Chapter 1821: Tao Qin's Scheme

Chapter 1821: Tao Qin's Scheme

Zhang Shi was utterly distressed for a moment. The family was on the brink of financial ruin, but both her eldest daughter and youngest son were accustomed to a good life. Asking them to endure poverty and hardship was like asking them to lift the roof off.

After much thought, Zhang Shi came up with the idea of selling their current house.

As soon as Tao Qin heard this, she strongly opposed it.

Selling the house in the county would fetch them some money, but where would they live afterward? They could only return to their poverty-stricken ancestral village.

That place was dilapidated and impoverished, with chicken and duck feces everywhere. There was hardly any place to step, and the village girls were dirty and rough. Tao Qin strongly resisted the idea of living there in the future. She had moved to the county town shortly after her birth and only visited the village during holidays, which was a torment for her.

The thought of living there in the future was simply unbearable for Tao Qin.

Of course, she couldn't tell Zhang Shi the real reason, so she advised her mother to keep the house, suggesting that it could be used for her younger brother's future marriage.

Otherwise, if they didn't even have a house in the county town, how could they find a girl willing to marry her brother? They needed to keep the house for her brother's sake.

Upon reflection, Zhang Shi found this reasonable. If they sold the house now, she might not be able to afford to buy it back in the future.

But what if they didn't sell the house? Would their family starve while clinging to the house?

Tao Qin then offered an idea—marrying off her daughter.

The daughter she referred to wasn't herself but her younger sister, Tao Ling.

After the New Year, Tao Ling would turn fifteen, which was a suitable age for marriage. They could find a wealthy family for her to marry into. Without her aunt's support, they couldn't find a wealthy son-in-law.

Zhang Shi hesitated. What Tao Qin said made sense, but Tao Ling was skinny. Why would a wealthy person be interested in her? Unless...

Yes, unless there was something wrong with that family.

Either they were violent, seriously ill, or old and decrepit. There had to be something wrong with them, otherwise, why would they marry a girl without wealth or looks?

Zhang Shi wanted to consider it further, and besides, it should be the elder sister who married first if they were talking about marriage.

Tao Qin was afraid that Zhang Shi might shift her attention to her, so she desperately persuaded her. She argued that she was more beautiful than her sister Tao Ling. When choosing a husband, they couldn't be careless. It would be best to find a wealthy and obedient husband who could support her family in the future. But Tao Ling was different. With her personality and appearance, if she chose a husband of similar age, he would likely be poor and lacking prospects. This might mean she would have to rely on her family for support in the future.

After weighing both options, Zhang Shi immediately made a choice.

Furthermore, she knew her daughter Tao Qin quite well. Tao Qin was not easy to control, and once she was married, she might not necessarily side with her natal family. But Tao Ling was different; she was like a puppet on strings. If they asked her to provide money for the family, she would never refuse.

After discussing and calculating, Zhang Shi and Tao Qin decided on this course of action.

Zhang Shi began to inquire about suitable families. Soon, she heard news that a wealthy landowner from the neighboring county was looking for a gentle and obedient young wife to carry on his lineage.

Gentle, obedient, and young—wasn't that Tao Ling?

Mother and daughter concluded that this landowner, Master Jin, was a perfect match.

Using the excuse that the New Year was approaching, the three of them went to buy new clothes in the shop. Of course, to avoid suspicion, all three of them bought clothes.