rebellious, he could meet noblewomen who once never stepped out of their homes.

Thus, he managed to marry anew, gaining the position of Mutual Market Supervisor.

His new wife, though just a daughter of a concubine, bore the surname Xiao.

She was part of the Xiao family, one of the five great surnames in the Capital.

Even if she was a distant member, without destiny, no second-rank Advanced Scholar could possibly aspire to marry this widowed daughter of a concubine from the Xiao family.

Moreover, he already had children, was in his thirties, and was not handsome in any manner.

As for Rongniang, she married at seventeen and became a widow at nineteen. After mourning her husband for three months, her uncle and aunt sent her back home.

Word in the street was that her fate was noble, and her husband’s family couldn’t handle her fortune, hence his early demise.

Also, because she bore a son, she was capable of bearing children, was good-looking, and had kind manners. After returning home, she diligently helped the mistress manage the manor, and the mistress adored her greatly, preparing plenty of dowries for her.

Countless men in the Capital wanted to marry Rongniang, but she found none of them worthy, remaining a widow for years.

Now, in her blooming youth at twenty-three, matchmakers nearly broke down the doors of the Mutual Market Supervisor’s home.

Mr. Ding just joined in the excitement, kindly helping maintain order, suddenly spotted by Xiao Rong, who came to deliver the fruits from the manor.

At that time, Mr. Ding held no official position, temporarily residing with his kin’s uncle’s family; among the wealthiest nobles in the Capital, he couldn’t be called inconspicuous; he was simply extraordinary in his impoverishment.

In the Capital, the meager assets of Ding Family Manor couldn’t even suffice for a single reward to a singer from the wealthy nobles.

This marriage prospect, initially, the Mutual Market Supervisor did not agree to, unless he joined her family.

Fortunately, Mr. Ding’s paternal uncle proved helpful, supporting with both money and effort to pave the way for him.

First, they arranged a house in the Capital, then spent a fortune to engage the most potent official matchmaker in the Capital, and finally, with Xiao Rong’s insistence and Mr. Ding’s thrice daily greetings, serving tea and sweeping the floor with sincere care for the future in-laws, he ultimately won the beauty.

On that day, the men in the Capital who failed to marry her all said, "Promotion, wealth, wife’s death—three treasures combined for invincible luck!"

Mr. Ding: sweating profusely.

However, it might be hard for everyone to believe that between him and Rongniang, there was mutual affection, and it was a destined match.

This return to his hometown wouldn’t have happened so soon if not for Rongniang prompting him to return.

She said, "You and I are now husband and wife; thus, your children are also my children. If they respect me, I’ll certainly plan a good future for them. Once the children are all married, you and I can enjoy our days with grandchildren."

These words Mr. Ding repeated to Ding Shi and Ding Xiang, assuring them that their stepmother was absolutely a kind person who would treat them well and urged them to respect their stepmother and not to act childish.

Liu Ji and Mr. Ding exchanged pleasantries at the main seat, with Mr. Ding subtly asking Liu Ji about Gongliang Liao’s connections at court, while Liu Ji played dumb.

Ding Xiang and Qin Yao, on their end, privately finished discussing all that could be said about Mr. Ding’s affairs.

Ding Xiang worriedly whispered, "My stepmother is eager to marry me off, and my father just follows her lead. I’m afraid once I arrive in the Capital, I’ll be sold off."

Qin Yao hissed, "Is there a possibility that your father’s recounting was flawed, and your stepmother isn’t actually eager to separate you and your brother?"

Ding Xiang hesitated, visibly unconvinced.

Among the women Qin Yao had met, the only ones embodying the identity of a noblewoman were her aunt from the Qi Family and He Zhanghua.

Judging by their ways, nobles highly valued reputation.

If Mr. Ding had just brought his children to the Capital and Xiao Rong was eager to marry off her stepdaughter and establish her stepson, it would look quite unseemly.

Thus, her words should be taken at face value, not as a hint for Mr. Ding to quickly have his children marry and leave, allowing them to enjoy a married life.

At worst, if things were indeed urgent, with matters already settled, the best Ding Xiang could do would be to hope that her stepmother and biological father wouldn’t become parents again so soon.

Thinking this, Qin Yao couldn’t help but glance several times at Mr. Ding, noticing that he appeared invigorated with a rosy complexion.

Curious, Ding Xiang asked, "Qin Yao, what are you looking at?"

Qin Yao waved her hand, signaling Ding Xiang to come closer and imparting a few secret techniques.