Three ex-husbands and a marriage

Marriage proposal again

Madame Hu had invited the city's famous matchmaker to accompany the Hu entourage. The city was abuzz with excitement as the osentatious procession carried trunks of treasures, large trays of silk and carts of dried goods. It was clear that the Hu family intends to propose, but who was lucky enough to recieve such extravagant proposal?

The more Mingling spoke, the more excited she became and the more my heart sank. In the story, Mingling fell in love with Hu Xuan at first sight. No doubt, in this life it will be the same and she will have to face the same bad ending. She held my hand and dragged me along into the main hall. I followed hesitantly, as eager as I would be going to the dentist. When  we reached the second large hall, we saw that the adults from both sides and Eldest Brother, Bai Xuang, were sitting around sipping tea and talking animately.

Usually in these rooms, the sitting chairs are placed in front of a corridor of silk screens so that the servants can walk around behind and serve inconspiciously. This was the perfect place to hide to eavesdrop, so we quietly headed to a comfortable position and sat down. The maids nodded knowingly and smiled.

Soon there was a pause in the conversation caused by a slight cough from Hu Xuan. He stood next to his mother's side with a polite smile and bright eyes that was directed towards us behind the screens. He seemed to have reminded Madame Hu to get to the point. 

"Madame Bai, it has been my remiss to wait until today to thank you for saving our lives. Truth be told, we have been worried sick by my son's bedside waiting for his recovery. Please forgive our inpropriety," said Madame Hu.

"Madame Hu, please don't say such words, it is completely understandable and as parents, we would have done the same. We are glad that Hu Xuan has recovered and both are well. It was such a devastating sight to behold that day. I hope you have been able to recover from the shock?" answered Madame Bai.

"It has been hard. Those bandits were terrible and we lost quite a few valued members of our family. Those servants sacrificed for their master and died brutally. We have compensated their families and erected memorials to remember their heroic deeds," said Madame Hu, slowly dabbing the corner of her eyes.

The room fell into silence.

"That is good. Regent Bai had the bandit interrogated. Regent, has there been any update?" asked Madame Bai breaking the silence.

"Rest assured, I sent Bai Xuang out to exterminate the bandits. Their lair has been burnt to the ground and all those criminals are rotting in prison waiting for their trials," replied Regent Bai. He looked at his eldest son with a look filled with pride.

"Thank you Regent. Thank you for bringing justice to the dead and their families," said Madame Hu as she and Hu Xuan knelt to the ground kowtowed towards the Bai pair.

"Please, we're just doing our duties, this is too much, we cannot accept," said Madame Bai as she rushed to help Madame Hu up.

Hu Xuan continued to kneel on the ground with a resolute expression. Madame Bai paused and sat back on her seat, sipping tea and stayed silent.

"That day your family saved our lives, without you, who knows what would have happened to us? The Hu family is eternally grateful. Today we come with these small treasures as a token of our gratitude," said Madame Hu.

"Small treasures? Boxes of gold, precious items, trays of silk and medicine have filled up our great hall and courtyard. Isn't it too much?" whispered Mingling with a giggle.

I nodded in agreement but couldn't utter a word. My heart twisted in anticipation and mind raced to find a way to stop the plotline from unfolding.

"It is too much, please bring them back, we cannot accept it," replied Madame Bai. She wore a frozen smile and her eyes fixed to our location behind the screen.