Chapter 95
Gu Xinxin raised her finger. "First, she must have good character and no bad habits, such as drinking, gambling, or prostitution. Second, she must have a decent appearance. If she's too ugly, I wouldn't even be able to eat, let alone get along with her. Third, she must have a clean family tradition. If someone like the He family wants to force me to be their concubine after seeing my prescription, I absolutely can't do that. Even if the He family honestly pays for the house, I still admire their resilience. Fourth, she must have a simple family background. The number of elders isn't a problem, but she shouldn't have any illegitimate brothers or sisters."
If a father likes to take concubines, his son will not be much better.
But unfortunately, in this world, taking concubines is normal. If she had made not allowing concubines a condition, the official media would have thought she was mentally ill. So she had to put it another way: more people means more food and more money. Moreover, there would be friction between brothers and sisters, which is also troublesome.
"Fifth, your family can't be too poor. It's best if your family is of equal status to mine. If not, they can't be too far behind mine. I'm going to get married, not to help the poor. My ability to make money doesn't mean I can endure hardship."
Gu Xinxin raised five fingers, looking like she was going to slap someone.
The official media twitched their lips, not knowing what to say. Gu Xinxin had a lot of qualifications, and everything she said sounded legitimate and reasonable. The Gu family… aside from rumors of a less-than-honest stepmother, there was nothing much to say about them; their family traditions weren't bad. Gu Xinxin, this girl, didn't seem to have a good temper, but she could make money, and that alone was worth many others.
Gu Xinxin's appearance is not bad, she is pretty and has a moderate figure. You can't marry a girl like this to a very ugly person, right?
Furthermore, the term "poverty alleviation" sounded new at first, but the more the official media thought about it, the more they felt that the term had some meaning.
It is true that a young girl cannot marry to help the poor. If she lives in her parents' home, she will live the same life after getting married. This is true. No matter whose family you work for, it is still work.
But if a girl is a hard-working person at home, why should she be forced to work when she moves in to her husband's family? Is there no work to do at her parents' home?
Of course, the same applies to men. If your family was like this before, your wife will be like this after you marry her. This is what it means to be well-matched. If your family had little work before, but after you marry your wife, you have to do a lot of work, then this also means that the marriage is not a good match.
The official media wanted to give Gu Xinxin a thumbs up, as what she said was really interesting.
She coughed lightly. "Your requirements... don't sound like much, but there's nothing perfect in this world. If you want a decent character, he might be a little ugly. If you want him to have a clean family, he might have a large family with many mouths to feed..."
Gu Xinxin waved her hand: "I am only speaking from my own conditions. Marriage is a big deal, and it's important to be well-matched. I'm not marrying up, so I'm not marrying down either. If you can help me find a suitable family, I'll also give you a thank you gift."
Anyway, it’s up to her to decide whether it’s appropriate or not.
Character and appearance are the things that can dig up the most room for improvement.
Having said that, it was obvious that the He family’s plan was doomed, and the official media had no choice but to get up and leave.
As soon as she left, Gu Xinxin began to walk in circles in the yard. What should she do? There was only one year left. Where would she find the right person to marry? Even if the official media was mainly trying to scare her, some of what they said was definitely true. For example, once taxes started to be paid, it would be even more difficult to get married.
Among the people she knows, is there anyone suitable for marriage?
In the village... she gathered all the young men of marriageable age. Well, everyone had their own shortcomings.
She even searched through the Huaishu Town area, but couldn't find anyone suitable. Some flaws were acceptable, like a poor family, since she could earn her own money. But some flaws were unacceptable—for example, a poor family yet still insisting on having a bunch of children, or a son.
There is also a Huaishu Town in the village, and eight out of ten households are like this.
If they dug deeper, it would be the turn of Gu Xiangrong's classmates, but Gu Xinxin just thought about it and shuddered and shook her head quickly - she felt guilty.
She was a classmate of Gu Xiangrong's, and the oldest was probably only fourteen or fifteen, right? Even though she could get married in this era... Never mind. Even though she had traveled through time, she was a flower-growing person in life and a flower-growing ghost in death. Since she couldn't get over this mental barrier, then, shouldn't she just consider anyone under eighteen?
Suddenly, Gu Xinxin thought of a person - Cheng Shansong. Is he eighteen or nineteen this year?
If he is nineteen, he is still three years short.
Even though she still didn't meet the legal requirements, she was an adult after all, right? As long as she was an adult, she could get married first and then wait a year or two.
First, Cheng Shansong's appearance was respectable, even somewhat handsome. Second, Cheng Shansong had good character. He wasn't foolishly filial, nor was he stubborn. Even though he knew about her business, he didn't show any disdain for women. Third, Cheng Shansong got along well with her, without going out of his way to avoid suspicion or trying to pry into her.
Fourth, Dean Cheng does not take concubines, and Cheng Shansong does not have any illegitimate brothers or sisters.
Fifth, and most importantly, Cheng Shansong was a scholar and would soon be an official. If he became an official, he wouldn't have to wait patiently for Gu Xiangrong to pass the imperial examination, nor would he have to hold down his business and run a workshop in the village.
She could simply build a factory in the county town and then open a storefront. That way, she would be able to accomplish her goal in one step, right?
No need to work hard to promote your products everywhere.
The more Gu Xinxin thought about it, the more she felt that there was great potential for success.
Her face was a little excited, and she hurried to the workshop to look for someone: "Who is leaving for the capital tomorrow?"
Gu Daniu didn't plan to go. There was nothing fun to do in the city. He would just stay in an inn when he got there and come back after two days. He wouldn't even have a chance to go out.
However, Gu Xinxin looked around and pointed at someone: "Dad, come with me. There is something important."
Gu Daniu remained silent, so Gu Xinxin offered him a reward: "I'll buy you some clothes when we get to the city. Don't they have those deerskin boots in the city? Buy you a pair too. Winter is coming soon, and deerskin boots are much warmer than cotton shoes. Dad, you're always out and about, so they'll be more comfortable."
Although Gu Daniu had never worn them, he had heard that "deerskin boots are not cheap."
Gu Xinxin smiled and said, "I'm buying it for my dad. It doesn't matter how much it costs. Are you going to the capital city tomorrow?"
Gu Daniu nodded: "Go, don't you have to try on the boots before buying them? What if they don't fit?" They are so expensive, and it won't do if they are too big or too small.
The father and daughter got up at four in the morning and ate the dry food that Gu Chen had prepared for them the night before. Since it was cold, the dry food would last a while. The steamed buns were just that, and they could be eaten by soaking them in hot water or grilling them over charcoal.
When they arrived at the provincial capital, Gu Xinxin sent Gu Daniu to buy boots by himself. She gave him ten taels of silver and said, "If you have any extra, buy a pair for grandma."
She didn't want to go back and be nagged by the old lady again. It wasn't that she was afraid of the old lady's naughtiness, she simply wanted to have some peace and quiet.
When he arrived at the provincial school, he asked someone to help him call Cheng Shansong.
Cheng Shansong came out in a hurry a moment later: "But what's the problem with the shop?"
Otherwise, if he remembered correctly, Gu Xinxin had just returned a few days ago?
Gu Xinxin coughed lightly: "It's not about the shop, it's about something else. Um, are you engaged?"
Although it is a bit difficult and embarrassing to say it, but in business, it is a big problem if you can't say it, so I made up my mind to say what I should say.
Cheng Shansong was a little puzzled: "Engaged? No, but what did you hear in town? My father or my uncle?"
Gu Xinxin waved her hand: "No, I didn't have time to go to town. It was the official media who came to my house and reminded me that I will be seventeen next year."
Cheng Shansong was quick-witted and understood immediately. Then, his face flushed all the way to his ears. "I'm not engaged yet. Are you not engaged either?"
He was shy, but Gu Xinxin wasn't shy anymore. She nodded openly, "Yes, I don't want to pay taxes when the time comes, but I also don't want to rush into a marriage. If you're not engaged, I think you're a good person. Although your family has some... but compared to you, these are nothing."
Just like what the official media said, is there anything perfect in this world?
If she really wanted to pick a harmonious family, she guaranteed that the official media wouldn't be able to find one even if they searched for another ten years. Even teeth and tongues clash sometimes, but who among husbands and wives can say they haven't had an argument in their entire lives?
So, in her opinion, the Cheng family's matter was not a big deal.
Gu Xinxin coughed lightly. "Well, what do you think of me? Although I come from a farming family, I'm studious. I can read and write, do accounting and housekeeping, and make money and run a business. My younger brother is also studying. Even if he doesn't pass the imperial examination in the future, he can probably become a scholar."
As for changing one's family, if one generation fails, two generations will succeed, and if two generations fail, three generations will succeed.
Doesn’t the Cheng family only have two scholars now?
Gu Xinxin didn't feel guilty at all: "I look pretty good, and I'm healthy. I won't die young."
Cheng Shansong opened his mouth, feeling shy on the one hand. In this era, it was the first time he had seen someone like Gu Xinxin come to him and openly promote herself and talk about marriage. He should have found it incredible, but he also felt that Gu Xinxin's frankness was cute.
He actually felt very happy and comfortable about this frankness.
On the one hand, he felt a kind of excitement that made him feel helpless, and the excitement of a pie falling on his head.
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