Seeing that she also had feelings for Taozi, but had too many concerns, Xichun patiently explained the situation to her.
"Madam, I never expected you to be so easy to talk to. My family and I were worried at first, but now that we've met you, I'm thinking of going back and discussing it with my family and giving it some thought." Qian Qiaoqiao didn't directly state her position, but Xichun guessed that she was somewhat swayed by what she said.
"This is a major life event for you, so of course you should think about it carefully. Don't worry, you can go back and discuss it slowly. We're not in a hurry." Xichun saw her to the door and asked Xiaoyue to bring out the things she had prepared in advance, all of which were very practical for the poor.
"Madam, these are all too valuable; we cannot accept them."
"This is just a small token of my appreciation. I'm here today on behalf of Taozi's sister to talk to you. Originally, we should have gone to your home to discuss this in person. It's already impolite of you to come to my house. If you don't take these things back with you, then I'll really have something to say about it."
"Yes, take these things with you. I've also arranged for a carriage to take you and your siblings home later." Taozi knew that Xichun was inviting her over today, so he came to the house early to wait. He also personally greeted Qian Qiaoqiao's younger brothers when they arrived.
"Then we'll take it back, thank you, Madam." After thanking them, the three of them got into the carriage and went home.
"Sister Xichun, how did it go? Did Miss Qian agree?" Taozi asked nervously after returning to the house.
"I didn't see you getting anxious before, so why are you getting anxious now?" Xi Chun teased him when she saw his expression.
"Things change, Sister Xichun, just tell me the result so I can be mentally prepared."
“Miss Qian said she needs to go home and discuss it with her parents. She will give us an answer then. Just wait patiently. After talking with Miss Qian today, I think she is a smart and hardworking girl. If you two get together in the future, that would be a wonderful thing.”
"Hehe, then I'll wait for the good news." Taozi was showing the naive and impetuous side of a young man at this moment.
As the three siblings, Qian Qiaoqiao and her brother, rode home in the carriage, they were all a little uneasy. The villagers rarely saw such a carriage arrive, and they had initially thought that some important person had come to the village. They all peeked out to see what was going on, and when they saw the carriage heading towards Qian Qiaoqiao's house, they began to discuss it.
"Oh my, the Qian family has struck it rich! How come they have so much money to hire a horse-drawn carriage to come back? Are they going to the county town?"
"I think it was probably Qiaoqiao who went to find a match. The family brought her back in a horse-drawn carriage. I saw it myself. There were only the siblings in the carriage."
"Tsk tsk tsk, for Qiaoqiao's age, if someone in the city is interested in her and can afford to hire a carriage like this, they must be quite wealthy, right?"
"Who knows if they're just putting on a show? The Qian family is very tight-lipped; you won't get anything out of them. Just wait and see. If no one comes to propose marriage after a while, it's probably over."
"I think people would rather have a young man than an old maid."
"Hey, why are you all so gossipy? Qiaoqiao is a hardworking person, so what if some city guy likes her? I think you're just jealous." Someone who was on good terms with the Qian family naturally stood up for them.
"Hmph, you just wait and see, I'm sure I'm right." The man was still not satisfied, and after saying this, he left.
When Mr. and Mrs. Qian saw that they had been brought back in a tall carriage, they were surprised and hurried out to check.
"Miss Qian, Young Master Qian, I'm leaving now. I need to go back and report to my master." The driver helped them unload their things and was about to leave when the group tried to persuade him to stay for dinner.
"Look at you, why did you hire a carriage to come back? Did the county magistrate's wife make things difficult for you?" Mother Qian pulled Qian Qiaoqiao and looked her over from left to right.
"Father, Mother, don't worry. The county magistrate's wife is a good person. She is kind and gentle. This is the first time I have ever met such a kind lady. In the past, those people would never have looked down on us peasants."
"So these things were also given by the county magistrate's wife? How can you accept so many gifts from others? Won't it make our family seem stingy? Why don't we return them?"
"I had refused many times, but the county magistrate's wife said that if I didn't accept her, it would be disrespectful to her. How could we dare? When she heard that my brothers were waiting for me outside the door, she specially invited them in and called Manager Zhang to serve them a meal. She was very polite."
Moreover, the magistrate's wife talked to me a lot, saying that Manager Zhang used to be a country bumpkin, but he had worked his way up step by step to where he is today. She said that if I agreed, I could go into business myself in the future, and having my own money would give me confidence.
“You silly girl, you’ve only been there once and you’re already calling her ‘Madam’ this and ‘Madam’ that. I don’t think we need to persuade you anymore. You probably want to marry Manager Zhang yourself, don’t you?” Mother Qian knew her daughter very well.
I didn't agree with her delaying her own life for the sake of her two younger brothers, but she's just a stubborn person, and there's no use in saying anything. Now that I've found someone I like, I'm worried that my family will suffer in the future. Actually, they'll be happy as long as their daughter can marry into a good family.
"Father, Mother, what do you think? Should I agree?" Qian Qiaoqiao asked shyly, showing the shyness of a young girl.
"Sister, I don't think the county magistrate's wife is faking it. She treats people so well. I imagine that Manager Zhang's family is also of such good nature. You won't suffer if you marry into their family. As long as you are willing, we naturally have no objections."
However, if you are unwilling, we would rather risk offending the county magistrate's wife than let you marry into that family.
"Not at all. The county magistrate's wife is a very good person. Even if I refuse, she won't have any objections. Today she even said that the clothes we made are very difficult to make, and even she herself doesn't know how. If we are willing, we can work in the dyeing workshop in the future."
As Qian Qiaoqiao spoke to her two younger siblings, she knew that the county magistrate's wife was truly thinking of her, and she felt very comforted.
"Haha, I think we don't need to persuade her anymore. Judging from the way she is, she naturally agrees. Let's just focus on preparing the dowry."
"Stop teasing me, I need to think about it."
"Qiaoqiao, if you promised the county magistrate's wife that you would give her a reply, then don't keep ignoring them. I think if you have agreed, you should have your younger brother go to the city tomorrow and mention this matter to Manager Zhang. They will naturally send someone to propose marriage. Otherwise, people will say that we are being pretentious."
"Yes, Mother, I understand." Qian Qiaoqiao felt shy thinking about these things. Seeing her like this, the others didn't disturb her and went about their own business.
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