Chapter 148 She Has High Standards
Aunt Liu ate a big melon, and the expression on her face was hard to tell, disappointment or something else, it was just, very complicated.
Towards the evening, she returned and after dinner, she went from house to house, telling everyone that Zhuang Wan and Pei Xingju were half-brothers and that they were actually just siblings.
Someone slapped their thigh and said, "Brother and sister, what a great match! I was undecided before. Aunt Liu, do you remember what I told you before about my sister-in-law's cousin's nephew who passed the imperial examination this year? Wow, he's such a talented young man! Not only did he become an official, he also owned a house. Now he just needs a wife. Do you think my nephew is a good match for Sister Ruyi?"
ha?
Aunt Liu's hair was disheveled in the wind.
This is a story for later. After Zhuang Wan sent Aunt Liu away, she glanced at Pei Xingju's house opposite.
There were guards guarding the door of the house, a gorgeous carriage parked at the door, and occasionally an official came out wiping his sweat.
It looks like a temporary government office.
She looked for a moment and went back to the kitchen to busy herself. Tiedan said he wanted to eat persimmon cakes, so she asked Tiedan to climb up the tree and pick a lot of fresh persimmons to make cakes.
By the time the persimmon cakes were ready, it was already night. Seeing Jingzhe Lixia approaching from the opposite direction, Zhuang Wan thought for a moment and asked, "What are you adults busy with?"
Lixia said, "Miss, the Lord is still discussing matters with other officials."
"Have you had your meal yet?"
Lixia shook her head: "My Lord has been busy and hasn't had dinner yet."
"Oh." Zhuang Wan walked into the kitchen, took out the baked persimmon cakes from the pot, and put a few pieces on a clean plate.
After thinking about it, he poured two spoonfuls of honey on it.
"Lixia," she said, "give this to your master."
Pei Xingju was willing to invest a large sum of money in her business, so it was only natural for her to give her some cakes.
She thought so.
.
Because she was going to the street with Pei Xingju to look for a shop, Zhuang Wan got up very early the next day. She was holding a small meat bun and waiting for Pei Xingju at the door while teasing Wangcai.
"Ruyi sister?"
Zhuang Wan turned around and saw her neighbor Aunt Tan carrying a basket to buy vegetables, so she greeted her, "Aunt Tan, are you going to buy vegetables?"
"Hey, go to the vegetable market and weigh a pound of meat," she said.
Aunt Qin was a wealthy woman in the neighborhood. To show off her wealth, she had a gold tooth installed. She loved to smile whenever she saw people, and her gold tooth sparkled when she smiled.
At this moment, she hurried forward and held Zhuang Wan's arm.
"Sister Ruyi, I have something to tell you."
Zhuang Wan's forehead throbbed. The reason was simple: Aunt Qin was well-known in the neighborhood for her warmth and her love of matchmaking. She was the kind of person who would approach anyone she met on the wrong side of the street and ask if they were interested in marriage.
Sure enough, she said mysteriously, "Auntie, let me ask you something. Are you seventeen this year?"
"...I'm eighteen now."
"Oh! That's perfect!" She clapped her hands and asked, "Has brother found a date yet?"
Zhuang Wan's scalp tingled.
In order to make her acting more realistic, she told Aunt Liu that her parents were not around and she relied on her brother for support.
She pursed her lips: "Um... not yet... what's the matter with Aunt Tan?"
"That's what happened," Aunt Tan said excitedly, holding her tighter. "My sister-in-law's cousin has a nephew who is so talented. There's a saying that goes 'bright as the moon in the sky'. He really is as beautiful as the moon. I'm not exaggerating. Even with my sharp eyes, I can't find such a good young man in the whole Luyang County. He's about the same age as you, and he even passed the imperial examination. How amazing..."
It was a quiet early morning as two people stood at the door, arm in arm, heads touching, whispering about marriage.
Pei Xingju had dressed neatly and came behind him without him noticing.
He listened patiently for a while, and when he heard Aunt Tan say, "If you're willing, I'll send a letter back to let you know and we can meet someday..."
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, there was a cough, and they both turned around. Suddenly, they saw Pei Xingju standing behind them, and Zhuang Wan felt embarrassed.
"You're here?" She adjusted her hair.
Aunt Qin saw that although he was a little timid, she still mustered up the courage to step forward and bowed politely: "Good morning, Master Pei."
Pei Xingju nodded: "Good morning, Aunt Tan."
Aunt Qin was delighted to see him so polite and courteous, without any airs. After a moment's thought, she said, "Master Pei's arrival is just in time. Auntie has a good thing going for her."
She said, "Since ancient times, marriages have been decided by parents and matchmakers, but since Ruyi and you are dependent on each other, I think I can only ask for your opinion as her brother."
"Brother?" Pei Xingju glanced at Zhuang Wan, and felt as if his head weighed a thousand pounds.
Aunt Qin was completely oblivious and continued to chatter away, "I just discussed a marriage proposal with Sister Ruyi, and Sister Ruyi also thinks that the young man is very talented..."
Zhuang Wan widened her eyes. When did she ever think that such a person was so talented?
Feeling Pei Xingju's gloomy gaze, his scalp suddenly felt numb.
"Auntie, aren't you going to buy some vegetables?" She hurriedly stopped him, "It's getting late. If you go too late, the good meat will have been bought."
When the aunt heard this, she said, "Oh, that's right. I was just busy chatting with you."
"Let's talk about it later." She winked at Zhuang Wan, then hurried away with the basket.
As soon as Aunt Qin left, the doorway became quiet.
Zhuang Wan cleared her throat and said, "Don't listen to her. Aunt Tan just likes to act as a matchmaker."
Pei Xingju asked with a half-smile, "What's going on between brother and sister?"
“.......”
Zhuang Wan lowered her head and said honestly, "We got off the carriage together that day, and the neighbors misunderstood, so... I said we were half-siblings."
After a moment of silence, Pei Xingju asked again, "Is the other person a good person? What kind of person is a good person?"
“…That’s not true. I simply…”
"Um?"
"I never said such a thing. Besides..." Zhuang Wan said, "I have high standards. How could I be interested in her distant nephew?"
Pei Xingju was satisfied with what he heard, nodded and walked forward.
Zhuang Wan followed behind.
After taking two steps, he stopped again and asked slowly, "How high are your standards?"
"That's it..." Zhuang Wan, feeling embarrassed by his teasing, simply made up a story: "Highly talented, handsome as Pan An, gentle and considerate, good-tempered, able to earn money, able to cook when I get home, legs 1.8 meters long, and money I can spend as I please... Anyway, that's all I ask for."
Pei Xingju: “…”
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