The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

He Zhizhu laughed loudly, "Brilliant, it has to be my brother's skill that's superior."

Madam Shen glared at her, "It's fine for us mother and daughter to talk about this in private, but don't go around spreading your brother's name everywhere."

He Zhizhu pouted, "I know." Her mother was good to her, but no matter how good she was, she couldn't surpass her brother.

Qingwuyuan

Mama Wang served ginseng tea to Hua Sirong and Granny Yan, saying, "The weather is getting colder every day. Miss, you must take care of yourself when you go out. Look at your little hands and face, they're all red from the cold, and the hand warmer is all frozen over."

Granny Yan had gone to eavesdrop with Hua Sirong today, and now she felt guilty.

Hua Sirong had already changed out of her slightly damp cloak and was warming herself by the brazier.

She took the ginseng tea from Wang Mama and drank several mouthfuls. The hot ginseng tea warmed her up.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm all grown up now. I'll know to go back inside when I get cold."

After saying that, she put down the ginseng tea and took out the list of potential husbands that she had brought back from Madam Shen.

"Mom, look, I brought you some good stuff."

These are all husbands my aunt picked out for me. Tell me, do you want to see them or not?

Wang's mother, who had been chattering incessantly, finally quieted down, and her face broke into a wide smile. "Girl, let me see it, and I won't say anything to you."

Hua Sirong handed it over with a smile, and Chunyan, who was listening nearby, also came over to take a look.

As Mrs. Wang looked through the photos one by one, her expression grew increasingly grim. "Is that all? Are there any I've missed?"

Hua Sirong shook her head, "There are already seven or eight here, not enough for us to choose from. It's almost like a princess choosing her husband."

Wang's mother's eyes reddened slightly. Choosing a husband for a princess is not as simple as it seems!

Even when the master was still alive, he would search all over the West Mountain area for a suitable husband for his daughter, from the city to remote mountainous regions.

The master was afraid of missing out on a good fish.

Madam Wang never imagined that in the capital city, where land is incredibly valuable and the Lady of the Marquis holds such a high position and great power, she would only choose such a few undesirable men.

Yes, in Wang's mother's eyes, these people were all undesirable and looked down on them.

Granny Yan and Hua Sirong were both surprised; they thought he was alright.

The groom was either a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examination or a provincial-level imperial examination; the only difference was the specific circumstances of each family.

Although almost all of them had a fatal flaw, that was poverty.

But in this world, such family circumstances are the most common. Moreover, the fact that the family can support a scholar and still live like ordinary people is already considered quite good.

Wang Mama was so disappointed in her son that this gave her a rare sense of superiority over Yan Mama.

"You two, one of you grew up in the palace, and the other was raised in seclusion."

Although she had heard of all sorts of bizarre marriage stories, and the girl had read countless romance novels, she still felt that much of the sordidness in this world was invisible to them.

"For example, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, the relationship between husband and wife, and the relationship between sisters-in-law, etc."

Hua Sirong seemed to understand. "Mom means that all of these candidates have this or that problem, and they're not good matches?"

"Of course," Wang's mother said excitedly, "this is clearly a pit of fire."

Hua Sirong could not hide her surprise. "The reason I chose these poorer scholar families is that their family circumstances are relatively simple, without the twists and turns of a grand mansion."

If I don't impose any restrictions, when the Marquis's family is choosing a husband for me, they might choose someone from a prestigious official family just to save face.

But some officials' private quarters, once entered, meant certain death or even worse.

Wang's mother's eyes were slightly red, and she shook her head vigorously, "The girl only sees the hardships of life in wealthy families."

That's because you haven't seen the petty squabbles that happen in small, humble homes, which can drive perfectly healthy people to their deaths.

Hua Sirong: "For a small family like ours, spending a little money can bring us a peaceful life."

But it's not necessarily the case for wealthy families. Without some brains and connections, they simply can't survive and end up losing both their money and their possessions.

Today, Mama Wang has decided to give Granny Yan and Hua Sirong a proper lesson.

"This scholar Li, his family seems united, but after he becomes successful, his brothers and sisters, their smaller families, and even in-laws will all have to rely on him."

They couldn't have less of anything that Li Xiucai had. They also had to take care of their nephews and nieces; who knew, Li Xiucai might even have to cover their betrothal gifts and dowries.

Granny Yan clicked her tongue. "It can't be that bad. They have hands and feet. Since they were able to support a scholar, it means they have some ability. How come they end up relying on others for a living?"

Wang's mother waved her hand, "There are many brothers and sisters in the family, and they are all married. Why should they bring their wives and children, tighten their belts, eat chaff and wild vegetables, and do hard labor just to support one brother's education?"

You think it's brotherhood? There is affection, but it's definitely not the main thing.

All he wanted was for one of his brothers to become a scholar, so he could curry favor with someone powerful later on.

If Li Xiucai becomes successful and famous, and his brothers and sisters surround him demanding a reward, would you repay them?

To not repay such a debt is tantamount to ingratitude. Even if such an ungrateful and heartless person achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations, would the court dare employ them?

“With this weakness at your fingertips, no matter how successful Li Xiucai becomes in his life, he will still have to support his entire family.”

Even someone like Granny Yan, who had spent her life in the deep palace, felt a heavy weight on her shoulders and couldn't straighten them.

Hua Sirong took two steps away from Wang Mama and said, "Give them more money, buy them big houses, buy maids to serve them, and make sure they eat meat every day. Wouldn't that solve the problem?"

If something can be solved with money, it's not a problem.

Mrs. Wang was exasperated. "Human greed is endless. If you encounter a family that knows proper etiquette, that's fine. But if it's someone who is insatiably greedy, then this hole will never be filled."

"A woman as generous as this girl might be alright if she encounters a reasonable family. But if she encounters a malicious one, she might just murder her for her money."

“You are a gem, why bother testing yourself in a pile of rubble? If you misjudge her, your life will be ruined from the very beginning.”

Hua Sirong: "What about this Scholar Wang? His family is small; after his younger sister got married, he was left with only his widowed mother."

Granny Yan also looked at Wang Mama with a bewildered expression.

Mrs. Wang cleared her throat. "When we country folk choose a husband, we absolutely do not want one who has a widowed mother."

It's not that I look down on widows and orphans; it's just that in families where a widow raises her child, the mother usually has an extremely strong desire to control the child.

The girl had never suffered hardship since childhood; she was not someone who could survive under a widowed mother.

Hua Sirong: "No matter which family you marry into, you'll still be subject to the rules set by your mother-in-law."

Just look at her eldest cousin's wife; a good mother-in-law is something you can only come across once in a lifetime.