Madam Zhang's head was filled with question marks and exclamation points?!
What?!
What was she saying?!
Madam Wang's eyes shifted. She hadn't expected a matchmaking visit to yield such an unexpected discovery.
She spoke up. "The Shi family's eldest son is observing government affairs at the Ministry of Personnel. I've heard he has the most bearing of a minister."
Madam Zhang clutched her chest and took a moment to recover.
Yes, yes. When her eldest was born, everyone had said he looked the most like Shi Fan.
[Of course! The Shi family's eldest son is the clan head's son. The clan head and Shi Fan are brothers, so of course they look alike.]
[Especially those jug ears. They're practically cast from the same mold as the clan head's.]
Madam Zhang: "..."
Old Madam Shi said, "Second Child's temperament resembles my brother's the most. His manner and bearing are exactly the same."
Madam Zhang nodded.
Yes. Thinking it over carefully, her Second Child didn't look much like any of the clan branches in the capital.
[Second Child is a child of the Shi family's second branch. That branch manages the clan's sacrificial fields and has always lived back home in Hebei. Madam Zhang conceived Second Child while she was there.]
[Second Child's bulbous red nose is exactly like the Shi family's Second Granduncle's.]
Madam Zhang thought carefully. Her eldest did indeed have jug ears, and her Second Child had a bulbous red nose. Those features had only become more pronounced with age.
Strangest of all, the clan head lavished care on her eldest, while Second Granduncle sang her Second Child's praises every time they returned to their hometown...
Madam Zhang felt as though a sledgehammer had struck her chest. It was so tight and heavy that she could barely breathe.
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