Xia Hua and Wen Fan also got into the carriage, but Wen Fan said, "Uncle, this matter is not settled yet. I will tell you after it is settled." After saying that, he climbed into the carriage.
Upon arriving at Prefect Xiao's residence, the group disembarked from their carriage. Wen Fan went over to present their visiting cards, and shortly after, the prefect's steward came out and invited them inside.
An Shuyi and Xia Hua walked in front, Wen Fan followed behind with the gifts, and Chang Wu waited outside. As soon as they entered the courtyard, Prefect Xiao came out and said warmly, "Madam An, Madam Xia, we are honored to have you here."
The night he returned from Taoyuan Village, he told his wife about the two ladies coming to the mansion and his own speculations. Unexpectedly, she also thought highly of Madam An's son.
Yesterday, he had planned to stay home and not attend to official business, but his wife said that there was such an important event in the village that neither of the two ladies would come, and told him to go and handle his affairs without worry.
He stayed at the mansion today to wait for the two of them, and he didn't expect his wife to be so right.
An Shuyi said, "Please forgive my unauthorized visit. I have prepared a small gift as a token of my respect. Wenfan, bring the things up."
Prefect Xiao looked at the man who stepped forward; he seemed different from anyone he had seen before. Nevertheless, he instructed his servants to accept the gifts and dismiss the rest. "Madam An, this gentleman is…"
"This is Wen Fan, my nephew. You should have met him before." An Shuyi looked at Magistrate Xiao, whose expression seemed off, and wondered if there was something wrong with Wen Fan.
"I've met you before, the third-ranked scholar, isn't that right!" Although they share the same surname, Lin, he is quite different from Madam An's son, after all, he is just a nephew.
Seeing her husband's pale face, the prefect's wife said, "Husband, how can we let our guests stand and talk? Ladies, please come in."
“Yes, I didn’t realize it for a moment. Please come in, both of you,” Prefect Xiao said.
"You two don't need to be so polite, please come in too!" After they went inside, An Shuyi said, "Where is your daughter?"
"Wan'er just found out you were coming, so she went back to her room to freshen up. She'll be here in a bit!" said the prefect's wife.
An Shuyi nodded, "Girls love beauty. Miss Wan'er is fifteen this year, right? I wonder if she is betrothed yet. Speaking of which, every time I see Miss Wan'er, I like her very much. I wish she were my daughter."
"Not yet, she's still young. We want to keep her for another two years," the prefect's wife said, glancing at the man behind An Shuren.
This is not An Shuren's son at all; he is not the same person her husband said he was.
“That’s true,” An Shuyi glanced at the two of them and continued, “A young lady should stay for a couple more years, but she can settle down first and get married a couple of years later. This will allow her to develop feelings for the girl. I’m not afraid to tell you this, but my nephew has liked your Miss Wan’er ever since he met her.”
“He is now a fifth-rank official, working in the Ministry of Revenue. He is also very handsome. If Miss Wan’er is willing, after marriage, if she doesn’t want to stay in the village, she can go to the capital. She can stay in the village as well, and she won’t be bored every day.”
"You two, take a look, could this be a perfect match?"
The prefect's wife hesitated for a moment, then said, "Madam An, we can't make this decision for the child directly. We should ask Wan'er's opinion first. Young ladies have strong opinions. I'll get back to you after I've asked her, okay?"
Upon hearing this, An Shuyi knew that he looked down on Wen Fan. He said that his daughter had a strong will, but in the end, it was still her who made the decision. She glanced at Wen Fan behind her, who looked like he had no will, and thought, "Fine, I'll give him a hand."
“It’s good that the girl has a strong will, but she’s still a child. If we listen to her in everything, how can we be parents? We’re all smart people, so let’s not use the girl as a raft.”
"Why don't we call Miss Wan'er out? If she takes a liking to my nephew, I guarantee that within two years, Wen Fan will become a third-rank official. And Prefect Xiao, you want to return to the capital, right? That's fine too."
"But if Miss Wan'er doesn't think much of my nephew, then pretend I didn't say anything." Two years later, let alone a third-rank official, even a first-rank official would be fine.
The prefect's wife was a little taken aback by An Shuren's sudden change in demeanor. After all, when she met An Shuren before, she was always smiling and very easy to get along with. But now she exuded an aura that was even more imposing than her mother-in-law.
"Go and call Wan'er out," Prefect Xiao said from the side. This was the first time he had seen Madam An like this. If it were Madam Xia, he would think it was normal, but this was Madam An.
The prefect's wife nodded, went outside, and told her maid to call her daughter.
After waiting for a while, a figure appeared outside, graceful and elegant. She truly lived up to her status as a daughter of an official; even her walk was so beautiful.
An Shuyi waved, "Is that Wan'er? She's so pretty. Come here to your auntie."
Xiao Wan'er glanced at her mother, nodded, and then walked over. "Wan'er greets the two ladies and Young Master Lin." She then bowed slightly.
An Shuyi pulled the person up, saying, "She's really beautiful, such a lovely girl." After saying that, she took off the bracelet from her hand and put it on the person's wrist.
She was coming today, so she took off her old bracelet. This one is new and she's never worn it before. She's doing this for the moment. The red jade bracelet was bought by Huahua, and she couldn't bear to give it away.
"My lady, this is unacceptable!"
"It's just a small gift, how could it be unacceptable? Wan'er is fifteen this year, it's time to find a soulmate. I wonder if you would consider my nephew?" An Shuyi said, pulling Wen Fan over.
"He is my nephew, Lin Wenfan. He is very handsome and has taken a liking to you ever since we first met. I wonder if you are interested?"
Xiao Wan'er did not answer her question, but turned to look at her parents. Prefect Xiao said, "You don't need to ask your parents' opinions. You make your own decision."
He doted on his two daughters and did everything according to their wishes. He would never sell his daughters to get a promotion.
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