Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe were about to put their things into the carriage when they turned around and saw An Gui and Qingyun stuffing large and small bags of luggage into their carriage. Both of them were stunned for a moment.
His mother, his grandmother, have they moved the whole family here?!
Mother, elder sister, have you moved the whole family here?!
Seeing that Song Anbang was now alone, Sun Lixi blushed slightly and went up to him, saying:
"Brother Anbang, these are the auspicious red socks I embroidered for you. I hope they will inspire you in the exam and help you achieve top marks and be on the list of successful candidates."
Song Anbang accepted the gift, his refined face showing no sign of distress: "Li Xi, thank you."
"Wait a minute, why didn't my third brother get one? Sister Daxi prepared two sets of red cloth socks, and both my third brother and my uncle got one."
Lin Fengyao suddenly peeked out from between the two of them and said.
Sun Lixi was startled and looked a little embarrassed when she heard this. She quickly took out another pair of red cloth socks and said, "Of course I also prepared Fenghe's. Fenghe, I wish you a good ranking and success in the exam."
Lin Fenghe accepted the gift and thanked Sun Lixi. Actually, he felt it wouldn't matter if she didn't prepare one, since he wasn't familiar with the teacher's daughter.
Although the red cloth socks in Lin Fenghe's hands were also exquisitely embroidered, it was immediately obvious that they were far less refined than the auspicious patterns on Song Anbang's socks.
Lin Fengyao saw this and wanted to say something, but Song Anxin manually muted his microphone, and Lin Fengyao immediately made a "mmm" sound in Song Anxin's hand.
Mmm... Why is Mother covering his mouth? Mother, Third Brother's red socks don't have auspicious patterns, Mother!? Mmm...
Song Anxin thought the child was really dim-witted, but luckily Meizi came and pulled him away.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, Li Xi, for preparing this for our Fenghe. Your embroidery skills are truly excellent."
Sister-in-law Lin came over and exclaimed, "Xiuhong is indeed excellent, but Daxi is still a bit lacking. Your name is Li Xi, right? Oh my, whoever marries you in the future will be truly blessed. Not only is Xiuhong a good person, but she is also beautiful and speaks very well. I wonder if you have already told your future husband's family?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Lixi blushed immediately, glanced quickly at Song Anbang, and then lowered her head shyly, saying, "Never."
How could Song Anxin not notice? When she first went to Master Sun's house, she noticed that Sun Lixi always looked at Song Anbang with tenderness and affection, but Song Anbang's attitude was very normal. She thought that her younger brother had no interest in her, but after going there a few more times, she felt that Anbang was normal to the point of being abnormal.
He didn't avoid her like he would avoid Liu Xiuhong, nor did he avoid her like an ordinary girl in the village. The two got along very naturally. Even when Sun Lixi gave him a red cloth sock with such affection, Song Anbang accepted it as usual. Was his younger brother doing this on purpose or unintentionally?
If she remembered correctly, Sun Lixi was already nineteen years old. It was rare in this era for someone her age not to have a husband. No, she couldn't let the girl's life be delayed like this. She had to make things clear to Song Anbang. If he had no interest in her, he should make it clear to him as soon as possible and stop delaying the girl's life.
With so many years of gossip experience, Sister-in-law Lin was perfectly capable of understanding. She exchanged a glance with Song Anxin and then pulled the two of them aside.
"Sister, is there anything else you want to say to me?" Song Anbang was puzzled by his sister's behavior. Did his sister have something she wanted to tell him that she couldn't let others hear?
Song Anxin didn't mince words and asked, "Anbang, let me ask you, what do you think of Li Xi?"
Song Anbang frowned slightly: "Li Xi? Li Xi is very good. She has studied poetry and books extensively with her teacher, and she is also very virtuous and kind."
Song An thought to herself, "That's a very high compliment. It seems like things are going well." She then asked, "Have you ever thought about her being your wife?"
Song Anbang's refined face flushed red instantly, his eyes filled with surprise: "Sister, why are you suddenly saying this? I haven't even passed the imperial examination yet, how can I get married? And Li Xi, I treat her like a younger sister, how can she become my wife?"
“Why not? Li Xi’s eyes are practically blatantly filled with admiration for you. Besides, Li Xi is already nineteen years old but hasn’t found a husband yet. Isn’t that because she’s waiting for you?” Song Anxin said, somewhat convinced.
Song Anbang was even more surprised: "Li Xi admires me and is waiting for me? How could that be? She said she wanted to stay at home for two more years to spend with her teacher and teacher's wife, which is why she didn't talk about her future husband's family. After all, she is her only child."
Song Anxin was utterly exasperated with her dim-witted younger brother. He actually believed what a woman said! So she tried a different approach and asked:
"Oh, I just heard your teacher and his wife say that they are going to find a husband for Li Xi. They said that they can't keep her any longer. Recently, a matchmaker introduced her to the son of a wealthy businessman. They think he is very good. If Li Xi marries him, she will become the young mistress."
Upon hearing this, Song Anbang's usually refined face began to falter. He quickly said, "How come I've never heard my teacher and his wife mention that Li Xi, though a woman, is very talented, well-versed in poetry and literature, and is my teacher's only daughter? How could she marry the son of a wealthy merchant? Li Xi wouldn't like it. I'll go talk to my teacher and his wife about it right now."
As he was saying this, he was about to go find Master Sun and Madam Li, but when he turned around, he saw Song Anxin looking at him with a playful smile, and Song Anbang instantly understood.
"Why would you joke about Li Xi's marriage with me, sister? I really thought..."
"What did you think? Did you think your little sister Li Xi was about to get married? If you're still this clueless, by the time you come back from Liuzhou, your little sister Li Xi might really be getting married. I don't think you're uninterested in her." Song Anxin said with a smile.
"But I..."
"No buts. Why did your teacher and his wife not tell you that I am Lady Hui, but you told Li Xi? Why did you accept the auspicious red socks that Li Xi sewed for you? Why were you so eager to hear Li Xi get married?"
Song An shook her head helplessly, looking at her incredibly oblivious younger brother. She suspected he had long since fallen for her, but after spending so much time together, he hadn't taken it for granted. Finally, she said:
"That's all I have to say, sister. Think about it yourself. If you really feel that you have no intention of hurting her, you should make things clear to her as soon as possible and not delay her any longer."
Song Anxin turned and went to find her sister-in-law, leaving Song Anbang to figure it out on his own.
Meanwhile, Lin's sister-in-law, Sun Lixi, was also there.
"Oh dear, I'm telling you scholars, you're good at everything except this one thing: you're too concerned about saving face. If you like someone, just say so! What, are you worried about hindering their pursuit of officialdom? So what if they can't pass the exams? You blame it on getting married? I've never seen a bachelor who's been single his whole life become the top scholar. Even the emperor had a wife."
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