Chapter 142 When choosing a son-in-law, one should look at the person, so why should one be so rigid about first come first served?
Rong said, "Father, Yuan Song is certainly a good boy, but Heng'er isn't bad either. The Yuan family is only considering him now, but my Du family has already come to propose marriage. When choosing a son-in-law, we should look at the person first, so why should we be so obsessed with who comes first?"
Seeing his youngest daughter openly showing favoritism towards his nephew, Mr. Rong stroked his beard and smiled, "Ruolan, now you finally understand your father's good intentions, right?"
However, the old man suddenly changed the subject, his expression solemn, and said, "However, Su Jianrong and I have already made an agreement. Anyone who proposes marriage to the Su family must get my approval before he can make the decision. If I don't agree, he can't arrange a marriage for Ying'er privately, even if he is Ying'er's father."
"So, whether it's Yuan Song or Du Heng, they're both good kids to me. As for who Ying'er will marry in the end, that's up to Su Jianrong to decide."
Upon hearing this, Rong's brows couldn't help but turn into a frown. Who would be the bride of this marriage? Apart from that hypocritical and fatherly Su Jianrong, no one else could decide.
Seeing her father had made his decision, she hesitated to speak further, her gaze slowly shifting to her mother, who sat quietly beside her. She had previously inquired in a letter what else, besides the money, her father had promised Su Jianrong that had convinced him to submit Ying'er's marriage to the Rong family. But she hadn't been able to find out then, and she still hadn't gotten any results now. After much deliberation, Rong Shi decided to turn to her mother to get some information.
…
Fearing that Lin would take advantage of this opportunity to embarrass Ying'er, Rong sent someone to the Su residence early in the morning to pick her up. Unexpectedly, the carriage that was supposed to pick her up turned back halfway. Qingyun, who had been accompanying the carriage, hurriedly came to announce, "My cousin has arrived."
Not only Rong, but also Mr. Rong and his wife hurried to greet her. However, their legs were not as strong as before, and they had not walked far when they saw their granddaughter approaching them first.
The two elders were naturally very happy to see their granddaughter whom they had missed for months again, especially Mrs. Rong. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. At this moment, she was holding Su Ying's hand and looking at her carefully.
A few months ago, in order to avoid any changes, the old couple gave Su Jianrong and Lin what they asked for, and then asked someone to hire a boat to send their granddaughter away overnight.
The two old men stood on the shore, leaning on each other, watching the hired boat disappear into the vast sky, their hearts filled with desolation.
The situation was so urgent that they didn't even bother to take their granddaughter with them, even a maid. Although the academy wasn't as wealthy as those of the wealthy families, Ying'er had at least lived a carefree life with them for several years. In the end, she had to go to the capital alone, a miserable act.
Fortunately, now that his granddaughter has returned safely, the old man can finally put his mind at ease.
Rong Shi naturally noticed her parents' concern and remorse for Ying'er. To prevent the elders from becoming overwhelmed, she deliberately said angrily, "Father, Mother, how come I didn't see such care and concern when I returned yesterday? Besides, Ying'er is under my care in the capital. Are you worried that I'm mistreating her?"
After some banter, the two old people finally put away their sadness and took their granddaughter back to the house to talk again.
After Su Ying kowtowed and greeted her grandparents, the aunt and nephew had a chance to be alone.
Su Ying was a little embarrassed. She knew that a girl should not talk about marriage, but she couldn't help it. After hesitating for a moment, she whispered, "Aunt, the Yuan family."
Before she finished speaking, Su Ying's face flushed red. She only said the word "Yuan family" and couldn't say the rest.
Rong hadn't wanted Ying'er to know the Yuan family was interested, but she'd already heard about it. Seeing Ying'er's expression, she knew exactly what she was thinking. To prevent her from overthinking, Rong placed her hand on Ying'er's, saying softly, "I already know about the Yuan family's affairs. However, that's not your concern. The coming-of-age ceremony in two days is what you should be focusing on."
Seeing that her aunt was so confident and not at all panicked, Su Ying felt a little relieved. She then told her aunt everything about how she had looked for someone in the laundry room last night and how she had run into Wei Liang.
"Aunt, I'm afraid Xiaocao is in Wei Liang's hands! The fragrance of the grass leaves is extremely unique. No one else would know how to make it except Xiaocao."
Rong's eyes darkened, and after a moment's silence, he slowly said, "Don't worry."
Seeing Su Ying pursed her lips as if about to speak, she added, "Your grandfather's old disciples, especially those who serve in the court, have more or less some friendship with me since we were young. Not to mention those far away, there is one in the nearby county. You can just relax and celebrate your coming-of-age ceremony. I will ask someone to investigate the rest of the matter, so don't worry."
Although only two days remained until the coming-of-age ceremony, these two days were already packed. To please Su Ying, Lin had visited nearly every clothing store, jewelry shop, and jewelry shop in Yueqing City. Su Ying didn't have to go out herself; all the clothes and jewelry Lin fancied were presented to her for her to choose from. It was clear that Lin had invested heavily this time.
Among the gifts that came with the ship from the capital was the coming-of-age ceremony prepared by Mrs. Cheng and Mrs. Du for Su Ying. Mrs. Rong also sent someone to deliver the gifts from the two elders of the Rong family to the Su Mansion.
As the main guest who inserted the hairpin into Su Ying's hairpin, Mrs. Yuan even ordered someone to send a generous gift, which showed that she valued Su Ying very much.
What was even more unexpected was that a carriage that looked like an official carriage from the Yongjia County government also drove into the Su Mansion, causing the neighbors to whisper to each other, but they were unsure of its purpose.
A woman listened to her neighbors chattering for a long time and said in disgust, "Instead of guessing, why not ask someone?"
So, while the gatekeeper was opening the door and yelling for the servants inside to come and get the horses and the carriage, the woman seized the opportunity and hurriedly stuffed a bag of melon seeds into the gatekeeper's arms, smiling and asking, "Steward, is there any happy event in your house?"
The doorman was not shy about it. Since a prominent family like the Yuan family had given gifts, it was a respectable thing to show off. He smiled and said, "Our eldest daughter is holding a coming-of-age ceremony!"
"Miss? Aren't your young lady and young master the same age?" The woman had seen Lin traveling with twins many times before. They looked about ten years old in her memory. How come they were already of marriageable age?
The doorman coughed and said, "You are talking about the second young master and third young lady of our family. There is also a legitimate eldest young lady above them!"
The woman suddenly realized and asked in surprise, "I don't think I've ever seen the young lady go out on weekdays?"
The doorman remained calm and smiled, saying, "You've heard of Yandang Academy, haven't you? It's where several Hanlin scholars came from. Our eldest daughter is the granddaughter of the old master there. She spends her days either studying or visiting relatives in Beijing. How can you possibly see her on the streets?"
Everyone was amazed when they heard this.
"Oh my, the eldest daughter of the Su family is so extraordinary!"
"Now I understand. No wonder the carriages carrying gifts have been coming so often these past few days, just like a wedding."
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