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

The thought of his daughter marrying Su Songchuan, a man who was neither good enough for high standards nor good enough for low standards, made Master Li feel like his carefully nurtured flower had been trampled by a pig. But now that his daughter liked him, Master Li naturally had no way to express his bitterness.

But upon further reflection, considering that the two of them would eventually marry and live by his side, Master Li felt somewhat at peace. So he coughed a few times and said:

"Since my wife and daughter have both taken a liking to you, young man, then I won't say anything more. Let's set the engagement before the new year, and the wedding after the new year, before your niece's wedding."

Su Songchuan was delighted to hear this, but considering that clarifying things after the New Year was still a bit too late, he said:

"Wouldn't it be a bit too rushed to arrange this before my niece's wedding after the New Year?"

Upon hearing this, Master Li frowned slightly.

"There's no rush. As long as there's money, everything is easy. Since our family is looking for you to be our son-in-law, you don't need to worry about these things. We'll handle your wedding arrangements. The betrothal money should be given to your parents by our family. As for your dowry, it doesn't matter whether we prepare it or not. We know your family isn't well-off, so we won't ask for anything."

Although Su Songchuan was mentally prepared to marry into the Li family as a live-in son-in-law, he still couldn't help but blush and feel ashamed when he heard Master Li talk about these things so earnestly.

His family wasn't well-off enough to afford a wife like Li Shuer, and the only way to live a good life was to become a live-in son-in-law. But now that these words were spoken so openly, Su Songchuan still felt a pang of sadness.

However, the thought that the wedding could be held in style without his family having to spend any money gave Su Songchuan some comfort. He could only cheer himself up in his heart, thinking that he had made such a sacrifice to become a live-in son-in-law for Li Shuer's sake. It was because Su Songchuan truly loved Li Shuer and would not marry anyone else in this life that he was willing to put aside his pride and become a live-in son-in-law.

Thinking this way, Su Songchuan felt a little better.

"Okay, I understand what you mean. Since we want to get married after the New Year, we have to do it in the first month of the lunar calendar. My niece is getting married right after the first month of the lunar calendar."

Master Li turned his head and glanced at Madam Li.

"Madam, do you think this is feasible?"

Madam Li frowned and pondered for a moment.

"Logically speaking, it is customary not to get married in the first month of the lunar calendar. If you want to get married earlier after the New Year, you can choose an auspicious day, such as the day when the dragon raises its head on the second day of the second lunar month."

Upon hearing this, Su Songchuan hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Auntie, it's not that I'm petty, it's just that my niece is also getting married on the second day of the second lunar month. They arranged it a long time ago, and we can't change the date just because Shu'er and I are getting married, can we..."

Madam Li also noticed Su Songchuan's predicament, and after pondering for a moment,

“What you say makes sense. We’re not an unreasonable family. By the way, next year seems to be a double spring year. If it is, the custom of not getting married in the first month of the lunar calendar will be broken. Getting married in the first month of the lunar calendar in a double spring year is actually an auspicious sign!”

Upon hearing his wife's words, Master Li slapped his thigh and exclaimed:

“Then it’s settled. The fifteenth of the first lunar month is an auspicious day, and it will be a lively occasion for their wedding. Let’s set the engagement date for three days from now. I think three days from now is also an auspicious day. We can bring your parents to the city later. We won’t go anywhere else; we can just have an engagement dinner at our house.”

Seeing that the matter was resolved so quickly, Su Songchuan was pleased and immediately stood up to bow to Master Li and Madam Li.

"Uncle and Aunt, since you've made up your minds, I'll go back and talk to my parents about it. I'll also share your thoughts with them. We'll listen to you two on everything else and don't have any special requests. As for the marriage, I'll leave it to you two to take care of."

Master Li nodded.

"Okay, then you can go back now. I'm a little tired too."

After saying this, Master Li got up and walked outside. Li Shu'er watched her father's departing figure, and was about to call out to him, but seeing his unfriendly expression, she didn't dare to speak rashly. So she turned to Su Songchuan and said somewhat awkwardly:

"Su Songchuan, I'm sorry, my father's attitude was too cold, and you suffered because of him. I really wanted you to stay for dinner, but my father..."

Seeing this, Su Songchuan quickly smiled at Li Shuer.

"Shu'er, don't overthink it. I don't feel wronged at all. I'm so happy to be able to marry you, how could I feel wronged? I'm not going to eat this meal yet. I'm in a hurry to go back to the village and tell my parents about this happy news."

Sitting at the head of the table, Madam Li smiled as she looked at Su Songchuan and Li Shuer.

"Alright, Shu'er, we can eat anytime. Besides, after you two get married, Su Songchuan will be staying at our residence for meals every day, so there's no need to be so reluctant to part with him. Don't blame your father either; he's just a man who's aloof and doesn't like to express himself."

As she spoke, Madam Li turned to look at Su Songchuan.

“Su Songchuan, now that this matter has been settled, you should go back and inform your parents as soon as possible so that they can make preparations. I won’t keep you here for dinner today; there will be plenty of opportunities to eat here later.”

Su Songchuan nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Yes, Auntie, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

After saying goodbye to Li Shuer, Su Songchuan left the Li residence.

The thought of marrying Li Shuer filled Su Songchuan with joy. He glanced back at the plaque of the Li family mansion, thinking that he would one day live in this prestigious household. Su Songchuan felt that he had just achieved great success and was about to live a good life.

Once I move into the Li residence, let's see who dares to look down on me...

Su Songchuan had planned to return to Su Family Village today to report the good news, but seeing that it looked like it was about to rain, he gave up on going back and went straight back to the academy, where he fell asleep and decided to wait until the weather cleared up the next morning before going back to report the news.

Su Banxia noticed that the sky was getting dark and it looked like it was going to rain. Plus, there weren't many people on the street anymore, so she packed up her stall, thinking she should go home early that day.

Just then, Uncle Niu finished picking up his last group of customers and was waiting for them at his stall. So they packed up their things, got on the oxcart, and prepared to return to Sujia Village.

Just as they were about to leave, they saw Lou Wangyue's carriage approaching from the market entrance. Su Banxia recognized the carriage, having ridden in it a few times before...