Chapter 104 Keep Your Distance

Qiao Mianmian was very busy and didn't take Lu Zhao's words to heart. The days quickly passed and it was New Year's Eve. The Qiao family closed their doors and stayed closed until the seventh day of the new year.

With no need to busy herself with the food stall, Qiao Mianmian took the money and went shopping with Zheng Sanhua. On the first day of the new year, the whole family went to the temple fair. The days of playing passed by especially quickly.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Wangchun and her sister came back to pay their respects. Tao Jie'er was one year and two months old and could take a few steps on her own. She called out "Auntie" in her unclear speech.

Qiao Mianmian had prepared jujube cakes that children love in advance. They were fragrant, sticky, and slightly sweet. She fed the jujube cakes to Tao Jie'er and said, "Call me Auntie."

"Little...Little Auntie." As Tao Jie spoke, saliva unconsciously dripped down her throat, making Qiao Mianmian laugh heartily.

Madam Lin came over and took away the jujube cake. "Don't tease Tao'er, children can't be teased. You'll be sixteen after the New Year, why are you still acting like a child?"

She handed the jujube cake to her granddaughter, saying, "Peach, be good and eat slowly."

"Thank...thank you..." Tao Jie chuckled, the little girl leaned into her grandmother's arms, knowing that her grandmother would catch her, and ate the jujube cake in small bites while nestled in her grandmother's arms.

Qiao Mianmian also took a piece to eat. The jujubes were sweet and fragrant, and when added to the glutinous rice cake, they mixed with the honey aroma of the glutinous rice. It was a rare treat at this time.

Qiao Mianmian was watching Tao Jie'er eat when Lin Xiahe came over, called Lin Shi away, and pulled Lin Shi into the house.

"Why are you being so secretive?" Lin asked.

Lin Xiahe and Lin Wangchun each stood on one side, surrounding the Lin family in the middle.

"What exactly do you want to talk about?" Madam Lin looked around. "Oh dear, there's a ton of stuff going on at home!"

"What's wrong?" Lin Xiahe said with a smile to her mother. "My eldest and second eldest brothers have taken their wives back to their parents' home. There are only my and my third sister's families as guests. We're all here, so you don't need to entertain anyone."

Cao Yuan originally didn't want to go back to her parents' home, but Qiao Jiaxing felt that it was only the first year of their marriage, so she should go back. He couldn't make up his mind, so he asked his parents.

Lin and Qiao Mancang meant that they should still make a trip this year, but there was no need for much formality; they could just have lunch and come back, maintaining a superficial relationship. However, if the other party was sarcastic or unfriendly, they wouldn't need to go in the future.

Lin was anxious as she listened, "Wangchun, you speak."

Lin Wangchun: "Did Mother calculate Mianmian's marriage prospects before?"

Mrs. Lin nodded in agreement.

"My second brother said that he saw Mianmian and Scholar Xu chatting and laughing together at a restaurant the other day," Lin Wangchun said. "Didn't the fortune teller say that Mianmian's marriage is related to a scholar?"

At first, Lin refused to tell, but later she couldn't help but tell Qiao Mancang and her mother-in-law.

The news spread quickly, and now only Qiao Mianmian herself was unaware of it; everyone else in the Qiao family knew the results of Lin Shi's fortune telling.

Lin's eyes widened. "You're not going to say that Mianmian and Scholar Xu are involved, are you?"

Lin Xiahe nodded vigorously, “Don’t you think it’s very suitable? Mianmian likes handsome men, and Xu Xiucai is so handsome! Although the Xu family used to be from Bianjing, they now live in the same alley as us, so they must not have much wealth. Otherwise, Xu Xiucai’s father would not have set up a stall to sell calligraphy.”

Lin Wangchun chimed in, "It's actually not bad."

Seeing that her mother didn't speak, Lin Xiahe continued, "The Xu family doesn't have much wealth, but Scholar Xu is good at studying. He will pass the imperial examination and become a Juren in the future. Our Mianmian will be an official's wife, and you will have an official son-in-law. Just thinking about it makes you happy, doesn't it?"

"I..." Madam Lin thought for a moment, feeling a wonderful sensation, but then shook her head. "No, no, not Scholar Xu. Have you forgotten what happened before? He doesn't like our Mianmian."

Lin Wangchun asked what was wrong.

Lin said a few words, but Lin Xiahe still felt hopeful, "Mianmian was small before, but now that she's grown up, what if things are different?"

"Forget it, I dare not bring this up. If you want to bring it up, you can do it yourselves." Madam Lin felt this wouldn't work. "I do want a son-in-law who is an official, but there are plenty of scholars in the world."

Besides, they live so close by. If the Xu family had any designs on her, they would have come looking for her long ago. They're not strangers; they know each other inside and out. Why would the woman take the initiative?

"If you're not going, I'll go ask." Lin Xiahe got up, supporting her belly, and went to find Qiao Mianmian.

Qiao Mianmian was called into the room by her older sister. When she heard her fourth sister mention Xu Xiucai, she shook her head and said, "This really won't do. What were you thinking? Just because I talked to him a few more times?"

"You really don't like it?" Lin Xiahe asked with some regret.

"No." Qiao Mianmian couldn't help but think of the question Lu Zhao had asked her.

Many times, she would forget that she was living in ancient times because the people around her were kind and didn't care too much about those rules. But now, hearing her fourth sister say the same thing, she felt that she should indeed keep some distance from these men, because times have changed.

Hearing her fourth sister sigh, Qiao Mianmian leaned closer and said, "Don't overthink it. Anyway, it's definitely not possible for Xu Xiucai."

She can guarantee that.

"Alright, then I won't say anything more." Lin Xiahe changed the subject. "When I was making baby clothes for the child, I made two bibs for you, which I've already given to your mother."

While the two sisters were having their private conversation, the Xu family of three also closed the door and spoke.

“After you passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, I tried to contact my former classmates. Among them, the prefect of Jingzhou is my closest friend. In our several correspondences, he has already hinted that if you pass the imperial examination this autumn, he would be willing to arrange a marriage between our families,” Xu Kuan said. “I have also inquired about two other families.”

He only has one son now, and he is wholeheartedly paving the way for his son. His greatest wish in this life is to see his son bring honor to the family.

Xu Mingxuan lowered his eyelids. "Father, must I marry into an official's family?"

“Of course. You haven’t entered officialdom yet, so you don’t know how important it is to have a family that can help you grow. Don’t worry, I’ve been there, and I will definitely do my best to pave the way for you.” Xu Kuan looked at his son with great satisfaction. He felt that his youngest son could understand his good intentions and would definitely accept them.

In Xu Kuan's mind, he never thought that Xu Mingxuan would ever say no, because he was his father and he must be doing it for Xu Mingxuan's own good, so he should listen to him.

“I know it’s good to have shortcuts, but I can also climb the ladder step by step through my own abilities. Not all officials have someone to patronize them. Could you let my son try it on his own first?” Xu Mingxuan asked.

Xu Kuan frowned as he listened. "What's wrong with you? I've said the same thing to you before, and you've never objected."

His first reaction was that his son had become too arrogant. "Is it because your teacher praised you too much that you've gotten cocky?"

"No, I haven't," Xu Mingxuan said, lowering his head. "I have always studied diligently and have never slacked off. It's just that I feel that the ways of officialdom are not good if they are too utilitarian."

"Utilitarianism?"

Xu Kuan glared angrily at his son, "I've put in so much effort for you, and you call me opportunistic? Given our family's current situation, do you think you're more likely to make a wrong move, or that you're more talented than the top scholar in the imperial examinations? Even the top scholar has his ambitions, but some are unable to realize them!"

Xu Mingxuan fell silent, knowing he couldn't win the argument with his father.

"Go back to your room and think it over. If you can't figure it out, you don't need to study anymore!" Xu Kuan turned and left, his anger rising at his son's utilitarian remark.

Only after her husband left did Madam Xu dare to speak, "Your father is doing this for your own good. You know our family's situation. I have a question for you, and you have to tell me the truth: do you have a girl you like?"

As a mother, she was always able to observe more closely, and she felt that there must be some reason why her son suddenly changed his mind.

"No, that's not true." Xu Mingxuan denied it. "I'm going back to my studies. Mother, please rest."

It snowed before the New Year and it hasn't melted yet. Xu Mingxuan looked at the snow on the roof and was about to go back inside when he heard his father talking to someone.

"You want to write a letter, right? Sure, no problem, come in, I'll write it for you right away." Xu Kuan ushered the man in, glanced at his son, and silently went into the study.

Looking at his father's back, which had become slightly hunched, Xu Mingxuan stood there stunned for a while. It was only after Yunzhu came over and reminded him that there was a breeze in the yard that he went back inside.

As their daughters grew up, their parents began to worry about their marriages. This was the case in the Xu family, as well as in the Qiao and Meng families.

Meng Chunsheng followed Lu Zhao for several days and suffered greatly. He even did carpentry work during the first month of the lunar year and never mentioned joining the army again.

After a period of time, Meng Dayong noticed that his son's craftsmanship had improved, which made him very happy.

After the first month of the lunar calendar, the eighth day of the new year was the first day of business for the Qiao family. As soon as the door panels were taken down, Lu Zhao and Qingjiu came to eat noodles.

"It's been a long time since we've had Aunt Qiao's handmade noodles, and we've been craving them. That's why we've all come today." Qingjiu, wearing a dog-skin hat, had his chubby face covered in fur, and he smiled in a particularly憨憨 (simple and honest) way.

He said they were all here; Cuizhi and Songmu were both here. While tidying the stove, Lin greeted them, "You've come so early; it's still barely dawn. Come in and sit down; you'll have to wait a while."

I cleaned it yesterday, but it's been a while since I've been here, so I'm not quite back to work right away. Lin rummaged through the cupboards before finding the spatula and other utensils. While the water was boiling, Lin started rolling out noodles. Knowing Qingjiu had a big appetite, she made extra for him. "This young man's name is Songmu, right? I'm getting old, and my memory isn't so good anymore. How many bowls do you and Cuizhi want? I'll make you extra noodles, it's all the same price!"

Cuizhi said a normal amount was fine. She also liked the Qiao family's hand-pulled noodles, which were chewy and delicious.

Songmu said he wanted a little more, and then Qingjiu said he wanted to eat fried noodles.

"Okay, I'll have Mianmian cook it for you." Lin first blanched the noodles.

"Hey, Miss Qiao!" Qingjiu stood up and waved to greet Qiao Mianmian, but Qiao Mianmian just nodded to him and didn't come over to chat and laugh as usual.

As she sat down, Qingjiu turned to her master and asked, "Sir, what's wrong with Miss Qiao today? It's unusual; she's usually so warm and welcoming!"

Lu Zhao didn't know what was going on either. "Maybe she's still asleep?"

“It’s possible. Usually, Miss Qiao doesn’t come to the food stall at this time.” Qingjiu quickly accepted this explanation.

In the following days, Lu Zhao noticed that Qiao Mianmian was not as enthusiastic towards them as before.

Although they still greet each other with smiles, Qiao Mianmian used to ask questions and sometimes introduce new foods to them. But these past few days, even when the Qiao family sent them new food, it was other members of the Qiao family who brought it.

That day, Cao Yuan brought over some stir-fried pickled mustard greens and pork cracklings, which she ate at home. Lu Zhao couldn't help but ask, "Has Miss Qiao been very busy lately?"