How can someone travel through time and space and become a beggar?

"Xiaochu, are you willing to marry me now?"

After dinner, when Xia Chu was still drinking tea, Zhao Huazhang suddenly spoke.

Xia Chu was stunned for a moment, thinking of the dream from yesterday, and her face felt a little hot. She moved her lips, "I, I haven't thought about it yet."

"My grandmother told me yesterday that many people saw us going in and out together, and I'm afraid they'll spread gossip." Zhao Huazhang looked at Xia Chu's expression and continued, "Why not settle it sooner?"

"My mother also told me about this." Xia Chu picked at his nails, feeling a little helpless.

"You still don't want to?" Zhao Huazhang lowered his voice, seeming a little annoyed and a little disappointed. He frowned, not knowing where he had not done well enough. Did he offend her yesterday, so she was angry? "What did I do wrong?"

"No, it's not." Xia Chu raised her head. It was the first time that Zhao Huazhang showed such a frustrated expression in front of her.

It looks like a puppy who has done something wrong but doesn't know where he went wrong, and has racked his brains but can't find a solution.

Xia Chu suddenly felt a little soft in the heart and wanted to touch Zhao Huazhang's head.

"What is that?" Zhao Huazhang looked at her.

"It's my own problem." Xia Chu felt that it wasn't Zhao Huazhang's fault. He behaved very well. He never asked for anything, and his company was always silent and considerate.

Am I being too sentimental? But it still feels a little off.

"I'm worried about the impact on your reputation. If your reputation is damaged, Yin Ge Garden will also be affected." Zhao Huazhang looked at her entangled fingers, wanting to touch them to see if they were still as soft as yesterday. But he was afraid that she would think he was being reckless and disrespectful. "I know you put a lot of effort into Yin Ge Garden."

This sounded a bit threatening, but Xia Chu knew that Zhao Huazhang certainly didn't mean it that way. He was just genuinely worried. She thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back and tell my mother. I'll give you an answer in two days."

"You agree?" Zhao Huazhang's eyes flashed with joy.

Xia Chu turned her face to avoid his burning gaze, "Yeah."

They hadn't been together long, but Zhao Huazhang still impressed her in many ways. Perhaps marriage wasn't so terrible. Jia's mother wasn't doing well, but she spent more time with Wang's parents. She had grown up watching their interactions; if she could be like them, she'd be happy for the rest of her life.

However, she really doesn't want to have three children...

She shook her head. It was just a dream, why did she take it so seriously? Even if she had three children, how could she be expected to cook for herself? Not to mention Cuihua, the Zhao family also had a horde of servants.

Oh, right. She remembered something and looked at Zhao Huazhang again. He had a frighteningly bright eye and a smile so wide it looked almost silly. In the past, even when he smiled, it was just a curled-up smile. Now, his grin was wide open, and one could sense his happiness.

Xia Chu couldn't help but laugh along, but she still had to say what she had to say, "You said before that if you don't want to live in the Zhao family, you can move out. Does that still count?"

"Of course." Since he had made the promise, Zhao Huazhang had also planned ahead. "I have two other houses. I can show you around. You can live in whichever one you like. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can change it."

Xia Chu nodded, but she wasn't unreasonable. "If we get married, we can live in the Zhao family first. If we get used to it, we can stay put. Old Madam Zhao is old, and she'll definitely want you to be around." She often heard Zhao Huazhang mention his grandmother, but not his parents. His mother was his stepmother, and she didn't seem to be very close to his father.

I always heard that if you have a stepmother, you will have a stepfather. I wonder if it’s because his father treated him badly.

Living together in the future, they would definitely have to put on some superficial effort. But how close they were would depend not only on Zhao Huazhang's attitude but also on whether their personalities were compatible.

Xia Chu was stunned. Why did she suddenly start planning about what to do after marriage?

"My mother died of illness when I was young, so I grew up with my grandmother." Zhao Huazhang's eyes flickered with admiration as he spoke of his grandmother. "My grandmother treated me very well. My eldest brother was also very kind, but he was an official in the capital and couldn't be away. But he would write to me every month to ask about my life. My father...my father was strict, but he also cared about me."

As a child, he suspected something fishy about his mother's death, but he blurted it out during an argument with his father. His father, instead of being angry, was deeply saddened and disappointed. Later, he learned from his grandmother that his parents had a very good relationship. Luo Shanshan hadn't killed his mother, and her marriage to him was due to the kindness shown to his father by the Luo family.

"My family respects my wishes, so there shouldn't be any problem on my side. Can your family agree?" Xia Chu asked.

Zhao Huazhang smiled when he heard the question, revealing a hint of childish pride. "I'm probably the only one of my age who's still unmarried. My family is very anxious, and they won't disagree."

Grandmother and eldest brother had known about this for a long time, and father had long since given up interfering in his affairs. As for Luo Shanshan, she had long since been unable to intervene. He and eldest brother were both successful now, and the third and fourth brothers would depend on their connections in the future, so she didn't dare to interfere.

The two of them seemed to have finished discussing such a major matter as marriage within less than half an hour after dinner. Zhao Huazhang hadn't expected it to be so easy, and neither had Xia Chu.

The two smiled at each other and went home to inform their families.

The Wang family and Jia Qingwu were both very satisfied with Zhao Huazhang, so naturally they had no objection. However, if Xia Chu married into such a wealthy family, her family would be unable to stand up for her if she suffered any grievances in the future.

Old Madam Zhao had been eager for her grandson to marry for years, worrying so much that she'd lost a lot of hair. Finally, she agreed. Although her family was relatively poor, she was a good girl from a decent family. Zhao Zeying simply nodded in understanding, then instructed Luo Shanshan to prepare and go to the Wang family to propose marriage.

Zhao Zeying's reaction was a bit unexpected for Zhao Huazhang. He had thought his father would at least give him a lecture, even if he didn't strongly object, but he hadn't expected him to just skip it.

I learned from Aunt Zhan that my grandmother had talked to my father, which was why my father acted like that.

He sent the letter directly to his elder brother. His elder brother knew Xia Chu and had taught him how to please girls, so he thought he would not object.

After a matchmaker was chosen and a date was set, Zhao Huazhang went to the Wang family with gifts and announced the date in advance so that the Wang family could prepare.

According to custom, the Zhao family prepared thirty auspicious gifts, which were delivered to the Wang family by a matchmaker. Among them was a pair of wild geese that Zhao Huazhang had hunted himself, and they were still alive and kicking when they arrived at the Wang family.

The two families had communicated, and when the matchmaker arrived, Wang Yong and Dong Xiaohuan looked at the gifts and didn't hesitate. They followed the rules and asked for details about the man's family, and the match was approved.