Xu Zhi knew that the year after next was the year of the imperial examination. Her brother, Xu Di, had left his family and business behind and taken his newlywed wife to study in Tai'an, which was far away, all in order to pass the examination with flying colors. Xu Zhi did not dare to let her brother come to see her off, and she did not even dare to mention it to her mother.
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Your brother wrote to me a few days ago, saying that when you get married next year, he will bring your sister-in-law and all your cousins to see you off."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi quickly said, "Mother, my brother is busy with his studies, so please don't let him come all this way."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Your brother said in his letter that the imperial examination is held once every three years, but you only get married once in your life. He will definitely come to see you off no matter what. There is no reason for a brother not to see his sister off when she gets married. This is a major event in your life."
Xu Zhi said, "This round trip will take more than a month, which will delay my brother's studies."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Studying and taking the imperial examinations are not something that can be done overnight. If your brother is ruined because of a month or so of missed study time, it means he is not capable enough. Let's see if he will still have the face to come home."
Xu Zhi leaned against Zhang Zhaoci and said, "Mother, my brother is married now. We can't treat him like we used to, or he'll lose face in front of his sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhaoci exclaimed in surprise, "Our Xiao Jiu understands this principle now?"
Xu Zhi said somewhat embarrassedly, "People say that when a son grows up, he is a guest. Before he got married, we could joke around with our older brother however we wanted. But now that he's married and has his own family, he's an adult. My brother and I can't act as disrespectful to him as we used to. Otherwise, what will my sister-in-law think?"
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "Didn't your sister-in-law grow up to be just as mischievous as you guys?"
Xu Zhi said very seriously, "Mother, my sister-in-law is different before and after she got married. Before she married into our family, I could treat her like an older sister and joke around with her. But now she is my sister-in-law, so there are some things I can't do like before. After all, a sister-in-law is different from an older sister."
After hearing Xu Zhi's words, Zhang Zhaoci sighed and said, "Our little Jiu has grown up and can even think about these things. Mother really doesn't want you to grow up."
Xu Zhi asked curiously, "Mother, you and Father raised us so that we could grow up and take good care of you, right? Why don't you look forward to us growing up?"
Zhang Zhaoci said with pity, "Xiao Jiu, we look forward to you growing up, hoping that you can stand on your own and live a good life in the future. But we don't want to see you grow up, because when you grow up, it means that you will have to understand many unavoidable truths, and you may even leave us. Although children will eventually leave their parents' embrace when they grow up, we can never bear to part with them."
Xu Zhi gently hugged Zhang Zhaoci's waist and said, "Mother, I also can't bear to leave you and Father."
Zhang Zhaoci thought about this little girl who would soon be getting married. In this era, girls who got married could not often return to their parents' home. Even if they lived nearby, they could not often return. Moreover, the child was so young and would have to face many hardships on her own. Zhang Zhaoci felt a lot of reluctance.
Zhang Zhaoci gently stroked Xu Zhi's hair and said, "Good child, although you are young, now that you are married, you should shoulder your responsibilities. I believe you can live a good life. But I still want to tell you that when living a good life, don't take many things to heart. As long as you can live comfortably, even if you are sorry to others, don't worry about it too much."
Zhang Zhaoci thought for a moment and said, "In our family, the men have never had the custom of taking concubines. Your grandfather's situation was special, and you've heard your father and I explain the reasons to you. Two people living together is naturally enough; having more than one is not acceptable."
Xu Zhi nodded and said, "I have already talked to Brother Zheng about this, and Brother Zheng has assured me that concubines are the source of family troubles, and he will not take concubines."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "It would be best if your son-in-law could give you a guarantee, but sometimes you shouldn't take a man's words too seriously. Women are different from men. Women can only guard this small courtyard, while men have a wide space outside. Xiao Jiu, what your mother is saying is just in case. If something really happens, remember that you still have your family. There are so many of us standing behind you. No matter how you want to handle it, we will support you. But there is one thing: you must not wrong yourself."
Although her daughter hadn't married into the family yet, and it was somewhat inappropriate to say these things, Zhang Zhaoci still couldn't help but want to.
Zheng Boyuan was chosen by Xu Zhi herself, and it was under these circumstances that they were to arrange a marriage between the two of them. Zheng Boyuan was no ordinary person. The Zhang and Xu families had been kind to Zheng Boyuan, but when Zheng Boyuan faced a difficult choice in the future, this kindness would be insignificant. When he had to sacrifice his relationship with Xu Zhi, the one who would be the most heartbroken would be Xu Zhi.
Zhang Zhaoci had heard of or even witnessed such things. Some women gave their hearts away while still in school, and after graduation, they were in love for a while. But when the men changed their minds and did all sorts of things, most of them were left heartbroken and alone, because they couldn't accept the loss of their precious lives.
Zhang Zhaoci didn't want her daughter to be hurt by such a possibility, so even though her words were a bit harsh, she still wanted to make things clear with her precious daughter.
Xu Zhi was no ordinary twelve or thirteen-year-old girl. She naturally understood what her mother meant. Although she felt that Zheng Boyuan would not do such a thing, was it really possible that there was absolutely no chance of anything going wrong?
Xu Zhi also felt that people's hearts were the most unpredictable thing.
Xu Zhi nodded and said, "Mother, you said that a woman's entire future is just this little backyard, but I don't want to be like those women, spending my whole life living in this little backyard. I want to be like you, Mother, and do something meaningful."
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