Although Ren Yaoying was a little disappointed that Aunt Fang did not agree immediately, she couldn't help getting excited when she thought that Ren Yaohua might really be married to the ugly young master of the Zeng family who was as ugly as a ghost.
The next month was unexpectedly peaceful, until a few days before Ren Shimin was leaving for Yunyang City, when the third branch of the Ren family began to get busy.
Ren Shimin had told Li that she would help manage the inner courtyard and take care of the children. Li had already started packing the belongings they would take to Yunyang City with Nanny Zhou two weeks in advance. Fortunately, Yunyang City was very close to Baihe Town, and they had to return during the holidays, so most of their belongings had to stay at the old house. Third Master Ren had directly instructed the steward to buy new items for Yunyang City, so Li only had to pack the personal belongings of the couple and their children.
Master Ren San also made it clear that he would not bring Concubine Fang with him, but he would bring Ren Yihong and Ren Yaoying, and Mrs. Li had no objection to this.
Mrs. Ren had originally hoped that Mr. Ren San would take Concubine Fang with him, but Ren Shimin was unwilling. Mrs. Ren thought that it would be unseemly to take Concubine Fang with her, so she didn't say anything. However, she still sent a lot of gifts to Fangfei Courtyard to appease Concubine Fang. Fortunately, Concubine Fang accepted it calmly and did not cause any trouble.
But just before her departure, Old Lady Ren suddenly changed her mind. She didn't want Ren Yaohua to go to Yunyang City. Her reasoning was simple: Ren Yaohua was already sixteen, and the negative rumors about her had long since dissipated. Instead, rumors of her strict and respectful character were spreading. Recently, two families had come to the Ren household to inquire about Ren Yaohua.
One of the two families, nearly as old as the Rens, was a merchant family from Shunzhou, surnamed Fan. Their second wife's family's maiden home was in Baihe Town. A few years ago, when she brought her children back to attend her mother's birthday, she had seen Ren Yaohua, who had attended the banquet with Old Lady Ren, and had been impressed by her dignity and graciousness, which had drawn her attention.
The other family was from Baihe Town. Their surname was Tang. They started out in the timber business and had some business dealings with the Ren family. However, their wealth was not as good as the Ren family's. They were considered an ordinary merchant family.
Old Lady Ren was not very satisfied with either of these two families. As for the Fan family, Old Lady Ren disliked that Mr. Fan was not the eldest son of the eldest house and could not inherit the family business. The second house of the Fan family that proposed marriage would be separated in the future.
Although the Tang family's son was the eldest son of the eldest branch, Old Lady Ren felt that her daughter should marry into a wealthy family, as the Tang family's financial resources were too limited. Furthermore, she had met the eldest son of the Tang family; he was short, untalented, and not as agile as the other two young masters.
Although neither of these two families was satisfactory, Old Lady Ren felt that this was a sign that if she took Ren Yaohua out more often, she would definitely be able to find a suitable one. Ren Yaohua's age was not a bad time either.
Ren Yaohua didn't say anything after she knew her grandmother didn't want her to leave. Unlike Ren Yaoqi, Old Lady Ren had always been very kind to her. Although she was often dissatisfied with Old Lady Ren's attitude towards Concubine Fang, she knew that she loved her.
After knowing this, Ren Yaoqi became a little worried. She didn't want Old Madam Ren to arrange a marriage for Ren Yaohua at all. She didn't trust the elders of the Ren family.
However, even Ren Shimin and Mrs. Li didn't express any opinions on this matter. After all, Ren Yaohua was now of marriageable age, and the marriages of the Ren family girls had always been decided by Mr. and Mrs. Ren. Ren Yaoqi couldn't find any good way to get Ren Yaohua to go with them.
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