It wasn't until they were almost on the carriage that the two changed the subject and stopped talking about Madam Heng. After settling down in the carriage, Chen Yueru sat down next to Zhao Guihua and started talking to her in a low voice.
"Ruru has grown more and more beautiful. Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you have all grown up, and we have grown old." Zhao Guihua patted the back of her hand and said with a smile.
"Auntie, you're still so young, you don't look old at all," Chen Yueru said reproachfully.
"Your little mouth is as sweet as honey, you always know how to please people." Zhao Guihua is still unaware that Ruru has feelings for Sanfu, and still treats her like her own sister's daughter.
It wasn't until evening that Zhou Taifu specifically told Zhou Laoda and his wife about it, and they were quite surprised to learn that Ruru liked Sanfu.
“Speaking of which, you five brothers are all nineteen this year. It’s time for you to get married. Your father and I are too carefree. We’ve been dragging this out until now without finding you five girls to be engaged. If we keep dragging this out, you’ll all become old bachelors.”
Zhao Guihua seemed to only now realize that her five sons were nineteen years old and none of them were married. Before, they were always going to the capital. The brothers were very busy, either taking the imperial examinations or making money.
There was also Wufu who was busy learning medicine. It is said that Wufu was really obsessed with medicine. He did not come to the prefectural city this time. He stayed in the village to dry herbs. Those herbs were his lifeblood.
“Mother, it’s not that serious. It’s not like our family can’t afford to get married. We have a house and money, so getting married isn’t a problem. The main thing is that my five brothers and I don’t want to get married too soon. We have important things to do.” Zhou Sanfu said casually, hoping that his mother wouldn’t worry about him suddenly arranging marriages for them.
"Getting a wife is a serious matter and can't be delayed any longer. If you're of marriageable age and still not engaged, people will laugh at you. Your father and I have to make arrangements for this. Otherwise, if you two really become old bachelors, where will your father and I go to cry?" Zhao Guihua was thinking about which family's daughters were of marriageable age and would arrange a marriage for them as soon as possible.
“Your mother is right. The marriage should be arranged. Even if we don’t get married right now, we should arrange it first. Otherwise, all the good girls will be taken, and only the ugly ones will be left. What will you do then?” The eldest son of the Zhou family also felt that the marriage of his sons could no longer be ignored and had to be put on the agenda.
"It's not that bad, it really isn't that bad," Zhou Sanfu advised, his head aching.
“Of course it’s necessary. Your father and I will handle this. You brothers don’t need to worry about it. You just need to wait to bring the bride home.” Zhao Guihua’s attitude was firm.
Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Ruru is actually quite a likable child. She's good-looking and intelligent. If she weren't interested, I wouldn't have thought about it, but since she is, I think it's quite good. Sanfu, what do you think?"
Zhou Sanfu: "..." He didn't want to talk.
He had no romantic feelings for Chen Yueru before, but when she brought it up, he paid attention and found that he neither disliked nor disliked her. However, he did not want to get married so soon, so he did not think about it in detail.
“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as your agreement. Then your father and I will find a matchmaker to go to the Chen family in Changting County to propose marriage and arrange the marriage in advance?” Zhao Guihua’s eyes lit up, and she suddenly became very eager to get her son a wife.
Zhou Sanfu said expressionlessly and helplessly, "I haven't decided yet. I want to wait..."
“What are you waiting for? Other people can get married while taking the imperial examinations, and many scholars even have children running all over the place. Why can’t you do that? Are you less intelligent than others? Will you be unable to study after getting married?” Zhao Guihua retorted, leaving Sanfu speechless for a long time.
"Isn't this too fast?" Zhou Sanfu was still struggling with the question. "Besides, my eldest brother isn't even engaged yet. Shouldn't I, as the younger brother, preemptively get ahead of him?"
At this moment, Dafu, who had been eavesdropping outside the door for a while, came over and said indifferently, "We were born on the same day, it's just a matter of a quarter of an hour. It doesn't matter who gets married first. Since you found someone you like first, then you can get married first. I have no objection."
Zhou Sanfu: "..." Suddenly speechless.
"Dafu, your marriage should be settled by now. Don't worry, your parents won't favor one over the other. We'll find a suitable girl for you soon. The same goes for Erfu, Sifu, and Wufu. They all need to be settled around the same time, at the same age, and preferably in the same year. It's not like our family can't afford to marry five daughters-in-law." Zhao Guihua suddenly became excited.
With all five sons getting married, there will be five more people in the family. She can already envision the scene of each daughter-in-law having children and grandchildren running around everywhere.
"My son isn't as talented as my third brother, and he wants to focus on his studies. So I don't need to get engaged so soon, right?" Dafu frowned slightly, looking troubled.
"You child, you only failed once, what's the big deal? You're not the only one who failed the provincial examination. Many people didn't even pass the preliminary examination, but you're already a preliminary candidate. What's wrong with your aptitude? Don't be discouraged. We'll marry a gentle and virtuous wife who will take good care of you. Everything you do will go smoothly in the future."
Zhao Guihua coaxed her eldest son gently, afraid that he was overthinking things and hadn't gotten over his failure in the exam.
Dafu was always the most obedient person and did not want to disobey his parents. Seeing his mother so worried, he could not bring himself to refuse. After Zhou Laoda persuaded him a little more, he nodded in agreement.
"Father and Mother, I'll leave my marriage to you."
"Don't worry, Dad and I are just hoping you can settle down and start your own families soon. To be honest, our family is not short of money. It doesn't matter if you don't achieve anything. The most important thing is to be happy. Nothing else is that important."
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