Grandma Ye looked at Grandpa Ye, whose coat was askew, and laughed:
"Are you still half asleep? Mr. Shen wants to propose marriage to our Caiping. He'll be here tomorrow."
Old Man Ye was so shocked that his mouth almost dropped open. Ye Caiping and Mr. Shen?
He had noticed something a while ago, and his wife often complained that Caiping had no one to care for her.
But suddenly they're talking about proposing marriage... Old Man Ye felt it was all so sudden!
I felt incredibly bitter, like my own cabbage had been eaten by a pig, even if that pig was a golden pig! But it couldn't stop it from eating my cabbage!
After a long pause, Old Man Ye finally managed to say, "Daquan...won't agree."
"Hmph, he dares to disagree? I'll beat him to death!" Old Mrs. Ye pinched her waist. "Jinhua, call your father, your eldest and second brothers, and your second uncle over. Let's discuss the matter to be finalized tomorrow."
Jin Hua said, "My second brother went on a study tour with Master Qian and won't be back for a few days."
"Oh, then call everyone over except your second brother."
Okay.
Jin Hua ran out happily.
Ye Caiping's mind was blank at that moment. She turned around woodenly, went back to her room woodenly, and then closed the door tightly.
The thought of the chaotic scene that was about to unfold made her feel somewhat unable to accept it.
After Jin Hua returned home, she told Ye Daquan and Ye Yong about Shen Zhiyan's marriage proposal the next day.
Ye Daquan felt a thunderous roar, his mind nearly exploding, and for the second time, he felt the grief and indignation of losing his sister!
Then, he rushed to Ye Caiping's house in a flurry of activity.
Then he knocked on Ye Caiping's door: "Little sister... little sister—what's wrong? Little sister—"
Ye Caiping huddled on the bed, ignoring him.
Grandma Ye and her husband, along with everyone from the eldest branch of the family, covered their ears and let him howl!
After he howled for more than fifteen minutes, his voice almost hoarse, Old Mrs. Ye finally roared, "Shut up! You're all in pairs, does your little sister deserve to be all alone?"
Ye Daquan said in a hoarse voice, "I just don't want my little sister to leave..."
"You're happy that she won't leave, but have you thought about how she feels? Just because you can't bear to part with her, does that mean she has to stay with you all the time and accommodate you? Is that spoiling her? You're being selfish!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Daquan's composure crumbled again: "Mother... I didn't ask my little sister to accommodate me. I give her whatever she wants. If anyone should accommodate someone, it's me who accommodates her."
"That's settled then! Why are you howling?" Old Mrs. Ye glared at him.
Ye Daquan deflated, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Even if we were to look for someone, I think we should find a husband who will move in with us! My younger sister has money, a house, and a daughter. If she wants to find someone to keep her warm, why not find one who will move in with her? If we can't find one, we'll just buy one!"
Four-legged toads are hard to find, and even two-legged pretty boys are hard to come by.
Grandma Ye laughed in exasperation: "Pah! You're such a brat! What kind of talk is that? So many ideas? What, you think you're smarter than her?"
"No... I'm naturally not as smart as my little sister."
"That settles it. It's not a question of whether to recruit or not; it's a question of whether it suits our tastes."
Unable to argue with Old Madam Ye, Ye Daquan called out into the room, "Little sister—"
Ye Caiping opened the door with a creak and stared at him.
Ye Daquan, his eyes red and brimming with tears, his stubble-covered lips trembling, looked at her pitifully and pleadingly. Ye Caiping's lips twitched slightly: "Sweetie, stop crying. You're not allowed to cause trouble when Mr. Chen comes to propose tomorrow."
Ye Daquan was stunned again: "What? Your boyfriend is Mr. Shen? Is it that Mr. Shen?"
Jin Hua squeezed forward: "Yes, it's Mr. Shen who taught my second brother to be the top scholar! Mr. Shen who became the top scholar at the age of seventeen! Mr. Shen who comes to visit every now and then."
Ye Daquan gasped, "Isn't he just a scholar? None of those scholars are any good."
Ye Caiping: "He is not a scholar, he is a teacher."
"Isn't that the leader of the scholars?" Ye Daquan said angrily. "I knew it! Why did they have to take Xuan'er out of all the others, and even refuse tuition! They were planning to steal my little sister away all along. It's true what they say, free things are always the most expensive."
Grandma Ye, Madam Du, and Jinhua: "..."
Old Man Ye sighed, "Daquan... he's even spouting profound truths now."
Ye Caiping laughed in exasperation: "What are you thinking! Alright, go home and keep crying. After you're done, wash up and go to bed. No causing trouble tomorrow, understand?"
Ye Daquan bit his lip, let out a final howl, and sadly turned and ran away.
"I'll go check on him," said Madam Du, and then she chased after him.
Back home, Ye Daquan sat in the corridor, sulking.
Du nudged him: "Mr. Shen is so good! He's handsome and learned."
Ye Daquan said in a muffled voice, "Back when Li Zhiyuan was around, you all praised him for his handsome appearance and erudition."
Du's lips twitched slightly: "How can Li Zhiyuan compare to Mr. Shen? Mr. Shen is a hundred times better looking than him, a hundred times more learned, and a hundred times better from a better family. Moreover, he has better character!"
Ye Daquan kept a straight face and remained silent. What use were looks, education, and family background? He was afraid that his younger sister would be bullied like before after she married into the family.
"And another thing, Caiping's marriage to Mr. Shen is such a great honor! Before, all the suitors were ugly and unattractive, and everyone thought that our Caiping would never be able to get married and could only be matched with those men as a concubine. Now that we've married the top scholar, we've regained our honor."
After saying that, seeing that he was still frowning, Du snorted: "What's wrong? So awkward, you don't want to go tomorrow either!"
Ye Daquan immediately became anxious upon hearing this: "Who said I'm not going!"
"Then you're not allowed to cause trouble, or I'll be angry with you for the rest of my life."
"No fuss! But it's just a marriage proposal, not a wedding! We've never even met his family, who knows what they'll ask for. My parents might not even agree! Humph!"
Hearing this, Madam Du was also a little worried. After all, Mr. Shen's family was an official family.
That elder brother is a Minister! He's a true native of the capital, I'm just afraid this marriage won't go well.
Thinking about it, Du went to Ye Caiping's house again.
......
Ye Erquan and Yinhua arrived and were talking in the main room.
The father and daughter were startled to learn that Shen Zhiyan would be coming to propose marriage the next day.
Ye Erquan was very reluctant. He had a lot of problems at home and couldn't offer any advice. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said:
"Shall we come and take a look tomorrow?"
"Of course, my eldest and second eldest brothers will come over then." Ye Caiping handed him a cup of tea.
Just then, Madam Du walked in.
Ye Caiping asked, "How is my brother?"
"It's nothing." Madam Du sat down in the lower chair. "It's just... the Shen family is a prominent and wealthy household, I wonder if they have any rules?"
Grandma Ye, who was smiling happily, suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.
She had been worried about this for a long time. She always felt that Mr. Shen was good, but too good, and she was afraid that her in-laws would look down on him.
Ye Caiping remained calm, took a sip of tea, and said, "I don't know, I'll find out tomorrow."
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