Everyone paused, carefully watching the old lady's expression, afraid that she might be upset.
As it turned out, the old lady really just said it offhand, without even realizing it herself.
Jiayi quickly interrupted, saying, "Grandma, maybe there will be even more people in the family next year. I... have something to say!"
Is there something you need to say?
Not just the old lady, everyone looked up curiously.
Tao Hongying pressed further, "Liu Yang came back earlier saying he wanted to get married. You don't have a girl you've got your eye on, do you?"
Grandma Li was thrilled to hear this and quickly sat down next to her grandson, urging him, "Tell Grandma quickly, whose daughter is she? Is she pretty? Has she come of age yet?"
Feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, Jiayi coughed twice, his face flushed, "Grandma, it's not even close to being settled yet, it's just... just wanted to tell you all first, if the family doesn't agree, then I'll..."
"Agreed! How could I disagree!"
Grandma Li and Tao Hongying shouted almost in unison.
Everyone laughed when they heard this.
Madam Wen quickly advised, "Auntie, let's listen to what Jiayi has to say. This is a lifelong matter, and it's good that Jiayi is cautious."
Li Laosi patted his nephew on the shoulder and laughed, "That's right, tell me quickly, your fourth uncle will give you some advice."
Jiayi thought for a moment and then said, "Actually, this matter is a bit complicated. This girl is called Shanhu. Her father is a county magistrate near Quanzhou. He is quite capable and also brave and righteous."
"Before, because of protecting the fishermen, the county magistrate had a feud with a group of Japanese pirates. Half a year ago, the pirates sneaked into his house at night and killed his whole family. Only the girl Coral survived because she was not at home."
"After the Coral Girl held a funeral for her family, she disappeared without a trace. Many people guessed that she committed suicide. However, when I led my troops out to sea, I encountered this Coral Girl."
"She somehow managed to deceive the Japanese pirates, board the ship, and poison their food and water. Most of the pirates died, but the seven or eight that were left behind pushed Coral Girl to the brink of despair..."
"At the critical moment, I happened to be on patrol and encountered her, so I killed the Japanese pirates and saved her."
"But I wasn't paying attention and didn't see the Japanese pirate's sword swinging at me. It was Coral Girl who blocked it for me, and she was injured in the back."
"We...fell into the sea together, and Coral Girl's clothes got wet..."
Jiayi spoke quite readily at first, but then hesitated and stammered out this last sentence.
But no one is stupid; how could they not understand the meaning behind this?
For a long while, no one spoke in the room, and they even forgot to eat the dumplings.
It was Old Lady Li who spoke first, "Jiayi, to put it simply, this girl lost her family and sought revenge alone. You saved her, and she saved you in return, right?"
Just as Jiayi was about to nod, Tao Hongying added, "Besides, this girl fell into the water with you in front of everyone, losing her reputation, right?"
Jiayi's face turned even redder. He nodded and waved his hand, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
Jiayin, anxious to hear this, tugged at her brother's sleeve and asked, "Brother, just tell me, where is this girl now? Do you like her?"
"She was in our army's wounded soldiers' camp. She was originally recuperating from her injuries, but because there weren't enough people, she went to help out."
Jiayi scratched the back of his head and continued, "I've barely spoken to her, how would I know if she likes me or not?"
"However, this girl isn't one of those fussy, timid daughters of officials. If I marry her, she shouldn't bother me all the time..."
The women, young and old, in the room all listened with helplessness, and Jiayin especially wanted to roll her eyes at her brother.
A clueless, clueless straight man!
Finally, it was Old Lady Li who instructed Jiayi, "Marriage is not a game; you can't just marry someone off casually."
"If you like it, your family won't care about anything, but if you don't like it, you'll be harming their daughter."
"Since you'll be staying home for a while, let me think it over carefully and find a way that satisfies both sides."
"This girl has a hard life, we shouldn't mistreat her."
Tao Hongying and the others nodded in agreement. As women themselves, they understood the hardships women faced even better.
“Mother, don’t worry too much. At worst, we can bring that girl to Xindu, adopt her as a goddaughter, and find her a good husband,” Tao Hongying suggested.
Everyone's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and Old Mrs. Li praised her daughter-in-law with a smile, "Hongying has made a lot of progress by going out more. This is a really good idea."
Tao Hongying blushed at the praise and quickly replied, "It's all thanks to my mother's teaching."
Soon, everyone picked up their chopsticks again, eating and chatting idly.
Li Lao Er ordered two jugs of wine and distributed them to everyone.
Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er joined in the fun and happily received half a cup.
After finishing the dumplings, everyone was slightly tipsy, but not drunk or suffering from headaches.
After dinner, the women had to put the children to sleep and clean up the mess, so they sent the men next door to gossip.
So the men all went to the Marquis's study.
Jiaren and his brothers dragged Jiayi back to his room, whether they were going to play pranks together or interrogate Jiayi about whether his "peach blossom" was pretty or not.
Jiayin prepared some snacks and fruits for Zheng Qi, asking him to take them in to give to his brothers as a treat, and then took the honey to the next room.
The honey is produced by bees after the fruit trees in the space bloom, and it tastes much better than ordinary honey.
Add three spoonfuls of this to a pot of warm water, stir it, and the whole house will be filled with a sweet aroma.
The Marquis and the others each took a cup, drank it down in one gulp, and couldn't help but laugh.
“Our Fu Niu’er is a little fairy, she’s getting smarter and more skillful.” Li Lao Er sighed with a smile, “If your brothers were half as sensible as you, your second uncle wouldn’t have turned completely white.”
"Yes, the fourth son is the luckiest. We're all destined to run ourselves ragged for our sons!" Li Zhensheng said with a hint of resentment when he thought of his two sons.
After dinner, my son ran off to play, and only my niece remembered to make them honey water...
Li Laosan sighed as he thought of Jiaxi, who was away from home...
Li Laosi smiled smugly, held out his empty cup for his daughter to refill it, and said, "Third brother is fine, but if eldest and second brothers marry again, they might even have a daughter!"
Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er quickly waved their hands, both looking resistant.
Li Zhensheng said, "We're fine as we are. Our mother has Yuru and Hongying to take care of her, so she doesn't need a daughter-in-law."
“What if we make a bad choice and bring home a troublemaker? Mother will be upset, and the family will be in turmoil.”
Li Lao Er nodded in agreement, adding, "Moreover, given the current situation, our family is in the eye of the storm. If they seize on this matter and plot something else to cause trouble, it would be a loss for us."
After thinking for a moment, the Marquis said, "Jiayi's marriage should not be taken lightly. In the future, our family will need him to establish a foothold in Quanzhou."
"Even if his wife can't be a help, she shouldn't be a hindrance."
"Shouldn't we send Auntie and the others to Quanzhou to relax and also help Jiayi keep an eye on things?"
Everyone was stunned and remained silent for a long time.
The Marquis's words are certainly reasonable, and besides, the old lady doesn't necessarily have to be in charge at home now.
While the old lady is still healthy and active, why not take her out to see different cultures and customs, and also meet her future granddaughter-in-law? There's nothing wrong with that...
But at this time, why did the Marquis suddenly bring this up? Was there some other consideration?
Here comes the third update~ My lovely fairies, it's the last two days! If you still have your must-read tickets, throw them at me! I'm begging you! A five-star review or a "like" would make me love you even more! Keep writing, love you all!
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