Chapter 198 Marriage Proposal
The couple talked late into the night, and as expected, Sheng An overslept the next day.
With Baoxiu taking care of things at Shengyuan, it didn't matter if Shengan slept in late every day. So Shengan leisurely got dressed and washed up, and then went to the shop to have breakfast.
After finishing her meal, she returned to the small building to pack her luggage, packing all the clothes, shoes, socks, and other items she would need for the next month.
Upon counting, there were a total of six boxes.
Even Sheng An himself thought it was an exaggeration. Standing in front of the six open boxes, he hesitated for a long time before finally taking out the last item.
Anyway, with guards accompanying them and a chartered boat to Nanjing, six suitcases were no problem at all.
When Xu Jinnian returned home in the evening, he personally checked all six suitcases to make sure he had brought everything he needed, and then personally took the locks and locked them one by one.
The next morning, after much advice and instructions from the three elders, the six boxes were loaded onto two carriages, and the couple, along with four guards, set off for the dock.
When they arrived at the dock, Tan Zhenlin and Tan Qingrou, the brother and sister, were already there.
In just two years, Tan Qingrou has grown rapidly, transforming from a childlike and naive girl into a beautiful young woman as graceful as a blooming magnolia.
Her personality has become much more lively and cheerful, unlike the socially awkward person Sheng An had when they first met.
Seeing the carriage from Shengyuan arrive, Tan Qingrou lifted her skirt and jogged over to greet them: "Sister An'an, Brother Jin Nian, you've finally arrived."
As soon as Sheng An got off the carriage, a fair and delicate little hand appeared on his arm.
"I'm sorry to have kept Xiaorou waiting."
Sheng An smiled and pinched Tan Qingrou's rosy cheeks. The smooth touch made her want to pinch them a few more times, but she managed to restrain herself, afraid that the little girl would misunderstand her as some kind of pervert.
“My brother and I just arrived, and we only exchanged a few words before you and Brother Jinnian came.”
Tan Qingrou pulled Sheng An to the dense shade of the trees. The morning breeze, carrying the moisture from the river, dispelled the heat of the rising sun.
Four guards carried the luggage boxes from the carriage onto the boat. The more Sheng An looked at it, the more it seemed like a house move, and it would be a lot of trouble to pack it up.
Tan Qingrou seemed to see her distress and smiled, her rosy lips pursed: "My brother and I have even more luggage, a total of sixteen boxes. I've almost moved all my belongings from Qingzhou."
Upon hearing this, Sheng An asked in surprise, "You've finished moving? Aren't you going back to Qingzhou after the provincial examination?"
Tan Qingrou nodded, a hint of shyness on her beautiful face: "I'm getting engaged, so it won't be convenient for me to stay in Qingzhou."
Sheng An recalled that the young girl had her coming-of-age ceremony this spring, and she had indeed reached the age for marriage.
The thought of the two of them being separated in the future, and finding it difficult to get together to share food and gossip, filled her with a deep sense of reluctance.
Sheng An held Tan Qingrou's hand, her tone filled with an older sister's concern for her younger sister:
"Your parents are going to arrange a marriage for you in Jinling? I remember you said before that your father's six-year term is coming to an end and he will have to return to the capital at the end of the year to report on his work, so he might stay in the capital."
Tan Qingrou gently shook her head: "My mother has a close friend in the capital. She asked her friend to find me a marriage partner in the capital. My mother received a letter from her friend a few days ago, saying that she has found one and is waiting for us to return to the capital to meet."
At this point, her expression revealed a mixture of anticipation and nervousness: "After the results of the provincial examination are released, my mother will take my sister and me back to the capital in advance. If the matchmaking goes smoothly, the two families will arrange the engagement after my father returns to the capital to report on his official duties."
Sheng An squeezed the girl's hand tighter, but sincerely comforted her: "Since it's your mother's good friend who acted as matchmaker, the other party's conditions must be quite good."
Tan Qingrou's expression grew even more shy, and her voice became a few decibels lower: "Well, my mother said that young master is very talented, a year younger than my brother, and he will also be taking the provincial examination this year."
Sheng An asked, "What is your family background? How many people are in your family?"
Tan Qingrou answered one by one: "He is the second son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. It is said that he has three older brothers, two older sisters, three younger brothers and two younger sisters. He is the most academically gifted in the family."
Upon hearing this, Sheng An couldn't help but scratch his head.
The family is thriving!
With so many people involved, there's bound to be trouble. Just thinking about how this marriage would result in the innocent and lovely girl having five sisters-in-law and four sisters-in-law, gave her a real headache.
Despite her headache, Sheng An couldn't say anything since they hadn't even met yet. She simply reminded Tan Qingrou in a subtle way: "There's a saying among the common people: 'When buying a pig, look at the pen.' When choosing a husband, you should not only look at his family background and abilities, but also his family traditions."
"Pfft!"
Tan Qingrou had never heard of this phrase before, and was amused. A warm feeling welled up in her eyes: "That's a new saying. Don't worry, Sister An'an, I'll remember it."
Not far away, Tan Zhenlin was also chatting with Xu Jinnian.
Looking at his younger sister's lively and spirited appearance, he couldn't help but sigh, a hint of melancholy creeping into his eyes.
Xu Jinnian followed her friend's gaze but didn't see anything amiss, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
Tan Zhenlin clenched his fist, looked at the rippling river, and a look of determination appeared on his face: "I will do my best in this autumn examination, and I will go to the capital with you at the end of the year to take the exam!"
Even for his sister's sake, he had to rush to the capital at the end of the year to personally oversee her marriage; otherwise, he wouldn't feel comfortable letting her marry a man he didn't know.
Thinking this, Tan Zhenlin looked at his friend beside him.
Old Xu was cunning and adept at putting on an act; he never imagined that this man would be truly devoted to his wife.
If his future brother-in-law is as wicked as Lao Xu, he will do everything he can to break them up and ruin the marriage.
Xu Jinnian noticed something was off about his friend's expression and casually patted him on the shoulder: "Just do your best, and your name will definitely be on the list."
In Confucius' own words, the reason he allowed the four of them to participate in this year's provincial examination was because they were ready.
If they are not on the list, it must be because they made a mistake, and they will surely be punished with a ruler when they go back.
Encouraged by Xu Jinnian, Tan Zhenlin felt uncertain: "Compared to you and Lao Ye, Lao Fang and I are not stable enough."
Xu Jinnian said calmly, "What's there to be afraid of? The teacher has already explained the preferences of those examiners to us in detail."
Upon hearing this, Tan Zhenlin immediately felt more confident and patted his friend on the shoulder, laughing loudly: "You're right, just treat them according to their preferences and cater to their tastes."
The advantage of having a teacher of high social standing and extensive connections was fully demonstrated at this moment, something that no amount of money could buy.
The two chatted for a while, and then carriages bearing the insignia of the Fang and Ye families slowly drove up, with a total of six carriages.
Once the carriage stopped, the guards carried out nearly twenty boxes, and Sheng An no longer felt that his family's six boxes of luggage were too much.
Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua both got married last year, and their wives gave birth to children this year. At this moment, the two couples got out of the car at the same time, holding hands and walking towards Sheng An and the others.
After exchanging warm greetings and a few casual pleasantries, the group, along with more than twenty guards, boarded the large ship.
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