Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Everyone Has Their Own Thoughts on Proposing Marriage

When I returned to Suzhou from Bian Jing, I thought it would be more convenient to travel light. When I returned to Bian Jing, the local gifts and souvenirs given by relatives and friends were all tokens of their love, so I took them all on the boat. Fortunately, I didn't need to change boats halfway, and all the bags and souvenirs made it to Bian Jing without missing a single one.

Madam Xu divided the gifts among themselves and personally delivered one to the Dong family. The original marriage was called off, and her aunt only said that the two families would continue as usual and that it was just a marriage and never mentioned it again. No one knew what she said to Dong Hengzhi, but he was no longer stubborn, but he was still a little depressed in his heart. He threw himself into his studies, determined to get a good score in the next spring examination.

After all, they are two families. Although they want to let go of this matter and still send gifts during the normal holidays and inform each other of anything, both families are feeling a little awkward now, and the more they try not to mention it, the more awkward it becomes.

Another gift brought back from Suzhou was sent to the Kong family. This year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, someone sent gifts, but Madam Xu was not at home, so Zhen's father prepared a return gift. He was relieved only after he knew that the return gift was appropriate.

When Miss Kong heard the news that Baozhu had returned, she rushed to the restaurant without stopping. After not seeing her for a long time, Baozhu felt that Miss Kong spoke to her with even more intimacy.

"This year's rain is no less severe than the one the year before. Since your second brother took office, he's been personally involved in everything. Last year, there was no flood, yet many people mocked him. Even the common people disliked him. But after this year's flood, everyone came to thank him with gifts. Last month, when the water receded, he personally took the lead in dredging the river and reinforcing the embankment. When his subordinates saw him personally doing these hard tasks, they naturally joined in. His superior, seeing that he was stealing the show, followed him into the river, slipped, and broke his leg."

When mentioning this, Miss Kong gloated over it, then became angry again.

"It's a pity that because that old bastard broke his leg, the emperor personally summoned him after the flood. If I hadn't asked my father to ask someone to mention it, all the credit would have gone to that old bastard."

Baozhu knew that her second brother had a good relationship with the Kong family since the New Year, but she didn't know that their relationship was so close. During this flood, the Kong family even sent two people to help her second brother, specifically to run errands and do miscellaneous tasks.

"Your second brother is good at handling things. Although his superior likes to take credit, he also knows that your second brother is capable and will not offend him easily. Even if he wants to make trouble, the people will not agree. He will be evaluated as excellent at the end of the year." Miss Kong asked her father privately, and when Zhen Erlang's term of office is over, she will find a way to transfer him to the Ministry of Works.

Her two brothers are currently serving as officials in other places, and they will return to Bianliang when their terms of office are over.

"Then the whole family will be together, what a wonderful thing."

As Miss Kong thought this, she smiled even more happily. Although she was older than Baozhu, she was very innocent. Ever since the marriage proposal began, Mrs. Kong had not allowed her to go out. Just seeing her go out today, she knew that it was useless for her family to disallow her.

She told Baozhu about all the recent events in Bianjing. It was almost dusk when she finished. Since she was already here, she naturally had to eat. Baozhu always prepared special meals for her every time she came back, and this time she was looking forward to it.

"I won't eat the fine food today."

They bought some chestnuts in the morning and scalded them in boiling water. While they were peeling them, they chatted and had already gathered a bowl of golden chestnuts. It was too late to eat chestnuts at this time of year, so they happened to meet Baozhu and bought all of them. They were still fresh, so they threw away the blackened ones and the ones eaten by insects, and stewed the rest with the chickens they bought from an old farmer in the countryside.

Two fresh fish were braised, two pig's trotters were roasted, and two plates of popular vegetables were stir-fried. Mrs. Liu divided the dishes into two portions for two people and put them on plates, and added a pot of wild tea that she had just bought.

Mrs. Kong thought the chestnut roast chicken was very fragrant. When Mrs. Chen brought the charcoal-grilled pig's trotters, her eyes lit up. "I usually only eat braised pig's trotters with soybeans or boiled pig's trotters at home. I've never had such delicious pig's trotters before."

The two of them sat in a secluded place. Mrs. Chen removed the bones of the pig's trotter and cut it into small pieces. The roasted crispy skin was sprinkled with pepper and salt. This was a new dish in the restaurant. Although it sounded unrefined, few people would dislike it once they had tried it. She had already negotiated the business of buying pig's trotters. Just by looking at Miss Kong's behavior, she knew that pig's trotters were a business that could be sold on the menu for a long time.

I originally thought that the second brother would not be back for a few days, but I didn't expect that as soon as the two of them finished their meal, they saw the second brother enter the restaurant. He greeted Baozhu first, but his eyes never left Miss Kong.

When Miss Kong saw her second brother, her eyes sparkled. Baozhu couldn't help but doubt herself. Could it be that she usually looked at Pei Yanqing like this?

The second brother used the excuse of it being late to say that he was sending Miss Kong home. Baozhu wanted to tease him, "Jiang Shi has nothing to do right now, so just ask him to hire a carriage and send Miss Kong home."

Zhen Jia Erlang coughed dryly, "With his small body, he can't even protect himself if something happens."

When Jiang Shi heard this, he puffed out his chest in dissatisfaction. How could he be so thin?

In the evening, Zhen's father cooked for them. The few of them had just returned from Suzhou and they all looked much thinner. The meals were all their favorites. Baozhu had just finished her meal when she saw that her father had cooked his most famous fried eel paste and couldn't help but add more to her own bowl.

When Baozhu heard that Erlang had returned, she asked if he wanted to leave some food for her. Baozhu smiled.

"He hasn't come back yet, someone must have kept him here."

After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, the second brother returned home with a beaming smile, humming some opera from somewhere. Seeing the family staring at him, he changed the subject and asked about the trip, his eldest brother, and his nephew.

I told my father and second brother about what happened in the Suzhou store. None of the three of them mentioned the incident of encountering pirates on the road. The incident had already passed, and talking about it would inevitably make the family worry.

"Lord Pei, who used to live next door to us, is now a very popular figure in front of the emperor. He has solved several major cases and is deeply favored by the emperor." Although the second brother is not in Bian Jing, he knows a lot of things.

Baozhu and her mother looked at each other without saying a word. They just listened to him praising Pei Yanqing before getting to the point.

"By the way, mother, there is one more thing." Zhen Jia Erlang suddenly started to be shy and fell to his knees with a thud. Baozhu looked at him in surprise and put down her chopsticks. The whole family almost choked after hearing what he said.

"Please ask the matchmaker to go to the Kong family to propose marriage. I want to marry the young lady from the Kong family."

Madam Xu was still trying to pull him up, but when she heard what he said, she was stunned. "Why is this so sudden?"

Madam Xu had no idea what was going on between the two. Her impression was that Madam Kong had dressed up as a man and asked Erlang to send her back. Although she knew that Erlang was on good terms with the Kong family, she thought it was just a matter of official favors. Suddenly he asked her to propose marriage, which made her feel uneasy.

Seeing that her own Erlang was interested in Miss Kong, this marriage that was originally thought to be a failure was unexpectedly going to happen. Miss Xu knew that the Kong family was much more prestigious than her own, so she went out early the next morning to invite the official matchmaker to her house to discuss the matter. She wanted to have some rules first so that she would have some peace of mind and would not be impolite when she visited the Kong family.

Lord Kong had examined the second son of the Zhen family and found him to be excellent in terms of knowledge, appearance, character and interpersonal skills. Even if there was no marriage, he had developed a love for his talent after several contacts. He had originally thought that his daughter had rejected him and that he was a person with high standards but poor skills, but now he felt that his youngest daughter had a good eye.

Mrs. Kong knew her daughter's stubborn temper would inevitably lead to hardship if she married into a wealthy family. She would lend a helping hand to her sons-in-law, but she would have to earn the rest on her own. Mrs. Kong had no desire to save face by marrying her daughter into a wealthy family; she only wanted her daughter to live a peaceful and happy life and marry the right man.

The wealthy and powerful families were full of people and had many concerns. Even if the little girl did nothing, she would be in trouble. Not to mention other things, even the families she interacted with, similar to the Kong family, were full of trouble. A kind family like the Zhen family was her first choice for a son-in-law. The elders were reliable, the brothers and sisters were harmonious, and most importantly, she thought the second son of the Zhen family was really good.

Since both families were interested, the marriage naturally came to fruition. The six rituals were followed according to the procedures, and Madam Xu was relieved. She had been worried that the Kong family, a wealthy family, would inevitably have some official temperaments, but she didn't expect that Mrs. Kong was very polite to her relatives.

"To be honest, our ancestors were all peasants. It was our ancestors who risked their lives to give us the life we ​​have today. If this matter is settled, we will be a family in the future. Since we are a family, there is no need to pay attention to those false rituals." Mrs. Kong is also a generous person, and most of the family members are straightforward.

Madam Xu was used to dealing with people, and everyone liked to listen to what she said. If someone brought a business card, she would give it to her and ask her to visit her home more often in the future.

After a day of this, Madam Xu was exhausted both physically and mentally. At night, Zhen's father brought water to warm her feet.

"Erlang's marriage is settled, and next up is Baozhu. They are all my mother's flesh and blood. I hope they grow up, but I am also afraid of them growing up."

Zhen's father comforted him, "What young eagle doesn't leave the nest? Even if the children fly far away, I am still here."

After he finished speaking, he took the water out to pour it. Madam Xu got back on the bed and counted the money she had. The price of grain had risen a little due to the flood this year, but the price of the shop had fallen. She thought that she could take advantage of the bad market conditions this year to buy the shop that Baozhu was currently renting to avoid the inconvenience of paying rent.

Not only did the second brother hear about Lord Pei's current glory, but even ordinary people knew that Lord Pei had arrested many corrupt officials. Baozhu heard that the people in the store were talking about Pei Yanqing these days.

Baozhu hasn't seen him since returning to Bian Jing.

He sent the three of them home that day and told her before leaving that he was going to the palace to meet the emperor. Baozhu only knew that he said something about taking advantage of the situation, but she didn't know how dangerous it was. He was afraid that she would be involved, so he didn't even mention who he had grudges against.

Baozhu went to the Pei family to see Grandma Pei. Grandma Pei said that he had never returned since he went to the palace to meet the emperor.

Grandma Pei has been as anxious as an ant on a hot pan these past two days, but she is not familiar with Bian Jing, and even if she wants to find someone, she can't tell where is where. Since the person hasn't come back, she can only wait at the door every day.

The old lady was not in good health, so Baozhu could only ask Grandma Pei to relax.

"I think the government has appointed me a new post. I'll go and inquire about it. If I have any news, I'll let you know immediately."

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The author has something to say: My little cat had surgery these past two days, and I was really worried. I haven't updated two chapters in total. I'll try to make up for it if I have time over the weekend.

Sorry, sorry! I'll give you a little red envelope in the comment section of this chapter!