Chapter 596, Proposal
After returning to the Yan Mansion, Daohua went to Songhe Courtyard with Yan Wenkai and Su Shiyu. After meeting the elders of the family and the visiting Mrs. Dong and Mrs. Su, they returned to their own courtyard.
"Isn't Yuan Yao here with me?"
As soon as she returned to the yard, Daohua asked Guyu who was directing the maid to sweep the house.
Guyu smiled and replied, "Yes, Miss Dong seems a little tired and is resting on her bed."
Daohua nodded and quickly walked into the house.
At this moment, Dong Yuanyao was lying lazily on the rice flower bed. Although he was holding a storybook in his hand, he was distracted and the storybook was upside down.
Seeing this, Daohua walked over with a smile and snatched the book from her hand: "What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed?"
Dong Yuanyao was startled at first, but when she saw it was Daohua, she glanced at her with a smile and said, "Nothing." Then she snatched the storybook back.
Daohua didn't continue to argue with her, but reached out to feel the temperature of her forehead.
Dong Yuanyao smiled and said, "After Bishi came back, she made me ginger soup as you instructed. I drank a big bowl of it, so I won't catch a cold."
Seeing that Dong Yuanyao didn't have a fever, Daohua withdrew her hand and said, "You fell into the water today, so you should be more careful." She smiled and said, "You really should have come with us to the glass shop today. Sister Su got several nice pieces of glass."
Dong Yuanyao shook her head: "Brother Yan is choosing a gift for Shiyu, why would I bother to go?"
Seeing that Dong Yuanyao was not in a good mood, Daohua pulled the pillow over and lay down. After a moment of silence, she asked, "I didn't scare you today, did I?"
Dong Yuanyao shook her head. "I was a little scared at the time, but now that I think about it, it's okay." She then lay down next to Daohua. "Yiyi, isn't it strange? Why do accidents always happen every time I meet Sun Changze?"
Daohua thought back to the several times Dong Yuanyao and Sun Changze had met, and said with a smile, "If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have realized it. Now that I think about it, it's really like that."
Dong Yuanyao was silent for a moment: "Yiyi, Sun Changze has saved me three times. The first and second times can be said to be coincidences, but what about the third time? Do you think he and I are destined to be together?"
Daohua pursed her lips and didn't answer. She didn't know how to respond.
If she said they were destined to be together, she was afraid that Yuan Yao would care more about Sun Changze; if she said they were not destined to be together, it would be a bit far-fetched.
Dong Yuanyao continued, "Yiyi, I feel like I did something wrong before. I shouldn't have said that about you and the young prince."
Daohua looked surprised and turned to look at her: "Huh?"
Dong Yuanyao looked at the ceiling of the tent and said, "When I first saw how much the young prince cared about you, I advised you to stay away from him. Now that I think about it, I really shouldn't have done that. Matters of the heart are often beyond our control."
Daohua looked at Dong Yuanyao silently.
Is Yuan Yao trying to put herself in other people's shoes?
She's already so obsessed with Sun Changze?!
After a while, Daohua finally spoke: "I know, you are doing this for my own good."
Dong Yuanyao turned her head sharply and looked at Daohua: "Are you worried? I can see that you are very concerned about the young prince now, but he will return to the capital one day. Have you thought about what to do then?"
Daohua was silent for a while. "My father's political achievements in the past two years have been quite good. I think there is a high possibility that he will be transferred to the capital."
She had made contributions in the gold mines, iron mines, and in uncovering the Eight Kings' secret transmission. Xiao Yeyang said that it was unlikely that the credit would fall on her, but her father and brother would benefit from it.
Dong Yuanyao: "But once we enter the capital, the gap between your status and the young prince's is still huge. What if the Empress Dowager or the Emperor in the palace wants to arrange a marriage for the young prince?"
Daohua pursed her lips and said in a somewhat aggressive tone: "This is Xiao Yeyang's business, let him deal with it himself."
Dong Yuanyao was stunned for a moment: "Are you angry?"
Daohua shook her head: "I just think he's too busy."
Dong Yuanyao was silent for a moment. She felt as if she had let the young prince take the blame for no reason. "Everything has two sides. As a member of the royal family, with status and position, the shackles on my body are naturally more than others."
As he said this, he sighed.
"It's not good to have a low status either."
Daohua turned to look at her: "Are you talking about Sun Changze?"
Dong Yuanyao hesitated for a moment: "I like him very much."
Daohua thought for a moment and said, "Yuanyao, I also think Sun Changze is a good person. However, maybe we are just attracted by his temperament that is different from that of the children of aristocratic families."
“People tend to develop a liking for novel people and things in a short period of time.”
"But when you're dealing with people, especially those you have to face for a long time, you can't just rely on this fleeting goodwill."
"Think about it, there's a huge gap between our lives and his. It's not just the difference in status, but also in living habits and thinking."
"When we have a crush on someone, we tend to overlook their shortcomings and tolerate some behaviors that don't meet our standards. But what happens over time?"
Dong Yuanyao was stunned, looking at the ceiling of the tent, wondering what he was thinking.
Daohua looked at her and said nothing more.
The two lay on the bed for a while, and then Wang Maner came in and asked them to go to the old lady's yard for dinner.
The Dong and Su families stayed at Yan's house for one night and prepared to return to the provincial government the next day.
In front of the gate of Yan's mansion, Daohua followed Madam Li and said goodbye to everyone.
"Sister Su, Yuan Yao, if you have nothing to do in the future, you can come to Ningmen Mansion often!"
Hearing Daohua's words, Mrs. Dong immediately smiled and said, "Yiyi, you can come to the provincial government often in the future. Even if it's not convenient to stay at our house, you can stay at the Su family's. After all, we are all relatives, and it's cheaper."
Last night, the Yan family and the Su family exchanged engagement tokens, and the marriage between the fourth son of the Yan family and the third daughter of the Su family was settled. Now they just have to wait for the second son to get engaged, and then they can ask the official matchmaker to come to propose marriage.
As soon as these words came out, Daohua immediately said happily: "Okay, Aunt Su and Sister Su must not dislike me when the time comes."
Su Shiyu's face was already red with embarrassment, but Madam Su took Daohua's hand affectionately and said, "If you can come, Shiyu will definitely make a bed for you."
Everyone exchanged greetings for a while, and then Mrs. Dong and Mrs. Su took Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu into the carriage.
Watching the carriage go away, Mrs. Li smiled and returned home with Daohua.
Looking at Madam Li's relaxed expression, Daohua smiled and said, "Fourth Brother and Sister Su's relationship is settled, and mother is so happy?"
Mrs. Li smiled and said, "Of course I'm happy. Now that both of your brothers have found desirable marriages, I can finally put my mind at ease." As she spoke, she glanced at the rice flowers and said, "Now only yours is left."
Daohua quickly said, "Mom, I'm not in a hurry."
Mrs. Li: "It doesn't matter whether you are anxious or not. It's enough for me to be anxious. Don't worry, I will definitely choose a marriage that suits you." As she said that, she walked towards the main courtyard.
Now that her youngest son's marriage has been arranged, it's time for her to prepare the betrothal gifts.
It’s time to start sorting out my daughter’s dowry.
Daohua hurried to catch up, and repeatedly said on the way that she was not in a hurry to find anyone.
At the same time, in the backyard of Zhu Jiaoyu's residence in Xingzhou.
"Third sister-in-law, I beg you, Qiyun is your niece after all. Please, for the sake of her dead father, help her get a marriage with the Yan family."
When Madam Zhu saw that Madam Zhu Si was about to kneel, she quickly stood up and pulled her back: "What are you doing? If the clan members saw this, they would accuse me of bullying my sister-in-law."
Mrs. Zhu Si quickly apologized: "I was just too anxious, it was not intentional."
Madam Zhu waved her hands and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, I know you didn't mean it." She frowned and said, "Do you really think the Yan family is a good place to go?"
"To be honest with you, even though the Second Lady of the Yan family is a commoner and lives off her brother and sister-in-law, she has very high standards. I've heard before that the women Second Lady Yan likes are all from the families of fifth or sixth-rank officials. Not to mention Qiyun, who had her engagement broken off, even my Xiuyun might not be considered by them. You're trying so hard to get close to her. Aren't you just trying to make people laugh at you?"
Mrs. Zhu Si's face turned pale.
Seeing her like this, Madam Zhu sighed, "I know you don't like the wife of the Pingzhou magistrate, and I don't have much affection for her either, but the magistrate is a fifth-rank official after all. If Qiyun marries the magistrate's son, it will be good for Junhui in the future. Don't just think about your daughter, you have to consider your son's future too, right?"
Master Zhu Si's lips trembled. "But the Pingzhou governor's son is a fool. How could I bear to let Qiyun marry such a man?"
Madam Zhu: "It can't be helped. It was Qiyun who broke off the engagement. Now that she's married into a family of officials, it's already a great blessing. You shouldn't be so picky."
Seeing that Mrs. Zhu Si looked like she could not stand, Mrs. Zhu did not want to say anything more. She stood up and said, "I still have to take care of household chores. You think about it here by yourself." After that, she left quickly.
After Madam Zhu left, Zhu Qiyun came in and took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears off Madam Zhu Si's face: "Mother, this is my fate. I will just accept it."
Looking at her daughter's face pretending to be strong, Mrs. Zhu Si's heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. After being silent for a while, she suddenly stood up and ran straight to the front yard.
"Mom, where are you going?" Zhu Qiyun hurriedly chased after her.
Zhu Sizhu paused and looked at Zhu Qiyun. "Your father helped your third uncle a lot back then. After your father died, mother never asked him for anything. I'll go and ask him for help now."
Zhu Qiyun's face was bitter. "Mother, even if you go to ask Uncle San, it's probably useless. Didn't you hear what Aunt San said? Madam Yan has very high standards. They won't be interested in me."
Mrs. Zhu insisted on going: "Since the Yan family is arranging blind dates for their children, then you have a chance. Regardless of whether you are chosen in the end, I have to give it a try. I can't really let you marry a fool."
Zhu Qiyun held onto Mrs. Zhu Si tightly. She didn't want to see her mother begging for help in a humble manner.
Madam Zhu Si pulled Zhu Qiyun away and said, "It's not appropriate for you to go to the front yard, so don't follow me." After saying that, she left quickly.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
