The Martial Doctor

The Xu Residence.

Xu Qixi’s Chamber.

Xu Zheng’s wife, Mrs. Zhen, pushed the door open and came in, carrying a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup: "Xiao Qi, Mother is coming in."

Xu Qixi was sitting in front of the dressing table, her hands resting on the table, holding her head. In the mirror, her matchless beauty had eyes that clearly showed no signs of focus.

She was lost in thought.

In the blink of an eye, another year had passed. According to her life’s plan, she was supposed to have settled her marriage at last year’s birthday banquet.

By now, she should have already "married" herself off.

However, until now, she hadn’t even decided on her "him." The people at home intentionally or unintentionally wanted her to marry Lin Miao, even saying that as long as he asked, the marriage would be settled.

The problem was, he already had a childhood fiancée, who was the daughter of his late mentor. If Lin Miao were to abandon her for this marriage, she wouldn’t think much of such a man and certainly wouldn’t marry him.

But if not, should she marry into the Lin family as a concubine?

She was a lady of the Xu Family, a prominent family in Dongshan City. How could she end up selecting a husband who would join her family and end up as someone else’s concubine?

Wouldn’t outsiders laugh heartily at the Xu Family?

Lin Miao’s abilities and talents were well-known to Xu Qixi, and she would naturally be willing, but could her father and the Xu Family accept it?

Her father’s attitude was ambiguous; the elders in the family had always expressed opposition. But the power to marry off a daughter lay in the hands of the parents, so the elders could only suggest, but not decide.

Then there was Lin Miao’s attitude, which was what made her most anxious. Did he like her? Was he willing to marry her? She didn’t know, and she didn’t dare to ask.

Afraid that if she asked, she might get an unacceptable answer, the girl’s heart was as tangled as a ball of knots, not knowing whom to confide in.

No one knows a daughter better than her mother.

The mother’s intuition told her all about her daughter’s thoughts.

A seventeen-year-old girl, practically a woman by now. In an ordinary family, she would have married long ago, perhaps even had children.

But in a well-off family or a clan, the age of seventeen might just be the time to consider marriage since girls from good families had no trouble finding husbands.

With Xu Qixi’s beauty and talent, she certainly had no trouble marrying. The problem was, in a woman’s life, if she marries the wrong person, she would suffer for a lifetime.

Marrying is akin to being reborn—a clumsy analogy but a truthful one. Marrying means entrusting her future life to one person. If this person treats her well, life will be good; if not, life will be hard.

Few women have the chance to choose twice.

"Xiao Qi?"

"Ah, Mother, when did you come in? I had no idea..." Xu Qixi suddenly raised her head and was startled to see her mother.

"I’ve been here for a while. You seemed distracted; is something on your mind?" Mrs. Zhen smiled gently. "Do you have something on your mind? Tell Mother."

"Mother, I’m worried about Mr. An." Xu Qixi reached out to take her mother’s arm, speaking with a ladylike charm.

"Although Mr. An raised you, it’s best not to get too involved in his family matters. Hasn’t Xu Lin caused enough trouble? Even your father can’t handle it," Mrs. Zhen advised.

"Mother, I’m not meddling too much. I’m just concerned about Mr. An’s health. It was fortunate this time that he didn’t get too upset. If he really fell ill from it, how would Mr. An’s family manage?" Xu Qixi replied.

"Sigh, you should worry about your own matters." Mrs. Zhen sighed.

"Me? What else is there for me to worry about?" Xu Qixi responded in surprise, naturally knowing what her mother was referring to but pretending to be ignorant.

"Silly girl, you’re turning eighteen this New Year. By now, shouldn’t you be engaged?" Mrs. Zhen gave her daughter a sidelong glance.

"Mother, I just haven’t found the right one yet!"

"Is it that you haven’t found one or that you’ve found the right one but are unwilling to say anything?" Mrs. Zhen affectionately touched Xu Qixi’s hair.

"Mother, I’m just not sure yet."

"Not sure yet?" This answer surprised Mrs. Zhen. She had expected her daughter to say something like "leave it to Father and Mother to decide" or to keep her feelings shyly hidden.

This "not sure yet" clearly meant there was someone in mind.

"Tell Mother, what do you mean by ’not sure’?" Mrs. Zhen turned Xu Qixi to face her and asked.

"Mother, would you accept me marrying out?"

"As long as you find someone who truly cares for you, whether you marry out or someone joins our family, it doesn’t matter," Mrs. Zhen said without hesitation, looking earnestly at Xu Qixi.

"Thank you, Mother."

"Silly child, there’s no need to thank me. But your father ultimately makes these decisions. If he doesn’t agree, it doesn’t matter what I say," Mrs. Zhen chuckled.

Xu Qixi leaned forward, resting her head on her mother’s lap: "Mother, you are so good."

"I understand what you’re thinking, but that person needs to bring it up first. Otherwise, even if your father has thoughts, he won’t be able to bring himself to say them," Mrs. Zhen explained.

Xu Qixi was also troubled by this point. She was worried that if spoken out loud, it would be impossible. Yet she also feared that if left unsaid, it would lead nowhere.

There was no shortage of women around him. With or without her, it didn’t really matter. From the start, it had been her own unilateral decision.

"Xiao Qi, why don’t I test the waters for you?"

"Mother, how could I let you do such a thing?" Xu Qixi looked up, somewhat startled at her mother’s suggestion.