Seeing that her son remained silent, Madam Yang opened her mouth, "Then what do you mean? You don't want to go?"

Qiao Zhishu pursed her lips. "Mother, do you think if we go to her house to meet her, will Miss Zhong's family bring up the engagement?"

Yang was secretly pleased, but said seriously, "It's possible. The fact that they're so eager to invite you to their home might mean something like that."

After all, the girl is already quite grown up; we can't keep putting it off indefinitely. She'll be a year older next year.

Qiao Zhishu remained silent.

Seeing Qiao Zhishu's attitude, Madam Yang tentatively asked, "Zhishu, tell your mother properly, what is your opinion of this girl? Do you not want to marry her?"

If you don't want to marry her, don't drag it out. If you really want to marry her, give her a straight answer. Don't keep her hanging on like this, leaving her in this awkward position.

Qiao Zhishu pursed her lips. "Mother, Miss Zhong is a good person, but I still don't quite feel that desire to marry her."

I was thinking that if I spent more time with her, maybe we could develop feelings for each other, so I didn't expect to have a result with her so soon.

But then I think, Mother, you're right. If I keep dragging this on and it doesn't work out in the end, it'll be a waste of her time.

"Otherwise, Mother, you should go and refuse Miss Zhong for me!" Qiao Zhishu was having second thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Madam Yang objected, saying, "If you're going to refuse, you should go and explain it to the girl yourself. I'm not going to pass on this message to you."

If the girl wants you to go, it would be disrespectful for her if you suddenly didn't go. You should go in person; that way, you'll save face for her and explain things clearly.

That way, Miss Zhong won't blame you.

Although Yang herself did not intend for her son to marry that girl, she couldn't let things get so ugly in the end.

Besides, throughout history, when it comes to marriage, which one wasn't arranged by parents and matchmakers?

If people heard her son talking about feelings like that, they would think it was just empty talk.

When it comes to feelings, once two people are together for a long time, feelings will naturally develop.

She wouldn't say such a thing to a girl, but it would be a different story if her son said it to her himself.

Qiao Zhishu nodded helplessly, and had no choice but to go with Madam Yang herself.

**

Jincheng, the Zhong family.

Although Jincheng suffered a major natural disaster that nearly destroyed many families, the Zhong family was one of the few that escaped unscathed. Their house was built on the mountainside, and fortunately, that side of the mountain did not collapse, so the families in that area were spared from the disaster.

The low-ceilinged house was built of stone. Qiao Zhishu had adapted to life in Anjia, where she could feel the bright light every night. Suddenly, she found herself in this dark and cramped house and was not used to it for a while.

The house wasn't very big. Qiao Zhishu and her mother, Yang, squeezed in, along with Granny Xi. The Zhong family was already packed to the brim, with no room to move.

Ever since Qiao Zhishu entered the house, Zhong Ling's sister-in-law had been staring at her intently, scrutinizing her as if she were appraising merchandise, looking her over from head to toe, not even missing a single hair.

Qiao Zhishu felt a little uncomfortable being stared at like a monkey. "Ahem—"

Clearing her throat, Qiao Zhishu looked at Zhong Ling beside her.

"Miss Zhong, may I take a walk with you outside in the courtyard and have a chat?"

Since they intended to refuse Miss Zhong, it was naturally inappropriate to do so in front of so many people.

His refusal in front of so many people would make Miss Zhong lose face. It would be better to go outside and say it. Besides, he could just stand outside in broad daylight, which wouldn't be considered an outrageous act.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ling nodded with a shy, girlish expression, "Then let's go outside and talk."

As Yang watched the two leave, she gave the Zhong family an awkward smile. The old woman sitting next to her, Granny Xi, spoke up first on Yang's behalf. Having received a favor from Yang, she naturally had to speak up for her.

"Well... there's definitely something missing between Young Master Qiao and Miss Zhong. Although they get along very well, there's just not quite the right feeling when they're actually together."

This doesn't seem like romantic love between a man and a woman; it's more like the friendship between classmates. The only things these two people do together are calligraphy and painting.

"Old Zhong, look, after Miss Zhong gave him a portrait last time, Young Master Qiao bought quite a few more paintings to give her as a token of his gratitude."

The matchmaker's meaning was quite clear, and Madam Yang listened with great satisfaction.

The Zhong family members understood the meaning behind these words. Zhong Ling's father nodded with a complicated expression and sighed.

He naturally knew that his daughter was not good enough for the other family, as his daughter was much older than them.

Just look at the gifts they bring back each time, and you'll know what kind of family they are.

Although they don't own a house or land, as long as they have money, it's very easy to buy a house and land.

Zhong Ling's sister-in-law objected, as she already knew the other family was wealthy and that if Zhong Ling married into their family, the bride price would be quite substantial.

She's getting married soon, and she can still make some money off her family. Why not?

She wasn't about to let this money slip through her fingers.

"Oh, what are you saying? If you don't have feelings for our Ling'er, then what's the point of asking her out to meet me again and again? Isn't that ruining our Ling'er's reputation?"

If they weren't willing, they could have just refused when they first met, why did they go through all this trouble?

Isn't this just playing a trick on our Ling'er?

Even though your Qiao family is rich, that doesn't mean you can use your wealth to make fun of us poor people.

Although Ling'er in our family is not young, she is still a young woman. You can't play games like this!

"Our reputation has been ruined by this brat from the Qiao family. We can't just destroy our reputation and then walk away like that."

Zhong Ling's sister-in-law's mouth was like a knife, each sentence sharp and barbed, her words coming out in a continuous stream like a machine gun.

Yang's heart sank upon hearing this. So, they were going to rely on the Qiao family for their livelihood?

Even if they go out together, it's in public, strolling and having fun together on the street. How can that be considered damaging to one's reputation?