Seeing Ning Wu's anxiety, Ning Qiu stopped teasing him and simply looked up into his eyes, slowly saying:
"Yes, my father said that with bandits running rampant in the mountains, and who knows when it will end, it would be better to marry me off sooner, so that they can fulfill their wish."
Ning Wu became even more anxious upon hearing this.
"Qiu-meizi, you can't just get married without thinking it through. What if he treats you badly? What if your mother-in-law bullies you?"
Ning Qiu sighed and said:
"My parents arranged my marriage, what can I do? I can only let nature take its course. Alas, if I really marry a bad man and end up in a wicked family, then that is my fate."
Seeing Ning Qiu so despondent, Ning Wu anxiously scratched his head and paced back and forth.
"No, I absolutely cannot let you marry a stranger. What if you get bullied if you go to someone else's house!"
Upon hearing Ning Wu's words, Ning Qiu quickly lowered her head, covered her mouth, and chuckled. Ning Qiu found Ning Wu's silly demeanor quite endearing.
Jiang Yuwei, carrying a bowl of bone broth, passed by the two of them and overheard a bit of what was happening. Seeing Ning Wu pacing anxiously, she spoke up directly:
“Ning Wu, if you’re worried about Ning Qiu being bullied, why don’t you just marry her and protect her properly?”
Upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, Ning Qiu blushed to the roots of her neck, then looked up and glared at Jiang Yuwei, saying coquettishly:
"Sister Yuwei, what nonsense are you talking about? Stop teasing us!"
Ning Wu's eyes widened upon hearing this, as if he had thought of something. He turned to look at Jiang Yuwei and said:
"Sister Yuwei, what are you saying! How could I possibly marry Qiu Meizi!"
As soon as Ning Wu finished speaking, Ning Qiu looked at him in disbelief, then ran out with red eyes.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei, exasperated, slapped Ning Wu hard on the shoulder and scolded him:
"You silly Ningwu, look, you've made him cry! What are you standing there for! Go after him and apologize!"
Seeing this, Ning Wu panicked and hurriedly turned around to chase after Ning Qiu.
Jiang Yuwei shook her head helplessly as she watched his retreating figure.
After the food was served and everyone was seated, Ning Qiu and Ning Wu still hadn't returned.
Jiang Yuwei sighed.
"Hey, young man! Alright, let's eat first, otherwise the food will get cold, and I'll leave theirs in the pot."
Everyone was already itching to eat, seeing the huge table full of food. When Jiang Yuwei spoke, they all picked up their bowls and chopsticks and started eating heartily.
"Yuwei, your braised ribs are really delicious. Teach me how to make them sometime."
Liu placed a piece of spare rib in Gou Dan's bowl, looked up and smiled at Jiang Yuwei.
Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:
"Okay, next time I cook, you can help me. That fish is pretty good, you should try it."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and placed it in Liu's bowl.
Jiang Yuwei looked at Aunt Zhou and smiled:
“Aunt Zhou, you’re quite composed. I think your Ningwu is about to get married.”
Aunt Zhou laughed so hard her eyes disappeared after hearing this.
"Oh well, it's still far from certain, let them be."
Jiang Yuwei saw that Aunt Zhou was really not in a hurry. Today, Ning Qiu had mentioned to Ning Wu that her father wanted to arrange a marriage for her, which meant that she had feelings for Ning Wu. However, as a young lady, she was too shy to say it directly, so she could only urge him in this indirect way.
Little did anyone know that Ning Wu was a hothead, and in his haste, he said those things, which must have hurt Ning Qiu's feelings.
Judging from their daily interactions, Jiang Yuwei had long known that the two had feelings for each other, but since neither of them dared to make it public, she, as an outsider, naturally couldn't say anything.
Now that Ningqiu's family is pressuring her to get married, I should give her a hand.
So Jiang Yuwei picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and placed it in Aunt Zhou's bowl, smiling as she asked:
"Aunt Zhou, what do you think of Ning Qiu?"
While picking out fish bones, Aunt Zhou pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Ningqiu is a good girl. She is filial to her parents, hardworking and down-to-earth. Her family is also well-off, and they are considered one of the best in our Ningjia Village."
As she spoke, Aunt Zhou stuffed the fish into her mouth, chewing and nodding in praise:
"Yuwei, the fish you made is really delicious. It's not fishy or dry, and the flavor is just right. How did you make it? Please teach Aunt Zhou."
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei shook her head helplessly and said:
"Aunt Zhou, let's put the fish aside for now. I'll ask you one question today: do you really want Ning Qiu to be your daughter-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou abruptly dropped her chopsticks. She frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said hesitantly:
"I think, and I don't think, Ning Qiu is definitely perfect, without a single flaw. I'm just afraid that my Ning Wu is not good enough for her."
Uncle Youcai, who was standing to the side, sighed helplessly upon hearing this.
"Sigh, she's the village head's daughter. How could the village head possibly be interested in a family like ours? It's tough."
Seeing the elderly couple sighing and looking worried, Jiang Yuwei smiled and said:
"You are the grooms. If you truly like Ningqiu, you should take the initiative, no matter how difficult it is. Do you expect Ningqiu, a young woman, to rush into marrying into your family?"
As Jiang Yuwei spoke, she got up again to get a new pair of chopsticks for Aunt Zhou, handed them to her, and, seeing her worried face, comforted her:
"Aunt Zhou, don't worry. Since it's a mutual consent between the two of them, I'm sure the village head won't interfere too much. After all, the village head definitely wants his daughter to have a good life."
As Jiang Yuwei spoke, she sat down, picked up her bowl, and smiled:
"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. If you two are interested in Ning Qiu, I'll go and sound her out to the village head later. If we can really bring them together, it will be a wonderful match."
Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this, and she looked at Jiang Yuwei and smiled:
"Yuwei, I knew you were a kind-hearted person. Well then, we'll leave Ningwu's marriage to you."
As she spoke, Aunt Zhou quickly picked up her wine glass and tugged at Ning Youcai beside her, saying:
"Get up quickly, let's toast Yuwei together. We must remember Yuwei's great kindness for the rest of our lives."
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei also quickly got up, picked up her wine glass, and clinked glasses with Aunt Zhou and her husband.
Tie Zhu and Ning Daya, who were standing to the side, were also looking at Jiang Yuwei absentmindedly, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't.
When the two were picking up food, their eyes accidentally met, but they both blushed and dared not look at each other again.
Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, Ning Wu grabbed Ning Qiu's arm and hurriedly ran in from outside the courtyard.
Seeing that the two were out of breath, Jiang Yuwei was a little surprised and quickly got up to help Ning Qiu.
Ning Wu, without saying a word, quickly turned around, bolted the courtyard gate, and moved a box from the side of the gate to block the entrance.
He then nervously gestured for everyone to shush.
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