A marriage proposal? From the Du Family!
Suspicion flickered in Jiang Xinghai's eyes as he reached for it.
Shen Lingxue, clearly unaware of the situation, snatched it away. "Dad, when did the Du Family send this proposal?"
"While you and Lulu were walking in the back garden."
Shen Zhengye's smile was a bit forced. "Give it back to Jiang."
"It's not for ?" Shen Lingxue looked mortified.
Shen Zhengye sighed. "When the Du Family delivered it, they specified it was for Jiang by na... And this proposal is sealed with wax, so I don't know what's inside either."
"Jiang, here." Shen Lingxue clicked her tongue.
As Jiang Xinghai took it, he couldn't help but feel awkward as well.
He knew of the Du Family; they were one of the Four Great Martial Arts Clans of Jizhou.
Now, with the Wang Family annihilated, the Song Family relocated, and the Yu Family wiped out, only the Du Family remained!
'What is the Du Family playing at?'
'Are they trying to rope in?'
'To get to marry into their family?'
"What are you hesitating for, Brother Xinghai?"
Just then, Feng Lulu asked with a playful smile, "How about I open it for you?"
"Lulu, don't ss around." Lin Liping, who had been staring intently at Jiang Xinghai, pulled Feng Lulu back.
She didn't dare to hope that she would end up with Jiang Xinghai.
But after the last few days of being so close to him, her heart was already completely filled with his image.
Now that the Du Family had sent a marriage proposal, even though she was silently wishing Jiang Xinghai well, she couldn't help but feel a pang of reluctance.
"Forget it. I don't want to look."
Jiang Xinghai was about to casually rip it up, but Shen Lingxue snatched it away.
"I swear, Jiang, are you an idiot?"
Shen Lingxue adopted the tone of a scolding elder. "The Du Family is the only great Martial Arts Clan left in Jizhou. And their daughter, Du Fangfei, is a peerless beauty. Not only is she multitalented, but she's a martial artist, too. She's more than a good match for you."
"That's right."
Shen Zhengye nodded, chiming in, "The Du Family is famously low-key and reserved. For years, they've been donating money to help the poor, so the people of Jizhou call them living Buddhas. Marrying the Du Family's daughter would indeed be a fine match."
Although he had always wanted his own daughter, Shen Lingxue, to marry Jiang Xinghai, he felt he had to state the reality of the situation.
"Dad, let's go inside and talk."
Shen Lingxue pouted with a hint of dissatisfaction and walked into the house, still holding the proposal.
The group went inside.
Shen Lingxue waved the proposal. "Jiang Xinghai, are you sure you want to tear it up?"
"Go ahead and tear it. I have no interest," Jiang Xinghai said with a faint smile.
"You should think this through. Tearing it up would be a terrible waste."
Although Shen Lingxue wanted to tear it up herself, she reminded him out of concern for his best interests.
"Brother Xinghai, I think marrying into the Du Family would be a great move for you."
Just then, Feng Lulu walked over to Jiang Xinghai and pretended to straighten his clothes. "Mmm, so handso and dashing. If I were a rich young lady, I'd definitely make you my kept man."
"Sure. I have a weak stomach, so I'm perfect for a soft rice diet," Jiang Xinghai replied with an innocent smile.
"You're not actually thinking of marrying into the Du Family, are you?" Feng Lulu was taken aback.
"What's so bad about marrying into the Du Family?"
Jiang Xinghai began to analyze with a straight face. "The Du Family is huge and influential. If I marry into it, I could save myself decades of hard work. Why wouldn't I do it?"
"You..." Feng Lulu was speechless.
'He's got a point!'
Lin Liping quickly pulled Feng Lulu back. "Actually, there's no sha in marrying into a family, now or ever. It's just a part of life. It's perfectly normal."
"Exactly. The Poetry Sword Immortal Li Bai married into his wife's family twice, you know," Jiang Xinghai chuckled.
Everyone was left speechless.
'Then again, he had a point.'
"Jiang, we haven't even opened the proposal yet. We have no idea what the Du Family is actually offering, so let's not jump to conclusions. Why don't you open it, and then we can discuss it properly?" Shen Zhengye suggested.
Jiang Xinghai nodded thoughtfully and looked towards Shen Lingxue.
"Fine, I'll do you the favor of taking a look," Shen Lingxue said, though she'd been dying to open it all along.
Feng Lulu rushed to sit beside Shen Lingxue. "Lingxue, don't read it out loud at first. What if it's not what we think? It would be a huge blow to a certain soone who's dead set on marrying into a rich family. We should spare his feelings."
"I'm curious, too," Lin Liping said, gliding over.
Jiang Xinghai just smiled without saying a word.
Shen Zhengye, however, offered him a cigarette. "Jiang, just let the three of them look first."
By now, Shen Lingxue had already broken the proposal's wax seal.
She subconsciously raised her head to glance at Jiang Xinghai's expression.
Feng Lulu and Lin Liping did the sa.
But Jiang Xinghai's expression was calm, betraying nothing.
"Alright, we're opening it..."
Shen Lingxue, who was actually dying with anticipation, finally opened the proposal.
Inside, the proposal was written entirely in Small Seal Script with a calligraphy brush.
The calligraphy was masterful—fluid yet forceful.
As the three won read it together, their expressions shifted in unison.
"Lingxue, don't keep us in suspense. Just read it aloud."
By this point, Shen Zhengye's curiosity had been piqued to its absolute limit, and he couldn't stop himself from speaking up.
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