Chapter Sixty [V] Arranging a Marriage for Liu Erlang...

Seeing that she refused, Sister-in-law Xu became a little anxious.

"It's just a meal, there's no trouble at all." Sister-in-law Xu was still trying to persuade her. "I'll cook at home, you can just come over when it's mealtime. You have to eat at home anyway, and you have to cook for yourself, which is more troublesome."

It wouldn't be good for Li Yan to refuse someone who is being so hospitable.

So Li Yan said, "Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law." She added, "Don't make too much, just some simple home-style dishes will do."

Seeing that she agreed, Sister-in-law Xu was very happy: "Then it's set for tomorrow. You all come for lunch tomorrow. You're busy, so I won't bother you. I'll be going now." After leaving the main room and walking into the courtyard, she called to Qingniang, "You little girl, come along tomorrow too."

Qingniang was still young and naive, unaware of the intricacies of adult life. When she saw that the lady had also invited her to dinner, she was overjoyed.

Li Yan and Aunt Xue escorted the guests to the gate of the courtyard. Afterward, Aunt Xue pulled Li Yan into the main room to talk.

"What exactly happened between you and that Scholar Xu?" Aunt Xue asked with concern.

Li Yan didn't hide anything from her, and told her mother-in-law everything that Xu's sister-in-law had said to her after they went to the Xu family that day.

Aunt Xue was furious when she heard this. She had only just found out that someone had treated her daughter-in-law so badly.

“Then let’s skip this meal. What kind of person is she? She just passed the county-level imperial examination and she’s already being so picky. And now she’s being so enthusiastic. Could it be that she knows it’s not easy to marry a rich girl and is trying to win you over again? Yan Niang, I’ve seen this family. They’re a bit snobbish. They’ve chosen you after weighing the pros and cons, but they’ll still look down on you when that Xu scholar passes the provincial and metropolitan examinations.”

"I was wondering why that scholar Xu hadn't come knocking on our door these past few days. It turns out he thinks he's superior and looks down on you." Only after saying this did she belatedly realize that her daughter-in-law might be feeling very upset, so she quickly comforted her, "Yan Niang, it's not that you're bad, it's just that they have no taste."

Li Yan, however, didn't seem to care much about it, simply laughing and saying, "Mother, I haven't taken this to heart." She was always a clear-headed person, prioritizing her career and money above all else. Relationships were merely a spice in a good life.

Having it would be a bonus, but not having it wouldn't affect her normal life.

Seeing that her daughter-in-law said she didn't take it to heart, Aunt Xue felt half relieved.

"It's good that you don't care. He's not worth your sadness." She added, "Let's not go eat this meal."

“Since I’ve agreed, I’ll still go eat.” Li Yan had already made up her mind. She smiled and said, “Even if a deal doesn’t go through, we can still be friendly. Even if we’re not destined to be together, we can’t completely offend people. Besides, Scholar Xu has indeed been kind to me and to Brother Xu.”

“That’s right.” Aunt Xue agreed with her daughter-in-law. “Then you handle this matter. I’ll listen to you.”

The next day, at noon, Li Yan closed the door. Together with her mother-in-law, Aunt Xue, she took Yue'er and Qingniang out.

After arriving at the market, they bought a few things and then headed to the alley where the Xu family lived.

Yesterday, Sister-in-law Xu had already informed everyone in the Xu family, and now that Li Yan's family had arrived, everyone in the Xu family was very welcoming.

Even Maoge'er took the initiative to approach her affectionately and call her "Auntie".

Li Yan gently stroked his head, took out a gift she had specially bought for him, and gave it to him.

Xu Qingshu was standing there too. Li Yan didn't look at him at first, but caught a glimpse of the green on the hem of his robe out of the corner of her eye.

After dealing with Mao-ge'er, she finally looked up and glanced at the rest of the Xu family. Her gaze naturally lingered on Xu Qing-shu for a moment.

Seeing her look at him, Xu Qingshu smiled gently at her, his expression and gaze full of tenderness.

Li Yan nodded politely to him, then naturally looked away and gazed at Sister-in-law Xu beside her.

The aroma from Xu's kitchen had already spread into the courtyard, filling it with the fragrance of food.

"There's only soup left. Erlang, take them to the main room to sit down. We can eat when the soup is ready."

Li Yan didn't go into the main room, but instead turned and went into the kitchen: "Sister-in-law, let me help you."

“How can that be… You are a distinguished guest, how can you go into the kitchen? Go and rest.” Sister-in-law Xu spoke very kindly.

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Yan went into the main room to sit down.

At this moment, Xu Dalang, Xu Jiayan, sat in the seat of honor, with Xu Qingshu sitting beside him.

The couple had already discussed it, but hadn't had a chance to tell Xu Qingshu yet. At this moment, Xu Jiayan was just smiling at Li Yan, seemingly quite satisfied with her again.

After laughing, he looked at Aunt Xue beside him and said, "Please rest assured, from now on Yan Niang will be your own daughter, and we will treat you as Yan Niang's own mother. Er Lang is gentle and respectful, and he will surely be filial to you as well."

The eldest brother of the Xu family's words made it seem as if Li Yan's relationship with Xu Qingshu was already a done deal.

Moreover, it was quite offensive for a man to address Li Yan by her given name.

His demeanor was that of a superior patriarch, as if agreeing to the marriage was a great favor to Li Yan and her family.

Even his own younger brother, Xu Qingshu, felt that his brother's actions were wrong. Moreover, it involved Li Yan and Aunt Xue, who were mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Aunt Xue was about to retaliate, but Li Yan quickly held her hand, signaling her to calm down.

Furthermore, she glanced at Xu Qingshu and saw that even in this situation, he hadn't said a word about his brother. She knew that in his heart, his brother, nephew, and even sister-in-law all held extremely important positions.

If she were to marry him, she would likely rank in his heart not only after his son, Maoge'er, but also after the three women from the first wife's side.

Li Yan was glad that she hadn't fallen too deeply in love with him; otherwise, if she had, seeing things like this after developing feelings would have inevitably made her heartbroken.

Li Yan wouldn't marry Xu Qingshu, but she also didn't want to make enemies with the Xu family. Firstly, Xu Qingshu was a benefactor to her and Xu Ge'er, having been kind to them and helping her in the past; she couldn't afford to turn against them over something so trivial. Secondly, Xu Qingshu was now a scholar with a bright future; if they had a good relationship, she could rely on him in the future.

Therefore, Li Yan smiled and spoke solemnly, saying, "I have always remembered the kindness that Brother Xu has shown me. I know that I am just a common woman and am not worthy of Brother Xu, and I have never had such a wish. I will always remember your kindness, Brother. If you are willing, I am willing to become sworn siblings with you. In the future, if I have any troubles, I will trouble you. And if you think highly of me and also encounter any troubles, I will definitely help you if I can."

Li Yan's suggestion of "swearing brotherhood" left the Xu brothers stunned.

Xu Jiayan never expected that this girl, a common woman, would not want to be a scholar's wife.

Did she know that merchants are always just merchants, and only the scholar-officials are the ones who truly hold power in this world?

Erlang is not a scholar-official now, but he will be in the future. Doesn't she feel any attraction to him at all?

Xu Jiayan was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened, but he still forced a smile and said, "Sworn siblings? Why did Sister Li suddenly pull this stunt?"

Li Yan laughed and said, "I know I come from a humble background and am a widow, so I'm not worthy to be my second brother's adopted sister. But it's okay, I was just saying it casually. Please don't be embarrassed by my words, eldest brother and second brother."

Li Yan's words effectively shut down Xu Jiayan's next words.

I originally thought she was eager to become a scholar's wife, but now that she has openly declined, it would be embarrassing if I brought up the marriage proposal again and was openly rejected again.

So today... let's have a meal.

The meal was no longer lively as before, and it was a very quiet and somber affair.

After finishing the meal, Li Yan immediately stood up to say goodbye: "Thank you for your hospitality today, elder brother and sister-in-law. If you have time another day, I will also treat you to a meal." She added, "We have already troubled you a lot, so we won't bother you any longer. We'll take our leave now."

The Xu family's eldest son and his wife were not happy at the moment, feeling that Li Yan was being ungrateful or deliberately putting on airs. When Li Yan said she was leaving, they didn't even offer to see her off.

At this moment, Xu Qingshu stood up: "I'll see you off."

After seeing the person to the door and turning back, Xu Jiayan's anger, which he could no longer contain, suddenly erupted.

"Who does she think she is? How dare she speak like that in our house and embarrass us. Your sister-in-law only reluctantly agreed to let her be your second wife because she is hardworking and reliable. She put a lot of thought and effort into this meal today. But she just put on an act. I think this merchant's wife is too arrogant. It's really scary that such a young woman is so scheming."

Xu Qingshu was feeling a bit tired, and only when no one else was around did he start talking about his brother and sister-in-law.

"Ever since I passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, my brother and sister-in-law have looked down on Li. Their words have been full of disdain for her. The only reason they agreed to her now is because she is rich and generous, and a widow, so they thought she would be easy to manipulate. But now she has her pride and is unwilling to swallow this half-baked rice, and you are all unhappy about it."

“You may not understand her at all. She was not an ordinary woman. She was a person of principle.”

He had long disapproved of his brother and sister-in-law's behavior. However, since they were his brother and sister-in-law and everything they did was for his own good, he couldn't bring himself to speak up.

Moreover, since it was in front of his mother and daughter-in-law, he couldn't directly embarrass his brother, so he had to endure it.

Now that it was just the three of them, Xu Qingshu naturally vented his frustrations.

Seeing his younger brother's ungrateful behavior, Xu Jiayan was furious. He glared at his brother and said angrily, "Aren't your sister-in-law and I doing this for your own good? Now that you're a scholar, you think you're all grown up and dare to talk badly about us? If you dare to act like this now, what will you do when you become an official? Won't you shit on our heads?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Sister-in-law Xu immediately tried to smooth things over: "Why are you two brothers arguing? You are all family, the closest people to each other. It's not worth it to quarrel over an outsider."

Both of them recalled how they had always been very close brothers, even when dividing the family property, they had been considerate of each other. Now, it would indeed be a waste to cause a rift over this.

Xu Qingshu was also unwilling to fall out with his brother and sister-in-law, so in the end, he was the one who bowed his head to his brother first.

"I was just being irritable, brother, please don't take it to heart." He said sincerely.

Seeing this, Xu Jiayan also reflected on himself and lowered his head: "My elder brother is not good either."

Sister-in-law Xu immediately stepped in to smooth things over: "Brothers shouldn't hold grudges overnight. It's good to talk it out like this."

Xu Qingshu also seized the opportunity to say, "I want to press my advantage and enter the fray this autumn. As for marriage... let's not consider it for now, we'll talk about it later."

As brothers in the same family, we share both glory and misfortune. If Xu Qingshu becomes a successful candidate in the imperial examination, the eldest branch of the Xu family will surely benefit as well.

Therefore, right now, my younger brother's exam is the most important thing, and everything else can be put aside for the time being.

This time, Xu Jiayan also said, "You can focus on your studies. Your sister-in-law and I will take care of everything at home."

Xu Qingshu felt grateful and guilty towards his elder brother and sister-in-law: "Thank you for your trouble in helping me."

Xu Jiayan: "From now on, don't say such formal things. What's the big deal? We're family, why be so formal?"

After the two brothers exchanged a few more words of casual conversation, Xu Qingshu said, "Li Niangzi is a good woman. Although she comes from a poor background, she is excellent in herself. I hope that you and my sister-in-law can give us some time to get to know each other slowly." Fearing that his brother and sister-in-law would interfere again, Xu Qingshu simply added, "I am remarrying, so I must choose someone I can live with for a long time. This matter cannot be rushed."

Since he said so, Xu Jiayan and his wife also said, "You are all grown up now, and you are a scholar. You can make your own decisions. As for your marriage... your sister-in-law and I will not interfere."

"Thank you for your understanding, brother and sister-in-law." Xu Qingshu bowed with his hands clasped.

In the afternoon, Xu Qingshu came to see Li Yan again.

I'm not doing this for anything else, but just to apologize to her for what happened today.

Li Yan didn't take the matter too seriously. Hearing this, she just laughed and said, "What's past is past. It's not a big deal." She then lowered her tone and expressed her apology, "I was a bit rash today. I hope you and your brother and sister-in-law won't take it to heart."

Xu Qingshu: "They're not petty people, and they know they haven't done well, so they won't hold it against you." Xu Qingshu wanted to talk to her about other things, so he changed the subject, "You went to Jiangning Prefecture a few days ago, did you see anything interesting?"

The most interesting thing, of course, is the second son of the Liu family, the commander of a thousand households, who lost his memory.

She would talk about this with Aunt Xue, but felt she couldn't discuss it with Xu Qingshu.

So he just smiled and shook his head: "I went to pay my respects to Senior Gao, and through his introduction, I met a few restaurant owners. I was originally there to find a business partner, and once I found one, I naturally came home as soon as possible."

Xu Qingshu had a deep admiration for Li Yan, feeling that she was different from ordinary women and had a strong sense of resilience.

From the very beginning, when he first met her, he felt that she was different from everyone else.

This appreciation has nothing to do with whether she is beautiful or ugly.

But now that she is beautiful, this charm is naturally even greater.

.

Aunt Liu thought about it at home and felt more and more that she couldn't just keep waiting like this.

She knew he had already become suspicious; secrets can't stay hidden forever, and driven by his own curiosity, he would find out the truth sooner or later.

But since things had already come to this point, Aunt Liu was reluctant to give up her wealth and status, and she also feared that he would seek revenge on her family once the truth came out. Therefore, to avoid all of this, Aunt Liu came up with the idea of ​​having him marry her niece.

That day, when Liu Erlang returned home, Aunt Liu went to find him herself.

“I’ll go pick up your nephew in town myself.”