Chapter 8: Morals Shattered Everywhere, Want to Pick Them Up? [8]

Mother Ji looked at her daughter in disbelief. Had she caught a fever?

She saw Ji Mei actually take the hot porridge that Sister-in-law You had given to Mother Ji and hand it directly to Zhu Jie! This was sheer madness!

"Ni, what is wrong with you? That was my food!" Mother Ji sprang up from her chair, nearly jumping with rage!

Ji Mei was still there, grinning happily. "It's all the same, it's all the same, Mother!"

How could it be the same? Usually, Mother Ji's bowl contained the most rice, but now, it had been handed straight to this unknown brat! Mother Ji's nose was practically crooked with anger.

But then, Ji Mei leaned in, quietly pulled her mother aside, and whispered, "Mother, do you want me to marry a good husband?"

Upon hearing this, Mother Ji's eyes immediately widened. "Of course! Our family is counting on you to live a good life!"

Ji Mei had known her mother would say that. She immediately leaned closer to Mother Ji's cheek and gave her old face a fierce kiss. "I knew it, Mother loves me most!"

"I love you, but you can't just give my food to some brat!" Mother Ji was still huffing and puffing, but seeing her daughter's infatuated expression, she immediately asked in surprise, "You haven't fallen for this boy of unknown origin, have you?"

"Mother, what are you saying? Is your daughter that foolish?" Ji Mei's face flushed instantly, but she continued in a mysterious tone, "Mother, don't you think his clothes and manner of speaking are quite different? I've looked closely, and those clothes of his are so upright and smooth; I think he looks better dressed than even our village chief! One look and you can tell he comes from a great family!"

Only then did Mother Ji take a proper look at Zhu Jie. She saw him awkwardly holding his chopsticks, picking at grains of rice in the bowl. Although he didn't say anything, his expression clearly showed his distaste for the food. Indeed, he had the face of someone used to eating delicacies!

Seeing that Mother Ji had fallen silent, Ji Mei immediately continued her analysis: "Mother, haven't you always said that I am destined for great fortune? I think my fortune has arrived! Haven't you heard the stories in the storybooks? A noble young master falls on hard times and is rescued by a poor woman, and the two become a divine couple? This is my great opportunity!"

"Do you really think he's a noble young master?" Mother Ji was still sizing him up, her heart wavering.

"No mistake! Mother, think about it! With our family's background, even if I am a bit prettier than others, it wouldn't be easy to marry into a great family. This is an opportunity sent by Heaven, a once-in-a-lifetime chance! If we miss it, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives!" Ji Mei pressed on, fueling the excitement.

Unexpectedly, Sister-in-law You had been listening intently from the side. Hearing Ji Mei say this, she immediately joined in with a meddlesome, mocking tone, "Don't tell me Little Sister has fallen for that pretty face of his! Yes, the boy is handsome, even handsomer than our Er Han, but Sister, you have to think it through. Being handsome is useless; it's not like our Er Han can't find a wife!"

Hearing this, Ji Mei immediately rolled her eyes at her in displeasure. "Sister-in-law, what kind of talk is that? Are you saying you've fallen for his looks?"

"Hey, Sister, is this how you talk about your sister-in-law?" Sister-in-law You immediately cried out in indignation.

Mother Ji quickly interrupted the two of them. "Stop arguing. Let me go and probe this boy's background!"

As she spoke, Mother Ji pulled her chair back and sat down, but her face had now shifted into a fawning smile as she stared foolishly at Zhu Jie.

Zhu Jie had actually noticed them watching him long ago. Seeing their extremely "friendly" gazes, his heart was practically trembling with unease!

*Unsolicited kindness is often a sign of mischief! No! I have to be on guard!* Zhu Jie immediately sharpened his focus and looked back with a smile at the three women watching him like tigers eyeing their prey.

"Where is the young master from? You don't seem familiar," Mother Ji asked, feigning casualness.

Zhu Jie had already prepared a mental script for this question last night. Seeing that she actually asked, he answered without hesitation, "This humble scholar is from the State of Qi. Yesterday, a sudden snowstorm caused me to lose my way in the mountains. I didn't expect that in a single day, I would wander into the borders of Great Liang." As he spoke, Zhu Jie let out a practiced, solemn sigh. "I wonder if my elderly father at home is worrying about me."