Only then did Mrs. Li realize that in her montary glee, she had only been thinking about watching Mrs. Yang try to cover things up after hearing her words, and had completely forgotten about the old matriarch. Embarrassed, she said, "I just heard the rumors, too. They said my cousin’s family struck it rich and bought land."
The old great-aunt’s gaze sharpened instantly. "So you only got the idea to ask about this marriage for Lian’er after you heard the Zheng Family bought land?"
The anger in her voice was already obvious. ’Do they take for an old fool?’
’That explains it,’ she thought. Before, when she was running around trying to find a match for Qingmu, all those relatives had shied away with excuses. But this ti, her nephew’s family was surprisingly eager, willing to marry Lian’er to her grandnephew without a betrothal gift. ’So they were after the family fortune all along!’
Mrs. Li said frantically, "I only heard it from others. Lian’er’s parents don’t know a thing about it!"
But her explanation did nothing to satisfy the old matriarch.
In her eyes, her grandnephew Qingmu was an excellent boy. If it weren’t for his family’s poverty, she wouldn’t have given those other girls the ti of day. But now that the Zheng Family had acquired fields and land, that, combined with Qingmu’s upstanding character, changed everything.
Of course, this didn’t an the Zheng Family should get arrogant and look down on others just because they had a few acres of land. However, if her nephew’s wife, Mrs. Li, and Lian’er’s parents had only considered the match because the Zheng Family bought land, that was intolerable. ’Is a fine boy like Qingmu not good enough for their Lian’er?’ And she found this blatant fixation on money utterly shaful.
Her face was a mask of frost as she stared at her nephew’s wife. ’I’m not dead yet, and they already dare to look down on the Zheng Family like this?’
’What else don’t I know about this marriage proposal?’
’No need to even ask. It’s better to just call this marriage off!’
She rose to her feet and called Zheng Changhe into the kitchen to question him, leaving Mrs. Yang to keep Mrs. Li company.
Mrs. Yang imdiately felt uneasy. ’So, they only ca asking for a marriage because they saw we just bought land?’ While it was normal for people to consider a potential son-in-law’s family assets, who would want to beco in-laws with a family that so blatantly ca chasing after money? So she said nothing, just sitting there in silence.
Mrs. Li was filled with imnse regret. ’If it hadn’t been for my big mouth, wouldn’t this match have been sealed?’ Now the old matriarch was suspicious. Knowing her temper, she was bound to fly off the handle, and Mrs. Li would surely face the consequences when she got ho.
Once in the kitchen, the old great-aunt questioned Zheng Changhe in detail about the land purchase.
Zheng Changhe felt a headache coming on. This great-aunt of his was a good person, but she was extrely particular, full of rules, and strict with the younger generation. When she cared about you, she wanted to control you—completely different from his other, good-tempered second great-aunt.
But his family was doing just fine now, and he didn’t want her ddling in Qingmu’s marriage prospects. She might just end up making things worse.
Therefore, he gave her a simple account of Qingmu’s situation.
He didn’t even need to be deliberately vague; he was not an articulate man by nature. As a result, his great-aunt only half-understood what he was saying. Still, she managed to grasp two key points: the Zheng Family really had bought land, and Qingmu had sworn to wait until he was twenty to consider marriage.
The great-aunt was very satisfied. At last, her nephew’s family was starting to do well. Her older brother’s line was finally on the path to prosperity.
She was also furious that when others considered Qingmu as a match, they brought up Juhua as a package deal. ’Even if a daughter of our Zheng Family can’t marry out, must she rely on her brother and sister-in-law for support?’ she fud inwardly. ’Hmph. Anyone who says such things is just being selfish, afraid that Juhua will take a share of the family’s house and land, leaving less of an inheritance for the bride who marries in.’
She glanced at Juhua, who was sitting by the stove entrance. She didn’t have much of an impression of this grandniece—not because she disliked Juhua, but because she always maintained a stern front with the younger generation.
She fixed Juhua with a stern expression and said, "Those petty people and their talk—just treat it like they’re passing gas. We hold our heads high, earn our own keep, and rely on no one! You need to have so backbone, too. Don’t walk around all day like so timid, bullied little bride. What is there to be afraid of?"
Juhua was stunned. ’Is she... concerned about ?’
’But that tone... it sounds just like a scolding.’ This great-aunt was truly nothing like her maternal grandmother. ’Her dad must have gotten chewed out by her plenty of tis.’
Having finished lecturing Juhua, the old woman turned back to Zheng Changhe. She strongly disapproved of Qingmu’s decision to delay marriage, telling Zheng Changhe he couldn’t just let the boy do as he pleased. He needed to persuade Qingmu to marry early and start a family.
Zheng Changhe respected her deeply, but things at ho had been going so smoothly lately that he didn’t want to disrupt this peaceful life at all. And while his great-aunt was stubborn, she ant well. He decided he should try to explain things to her properly.
So, he spoke to the old woman with sincerity. "Great-Aunt, the most important thing in finding a match is finding a good wife. Look at my mother, and the children’s mother—they’re both good won. That’s why, even though we were poor for all those years, our lives were content, without any major friction. So, I think we need to take our ti to find the right wife for Qingmu. Besides, he wants to study more. And now that we have this land, we have to pay taxes on it, don’t we? If we can’t farm it well, we won’t even be able to afford the taxes. You see, things are still tight for us. It’s not like buying a bit of land ans we’ve struck it rich. Qingmu’s idea to save up for a few years makes perfect sense."
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