Chapter 034: Straightforward Liu Zhiyan

Ever since the Liu family sent a matchmaker to the Qin family, a rumor has been circulating in the Huizhou business circle: the Qin family's fool who only knew how to eat, drink and have fun ultimately failed to find a suitable son-in-law as he wished, and could only arrange an awkward marriage with an elderly dessert shop owner.

Those families who had long disliked the father and daughter, after hearing the rumor, secretly said that with the character of the Qin family's daughter, she wanted to find a son-in-law, but was so picky that it would be strange if she could find someone she was satisfied with.

No matter if they had been complaining about the father and daughter in the past or were laughing at them now, they kept it secret from them. Even if some of their words occasionally got into the father and daughter's ears, they didn't pay any attention to them.

The father and daughter understood very early on that there are always people in this world who cannot stand others doing well.

Paying attention to what these people say will do them no good except to ruin your own mood.

Therefore, ignoring the words and actions of these people has always been the unanimous choice of the father and daughter.

Those families who had painstakingly advised Qin Laicai to be moderate in spoiling their children and not to let them do whatever they wanted, lest they raise a useless child, heard the rumor and came to find out what was going on with this sudden news.

To this group of people, Qin Laicai and Qin Xue spoke with one voice, saying that Liu Zhiyan agreed to have a child with the surname Qin in the future, which was different from an ordinary marriage. That's why they used the term "not marrying" to describe this marriage.

As for asking Liu Zhiyan if he had been married before at his age, and if he already had many children, was he not short of children?

The implication is that if the other party didn't need children, how could they agree to let the child have the surname Qin?

To these people, both father and daughter believed that a high monk had predicted Liu Zhiyan's fortune, saying that marrying late could help him avoid disasters and increase his fortune. That was why they had not arranged marriage until they were 25 years old.

At that time, people believed in fate, and most people believed what the father and daughter said.

Of course, there are also a small number of people who think that there must be reasons that cannot be told to outsiders, otherwise who would be willing to marry a man ten years older than themselves? Ruan Ruyi is one of such people.

So, at another ladies' gathering, she said, "I think there must be something wrong with this man. Otherwise, why would he wait until this old age without getting married? Otherwise, why would he agree to let the child take his wife's surname?"

When Qin Xue was still a participant in their ladies' gathering, Ruan Ruyi had often spoken harshly about her. After Qin Xue stopped attending, Ruan Ruyi continued to say bad things about her. Even if a normal person agreed with the underlying meaning of her words, they wouldn't respond. After all, talking behind someone's back wasn't a very kind thing to do.

No one responded this time either. However, Ruan Ruyi, who had long been accustomed to this, didn't care. She continued to talk to herself, "My mother said that a person's life blessings are limited. Those who enjoy happiness early in life will probably not have a good life in the second half. She is a motherless child, but after more than ten years, she is happier than those of us who have both a father and a mother. She is definitely one of those who enjoyed happiness early."

"I think her second half of life will be harder than any of ours." Thinking of Qin Xue's rejection of her attempt to arrange a marriage between her and her eldest brother, Ruan Ruyi wished that her life would be a mess after marriage, so that she would have a better reason to ridicule her in the future.

"I don't know whether she has an easy life or not, but I dare say that your life will definitely not be easy after you step into my Wang family." Wang Xingsheng's third sister Wang Zhaodi said to her indifferently.

"Wang Zhaodi, after all, I am your future sister-in-law. Shouldn't you be more polite when you speak to me?"

Among this group of young ladies, the Wang family has the best family fortune. Ruan Ruyi used to be the number one lackey of the three sisters of the Wang family, but ever since she got engaged to Wang Xingsheng, she likes to act like the eldest sister-in-law in front of the three sisters.

This made Wang Zhaodi, who had always been flattered by her, very unhappy, so Wang Zhaodi would ridicule her whenever she got the chance.

"Once you've made it into my family, come and show me your sister-in-law status." Wang Zhaodi said without a frown, "After all, this isn't the first time you've been someone else's fiancée. You accidentally lost your virginity to my good brother once, so who knows if you'll do it again."

Wang Zhaodi didn't give Ruan Ruyi any face at all when she said this.

Fortunately, Ruan Ruyi, who had an unreliable father, wasn't as shy as other girls. Otherwise, she might have wanted to commit suicide after being told such things by Wang Zhaodi in front of so many people. "I'll have to ask your mother later how she raised you to be so tactless!"

She is about to become a wife of the Wang family. If she is embarrassed in front of others, will the Wang family save face?

"Before asking my mother, you should ask your good fiancé first. After all, everyone knows now that he is a man who is popular with both men and women." Thinking of her marriage that was delayed because of Wang Xingsheng, Wang Zhaodi wanted to beat to death that half-brother who she had recognized from some unknown corner.

"There's a saying that goes, 'If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams will be crooked too.' If it weren't for your father setting an example, how could he have such a bad habit?" Provoked by Wang Zhaodi, Ruan Ruyi blurted out what had been in her mind for a long time.

Wang Zhaodi nodded. "I'll pass this message on to my father when we get back later. And tell him, by the way, that he's the top leader. Otherwise, if the lower leaders follow his example, sooner or later, the whole family will be ruined."

Ruan Ruyi had already realized that she had said the wrong thing and was about to make amends, but when she heard Wang Zhaodi's words, she was immediately shocked, "No, no, no, the one I'm talking about is not your father, but your eldest brother's biological mother. You can't go back and say that."

The head of the Wang family was a terrifying figure. Ruan Ruyi was afraid that if he knew that she had said this, he would not live past tomorrow.

"Don't worry, I won't say anything nonsense. I'll just tell him exactly what you just said." With so many people present, they would know what she said just by asking her casually. Wang Zhaodi would not be foolish enough to add fuel to the fire. "Of course, I won't forget to tell my good brother about it for you."

Wang Xingsheng has a special affection for his mother who raised him. If she knew that Ruan Ruyi said this about his mother, she would definitely be in trouble.

Thinking about the impact that Wang Xingsheng had had on her mother and the three sisters since he returned to the Wang family, Wang Zhaodi wanted to go back and criticize him immediately. She actually did so.

After she finished her last sentence, she whispered a few words to the two sisters beside her, and then the three sisters stood up together, "We three sisters have other things to do, so we will leave first. We will meet up with everyone another day."

The eldest of the three Wang sisters was raised as an heir since childhood. Before Wang Xingsheng returned to the Wang family, she rarely participated in the ladies' gatherings. After Wang Xingsheng returned to the Wang family, she began to participate in the ladies' gatherings, but because she had little in common with them, she rarely participated in their conversations.

The second young lady of the Wang family often attends the ladies' gatherings, but she is a person who doesn't talk much and doesn't have a strong presence, so she is not noticeable among them.

Wang Zhaodi, the youngest and third daughter of the Wang family, is the one with the strongest presence among the three sisters in the ladies' party, but she rarely makes things difficult for someone in the party like she did today.

Therefore, those who witnessed the whole process speculated that with Wang Xingsheng about to get married, the conflicts within the Wang family might be greater than before.

However, everyone just thought about these things in their minds and did not dare to show any expression on their faces.

When the three of them said they had to leave early for something, everyone said it was okay to leave early.

In fact, I didn't believe it in my heart. After all, this ladies' party was arranged in advance and it was not a temporary party. Everyone would arrange things in advance.

As soon as the three sisters left, Ruan Ruyi could no longer sit still and soon asked to leave first.

Four people left at once, and the rest felt that it was meaningless to stay any longer, so the game ended.

Cheng Jingshuang and Cheng Jingrou returned to the carriage. Cheng Jingrou asked her elder sister softly, "Sister, why would Uncle Qin arrange for Sister Xueer to marry such an old man?"

If we were to ask which family of ladies Qin Xue had the best relationship with, it would have to be the two sisters of the Cheng family.

The Cheng family actually became rich earlier than the Wang family, but the Cheng family was in the business of pens, ink, paper and inkstones, and they made money from scholars. The Cheng family also did business with conscience, so their family business could not compare to that of the Wang family, which was engaged in salt sales.

However, because they do business with scholars and are known as Confucian merchants, the Cheng family's influence is actually greater than that of the Wang family.

Earlier, when Ruan Ruyi provoked Qin Xue at the Shangsi Festival party, it was Cheng Jingshuang who stood up and said a few words for Qin Xue.

After that, although Qin Xue no longer participated in the ladies' party, she would give the two sisters some small gifts from time to time.

Those things may not be very expensive, but it can be seen that they were all carefully selected by Qin Xue.

Now that she heard that Qin's father had arranged such a marriage for her, Cheng Jingrou couldn't help but worry about her.

Cheng Jingshuang, however, said, "Uncle Qin is the most loving father I've ever met. Anyone could try to gain advantage by choosing a marriage for their daughter, but he wouldn't. So I believe that he arranged this marriage because it must be the best choice for Sister Xue'er."

Cheng Jingshuang's father is actually quite good to his daughter, but this kindness is limited to material aspects. In other aspects, he is no different from other fathers.

Qin Laicai is completely different. The material aspects of his kindness to Qin Xue are the least worth mentioning.

The most noteworthy thing is his heartfelt and unique love for Qin Xue.

Cheng Jingshuang felt that if one day his life needed to be exchanged for Qin Xue's life, he would agree without hesitation.

With such a father, she didn't believe that he would arrange a bad marriage for Qin Xue.

Of course, she also wanted to know why Uncle Qin arranged this marriage for Qin Xue, so she said, "She's getting engaged soon, and as ladies we often visit, we should go to her house to congratulate her. So, when we get home, we'll write her a visiting card and arrange a time to visit and congratulate her in person."

When Cheng Jingrou heard her sister's words, she immediately looked at Cheng Jingshuang with sparkling eyes and praised her elder sister sincerely, "Sister is really thoughtful."

Her half-sister was taught by her aunt to put her first in everything, so no matter what she said, she would praise her without thinking.

Everyone likes to hear nice words, and Cheng Jingshuang is no exception. "You always praise me like this, and I think I'm very capable. Actually, if you think about this kind of thing more, you will know what to do."

When Qin Xue received Cheng Jingshuang's visiting card, she guessed that she was probably here to tell others about the recent rumors about her engagement.

Knowing that they were concerned about her, Qin Xue immediately replied and invited them to visit her the next day.

At that time, Liu Zhiyan was still at Qin's house. When she heard that someone was coming to visit her the next day, she offered, "Then I won't come tomorrow."

He really didn't like having much contact with girls. Even if he stayed in the yard that Qin's father had people clean up for him, he would feel uncomfortable as if his space was being occupied when he knew there were other strange girls in the house.

Although girls from merchant families do not follow as many rules as girls from official families, the distinction between men and women is equally important.

Although Cheng Jingshuang and her sister have both been engaged, they are still unmarried girls and it would be unreasonable for them to meet men from other families.

In addition, Liu Zhiyan basically avoided the eyes and ears of others when he came and went from the Qin family. If people knew that he often went in and out of the Qin family, it would not be good for Qin Xue's reputation.

Therefore, when Cheng Jingshuang and her sister came to visit, even if Liu Zhiyan was there, Qin Xue would not be able to introduce them to each other.

Thinking of how Liu Zhiyan had been sweating profusely every time he came to the Qin family recently, Qin Xue felt sorry for him. "The weather is getting hotter day by day. You should stay home more often. If you have any questions, I'll come to the Liu family every now and then to ask you."

This man almost always rides a horse when he goes out. To get from the Liu family to the Qin family, he has to go around most of the city. The trip is enough to make him sweat.

"It's easier for me to avoid being seen when I come to your house, but it's not so easy for you to go out." Firstly, he was a stranger here, and secondly, horses were fast, and most people wouldn't look like they were on horses, unlike her recognizable carriage. "The imperial examination not only tests knowledge, but also the physical fitness of the candidates. Horseback riding is a good form of exercise. Riding back and forth like this every day is enough exercise for me for the day."

Seeing that she was still frowning, Liu Zhiyan felt that the girl's mind was very delicate. While feeling helpless, a warm feeling flowed in his heart.

Only those who care about him in their hearts will care about him in such details. "I am very happy that you care about me like this."

Qin Xue had long discovered that this man was very straightforward.

After realizing my feelings for her, I told her directly.

If you care about her, you will say it directly.

He would also tell her directly if she did something that made him happy.

Logically, she should be used to it, but she wasn't. Every time she faced his straightforwardness, she couldn't help but blush with shyness.

At this moment, because of his words, Qin Xue's face flushed with shame, and her face was red, which made people want to take a bite.

Of course, it is impossible to bite it, but you can still pinch it with your hand.

Then, Qin Xue found that her cheeks were gently pinched by a pair of warm big hands.

This was the most intimate contact between the two so far.

Every time her cheeks were pinched, Qin Xue felt dizzy and unable to think. "Why do you always like to pinch my cheeks?"

The touch was even more delicate than a freshly peeled egg, and it felt just as good as the stress-relieving method he used to use to relieve stress by poking a ball, which made him like pinching her cheeks.

Of course, this was his little secret, and he couldn't let the little girl know, lest she get angry. "Because your cheeks are very elastic, it's fun to pinch them."

The little girl was still unhappy after hearing this, "Oh, that's annoying. I'm not a toy." Then she slapped her two stinky hands off her face and said, "I have some more fun stuffed tigers. I'll give you a few later. You can pinch them however you want."

She thought he wanted to get close to her, but it turned out he was just doing it for fun, which made her so angry.

Retracting his hand with some regret, Liu Zhiyan accepted everything and said, "Then I want the ones you played with when you were a child."

"Those are old. I'd better give you new ones." The toys she played with as a child had never been put away over the years. The fabrics were faded badly, and some even had marks from when she got angry as a child.

"But I just want the old one." He knew those little things contained many interesting stories about her. "Take the old one back. When we get married and stay at my place sometimes, you can take it with you and tell me interesting stories about your childhood."

As soon as Liu Zhiyan said this, Qin Xue lost all her anger instantly.

This man can easily affect her mood with just one word.

Qin Xue didn't know whether this was good or bad.

But no matter good or bad, she enjoyed it. "Then I'll pack up some small things for you to take back."

"That's great." Although Fang said last time that the girl didn't mind the simplicity of his yard and they might not live in the yard for a few days after getting married, a marriage still has to look like a marriage. He is currently redecorating his yard, and these little things can just fill up his overly simple yard.

At this point, Liu Zhiyan suddenly thought of what Qin Laicai had mentioned to him a few days ago, "I'll ask my grandmother to ask an embroiderer she knows to help embroider your wedding dress."

Qin Xue had never thought about embroidering her own wedding dress before, but now she really wants to do it, and has been busy preparing for it all this time.

But she really wasn't good at sewing. It was something that was very simple for others to do, but apart from barely avoiding pricking her own hand, the things she sewed were all crooked and not presentable to others.

Her father had suggested earlier that they ask an embroiderer they knew to do it, but she always felt that asking someone else to embroider it would not be pious enough for the marriage.

She didn't agree with her father's proposal.

When I heard Liu Zhiyan mention this again, I couldn't help but feel moved.

While I was moved, I was also hesitant. "Will this make people think that I didn't take this marriage seriously, as I even had someone else embroider my wedding dress?"

"Why do you care what others think?! Isn't it enough for me to know that you care?!" Qin Laicai told him that day that Qin Xue had never cared much about what others thought of her, but now she was hesitant about the wedding dress and asked him to find a chance to persuade her. "Look, others even said that I was a good mother and had many children, but I didn't take it to heart."

"Because you and your uncle know what I'm really like. And the people who will live under the same roof with me from now on will be you two, not those who make all kinds of assumptions about me."

"They can't affect me at all, so why should I care what they think or say?"

Qin Xue thought about those people who had called her a fool in the past, but she still did her own thing, unaffected at all, and continued to eat and drink as usual.

I don't know why I'm so worried about a wedding dress now.

Hearing her doubts, Liu Zhiyan knew the crux of the matter. "Because you know that no matter what happens to you, your uncle will always love you. You have complete trust in your uncle's love for you."

"But you don't dare to believe that I can accept you unconditionally like your uncle did, so you are worried about the outcome."

All in all, they had only known each other for three months.

No matter how much he promised, what he could actually do in these three months was not enough to make her trust him wholeheartedly.

And in fact, he couldn't say that he would love her no matter what, because he himself was not sure that he could do so.

"People choose each other. You're worried that I'll dislike you, and I'm worried too. Putting everything else aside, just the fact that I'm ten years older than you makes me worried you'll dislike me."

"But I think since this is a fact that cannot be changed, I will make more efforts in other aspects and try my best to make you not look down on my age."

Qin Xue didn't expect that he would be disliked by her just because he was older than her.

But if she thought about it carefully, if he hadn't expressed his feelings for her after they had gotten to know each other a little better, and if he was 25 years old and wanted to marry her right away, she might really be disgusted by his age.

Thinking about it this way, Qin Xue found that there was really no need to worry about the wedding dress. "Then I'll leave it to you." Then she said seriously, "I lacked my mother's guidance since I was a child, so my mentality is a little more immature than my peers. Someone like you who is older is more suitable for me."

Liu Zhiyan wanted to say, "I'm probably attracted to your unconstrained mind," but he said, "If you have any hesitations in the future, remember to tell me. Similarly, if I have any uncertainty, I will contact you first to confirm it."

"Let's work together to be a couple who don't doubt each other." Just like his father and his mother.

Although it wasn't a romantic or affectionate statement, it was very touching and made people want to do what he said. "Okay, let's work hard together."

Seeing that she accepted his suggestion and her expression was normal, Liu Zhiyan skipped the topic and talked about serious matters, "Are you now able to slowly understand the books my mother brought you last time?"

Ye Qinghan spoke Latin, a language commonly used in Europe in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, and Malay, a language commonly used in Southeast Asia. Qin Xue had initially studied Latin. The three books Ye Qinghan had brought her, including the Italian version of The Decameron and the French version of Pantagruel, were both Latin-based.

Qin Xue has mastered Latin very well and has strong self-study ability.

After Liu Zhiyan told her about the changing relationship between Latin and the two languages, she said she wanted to start studying the two books.

"I can barely read one page of The Decameron a day, but The Gargantua and Pantagruel is still quite difficult for me."

In his mother's words, Italian is the direct granddaughter of Latin, with a closer relationship and more similarities; French is the mixed-race great-grandson of Latin, with some external features more like its grandfather and more recombined parts.

Therefore, I learned these two languages ​​by myself through Latin, and French is definitely more difficult.

It was perfectly normal for Qin Xue to feel this way. "Then you should first learn Italian by yourself. As for French, I'll find time to systematically teach it to you after the provincial examination. It will be much easier for you to learn then."

Qin Xue also knew that haste makes waste when it comes to studying. Although she really wanted to give Sister Ye a big surprise when she saw her again, she also listened to the advice, "Then I won't read 'Giant and Pantagruel' for now. Anyway, these five volumes of 'The Decameron' are enough to keep me reading for a long time."