Chen and Wang's concerns are not without reason.
Soon, a rumor spread that "the daughter of the Yu family relied on her beauty to be so arrogant that she wanted to marry a scholar as her son-in-law." By the time the rumor reached Chen and Yu Tang's ears, it had spread all over Lin'an City and few people didn't know about it.
Chen was so angry that she was shaking and couldn't speak for a long time.
Yu Tang was worried that something might happen to her, so he asked A Tiao to get a doctor.
Chen grabbed Yu Tang's hand, her eyes suddenly moistened, and she said, "A Tang, go ask your aunt to come over, I have something to say to her."
After hearing this, Yu Tang started to think about it in his mind.
If she continued to act like a little girl, no one would discuss any major issues at home with her. However, she knew the results of many things. If she wanted her parents to believe her, she had to use some tricks to make her parents think that she was capable and knowledgeable and could help the family solve difficulties.
"Mom!" Yu Tang made up his mind. Not only did he not ask his aunt, he also sat at the head of Chen's bed and said bluntly, "Are you here because of the rumors outside?"
Mrs. Chen didn't want to upset her daughter, so she said, "Don't worry about adults' affairs. Just go and invite your aunt. Be obedient!"
Yu Tang smiled and said, "Mom, I'm grown up now. You can try to talk to me about some things. If I'm wrong, you can always go to my aunt."
Chen was stunned.
Yu Tang said, "If you are looking for my aunt for something else, I will go and ask her now. If it is because of the rumors about my marriage, I have an idea. You may want to listen to it."
Seeing her daughter's confident look, Chen couldn't help but feel a little hesitant.
Yu Tang smiled and said, "Actually, this is not difficult. You just need to invite an official matchmaker to your home, give her some money, and tell her what kind of son-in-law we want to marry!"
Chen said hurriedly: "How can this be possible? The official media is usually unreliable."
Yu Tang smiled and said, "We don't really need the official media to be our matchmaker, so what does it matter whether they are reliable or not?"
Chen was so shocked that she sat up straight and asked hurriedly, "What do you mean?"
Yu Tang explained to his mother in detail: "Think about it, we don't know where those rumors come from. We can't find out anything even if we want to. Even if we find out, they will just say 'it's just a casual talk' and we will have no way to deal with them. The best way to deal with this is for us to spread the word. Don't those people say that I am ignorant and want to recruit a scholar as a son-in-law? Why don't we just announce the conditions for recruiting a son-in-law and let those rumors fall apart. Isn't this matter solved?"
Chen still couldn't get over it, and said, "Can we just pick a random son-in-law? People who have studied are different from those who haven't. When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace. Our family is so poor that we can't even have enough food to eat, so how can we be so particular? Even if he comes to our house, he will be jealous of this today and plot against that tomorrow, and he will cause trouble out of nothing. If the child is influenced by his father in the future...how can you live a good life?"
"How can I just pick one?" Yu Tang said with a smile, "You're overthinking it."
Chen frowned.
Yu Tang said slowly: "Being a scholar does not mean you have achieved fame!"
Chen suddenly realized what was going on. She held her daughter's hand tightly and kept saying, "How could I be so foolish? How could I be so foolish!"
Yu Tang pursed his lips and smiled.
Mrs. Chen said excitedly: "Of course those with a good reputation are not willing to get married, and even if they get married, it will be troublesome in the future. We should find a decent family, who has studied for several years, is kind, can write, do calculations, and can help." I have to take care of the general affairs, and if I have grandchildren in the future, my father's bloodline is not bad, and he will definitely not be stupid. If I leave it to your father to teach him carefully for a few years, maybe our family will be able to do the same. "How about a candidate for Juren or Jinshi?" The more she talked about it, the more feasible it became. "The parents of such a family are definitely not the ones who can't move their feet when they see things. They will be with us in the future. When there are many relatives walking around, you If something happens, we can still help them. We can also promise that the three generations will return to the clan, and the one living in the same room will still take their family name. "
Having said this, Chen's depression disappeared and he could no longer sit still.
She called Mrs. Chen in, grabbed a handful of copper coins and gave them to her, asking her to invite official media to her home, and said, "Invite a few more. Anyway, we have to publicize this matter, the more people the better."
When Mrs. Chen found out that there was a solution to Yu Tang's problem, she became happy and left in high spirits.
Chen laughed, turned around, took her daughter's hand and looked her up and down.
Yu Tang thought that he was different from before, and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. He said uncomfortably, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm watching our Atang grow up into a big girl." Chen's eyes and eyebrows were full of joy. "In the past, it was Mom and your dad who were at odds. They always thought you were fooling around. But look at what you have done these days. Although it is very bold, it is also sharp and your ideas are very correct." After saying this, she sighed and said with relief, "In the past, we didn't have to keep you at home because we were afraid that you couldn't support this family. Now it seems that Mom and your dad are too concerned. They don't know that our Atang is a good girl with her own ideas and responsibilities!"
You are not mistaken!
It was God who gave me another chance so that I could take on the responsibility of this family when I should have.
Yu Tang's eyes turned red, and he hugged his mother tightly, murmuring with guilt and sadness: "Mom, don't say that, it's me, it's my fault..."
"Look at you, you're talking nonsense again." Chen had no idea what was on Yu Tang's mind. She thought her daughter didn't know what to say, so she smiled and pushed Yu Tang away. Seeing Yu Tang's face full of tears, she asked curiously, "What's wrong with you again?"
Although his mother knew nothing, Yu Tang felt at ease and secure.
She wiped her tears and smiled, "I, I'm fine, it's just that I haven't been praised like this by my mother in a long time!"
"You kid!" Chen said with a helpless expression, "Have you finished embroidering the uppers of the shoes I asked you to make? If you really find a suitable family, your wedding will be arranged soon. Don't go to the store to buy shoes when the time comes."
According to the custom in Jiangnan, when a bride meets her parents-in-law on the second day, she has to give them shoes and socks made by hand.
Yu Tang had always preferred to be active and not quiet, and her parents spoiled her, so her needlework skills were naturally mediocre. After she married into the Li family, she saw that Lin treated her badly, so she was even less willing to do needlework for anyone, and she couldn't even embroider a flower leaf properly. Chen wouldn't let her go, so she didn't dare to say anything more, and ran away.
Chen was looking at her daughter's back, laughing so hard that she couldn't straighten her back, but was bumped into by Yu Wen who had just returned from Changxing Street.
He breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "What are you so happy about? I just ran into Ah Tiao, and he said you were not feeling well and needed to see a doctor..."
Chen smiled and told Yu Wen what had just happened, and said, "With Atang's idea, my illness will be cured immediately."
"Is there such a thing?!" Yu Wen exclaimed, "When you meet someone after three days, you should look at him with new eyes. I really didn't expect that."
"That's right!"
The couple sighed for a long time.
Yu Wen called Yu Tang to the study and praised her profusely, and also gave her a piece of bean paste green clay inkstone which was handed down from the Yu family.
Yu Tang held the inkstone and complained to his mother: "If I use such a valuable inkstone, my father will definitely scream. How can this be considered a reward? It's just that he moved it to a new place and asked me to keep it."
Chen smiled and tapped Yu Tang's forehead, saying, "Isn't it respectable enough for me to be your last resort?"
Yu Tang giggled.
Chen loved her daughter and didn't want her to be disappointed, so she went to a jewelry store and ordered a pearl headband and a pair of pearl hair ornaments for Yu Tang, saying, "When your sister Ma gets married, you can wear them to the wedding banquet."
Yu Tang said in surprise: "Sister Ma's wedding date has been set?"
Chen smiled and nodded, saying, "It's scheduled for the sixth day of September. Have you prepared the extra boxes of stuff? If not, go to the shop and order some. I'll pay for it."
She no longer counted on her daughter's needlework.
Yu Tang wanted to give more things to Ma Xiuniang, and of course the more money the better.
She acted coquettishly and asked Chen for another five taels of silver, and went to the silver shop to order a pair of silver bracelets and a jadeite bracelet for Ma Xiuniang.
Soon, the official media publicized the conditions for the Yu family to recruit a son-in-law, and explained: "It's not that the sons of those families are not good, but they don't meet the conditions of the Yu family. There is nothing we can do about it."
Everyone thought it made sense, and the rumor that Yu Tang was "arrogant and wanted to marry a scholar as his son-in-law" gradually dissipated.
However, Yu Tang's marriage is also on the minds of many people.
On this day, Yu Wen came back from giving a Mid-Autumn Festival gift to Shopkeeper Tong. He was very happy and said to Chen in a slightly drunken state, "Shopkeeper Tong said he wanted to be a matchmaker for our Atang!"
While serving sobering soup to Yu Wen, Chen said happily, "Let's get the matchmaker. Manager Tong is such a nice guy, so the marriage he arranges must be reliable. Sit down and tell me in detail."
Yu Wen drank the sobering soup in his hand and said to Chen under the lamp: "Tong, the shopkeeper, said that he has a good friend named Wei, and both he and his wife are straightforward people. His family has an oil mill, more than 200 acres of land, and a hilltop with more than 300 osmanthus trees. He has five sons, all of whom have been enlightened and raised by him. The eldest son must stay at home to inherit the family business, and the other sons should be able to marry in. If I think it's okay, he will go and test the waters and call the person out to our family. If it's okay, let our Atang make a pair of shoes for him. If not, I will just regard it as my adopted nephew."
"Five sons?" Chen smiled and said, "That would be great. If this marriage goes through, we will have a relative to help us. You are a scholar, but you still have to take care of the business in the shop yourself. If there are more children in the family, you and uncle won't have to work so hard."
Yu Wen was very happy because Yu Tang's marriage was going to be arranged. He joked, "In the end, it's all the Pei family's fault. If the Pei family hadn't sponsored so many students every year, how could Lin'an Prefecture produce so many scholars? Look at other places, scholars are so valuable. And look at us in Lin'an, it's really frustrating to compare ourselves with others!"
"Okay, okay, stop talking." Chen smiled and said, "You talk nonsense when you're drunk. The Pei family is doing good things, so why are they hindering you? I think the less valuable the scholars in Lin'an Prefecture are, the better. It will sound good when we go out! Those who do business outside will not be bullied by others at will."