The beloved baby has a space

Chapter 387 Choosing a Girl

After the meal, Old Mrs. Wang called Madam Feng aside and said, "I asked Lord Zhang to help me find some good girls in the county town, and I took it upon myself to pick two for my eldest son."

Madam Feng hurriedly said, "Mother, what do you mean by 'making decisions on your own'? Over the years, which of your decisions has been bad? You say who is good, and we will marry that person."

"You're about to become a mother-in-law, yet you still lack your own opinions!" Old Mrs. Wang was not pleased by Madam Feng's coaxing. Instead, she sighed, "This time it's because the matter of Dalang has dragged on for too long. I didn't want to get involved, but if it drags on any longer, it will hinder the marriages of his younger brothers in the future."

Grandma Wang didn't say much, only informing Madam Feng about the two girls' situation.

One was the second daughter of the county magistrate's registrar, an assistant official to the magistrate, a proper ninth-rank official who received a salary from the imperial court.

“Oh dear, that’s the Registrar! My husband is just a farmer now, like his second uncle who became a scholar. We can’t possibly benefit from his influence like this.” Madam Feng felt no joy, but rather fear.

If something doesn't belong to you, and it comes unexpectedly, it feels more like a threat.

Feng was an honest and upright person throughout her life, and with Old Madam Wang always in charge, she didn't have to worry about much, so she never thought about those complicated matters.

Grandma Wang: "You are very prescient. It's not because of the second son that they're doing this. It's because Lord Zhang said that our little Ayu is lucky. The registrar believes this and has many daughters in the family, so he's naturally happy to do them a favor."

"But would that girl be willing? She's an official's daughter; she shouldn't marry a farmer's son. It wouldn't be a marriage alliance, but rather an enmity."

Madam Feng knew that girls usually married up, and if they married down, they would inevitably feel resentful and indignant.

When she married into the Wang family, things were relatively good. At that time, her younger brothers were not yet married, and with everyone working together, the Wang family wouldn't always go hungry.

But compared to Feng's original family home, it was still somewhat inferior.

Later, several of his younger brothers got married one after another, and after that, one son after another appeared, and the family became so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat.

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. The second daughter of this family wasn't raised in the city. Like the eldest son, she was also raised by a farming family from a young age. She was only brought into our home when she was 10 years old and taught manners for a few years. The second daughter didn't like city life, so she wanted to find a farming family, and that's how she found us."

Upon hearing this, Madam Feng thought to herself that, in this case, she was somewhat of a match for her eldest son.

But I was still uneasy.

"Mother, what about the other girl?"

Grandma Wang: "The other girl was the daughter of a merchant. Her family had some money, and later her grandfather bought an official position and became a junior official. After much effort, her family gradually got rid of their merchant status. By the time of Dalang's generation, which was the third generation, the fourth generation's children were able to participate in the imperial examinations."

Madam Feng thought for a moment: "So that means if Dalang marries her, he won't be able to take the imperial examinations. But Dalang's children can?"

"That's exactly the reason."

"My eldest son had told me before that he didn't really like studying. He had only learned to read and write with Grandpa Hu and had no intention of taking the imperial examinations. At that time, I was a little undecided, but since you support the children's education, I was afraid of hindering their future—"

Grandma Wang said, "Your eldest son is all grown up now. If you can't make up your mind, go and ask him tomorrow what he thinks. Both girls are good girls, but you can only choose one to meet. I will refuse the other one. Don't even think about having your cake and eating it too. There's no such custom in our family."

"My daughter-in-law will go and ask tomorrow."

After Madam Feng left, full of gratitude, Old Madam Wang patted her shoulders and went to check on Wang Liulang, giving him a few words of advice.

Then he went to Xiao Ayu's room and found that Xiao Ayu had already washed up. He said to Tangyuan, "Go to sleep in a quarter of an hour."

“The weather has warmed up a bit these past few days, and my little master likes to kick off the covers at night. I’ll stay up until the wee hours, anyway, I’m not sleepy,” Tangyuan said.

After being adopted by the Wang family, Tangyuan was always diligent and conscientious, keeping in mind her responsibilities as a maid, and she took meticulous care of Xiao Ayu. "It's alright, you go to sleep, someone will cover her with a blanket at night." Old Mrs. Wang glanced at the roof beam.

The bodyguard on duty tonight: "..."

After Old Mrs. Wang called Tangyuan to leave, the guard whispered to Red Snake beside him, "Is this old lady some kind of hidden expert? How did she know there was someone on the roof beam?"

This bodyguard was left behind by Madam Qin.

She left behind three people, which gave the people of Akatei more time to rest, and the shift changes became more frequent.

Red Serpent: "You're overthinking it. She didn't see it."

She was just saying it on purpose for them to hear.

"Then how..."

"Didn't your wife teach you to talk less and do more when you're doing things here?"

"..."

After Grandma Wang returned to her room, Old Wang talked about his achievements: "Today we've managed to get halfway through the negotiation. The other party has softened their stance, but they still want to take Ayu away."

"I didn't expect you to get things done so quickly." Old Mrs. Wang rubbed her shoulders, her voice tinged with weariness. "Let's discuss it tomorrow. Go to sleep first."

“I told you not to work so hard every day. The children are all grown up. Do you still treat them like children who need their mother? If you collapse from exhaustion, they won’t be able to support the family. What a loss that would be.” Old Wang felt so sorry for her that he sat up and started massaging Old Mrs. Wang’s shoulders.

Sensing that Old Mrs. Wang's muscles and bones were a bit stiff, Old Wang said, "Tomorrow, I'll go to Wu's pharmacy and ask Dr. Wu for advice. He has some experience in relaxing muscles and tendons. I'll learn a set of techniques and bring it back to you for a massage."

Grandma Wang: "You're just being nosy."

"Just shut up. It's not me who'll be the one feeling comfortable in the end," Old Wang said, ignoring Old Mrs. Wang's sarcasm.

As she massaged, Grandma Wang's breathing became steady and she fell asleep.

In the darkness, Old Wang tucked the blanket around Old Mrs. Wang and sighed, "Our Aibao is back now, why are you still worrying so much? If you get tired and pass away first, how am I supposed to live?"

Old Wang felt that he was the most affectionate man in the world.

The next moment, I felt my waist being pinched.

Old Mrs. Wang's sinister voice rang out: "Don't worry, if I go down there, I'll definitely get you a place."

Old Wang: "..."

"Sleep, sleep, ah, I'm suddenly so sleepy."

The next day, Feng went to find Wang Dalang early in the morning and asked him to choose one of the two girls.

Wang Dalang chose the first girl almost without thinking.

Madam Feng earnestly advised, "Eldest son, don't choose a girl just because she's an official."

(End of this chapter)