The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

They were all smart people, and Gao Min was overjoyed to hear this. She was already quite satisfied with Ling Jia Da Bao, and now she was even more satisfied after hearing Du Mingxian say this.

“Look at Da Bao, that kid is pretty good.”

This is practically an open declaration that she has her eye on Da Bao as her son-in-law.

Du Mingxian didn't respond directly this time, as she didn't want to talk about Da Bao. "Da Bao is good, and my older brother and sister-in-law are also very nice."

Gao Min didn't say anything more. Her attitude had made it clear that the rest depended entirely on the Ling family's wishes. If the Ling family was unwilling, she wouldn't force her daughter to marry into their family.

The two continued to chat happily, and Gao Min invited them to stay for dinner. Liu Zhen'er joined the female guests, while Ling Dabao and his two brothers ate together.

It wasn't until they left the Liu residence and got into the carriage that Madam Zhou said with particular confusion, "Mingxian, what does the county magistrate's wife mean? She invited us to come and admire the flowers, but I heard that there are many people at the flower viewing banquet. The county magistrate's wife only invited our family today."

"Second sister-in-law's true intentions are not what they seem. We'll discuss this in detail when we get back."

After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Zhou asked, "Could it be because of... Da Bao?"

Du Mingxian nodded slightly, but said nothing else. Although the family had a good relationship, she was still just an aunt. She couldn't possibly make decisions about Da Bao's marriage just because they had a good relationship; that would be overstepping her bounds.

When the two returned home, their family members, who had been waiting anxiously, were relieved to see them return safely.

The whole family sat together; the children had already gone out.

Ling's mother asked, "Did the magistrate's wife give you any trouble today?"

"No, Mother, the magistrate's wife wants to become in-laws with our family."

"Huh?" No one present understood.

Du Mingxian explained, "The county magistrate's wife only gave birth to one daughter, named Liu Zhen'er. She must have taken a liking to our eldest son. That's why she brought it up when she went there this time."

Everyone was stunned.

Madam Wang was extremely nervous. "The young lady of the official family has taken a liking to our Da Bao? This... Ming Xian, you're not joking, are you?"

"Sister-in-law, I'm not joking about this, it's true. It still depends on our family. After all, it was my second sister-in-law and I who went today. We can't make decisions for Da Bao, and we didn't agree to it."

"We also need to ask Da Bao what he thinks. If we're willing, we'll ask someone to propose marriage to him. If we're not willing, we'll at least give them a reply."

Ling Dalang couldn't believe it. "How could a daughter of an official's family take a fancy to a country bumpkin like us? Could there be something we don't know about?"

“Brother, I’ll have someone investigate the specifics,” Ling Silang said. “Let’s not rush things. If there are no problems, and the magistrate’s wife has taken a liking to our Da Bao, then you and your wife can reconsider whether or not to finalize the matter.”

Wang stared at Du Mingxian, "Fourth sister-in-law, what do you think of this matter?"

"My second sister-in-law and I met Miss Liu today. She is well-educated and reasonable, and quite nice. However, as my husband said, we still need to investigate her before making a decision."

"Okay, let's check it out first."

The matter was settled. Ling Silang asked Qiu Shu and Chun Feng to investigate the Liu family's affairs and, incidentally, find out what kind of person Liu Zhen'er was.

It's easy to investigate the magistrate's family affairs. After all, the magistrate's family is quite leaky, and you can easily find out the details by paying a little money.

The results were delivered to Ling Silang and Du Mingxian that very evening.

Both of them were quite surprised, but they also understood why Gao Min would take a liking to Ling Dabao and not mind his status. Liu Zhen'er was also a gentle girl who would never mistreat her servants.

Ling Silang asked Du Mingxian to tell Wang Shi about this matter, and then it was up to them to decide.

Du Mingxian went to see Wang the next day.

"Have you found out the truth?" Wang was very excited to see Du Mingxian come over because the fact that the magistrate's family had taken a liking to their eldest child had made her dream about it every night.

"In his early years, the county magistrate was able to embark on the path of the imperial examinations with the help of the county magistrate's wife's father. When he later proposed marriage, he also promised that he would only marry the county magistrate's wife in his life."

"But in the end, he broke his promise. From then on, the relationship between the county magistrate's wife and the county magistrate was only nominal. The county magistrate had plans to send his eldest daughter to the prefect above him as a concubine."

"They wanted to use their daughter to climb the social ladder. Last time, because of the Wang family's affairs, the county magistrate had something to ask his wife. The county magistrate's wife took the opportunity to propose that she would decide on her daughter's marriage."

"That's why she's interested in Da Bao. Our family is large, but we don't have that many troubles. Our business is doing well now, but the men don't take concubines."

"She probably wanted her daughter to marry down and didn't want her to suffer any injustice."

Wang, being a mother herself, felt some sympathy for the magistrate's wife upon hearing these words. "I...I would like to go and see this young lady, is that alright?"

“Sure, I’ll write an invitation to the county magistrate’s wife and Miss Liu to have dinner at our restaurant. It’s a way of thanking her for treating us that day. You can also get to know Miss Liu then.”

"I think the county magistrate's wife also wants to meet her sister-in-law."

After saying all that, Du Mingxian hesitated for a moment before speaking, "But sister-in-law, there's something I need to be clear about. If Miss Liu really marries into the family, she won't be like the girls in the village or town who can serve their in-laws. If you mind that, it's best if you don't..."

Wang waved her hand, "I'm a mother too. As long as the children are well, I have no objections. If Miss Liu is really a good person, it's a disservice for her to marry into our family. How can I put on airs as a mother-in-law?"

Du Mingxian chuckled. It seems like Miss Liu is marrying down now, but who knows what will happen in the future?

"Then I'll go write the invitations, tomorrow?"

“Okay.” Madam Wang looked at Du Mingxian and said, “I did ask Da Bao about this. It was only because Da Bao himself was willing that I had this idea.”

Du Mingxian was delighted; if the person involved agreed, it really wouldn't be easy to stop them.

She went back and asked for an invitation, which she had Chunfeng deliver to the Liu residence. The reply she received was that she would definitely arrive the next day.

The next day, Du Mingxian accompanied Wang Shi, who wanted Ling's mother to go with her.

"Mother, I'm not at ease if you don't go."

“Go ahead, Mingxian will stay with you. I don’t mind. Besides, you’ll be in charge of everything at home from now on. I can’t make decisions for you forever.”

"But Mother."

Ling's mother waved her hand, "Go and take a look. If it's suitable, then we'll make a decision."

"it is good."

The two got into the carriage. Wang was still a little nervous. Du Mingxian joked with her, "Sister-in-law, if you're nervous now, how nervous will you be when you have a daughter-in-law from an official family?"

"Just treat it as a meeting between friends. Besides, our family is doing well now. In the future, my husband's official position will become higher and higher, and there may be more and more people coming to visit. At that time, we will have to ask you to receive them. You need to get used to it first."