Chapter Thirty-Six
Wen Liangzhao's heart tightened, and she lowered her eyes to hide the panic in them.
Mu Jin's mind raced for a moment, and she said gently, "My lord, you are so wise that even if my great-grandfather had a thousand times the courage, he would not dare to deceive you."
The registrar looked up at Mu Jin. Although this young man was not as handsome as Wen Zhian, he was still quite good-looking.
Which family did Xu belong to?
Mu Jin glanced at Wen Liangzhao, gritted her teeth, and said, "My younger brother is Mu Zhou. I wonder if the Registrar knows him?"
The registrar was astonished. He recognized the wooden boat; it belonged to the youngest man in Qingshui Town who had passed the county examination.
The county magistrate had told him several times that this man was destined for great things.
The registrar heard from the magistrate that once Mu Zhou passed the prefectural examination, he might betroth his ten-year-old half-brother to him.
In recent years, very few scholars from Qingshui Town have passed the imperial examinations and become successful candidates in the provincial examinations. The county magistrate attaches great importance to the promising scholars in the town.
The registrar naturally dared not use his power to seize people.
But upon reflection, the fact that the magistrate's chosen son-in-law had been snatched away by a refugee made him feel a little better.
"But really?" he asked again, still unwilling to give up.
What's said can't be taken back.
Mu Jin nodded reluctantly, thinking that since only the three of them knew about this in the village anyway, it was just a delaying tactic and shouldn't be taken seriously.
The registrar handed the completed household registration to Village Chief Mu, smiled and said, "That's a good thing. When you hold the wedding banquet, remember to have your younger brother tell me and the magistrate. We will definitely come to ask for a cup of celebratory wine."
Mu Jin steadied herself and nodded, "It is an honor for my humble abode to have you here, sir, and it is also my younger brother's good fortune."
The registrar gave a meaningful look to Mu Jin and the village chief, who was staring at him with his mouth agape and an expression of disbelief.
“I recognize this young man. If it's not him by then…”
The words were unfinished, but the meaning was clear.
Mu Jin's heart sank. After leaving the county government office, none of them were happy to have received their new household registrations.
"Jin-ge'er, you...you're incredibly audacious! Your younger brother is a scholar destined for advancement, how can this marriage be...! Sigh!" Village Chief Kim flicked his sleeves. "I see your ambitions are only growing!"
Mu Jin felt a pang of regret; who would have thought that the registrar would be such a meticulous person?
Wen Zhaoran looked guilty. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
Mu Jin sighed, "Grandpa, this is my fault. I thought that only the three of us in the village knew about it, and no one would know anything about it. But who would have thought that the registrar would be so serious and petty..."
"Shut up! Walls have ears. Don't let your mouth get you into trouble. Go back now!" Village Chief Mu said in a deep voice.
Mu Jin quickly stopped talking; he was also anxious and couldn't help but speak too quickly.
On the way back, the sky was gloomy. Mu Jin glanced at Wen Zhaoran a few more times. If her younger brother could marry her, he would be getting a bargain.
However, Wen Zhaoran has no powerful family to back her up and only has a pretty face, so Zhou Ling probably won't agree to it.
"Grandpa, please leave us at my dad's house. Now that this has happened, we still need to tell my dad and the others."
Village Chief Kim glanced at Wen Zhaoran, who was hanging his head and seemingly lost in thought, and sighed.
"I'll go with you."
Several people drove the oxcart to the Mu family's door. Mu Jin asked Wen Zhaoran to wait on the oxcart for a while, while he and Village Chief Mu went in first.
Mu Zhou had just passed the prefectural examination and was waiting at home for the results when Mu Jin and the others came over. He was chopping wood in the yard.
"What?! Say that again?! You little brat, are you trying to ruin your second brother's career?!"
It's easy to imagine how angry Zhou Ling was after hearing what Chief Kimura said; her stomach started to hurt as soon as she finished speaking.
Mu Laoqi glared at Mu Jin with a grim expression. "You really are something! Your second brother is supposed to marry a lady from a wealthy family, and you've arranged for him to marry a refugee boy out of nowhere?!"
Mu Zhou was also stunned and stared at Mu Jin in disbelief.
“Father, Uncle, don’t be angry. Go see Zhaoran first. If they really can’t be together in the future, I will go to the registrar to accept the punishment. No matter how many lashes I get, I will never complain.”
"Hmph, what are you looking at? Even if she grows up to be an angel, I still won't agree. You'd better go to the registrar and confess as soon as possible, or you'll ruin your second brother's future!"
Mu Jin's face paled. If she were to speak now, not only would Wen Zhaoran have something to say, but she and her great-grandfather would also be in deep trouble.
Chief Kimura spoke up, "That young man seems alright, let's call him in and let them meet him."
Mu Laoqi and Zhou Ling naturally didn't dare to talk back to Village Chief Mu, and angrily turned their heads away to the side, refusing to look.
Mu Jin went out at the right time and called Wen Zhaoran in.
Still angry, Zhou Ling and Mu Laoqi only caught a blurry figure in their peripheral vision.
Mu Zhou blushed and stood there stunned. He had never seen such a handsome young man in his entire life.
"It's pointless to call out, we will not agree to this marriage!"
Zhou Ling and Mu Laoqi turned their heads away, unwilling to look at Wen Zhaoran, determined not to agree.
Wen Zhaoran stood to the side, somewhat at a loss. It was all his fault. He glanced at the wooden boat with his captivating phoenix eyes.
If Mu Zhou could take a liking to him, he would be willing to become a concubine to settle the matter and avoid causing trouble for his benefactors.
Seeing that Zhou Ling and Mu Laoqi were stubborn and wouldn't budge, Mu Village Chief sighed, "Alas, this is also my fault. I was the one who spoke first. In order to protect that poor boy and prevent him from marrying that idiot, I lied to the registrar and said that he was engaged. Jin-ge also covered up a lie for me."
"There are so many men in the village, why blame it on my son?!" Zhou Ling said angrily.
Unexpectedly, Mu Zhou blushed and spoke.
"Father, little father, I...I'm willing..."
"You know nothing about what you're willing to do!" Zhou Ling raised her head in anger, but fell silent when she saw Wen Zhao standing to the side.
Mu Laoqi couldn't help but glance at it as well, and his expression immediately became all sorts of strange expressions.
"This...he...you...I..." Neither of them knew what to say. Wen Zhaoran's face was so beautiful that no matter how many times you looked at it, you couldn't find any fault with it.
Mu Jin never expected that her second brother, who had never really caught on, would fall for Wen Zhaoran so easily.
He spoke up at the right moment: "Father, Uncle, it would be good if you could marry a wife whose family can help you on your path of learning. But if you are not of equal social standing, you will be inferior to others and be looked down upon everywhere. Life will be tiring. Besides, there are few children of officials who would look down on us scholars who have made our living from the land. Zhaoran is literate, has a good temperament, and can talk to Zhou'er."
Zhou Ling's mind raced, and after glancing at Wen Zhaoran again, her heart relaxed once more.
Needless to say, Mu Laoqi is a blessing for his son to marry such a handsome man.
"How old are you? Do you still have family?" Zhou Ling's expression softened considerably as she asked.
Seeing that there was a chance, Wen Zhaoran quickly said, "I'm thirteen, and there's no one at home, but I have a dowry of one hundred taels of silver."
He was smart enough to keep his guard up and didn't dare reveal all his family's assets.
One hundred taels is quite a lot. As Mu Jin said, Zhou Ling is smart. He also understands that no matter how good his second son is in their hearts, he is not enough to be considered by the officials. The only son they can give him is a son born out of wedlock.
If my second son marries Wen Zhaoran, how handsome their grandson will be!
Zhou Ling and Mu Laosan exchanged a glance and coughed lightly: "You can bring the betrothal letter and get engaged. You two are still young, so let's talk about marriage in two or three years."
There was no betrothal gift involved, but Wen Zhaoran didn't seem to mind.
Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "The marriage certificate is probably at home. Zhao Ran, come with me to get it."
A smile appeared in the eyes of the village chief. Although he also hoped that Muzhou could curry favor with the official's family, he was too quick to speak and couldn't afford to offend the registrar. Now that things had come to this, the two had hit it off, and everyone was happy.
Zhou Ling then called Mu Mei to come over. When Mu Jin and the others arrived, Mu Bai and Zhou Lin also came along.
"I was just thinking, if only Second Brother could marry Brother Zhaoran, I never thought my wish would come true. I'm so happy, how wonderful it would be to have such a handsome brother."
Mu Bai, clinging to Zhou Ling's arm, chattered excitedly at Wen Zhaoran.
As soon as he returned, the whole courtyard became noisy.
With the marriage arranged, the matchmaker sighed, "In my twenty-odd years as a matchmaker, I've never seen such a handsome young man. Young Zhou is truly blessed!"
Mu Zhou looked at Wen Zhaoran with a blush on her face, her expression pure and gentle, clearly very satisfied with the marriage.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Zhou Ling and Mu Laoqi invited them to stay for a simple meal at their home, which showed that the two had completely accepted their son-in-law.
After dinner, Wen Zhaoran followed Mu Jin home in a daze. Since they were not yet married, it was rare for her to stay at her fiancé's house.
He was used to living with Zhou Si and didn't want to suddenly move into the Mu family's house.
In the village, good news and bad news spread far and wide. By the afternoon, even the village dogs knew that Mu Jin had found a boy who looked like a fairy and that he and Mu Zhou were engaged.
Many families in the village had their eyes on Muzhou, but an outsider beat them to it, leaving them without a good son-in-law. They were all very curious about the boy who was said to be incredibly handsome.
"Congratulations, Zhaoran, you're engaged now. You don't have to hide anymore," Zhou Si said happily when she saw them return.
Wen Zhaoran was still somewhat dazed. So much had happened this morning; it felt like a dream.
Hearing Zhou Si's voice, he snapped out of his daze, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Brother Si."
After having lunch at the Mu family's house, Zhou Lin went to Mu Heng's place.
Mu Jin thought for a moment and said, "It's not good for you and Si'er to keep living in the same room. When your brother-in-law comes back, we'll clean up the room next to Si'er's for you to live in."
Wen Zhaoran blushed. "Thank you... Big... Brother."
For the first time ever, he felt a little embarrassed about the change in his status.
Mu Jin smiled. It was still early, so she called the two of them to go to the foot of the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and bamboo shoots.
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