But now that his daughter has returned and is doing well in school, he, as a father, is actually very proud. However, due to Jun Ran's identity as a daughter, he cannot show off everywhere, but he will really indulge his daughter and love her more.
But when he proposed the idea of marriage with the Baili family again, he was met with strong opposition from his proud daughter. She was even shameless and made a promise to someone else to stay together until old age.
"How dare you! Are you trying to piss me and your mother off to death? I truly regret sending you to the academy. You've only learned a rebellious streak and are now coming back to piss off your parents to death."
Meng Junran changed back into women's clothes and knelt in front of his parents, but he did not say a word about his marriage.
"The student from the Zhang family you mentioned came to me and asked for marriage a few years ago, but I rejected him at that time. Although he is quite talented, aren't there many talented people in this world? How many people with talent are not appreciated? Without family background, how many of them can achieve high positions and become dukes or prime ministers?"
If he had two more daughters, he would be willing to marry one of them to Zhang Shuhe, but he only had this one daughter, and she had been smart since she was a child. Of course, such a pearl could only be matched with those from aristocratic families.
"Father, why did you reject Mr. He? He will definitely be able to pass the imperial examination, and with the help of our Meng family, he will definitely achieve great things in the future. When did Father become so short-sighted?"
Meng Junran had been waiting for more than half a month, but the Zhang family had not yet invited a matchmaker to propose marriage. Now her parents mentioned the Baili family again, and she was really panicked.
There was inevitably some contradiction in her words, and she exposed her affair with He Langjun in a moment of hasty words. One wrong step led to another, and it would be even more difficult to get her parents' consent.
Now she only hopes that Mr. He can get a good ranking in the imperial examination, so that her father will know that her true love has not been chosen by the wrong person.
"How dare you accuse me of being shortsighted?" Father Meng suddenly felt a sense of helplessness, a feeling of being overwhelmed by his daughter's age. "I've been humble and humble in front of Patriarch Baili, always smiling and welcoming him. But for whom? It's all so you can live a good life after marrying into his family. But you refuse to believe your parents' words and insist on staying with that kid from the Zhang family. Your mother and I are like the evildoers who broke up a couple."
"But you don't know the hardships of life. It's not just about poetry and songs, but also about the daily necessities of life. The Baili family is a large clan, with many relatives helping out, and a large number of servants. You will enjoy a life of luxury if you marry into their family.
But what does the Zhang family have? They have a widowed mother, few relatives, and very few relatives to support them. If anything happens to them, what will happen to you if you marry into the family?
"Father and mother won't harm you. Life is not easy for a girl, especially if she marries into a family that is difficult to get along with. Life is even harder.
The lucky ones can accompany their husbands to their posts, while the unlucky ones have to stay at home to serve their parents-in-law. Husband and wife are separated, and over time, even the best of feelings will fade in the trivialities of life. "Dad doesn't want you to live the life you hate." His daughter is a rare talent, and if she one day becomes a resentful woman, he will be heartbroken.
"Although Baili Xia is a playboy and has no ambition to make progress, my father has made careful inquiries and found out that he is just a young boy with a unstable character and likes to play. However, he does not indulge in bad habits such as Wu Shi San, brothels, and gambling houses that playboys like. To put it bluntly, considering the family background of the Baili family, even if he is a playboy all his life, it is still a step up for our family to marry." If you miss this opportunity, you will miss it forever.
If Meng Junran had not been known for her talent and was not valued by the elders in their area, the marriage with the Baili family would never have been their turn.
"But it's true that he doesn't like poetry. Our married life will definitely not be compatible. What's the point of such a life?" Life is short, shouldn't we do what suits our heart?
What's more, Mr. He is a man of great talent. In time, he will surely bring honor to her and bring benefits to the Meng family.
Why couldn't her father just take advantage of the situation and satisfy her selfish desires?
The father and daughter refused to give in to each other and parted on bad terms.
---
This time, Zhang's mother was unwilling to visit the Meng family again, no matter how much her proud son begged.
"I lost my husband young, and raising you and supporting your education was a difficult task. A few years ago, I sacrificed my dignity for you and approached the Meng family to propose marriage. But the Mengs looked down on us, looking down on our humble Zhang family, with no support from their background. Those wealthy families only care about profit. If we hadn't lost several uncles and brothers in office, how could we have fallen so far and become the lowest class?"
"Shuhe, you must not indulge in petty love affairs. You bear the heavy responsibility of revitalizing the family. Back then, the Meng family looked down on my Zhang family. One day, my son will make them see my abilities clearly. As for you and that young lady from the Meng family, just consider it as if you have no destiny."
"Besides, you've only met Miss Meng once, so why must you marry her? Shuhe, I have two taels of silver. You're over eighteen this year. Take your servant with you to the red-light districts and find a decent girl to learn the difference between men and women. Don't let yourself be carried away by a woman and lose sight of the heavy responsibility you shoulder."
Since her husband and eldest son passed away, she has placed high hopes on her second son Zhang Shuhe, and she will never let him escape from her control.
The reason why she agreed to propose marriage to the Meng family last time was because she relied on Shu He's intelligence. Although she felt that she was marrying up to the Meng family, she believed that Shu He was worthy of this marriage, and that the benefits that the Meng family would gain in the future would far outweigh their current efforts.
It turned out that the head of the Meng family looked down on their poor family and was discussing a marriage with the Baili family in the city.
Although she values her son, she still knows her own limitations and believes that the Zhang family cannot compare to the Baili family.
But for the sake of her son, as a mother, she is still willing to lower her head for her child.
But only this time.
Seeing her son's distraught look, she was really worried that it would affect the scientific expedition.
"If you are on the list and rank among the top, it will be more honorable for me to go to the Meng Mansion to propose marriage." No matter whether I go there or not, I will frame my son first.
Sure enough, after hearing what his mother said, Zhang Shuhe rekindled his hope.
In his previous life, after he had achieved success, he went to visit his classmate at the Meng Mansion and discovered that his classmate was a girl. Without bothering to express his true feelings to each other, he turned back and asked a matchmaker to come to his house. Only then did he know that the classmate had already made an engagement with the Baili family and would be getting married soon.
He returned to the mansion in a daze, was caught in the spring rain, and became ill due to lovesickness. He died the day before Baili Xia and Meng Junran got married.
When the news reached the Meng Mansion, Meng Junran wanted to hang himself with a white silk thread.
Later, the bridal sedan went out, but not to Baili Mansion, but to the burial place of Zhang Shuhe.
Meng Junran was crashed to death in front of Zhang Shuhe's tomb. Baili Xia, who happened to be looking for his bride, saw the scene. The bright red blood froze every part of his body.
One is his bride-to-be, and the other is his former classmate.
Their love was stronger than gold, and they died together, leaving him alone in the world, living in confusion?
Should he help them? He knew that the two of them had secretly developed feelings for each other in the academy, but he thought that time was the best medicine to heal everything and that time could make all deep feelings fade away.
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