Old Mrs. Qiao felt that Old Mr. Qiao seemed to have ill intentions.
Do you think Mu Xinghe and our Xi'er are a good match?
"Ah?" Grandma Qiao suddenly understood. No wonder she said that Grandpa Qiao was so enthusiastic towards Mu Xinghe, to the point that it exceeded the limits of the Qiao family.
It turns out that Old Man Qiao was looking for a son-in-law for his granddaughter.
Qiao Lian'er heard it too, tilted her head, and turned her ear towards it.
Pfft, Grandpa is really clever. What's the difference between this and catching a son-in-law after the imperial examination results are announced?
Although Mu Xinghe is still a student at the lowest level, he is a diligent and hardworking boy, and who knows, he might actually pass the exam.
"However, they might not even be interested in each other," said Grandma Qiao.
"We should ask our elders to help us match them up." Old Man Qiao was confident on the contrary: "Now that our family has done such a great favor, even just to repay this favor, Xinghe should marry our Xi'er."
Grandma Qiao rolled her eyes at him: "It's not enough for just this. This concerns Xi'er's happiness for a lifetime. They have to like each other for this marriage to be considered a perfect match."
“Otherwise, if we wait until our child passes the exam and then asks for a repayment for this kindness, it will make our family seem like we’re materialistic.”
“Old woman, you’re right. Xi’er’s feelings are the most important. Even if it doesn’t work out, Xinghe will repay the money he borrowed from us. We won’t owe each other anything.”
Old Qiao sighed again: "Old woman, I always feel like I can't get over this. Our Xi'er was stood up by the Shen family and used as a backup plan. It's utterly degrading. I always think about helping Xi'er find someone better. If Xinghe is capable and they are destined to be together, wouldn't that be a happy ending for everyone?"
Grandma Qiao paused for a moment and said, "Let's see how things go. It's up to us, but it's also up to fate."
Mu Xinghe, carrying a box of books, passed by the Qiao family's gate.
Qiao Xi'er was still sitting under the osmanthus tree, embroidering a handkerchief with her eyes downcast.
Clusters of golden flowers clump together on the branches, their fragrance filling the air and drifting outside the yard.
A gentle breeze blew, and a few petals drifted down, some landing on Qiao Xi'er's hair, making her look serene and beautiful, as if her whole being was glowing.
Her fingers were slender, calloused from years of hard work, and she stitched each thread with care and focus.
Mu Xinghe originally wanted to say hello and tell them that he was going to take the exam, but he really couldn't bear to ruin such a beautiful scene.
He stood there for a while, then left quietly.
Two days later, Qiao Lian'er noticed that some people had come to the village. They were walking among the fields and observing the bountiful harvest. Although they were not wearing uniforms and their identities could not be discerned, it was almost certain that those people had come.
They didn't count each household individually because they thought it was too much trouble, but they would estimate a total based on the harvest. They brought paper and pen to write down what needed to be recorded.
If the collected grain doesn't match the agreed-upon ratio, the villagers can monitor and report each other, so they'll know exactly how much grain each household collected.
The villagers were caught off guard, and seeing that these people were parched from the sun, they even scooped some cool water from their homes for them to drink.
When they arrived near the Qiao family's residence, they saw the large courtyard and the piles of fine timber and superior bricks and tiles on the ground, and a look of regret and even resentment appeared on their faces.
This family is rich.
The collection of silver and grain here will not begin until after September at the latest.
But seeing how many construction teams this family has hired and how quickly the house is being built, I'm afraid they'll finish building this big courtyard within a month.
If they had built their house a little later, most of the money spent on construction would have ended up in their hands.
What a pity, what a real pity. You can only say that this family was lucky.
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