Chapter 476 No Engagement
When Zhulan arrived in ancient times, her eyes were always on real estate and land, and she never looked at the sea. Unexpectedly, this county chief was so smart that he not only had fishing boats, but also his own fishing grounds.
Zhulan thought of oysters and various shellfish, some of which were too chewy. When she first came here, she was either in the Northeast or in the mainland, and had never been to the seaside. There were also seafood in Pinggang, but mostly sea fish and shrimps, with relatively few varieties.
The main reason is that there was no modern refrigeration technology in ancient times, and dead seafood was too easy to spoil. However, seafood was still expensive in ancient times. At least shrimps rarely appeared on the tables of ordinary families in mainland China.
Zhulan stroked her chin. In fact, marine aquaculture was not bad. She didn't understand it, but the fishermen along the coast must know it. All she had to do was hire more people.
It’s a pity that private pearl mining is not allowed in this dynasty, and it is all controlled by the imperial court.
Xue Han had been sitting next to her mother. Seeing her mother's smile getting deeper and deeper, she really wanted to see the news her father brought back. She already knew that Miss Su was the one that Fourth Brother had in mind, and she was also very curious. "Mom, can I see it?"
Zhulan handed it to her daughter, "Look, this Anhe County Lord is amazing."
It was exactly what she wanted.
After reading it, Xue Han was a little upset. It was really hard for her to believe that an orphan could do all these. Xue Han couldn't help but think of Sister Wu. Although there was a gap between her status and that of the county lord, Sister Wu had three brothers, while the county lord only had himself to rely on. She would not simply think that the title of county lord had no calculations, but rather more calculations.
Xue Han was silent. It was probably her personality. She felt that she liked the county lord a little. Suddenly, she couldn't help laughing, "Mom, Fourth Brother is so lucky."
The county lord really became my sister-in-law. Fourth brother's life is not easy. This family is now lively again.
Zhulan couldn't help but laugh, "I am indeed blessed."
The next morning, Zhulan wrote a note to Tao, inviting him to taste tea, and only invited Tao.
Tao had just finished reading the post when it was snatched away. Seeing Su Xuan's disappointed look, Tao tapped her forehead vigorously, "Smartness backfired."
Su Xuan covered her forehead and said, "Aunt, it hurts."
“Give me the post.”
Su Xuan bit her lip and said, "They only invited my aunt. They knew I lived in Wang's house, so why didn't they invite me?"
Tao was speechless, "I'm telling you, you can't follow me this time, so be reserved."
Su Xuan pursed her lips. She didn't want to leave a frivolous impression on the Zhou family. She was just depressed. She had never met Zhou Changzhi. She bit her lip and asked, "Aunt, did Zhou Changzhi's mother see something? That's why she didn't invite me? Does she dislike me?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but touch her face. She didn't look like a pretty girl next door. She seemed obedient, but she looked flamboyant. Many elders didn't like her looks.
Tao frowned. No matter how smart this girl was, she was still lacking in this aspect. She explained, "Yang did see something, but it's not that she doesn't like you. On the contrary, Yang had a good impression of you, so she invited me alone. Do you understand?"
Su Xuan was a smart person, and she quickly figured out the situation. Her face flushed, and she stammered, "Yes, do you want to talk about me?"
Tao chuckled, "It's rare to see you nervous."
Su Xuan's ears turned red. Although she was bold enough to tease Zhou Changzhi, when it really came to the critical moment, she was a little at a loss. She stammered, "Excuse me, cousin."
Tao touched Su Xuan's hair. Although she was not her own daughter, she was sincere to her. She also hoped that this girl would have a good ending. "Yes."
The Zhou family invited the Tao family alone. This news could not be kept secret. Soon the Min and Ran families knew the news and they all guessed what the Zhou family meant.
However, due to the principle of rather killing someone by mistake than letting him go, both governments were on high alert.
The next day, Tao arrived, and Zhulan did not beat around the bush, because as a man, he still had to consider the woman's feelings. Zhulan did not mention that the county lord knew Changzhi, and took the initiative to ask, "I asked my sister to come here today because I have something to ask you."
Tao understood, "Sister, please speak."
"I also practiced martial arts when I was young. I like girls with big hearts. I liked Miss Su the first time I met her, so I wanted to ask, does Miss Su have any engagement?"
Tao's smile deepened. Yang's words gave Su Xuan enough face, and called her Miss Su, which indirectly told her that the Zhou family valued people, not the status of county lords. "There is no engagement at the moment, and I am also thinking about it!"
Zhu Lan's smile deepened. "The county lord is of noble status, so we must look for him carefully."
Tao raised her eyes and smiled, "Indeed."
The two of them expressed their thoughts tacitly, and there was no need to discuss further afterwards. Their intention had been conveyed today, and Zhulan could just find a reliable official family member and official matchmaker to propose marriage.
The only worry is the middleman. In fact, Tao is the most suitable person, but Tao is the girl's aunt. In order to show that he values her, he has to find a good candidate.
Tao didn't care about all this. She just needed to go back and wait for news.
To be honest, Tao had never met Mr. Zhou Si, but since he was favored by the picky Su Xuan, he must be quite good. Having said that, Tao still had a little sympathy for Mr. Zhou Si who was favored by Su Xuan.
Zhulan did not keep Tao for long. After Tao left, Zhulan counted the wives of officials she knew and thought about it carefully. Apart from Tao, she could only invite the wife of the prefect. The wife of the prefect, Xue, was also a good person.
This time they asked for help, and Zhulan came in person the next day with gifts. Xue was very surprised, because she knew that the hottest event recently was the marriage of the fourth son of the Zhou family, and the daughter of their Wang family was only eight years old, still too young.
Xue looked at the gift and asked, "What is this?"
Zhulan said, "My fourth son is of age now and has just returned from studying abroad. I want to settle down as soon as possible. After much thought, I can only ask my sister for help in matchmaking."
Xue was older than her and was asking for help, so it was not unfair to call her sister.
Xue understood. She was wrong. She was very curious. Many people were staring at the fourth son of the Zhou family. "Who do you like?"
Zhu Lan said, "The Lord of Anhe County, Su Xuan."
Xue was choked by the tea and was frightened. She didn't expect it to be County Magistrate Anhe. This shouldn't have happened. County Magistrate Anhe was an orphan. She couldn't help the Zhou family in terms of power and she didn't have a good reputation. Not to mention her parents, Anhe's temper and flamboyant looks made it clear that she was not a good candidate for a daughter-in-law. Moreover, there was the rank. The county magistrate was of the second rank, so she couldn't show off as a mother-in-law, unless she herself was of the first rank!
Anyway, she would rather choose the daughter of a minor official than An He. Xue blinked her eyes. Could it be that the Zhou family is attracted by the county lord's money?
Xue couldn't figure it out, but couldn't help asking, "Is it really An He?"
Zhulan smiled and said, "Yes, that's her. Please help me, sister."
Xue put down her teacup and hurried to help. Who said that Lord Zhou was her master and her superior? Besides, her master also said that Lord Zhou was worth making friends with. She smiled and asked, "Have you invited the official media?"
(End of this chapter)