Thinking this through, Yan Qingxue spoke up, "Mother, how about I ask her about this? If I ask Linglan, she'll be willing to tell me what she's thinking, won't she?"
If you go and tell her, she'll definitely stop thinking about it and just agree to whatever you say.
“Alright, you girls are easy to talk to, go ask.” In this respect, Madam Zhao was extremely understanding.
Having received permission, Yan Qingxue's eyes darted around, and she began to make her own plans.
Unlike Yan Qingxue and Yan Linglong, Yan Linglan was neither flamboyant nor arrogant, nor did she act recklessly. She had always been a well-behaved young lady, staying quietly in her own courtyard and rarely venturing out of the house. She even had little contact with other young ladies from prominent families outside.
It's not that Yan Linglan is aloof or doesn't like to socialize; she's actually a very approachable person, just too quiet.
They are not competitive or aggressive, they don't cause trouble or make a fuss, their temperament is as calm as water, and they give people a feeling as gentle as a babbling brook.
This is also why the Zhao family liked her so much.
Compared to Linglan, Yan Linglong appeared far too aloof and arrogant. She was overly haughty and presumptuous, rarely interacting with other young ladies from prominent families. This wasn't due to lack of time or poor health, but rather because she disdained associating with such people. Her personality gave the impression of being arrogant, disdainful of others, and extremely haughty. This was also why Zhao Shi disliked her.
As for Yan Linglan, Zhao Shi genuinely intended to find her a good marriage.
Because she was adopted as a child and raised under her name, she felt a certain tenderness towards Yan Linglan, treating her like her own child.
It's precisely because that child is unassuming and has a rather bland temperament that she doesn't want to marry her off to a wealthy family. If she marries into a high-ranking household, she'll be devoured until there's nothing left.
She knew all too well the scheming and jealousy among the women in the backyard. A child like Linglan, with that kind of personality, was not suited to live in such an environment.
The most suitable option for her is actually to marry into a family of lower social standing. It doesn't matter if the family is of lower social standing, as long as they treat her well, elevate her status, and have the support of the city lord's mansion, she can live a smooth and successful life.
Yan Linglan doesn't like going out much, and Yan Qingxue, knowing her personality, rarely takes her out to play. This time, however, it's because of Yan Linglan's marriage that she has no choice but to bring her out, and Yan Linglan is somewhat resistant.
"Big sister, do we really have to go out? I don't want to go out."
Yan Qingxue's tone was firm and persuasive.
"No, you have to go out. This is a matter of your lifelong happiness. If you don't decide for yourself, who will? If you don't like her, we won't marry her. But if you really like her and the He family is satisfied, then we'll marry into their family."
We're going to go secretly, not for you to come and visit. We'll just take a quick peek and come right back.
I've heard that the young master of the He family occasionally goes to the Red City Auction House. Let's go there and see if we can run into him. Even if we don't, it wouldn't be a loss to buy you a couple of things you like."
"Why should elder sister spend so much money?" Yan Linglan asked, her brows furrowed with some hesitation.
"Money is meant to be spent, so what's the big deal about spending money? When I spend money on my sister, it's not considered spending money."
"Let me tell you, I've recently taken a fancy to a young master from Jincheng. I've already told Mother and you about it. Although Mother isn't happy about it, I'll definitely find a way to get her to agree. If our weddings are held together, it'll be so lively!"
Xiaoya rolled her eyes and muttered to herself.
"Miss, are you interested in that young master, or that castle in Linghe Town?"
"Can't I just like him? I think that guy is quite handsome, and a bit shy. He's much better than those scoundrel playboys I've seen. He seems like a girl." Yan Qingxue said, covering her mouth and laughing to herself.
Xiaoya sighed.
"So you'll marry into a poor family and expect the city lord's mansion to provide for you every day?"
“I’m happy to eat chaff and wild vegetables with them. When did I ever say I wanted the city lord’s mansion to help me? I’ll follow the city lord wherever I go. If I marry into their family, I’ll just live whatever life they live.”
"Miss, you really have no shame! This isn't even true yet, and you're already talking to yourself like this. Ouch, it hurts, Miss! Miss, please let go, please have mercy." As soon as Xiaoya finished speaking, Yan Qingxue twisted her ear, and Xiaoya begged for mercy with a pained expression.
"Hmph, who's shameless?"
Xiaoya admitted her mistake, "This servant was wrong, Miss!"
"That's more like it! Let me tell you, Xiaoya, I didn't chase after him. He treated me the same way. He even gave me his home address. He lives in Hongcheng now. I'll pay him a visit when I go there." Yan Qingxue said, taking out a small piece of paper from her sleeve. This piece of paper was secretly slipped to her by her little cousin when she left.
He told her that he would come to her residence to visit her when she had time.
Xiao Ya stared with her big, round eyes as Yan Qingxue took out a piece of paper and waved it in front of her. Xiao Ya stared at the address on the paper, stunned and somewhat taken aback.
"Eh? You even told me where you live? Does that young master want to climb the social ladder and get into the city lord's mansion?" Although his eyes were fixed on the address on the note, he didn't pay any attention to what kind of place it was.
Yan Qingxue slapped Xiaoya on the head in dissatisfaction. "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by climbing the social ladder? They don't even know I come from the City Lord's Mansion, okay? They don't even know my identity, so how does that become climbing the social ladder? Don't you have any brains when you talk?"
"Even if you don't know, just by looking at your clothes and appearance, you should be able to tell that you are the daughter of a noble family, right? Even if you don't think you are the daughter of a noble family, you can still be considered to come from a wealthy family at a casual glance, right?"
Let alone a mere peasant being matched with the eldest legitimate daughter of the city lord's mansion, even if she were to be matched with a young lady from an ordinary high-ranking family, she wouldn't be a good match.
How is this not considered marrying into wealth and status?
"Hmph, if I were really someone who wanted to climb the social ladder, wouldn't they have been eager to climb up to me the moment I opened my mouth? Didn't you see that young master avoiding me like the plague? He treated me like a crazy woman."
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