Chapter 34 It Starts with Appearance
Xie Yunyu quickly introduced, "Brother, this is Wu Yumin, the granddaughter of Vice Dean Wu of the academy."
This is Wu's eldest sister-in-law.
"Min-mei, sister-in-law, this is my eldest brother, Xie Yuntang. He's currently an editor at the Hanlin Academy."
Wu Yumin bowed gracefully to Xie Yuntang and said:
"Little sister Yumin greets elder brother Xie."
Xie Yuntang quickly cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, sister-in-law."
Xie Yuntang's ears turned completely red after saying just that one sentence.
After they sat down, Madam Wang asked about Xie Yuntang's daily life.
Xie Yuntang answered respectfully, not daring to glance at Wu Yumin.
Seeing that he was so well-behaved and answered questions in a logical and organized manner, Wang nodded in satisfaction.
Xie Yunyu's attention was entirely focused on Wu Yumin.
She stared at Xie Yuntang openly, but didn't say anything afterward.
Seeing that it was about time, Xie Yunyu said:
"Brother, I haven't looked at Tianxinglou's accounts yet. I'll have to trouble you today."
Xie Yuntang stood up and said:
"Sister-in-law, Sister Wu, I have important business to attend to, please excuse me."
After Xie Yuntang left, Xie Yunyu explained with a smile:
"My mother has been unwell these past two days, so she sent me to handle this matter."
Before I came, my mother gave me a message that I must pass on.
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang politely greeted her, saying, "It is an honor to visit Tianxing Tower today. Thank you for your trouble, Third Sister."
Xie Yunyu laughed and said, "My mother said: A man in the Xie family can only take a concubine if he is forty years old and still has no son."
Please trouble you, sister-in-law, to convey this message to the uncles, aunts, and elders of the Wu family.
Upon hearing this, Wang's eyes lit up: "Is this really true?"
Xie Yunyu nodded solemnly, then looked at Wu Yumin and said:
"I presume my sister already knows this."
Wu Yumin nodded and said, "Yes, Grand Tutor Xie already told my grandfather about this on the day he visited."
Otherwise, my grandfather wouldn't have agreed to let me come today.
Xie Yunyu smiled and said, "Sister Wu, there's no need to make a decision now. You can discuss this carefully after you get home and then make a final decision."
Wang and Wu Yumin nodded in agreement.
The three then chatted about other things.
At noon, Xie Yunyu treated the two to a "Heroes' Banquet" and gave them a copy of the manuscript of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" before they left.
The day at Tianxinglou finally ended with everyone enjoying themselves.
Xie Yunyu returned from dropping someone off and saw Xie Yuntang in the room as soon as she entered.
After sitting down, Xie Yunyu took a sip of tea and asked, "Brother, what do you think of this young lady from the Wu family?"
"Since ancient times, marriage has been arranged by parents and matchmakers. I have no say in it."
Xie Yunyu rolled her eyes at him: "Our grandfather and mother were worried that an arranged marriage would ruin your life, so they set up this situation for you to meet."
What kind of talk is that?
Xie Yuntang listened, lowered his head, and after a long while said:
"She's quite good-looking. I just wonder what her personality is like?"
Xie Yunyu laughed when she heard this: "As the saying goes, when two people get to know each other, it begins with their appearance, they admire each other's talents, they get along well with each other's personalities, they stay together because of each other's kindness, and they are judged by each other's character."
Appearance is only the first step; only when you are satisfied with your appearance can you proceed to the second step.
If even the first step doesn't work, then there's no point in continuing, don't you think?
Xie Yuntang nodded vigorously in agreement.
"My sister is right."
"Alright, I'll go home and tell my mother that you're willing to have further contact with this young lady from the Wu family?"
Xie Yuntang nodded slowly.
Xie Yunyu became happy: "Okay, then we'll wait for news from the Wu family."
After Xie Yunyu finished speaking, she stood up and walked out.
"Big brother, are you going to stay here and play, or come home with me?"
"You go back first, I'll listen to the audiobook for a while longer."
"Okay, I'm leaving then."
Zheng waited anxiously at home, and finally Xie Yunyu returned.
If Xie Yunyu delayed any longer, Madam Zheng would become restless and go to Tianxing Tower to look for her.
Upon seeing Xie Yunyu return, Madam Zheng grabbed Xie Yunyu's hand and hurriedly asked:
"How is it? How is it?"
Xie Yunyu patted Zheng's hand with a smile and said:
"Mother, don't worry, the first step has been successful."
Upon hearing this, Zheng plopped down on a nearby chair and said happily:
"It's done. Hahaha... Good, good."
After saying that, he asked, "Where's your older brother? Why didn't he come back with you? What did he say?"
Xie Yunyu was holding her teacup, and before she could even swallow the water in her mouth, she was asked three questions in a row.
So he put down his teacup and paused for a moment before saying, "My elder brother said he is willing to continue to get to know the young lady from the Wu family."
As for the young lady of the Wu family, she seemed to have been informed beforehand by Vice President Wu, appearing quite calm and showing no outward signs of distress.
Zheng looked hesitant after hearing this: "Then what do we do next?"
"Now we just have to wait and see how the Wu family responds."
If they invite us to a banquet, it means they want to continue their relationship.
Upon hearing this, Zheng felt uneasy again and sighed.
Seeing this, Xie Yunyu comforted her, saying, "Mother, the fact that you can only take a concubine if you are forty years old and have no children already puts you ahead of more than 90% of families in the capital."
"Don't worry, if Wu's parents truly love their daughter, they will definitely agree to this marriage."
Upon hearing this, Zheng immediately gained confidence.
Sure enough, the next morning, they received two invitations from the Wu family.
One was that Wu Yumin invited Xie Yunyu to visit the Wu family, and the other was that the Wu family would be holding a spring banquet in half a month and invited the Xie family to attend.
Zheng was overjoyed to receive the two invitations and said to Xie Yunyu:
"Did the Wu family agree as well?"
Xie Yunyu nodded.
Madam Zheng quickly put her hands together and said, "May our ancestors bless our son and make this marriage go smoothly."
Xie Yunyu looked at Zheng Shi and smiled, "Mother, if you really want to thank our ancestors, then take a bath, change your clothes, burn incense, and go to the ancestral hall to pay your respects properly."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zheng hurriedly replied, "I'll go right away, I'll go right away."
Finally, Madam Zheng took Xie Yunyu to the ancestral hall to pay respects and recounted the story of each member of her family.
May our ancestors bless Grandpa Xie with a long and healthy life.
May Xie Yuanshan's career soar.
May Xie Yuntang's marriage go smoothly.
May Xie Yunman enjoy good health.
May everything go smoothly for Xie Yunyu.
After listening for a while, Xie Yunyu asked, "Mother, why don't you ask your ancestors for some blessing?"
Madam Zheng smiled and said, "As long as you are all well, I am well."
Xie Yunyu suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
This is what a mother is like—a selfless mother. It's truly a blessing to be loved by one's mother.
So he said earnestly, "May our ancestors bless my mother with good health, longevity, and all things going smoothly."
Zheng smiled upon hearing this.
The two men placed the incense sticks in the ancestral hall, knelt down and bowed three times before leaving.
Xiao Ling naturally knew what Xie Yunyu had done.
After careful consideration, I think this marriage is a good option. Xie Yuntang's personality makes the academy a suitable place for him.
Three days later, Xie Yunyu accepted Wu Yumin's invitation and went to Wu's house to play.
When Wu's parents met Xie Yunyu, they praised her as a good girl and gave her a gift.
After that, Wu Yumin took Xie Yunyu to play in her yard.
"Little sister, I found you this manuscript of 'The Legend of the White Snake'. You can borrow it to take a look."
This is the manuscript, which I plan to make into a storybook and sell in the store. Here's a sneak peek for you.
But you must remember to keep this a secret.
Wu Yumin was naturally pleased and instructed the maid to carefully put the manuscript away.
After chatting about other things for a while, Xie Yunyu whispered to Wu Yumin:
What do you think of my older brother?
Wu Yumin lowered her head and smiled, "He seems like a very honest person."
My sister-in-law said he looked like he didn't even have a maidservant.
Xie Yunyu nodded: "Yes, my family is quite strict. Before marrying a wife, you can't have anything."
"My parents were quite satisfied with the rule that a man could only take a concubine if he was childless by the age of forty."
Xie Yunyu looked at Wu Yumin and asked with a smile, "Little sister, I'm asking, what do you think of my eldest brother?"
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