I'm dressed up as the timid eldest daughter, and the whole family has to listen to me!

After discussing it, the two rode back to the Li residence together in a carriage. As soon as they entered the gates, Su Songchuan felt a surge of nervousness. Although he got along well with Li Shu'er, he hadn't met Master Li many times, and Master Li always had a stern face; just one glance from him made Su Songchuan's heart tremble.

But Su Songchuan had no other choice at the moment. If he wanted to marry Li Shuer as soon as possible, he had to meet his future father-in-law.

While Su Songchuan was lost in thought, Li Shuer led him to the front hall and instructed the servants to serve tea. Soon after, Master Li and Madam Li came in from outside.

Madam Li seemed kind, and upon seeing Su Songchuan arrive, she greeted him warmly:

"Oh, Su Songchuan, you're here! It's been so many days since we last saw each other. I heard from my Shu'er that you've been seeing her quite often lately. How are you two getting along?"

Su Songchuan immediately stood up, bowed, and said:

"In response to your question, Uncle and Aunt, Shu'er and I get along well. I've come today to inquire about your plans for this engagement."

Upon hearing this, Master Li frowned slightly.

"Your people aren't even engaged yet, and you're meeting so frequently. If word gets out, people will say our Shu'er is immoral. Don't you care about Shu'er's reputation at all?"

Upon hearing this, Su Songchuan felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and quickly began to explain:

"I didn't think this through. I just wanted to see Shuer more often and get to know her better. I was only thinking about spending more time with Shuer and didn't consider her reputation. I was wrong."

Seeing this, Mrs. Li immediately smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"Why do you always have such a stern face? You'll scare Su Songchuan half to death. Besides, didn't we say before that we should let these two kids meet more often and spend more time together in private? That would be good to see if they get along."

Upon hearing this, Master Li turned his head away, snorted coldly, and ignored him.

Seeing this, Li Shuer immediately smiled and said:

"Yes, Mother, I feel that I get along well with Su Songchuan now, so I brought him back to discuss the deposit with you. Right now, there is a difficulty that I need to tell you both."

Madam Li raised an eyebrow at Su Songchuan, then looked at Li Shuer and asked curiously:

"My dear daughter, you two don't need their family to contribute any money to your marriage. We're taking in a son-in-law who will live with us, so what difficulties could there be?"

Li Shuer glanced slightly at Su Songchuan, whose face was full of tension, and then said with a smile:

"It's just that Su Songchuan's niece is getting married after the New Year. As her uncle, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to get married right after his niece, would it?"

Upon hearing his daughter's words, Master Li naturally understood what the two of them meant, and so he snorted coldly.

"Hmph, so eager to marry my daughter? Don't just use being straight as an excuse. You two have only known each other for a few days, and you want to get engaged to him? My silly daughter, have you thought this through? Marriage is a lifelong commitment."

Madam Li turned around and glared at Master Li.

"Can a marriage really be faked? You're unhappy that our daughter has spent so much time with Su Songchuan, and now that we're discussing engagement, you complain that they haven't spent enough time together. You're so fickle and contradictory; I can't reason with you."

Then Madam Li turned to look at Su Songchuan and said with a smile:

“Su Songchuan, if your niece is also going to get married after the New Year, then your marriage should indeed be brought forward. It’s not good for an uncle to get married after his niece. It wouldn’t sound good if word got out. Besides, getting married first is considered to be catching up with the joy. Even though you’re coming to our family as a live-in son-in-law, we can’t disregard the rules.”

Su Songchuan nodded repeatedly upon hearing Madam Li's words.

"Yes, Auntie, that's exactly what I was planning. That's why I thought I'd tell you both about it in advance, so that you won't complain about my lack of foresight later."

Madam Li nodded slightly.

"So when is your niece's wedding scheduled?"

"They're getting married this month, and the engagement was arranged a long time ago."

After a moment's thought, Madam Li turned to look at Master Li, then turned to Li Shu'er and said:

"Shu'er, have you thought it through? Do you like Su Songchuan?"

Li Shuer was surprised that her mother would ask her this question in front of Su Songchuan. Feeling a little shy, she blushed, lowered her head, and softly hummed in agreement.

Madam Li could naturally tell that her daughter was shy, so she smiled slightly and turned to look at Su Songchuan.

"Su Songchuan, you've seen it yourself. If my daughter didn't like you and be interested in you, we wouldn't have even considered making you our son-in-law. After all, with our family's conditions, what kind of son-in-law couldn't we find?"

Upon hearing this, Su Songchuan quickly echoed:

"Yes, yes, yes, even if you don't say it, I know it in my heart. After Shuer and I get married, I will definitely not let Shuer suffer any grievances. I will never go against her will. I will only focus on living a good life with her and work hard to pass the imperial examinations so that Shuer can make me proud."

Upon hearing Su Songchuan's words, Li Shuer was secretly delighted. She glanced at him sideways, pursed her lips, and felt quite satisfied with her future husband. However, when she looked up and met the disdainful look in Li Yuanwai's eyes, Li Shuer felt a little angry.

Li Shuer didn't understand why her father disliked Su Songchuan so much. Was it simply because Su Songchuan came from a poor family and had a bad background? Since she was looking for a son-in-law to live with her family, she naturally couldn't choose one from a wealthy family. A good family background didn't guarantee a good character. Besides, why would a wealthy family willingly let their son become their son-in-law? It would be a laughing stock if word got out.

Thinking this, Li Shuer looked at Master Li and said:

"Father, you don't need to be unhappy. Your daughter has made up her mind. She will definitely marry Su Songchuan in the future. I have seen Su Songchuan's character and ability. I won't suffer any grievances after I marry him. Besides, even if I marry Su Songchuan, we will still live in our house. What else do you have to worry about? If he does something wrong, you can just teach him."

Master Li never expected his daughter to say such things to him. He couldn't help but raise his head and take a closer look at his daughter. He wondered when the child who used to call him "Daddy" when she was little had grown into a graceful young lady.