"Certainly, certainly!" Chairman Ma suddenly realized and said to Song Jiyun, "You all enjoy your meal, I’ll visit your kiln factory in a few days."
Then he seriously sized up Yuan Yunzhong and said, "This young man looks spirited. Truly handsome and beautiful."
Song Jiyun graciously thanked him and separated from Chairman Ma and the others, each taking their seats.
The dishes they had ordered were just served.
The server quietly set up their bowls and plates and enthusiastically introduced, "This is fried whitebait, this is cold mixed tofu skin, these are crispy fried balls, this is mixed stir-fry..." and especially introduced the added conch meat, "It’s a technique our owner learned from Guangzhou. You won’t find it anywhere else."
"Really?" Song Jiyun looked at Yuan Yunzhong with a smile and helped him grab some with her chopsticks, saying, "Try this, sir. How does it compare to the nine-holed conch you mentioned?"
Yuan Yunzhong looked deeply at her. He placed his wine near him and the tea near her.
A brief silence fell between them.
The voices next door carried over clearly: "So the person talking with Chairman Ma just now was the female owner of the Song Family Kiln Factory! I didn’t expect her to be so beautiful. Her fiancé is quite handsome too. They make a good match standing together."
Song Jiyun and Yuan Yunzhong were both startled.
"Their relationship must be great!" someone snickered, "Otherwise, why wouldn’t they go home right at their doorstep and instead go out to eat!"
"That’s for sure. Otherwise, today at The Eight Immortals Nunnery, their family’s son-in-law wouldn’t have personally dispersed the crowd and even promised that each government official helping today would get an extra one silver per day for meal expenses. He was bustling about, never acting like an outsider at all."
"That son-in-law the Second Old Master of the Song Family picked is really not bad. They do need a man to lend a hand; otherwise, with all the women and children in the house, no matter how capable, it would be tough without someone to rely on in a crisis."
"Mainly, the young couple gets along so well—they look like a perfect pair from a fairy tale. I noticed it the moment they walked in. The son-in-law of the Song Family always protected Miss Song, letting her walk on his inside; when he ordered, he chose half meat and half vegetarian dishes, ordered wine but didn’t forget to order tea, clearly considering Miss Song is still in mourning. To me, this is much more important than just providing support or managing the front door."
Someone should agree: "Exactly, exactly. Who raising a daughter wouldn’t hope to find a son-in-law who cherishes their little girl? Priceless treasures are easy to find, but true lovers are rare! It’s no wonder the Second Old Master has an eye for people that’s so accurate!"
What a load of nonsense!
Song Jiyun felt embarrassed, hurriedly served Yuan Yunzhong more dishes, and loudly reminded the people next door: "Eat, eat. Since the owner brought this all the way from Guangzhou, see if it suits your taste."
Yuan Yunzhong acted as if he had heard nothing, his eyelids low, conducting himself gracefully and silently eating.
The talking next door was abruptly cut off, as if silenced.
The neighboring booth suddenly fell dead quiet, without a sound.
Song Jiyun found it amusing.
She diligently poured Yuan Yunzhong a cup of Jinhua wine.
Though Yuan Yunzhong would not admit it, she had seen everything he had done!
After a short silence next door, whispering started again, occasionally words like "shy," "loving," and "getting married" could be heard.
Song Jiyun coughed softly twice.
Immediately, a burst of suppressed laughter came from next door.
This meal was no longer enjoyable!
Song Jiyun looked towards Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong sat up straight, his ears red, and a faint blush spread across his face.
On a closer look, she noticed that the Jinhua wine bottle next to him was empty.
"Is he drunk?"
Is that all he can handle?"
Yet, Yuan Yunzhong in such a state wasn’t only not annoying, but also seemed even more handsome because of the gentler angles of his eyes and eyebrows which gave off a sense of warmth.
It really was rare!
Song Jiyun quietly admired him from across for a while.
The voices next door gradually grew louder again.
"They must have come back from the Eight Immortals Nunnery, right? I had originally planned to go check out the scene myself, but got stuck halfway there. I heard it was packed with people, so crowded that you couldn’t even squeeze through, so I just turned back halfway."
"Have any of you been there? Is the Buddha statue really as lifelike and impeccable as everyone says, more exquisite than those carved from jade?"
"I didn’t make it there today either, got blocked right outside my door."
"I didn’t make it either!"
"Let’s go see it together another day. The Buddha statue isn’t going anywhere; it won’t grow legs and run off."
As the conversation continued, it eventually pulled back to Song Jiyun and Yuan Yunzhong.
"You know, this young couple both look so good, their children will definitely be beautiful. I just wonder whether Miss Song, after completing her three-year mourning period, will follow Song Family’s son-in-law to Suzhou?"
"What about the Song Family Kiln Factory then? If I were Madam Song, I’d try every possible means to keep this son-in-law here. Even if the child she’s expecting is a boy, having such a brother-in-law to rely on, dividing half of the family fortune in the future would be worth it. After all, giving it to the son-in-law is like giving it to the grandchildren, not to outsiders."
"That’s all in the future. You say, Miss Song of the Song Family is so beautiful, Second Miss and Third Miss must not be too far behind. I have a nephew, he’s top-notch in both character and appearance, and his family’s status is not inferior to the Song’s. How about I send someone to talk to Madam Song? Right after the mourning period is over, he can marry."
"Then your nephew would be striking a great bargain! Not to mention anything else, just speaking about looks, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone in the whole of Liang County who could match their son-in-law."
The person laughed guiltily, and their voice lowered again.
Song Jiyun had become numb to it.
You can’t really stop people from talking, can you?
She silently continued eating her meal.
She didn’t notice that Yuan Yunzhong’s ears across from her had turned even redder, and his mole, bright as a scarlet bean, seemed even more striking.
What she hadn’t expected was that someone indeed came to propose to Song Jiyu after they returned. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Madam Qian told her: "The other party asked Madam Yan to mediate. They are the Xiong Family, who supply us with firewood. They have three sons. The eldest is two years older than our Jiyu, the middle one is of the same age as Jiyu, and the youngest is two years younger than him. None of them are betrothed yet. If our family finds them suitable, we can choose any."
"I was thinking since they supply us with firewood, you must know them. This matter still needs your judgement."
Song Jiyun was amused yet frustrated.
She was indeed familiar with the Xiong Family.
She asked Madam Qian, "Did Madam Yan say anything else?"
Madam Qian thought for a moment, then said: "She also mentioned that Mrs. Xiong is kind-hearted and gentle, famous for her good temper, easy to get along with. If this marriage happens, Jiyu marrying into their family will definitely not suffer from her mother-in-law."
Song Jiyun stroked her forehead and said, "Did she tell you that the Xiong Family is from Wuyuan, the largest landlords there? Most of the wood used for our kilns in Jingde Town comes from them."
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