Chapter 635, High Requirements
Yan Mansion.
"Mom, what happened that made you call me back so anxiously?"
As soon as she came back, Daohua went to the main courtyard to see Madam Li.
Mrs. Li signaled Pingtong to give the note from the Dong family to Daohua.
Daohua took the notice and started reading it: "Is Uncle Dong celebrating his birthday?"
Madam Li said, "This year is Governor Dong's last year in Zhongzhou. With the Yongjia Marquisate helping him in the capital, he will definitely return to the capital next year. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to get together with more officials from Zhongzhou."
Daohua nodded. Yuan Yao and she often mentioned in their correspondence that since this year, their family has had a lot more gatherings than in previous years. They probably wanted to maintain more relationships with each family before leaving.
After all, in official circles, more connections mean more paths. The Dong family certainly doesn't want to leave Zhongzhou and cut off their connections here.
Daohua asked, "Are Yihuan and the others going this time?"
Mrs. Li nodded and said, "Let's all go." The four girls in the family had grown up and it was time for them to meet each other. Thinking of this, she smiled and waved to her daughters to sit next to her.
After Daohua sat down, Madam Li took her hand and said, "You will be coming of age next year, and it's time to consider some things. Tell me what kind of husband you want to find, so I can help you choose one."
Daohua hadn't expected Madam Li to bring this up so suddenly. She gave an awkward smile and was about to change the subject when Madam Li interrupted her, "You're not allowed to say you don't want to, and you're not allowed to say you don't know. This is your lifelong event. If you don't tell me what you want, how can I find you a partner? If I find you one according to my own ideas, would you be willing?"
Daohua quickly shook her head.
Madam Li smiled and continued, "Men should marry when they are old enough, and women should marry when they are old enough. This is the natural order of things. Besides, you are telling your mother, not anyone else. What is there to be ashamed of?"
Daohua lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief. After a while, she said, "Mother, I haven't thought about this yet. Can you wait until I think about it and then tell you?"
Madam Li glared at Daohua. "Every time I talk to you about this, you keep rambling. When you were little, I didn't force you. But now you're grown up, and I can't let you do what you want. If you don't say anything, I'll find you what I want."
Seeing Madam Li's serious face, Daohua knew she couldn't refuse this time. After pondering for a while, she stood up and said, "Okay, then, I'll just tell you what kind of man I like."
"First, you must be chaste and not have affairs with other women. My husband, besides me, cannot have any affair with other women, no matter if they are concubines or maids."
"Second, we must be responsible and have the ability to handle and bear the consequences when problems arise."
"Third, you must understand and tolerate me. You must not force me to do things I don't like, and you must not trap me in the backyard."
"Fourth, I can make money. Even if I don't rely on my family, I can still support myself and have my own things to do."
"Fifth, take care of your own family. Don't just follow what your parents say, and don't let them interfere in your family's affairs. When your family members are giving your daughter-in-law a hard time, you should stand by her unconditionally."
"Sixth, they need to have a good personality and good looks. They shouldn't be too dull or too glib, and they should be romantic, considerate, and gentle at times."
Daohua expressed her great pain in one breath.
Mrs. Li, Pingtong and Pingxiao were dumbfounded when they heard this.
Not to mention the other things, the first one is almost impossible to achieve in a wealthy family.
Daohua turned around and saw Madam Li staring at her blankly. She smiled shyly and said, "Mother, this is all I can think of for now. Please choose according to these few options. I will tell you when I think of other options in the future."
Mrs. Li swallowed hard. She had never expected her daughter to have such high expectations for her future husband. She asked with some difficulty, "Do you have any other requirements?"
Daohua nodded and said as if it was a matter of course, "Of course. Men are afraid of choosing the wrong career, and women are afraid of marrying the wrong man. Marriage affects a daughter's lifelong happiness, so there can't be any carelessness, so we must choose carefully."
Mrs. Li coughed a few times and said, "If you really follow your advice and look for someone, you might not be able to get married."
Daohua looked at Madam Li with full trust: "I believe in you. You will definitely help me find a husband like this."
Mrs. Li pulled the corners of her mouth stiffly, thinking that her daughter was deliberately giving her problems in order to prevent her from getting engaged and married so early.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Li waved at Daohua with a headache, indicating that she could leave.
When Daohua saw this, she immediately smiled and went out.
On September 20th, Mrs. Li took the four Daohua sisters to the provincial capital by boat.
This time when they came to the provincial government, Mrs. Li still stayed at the Li family with Daohua and the other three. Early the next morning, they went to the Dong family's house to attend the birthday banquet.
There were too many guests and Mrs. Dong couldn't leave, so Dong Yuanyao picked up Mrs. Li and others.
"Grandma, Madam Li and Yiyi are here."
Dong Yuanyao brought Daohua and his group to Mrs. Dong's yard.
"Greetings to the old lady."
Madam Li stepped forward and saluted with a smile, and Madam Dong quickly called people up.
Later, when it was Daohua's turn to pay her respects, Daohua clearly felt that Old Madam Dong's attitude towards her was not as warm as before. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that when Old Madam Dong smiled at her, her smile was somewhat forced.
Not long after, Dong Yuanyao went out to receive guests. When the women from various families sat together and chatted, Daohua saw that Old Madam Dong was only chatting and laughing with girls from other families, and never paid any attention to herself. Daohua was sure that she was alienated by Old Madam Dong.
This made her a little puzzled, but when she met Mrs. Dong next time and saw that Mrs. Dong treated her as always, she put the matter behind her.
After lunch, Dong Yuanyao took Daohua, Yan Yihan and others to the garden to digest the food. On the way, they met Dong Yuanxuan.
Dong Yuanyao looked surprised: "Brother, why are you here?"
Daohua, Yan Yihan and others were shocked to see Dong Yuanxuan had lost a lot of weight.
Daohua asked with concern, "Brother Dong, what's wrong with you? Why are you so thin? Are you sick?"
Seeing the concern on Daohua's face, Dong Yuanxuan's heart began to ache again. He lowered his eyes to hide the unspeakable emotions in his eyes. After a moment of silence, he forced a faint smile: "I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Sister Yan." As he spoke, he casually picked up the Moju beside him and said, "A guest wants to appreciate Moju, so I came to get it."
After saying that, he left quickly.
After everyone walked away, Daohua pulled Dong Yuanyao aside and asked, "What happened to Brother Dong?"
Dong Yuanyao whispered, "My brother isn't happy with the marriage our family arranged for him. He's been arguing with my grandmother and the others for the past few months. He's been sullen all day and hasn't been eating well. He's become so thin."
Daohua looked surprised: "Brother Dong is engaged? Whose girl is it?"
Dong Yuanyao: "The eldest daughter of the Marquis Zhaode family."
Daohua: "Born in a marquis's mansion, he's a good match for your family."
Dong Yuanyao sighed: "So what if we're a good match? The key is that my brother doesn't like her."
Daohua felt a little sympathetic towards Dong Yuanxuan. It was quite frustrating that he couldn't even make the decision on his own marriage. However, since it was someone else's family affair, she didn't want to say much and started talking about other things with Dong Yuanyao.
Dong Yuanyao: "Yiyi, when are you going back?"
Daohua: "In a couple of days, my third cousin is looking for someone, and my aunt wants my mother to help."
Hearing this, Dong Yuanyao's face lit up: "Then I'll come to play with you tomorrow."
Daohua smiled and nodded: "Okay."
(End of this chapter)
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