Chapter 208: Chapter 194: The Xu Family Proposes Marriage (2nd Update)
After Xu Shu returned to the mansion, he went straight to the backyard to find the old lady.
Before she could say anything when he saw her, he dropped to his knees with a thud.
The old lady asked him, "My dear grandson, what are you doing?"
Xu Shu sincerely confessed, "Grandmother, today your grandson needs to confess something to you."
The old lady’s eyelid twitched, "What is it?"
With things having reached this point, it wouldn’t do to not tell the truth, so Xu Shu straightened his face and said, "Actually, the marriage between Song and me... is fake."
After he said this, afraid the old lady would get upset, he purposely looked up to check on her, only to find that she remained silent, saying nothing.
Xu Shu added, "At the time, it was to make Grandmother happy, and we had no choice but to take this desperate measure. It was all my idea, so if you’re angry, you can beat me or scold me."
As his words fell, the room was filled with a long silence.
Kneeling there, Xu Shu felt very uneasy, for someone as lively as the old lady was eerily silent today.
Not seeing the expected anger from his grandmother, Xu Shu was somewhat puzzled.
After a long pause, the old lady asked, "Finished speaking?"
"...Yes."
The old lady looked at him, "You’ve been hiding it for two years, and you’re only confessing now because you can’t hide it anymore, right?"
Xu Shu asked in return, "Does Granny truly like Song?"
"She’s not marrying me and living with me, what good is it if only I like her?"
"What if I really go to propose to her family?"
The old lady hesitated for a bit, "After two years of them just accompanying you in a farce, would she agree to marry you now?"
Xu Shu raised his eyebrows, "Why else would I be said to have unbeatable charm? I was lazy to bother before. If I really make a move, wouldn’t I easily win her over in just a few moves?"
This made even the old lady feel embarrassed on his behalf.
However, one should encourage one’s own grandson when needed, so she told him if he could make it happen, he should hurry up and get the marriage done; they weren’t getting any younger, and delaying wouldn’t help.
Overwhelmed with happiness, Xu Shu forgot to ask why his grandmother was so calm hearing about his fake marriage with Song.
He stood up and quickly went to the front yard to discuss with his parents.
In the Xu Family, there wasn’t much of a prejudice against social status, and now that Song Fang was the third-place scholar’s sister, even if there was such prejudice, she was qualified for the General Mansion.
After two years of interaction, even if it was just acting, the Great General and Mrs. Xu saw Song Fang’s character as genuine, feeling that this girl was much better than Xu Shu’s real cousin. Such a personality was needed to manage the Xu Family’s affairs in the future.
The parents had no objections, so Xu Shu got straight to the point, talking about the marriage proposal.
Mrs. Xu said, "You don’t have to worry about this. I’ll ask a matchmaker to go to their house."
——
When the Xu Family was preparing to go and propose, the Song family had already picked a date for moving.
Just as Wen Wan originally said, the timing was unfortunate, missing Song Wei’s day off.
Aunt Xie and her family learned from Xie Zheng that the Song family was moving, and they didn’t wait for an invitation but came directly to help.
When Song Wei first got the yard, he added some new furniture inside. The old furniture from the alley courtyard wasn’t planned to be moved, just some small items, which weren’t heavy but were troublesome.
Fortunately, there were many people, and they hired a carriage for transporting goods. It took just two trips to move everything, except for Song Fang’s room which remained unchanged.
The alley courtyard was close to the Hongwen Academy.
From now on, after school, it would be inconvenient for Song Fang to go to the Hanlin Academy. She could only live at the alley courtyard for easier access to school every other day.
The new yard was more spacious than the alley courtyard; it was a two-entry house with a backyard.
After moving in, Wen Wan let the elders rest while she and the two daughters-in-law from the Xie Family hurriedly tidied up the rooms.
The furniture inside was all brand new. Though made of ordinary wood due to limited conditions, for a family like theirs, it was decent enough.
Old Song glanced around and mentioned that if possible in the future, they’d buy some better wood, and he could build the furniture himself.
Being an official in Beijing, could they let the father return to his old trade?
Wen Wan simply smiled and refrained from saying anything discouraging.
The items they brought from Ningzhou were only being unpacked now. Wen Wan weighed them, putting out what could be used and storing away what couldn’t, to avoid upsetting her mother-in-law over wasteful habits.
Once things were sorted out, Wen Wan took Yuanbao out to buy groceries.
After all, they were moving houses and should host a meal.
However, they had no relatives in the Capital; the only ones they could invite were Aunt Xie’s family.
When Song Wei returned from the Lower Court, he saw that the things were already arranged and asked Wen Wan a few questions.
Wen Wan said that there is a bedroom reserved for the sister-in-law over there, and she also left the key for her, so it won’t delay her from going to the Hongwen Academy.
Seeing her handle things so meticulously, Song Wei couldn’t help but feel content and squeezed her hand.
With so many people in the room, Wen Wan was afraid of being seen, so she blushed and withdrew her hand.
The two families gathered together, and the table was filled with lively chatter.
Aunt Xie glanced at her own grandsons who were eating without manners, then looked at the well-behaved Song Yuanbao across from them. The stark contrast left her a bit vexed, and right in front of everyone at the table, she suggested that Xie Zheng get a tutor for the children.
Granny Song was stunned for a moment, "Didn’t you say before that your second son was going to open a shop and have the kids learn business from him?"
"Ah, that was then." Aunt Xie said, "Since coming to the Capital, I realized it’s impossible without literacy. Look at your Yuanbao, he’s studied for years, so knowledgeable. He even dared to travel alone from the Capital to Ningzhou to fetch us. If it were up to our kids, they wouldn’t even dare to think about it."
Xie Zheng said, "It’s not easy to find a good tutor; if the tutor isn’t good, the kids might learn the wrong things. I’ll check in a few days to see if there’s anyone suitable."
Song Yuanbao suddenly said, "If it’s just to teach them to recognize words, I can do it."
He couldn’t enter the Imperial College for now and was feeling idle during this time, worried about having nothing to do.
Aunt Xie asked him, "Will it interfere with your studies?"
Yuanbao has always excelled at the town school; Aunt Xie knew this. Thinking about her unruly grandsons, even with a tutor, they might not listen. Perhaps with Yuanbao teaching, the cousins could study well together.
"It won’t interfere." Song Yuanbao said, "I won’t be going to the Imperial College for now, so I might as well occupy myself."
Since he offered, Aunt Xie was naturally more than willing.
And so, it was settled.
——
A few days later, while Song Wei was on leave, a matchmaker appointed by the Xu Family came to propose marriage.
Song Wei had informed them in advance, so when the matchmaker mentioned the suitor was a young master from the General Mansion, Granny Song did not seem too surprised.
The matchmaker wasn’t aware of the details; she only heard that this old lady was the mother of the third-place scholar and had just arrived in the Capital from the countryside not long ago.
Initially, she thought a country woman would be ecstatic to have a General Mansion young master as a son-in-law, but she didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Her reaction was unexpectedly calm.
The matchmaker couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, realizing she was the one who underestimated them. After all, the old lady had raised a successful son who became a third-place scholar.
However, seeing a rural woman handle matters so composedly, one can’t help but admire her.
This was a marriage both families agreed to; all that was missing was someone to tie the red thread of engagement. Knowing her daughter was bound to marry eventually, Granny Song didn’t put on any airs and politely asked the matchmaker a few questions, all about Xu Shu.
The young master in the General Mansion had a bit of a notorious reputation outside, but matchmakers excel at painting things in a positive light. With her eloquent words, she could make the black seem white, leaving you eager to marry off your daughter immediately.
Upon hearing the old lady’s inquiry, she immediately smiled and skillfully praised Xu Shu to the skies.
Granny Song found it unreliable, but there was one person she trusted completely—her youngest son.
She’d already heard from Song Wei that Xu Shu had a good heart, and she’d been told that the carriage and guards that fetched them from Ningzhou were all arranged by Xu Shu.
Granny Song thought, if Third Son, who was just a poor scholar at the time, could be treated so sincerely by Xu Shu, it showed that he truly had a good heart. It would be a blessing for her daughter to have such a husband.
After a brief conversation, the matchmaker happily went back with the good news of the Song family’s agreement.
Song Fang learned at dusk that the Xu Family had already sent someone to propose. It was Xu Shu who personally informed her.
After hearing it, Song Fang was a bit bewildered and asked him, "So soon?"
Xu Shu chuckled, "If it doesn’t happen soon, next time I see you, I’ll have to play the fool and call you ’Aunt.’ Do you think I’d suffer such a loss?"
Song Fang couldn’t help but smile, "What should I do then?"
She had seen her third brother and sister-in-law get married before; it was a simple process.
But now, in the Capital, a lengthy ritual was inevitable.
Xu Shu looked at her, "You’re asking me? I’d like to ask you instead if you’re planning to marry at nineteen or wait until you’re twenty."
If it’s next year, she would have graduated from the Hongwen Academy.
But by then, she would be twenty.
Getting married at twenty wasn’t ideal for her reputation.
However, if she married at nineteen, she could still claim the "teen" status, which was better than twenty.
Song Fang hardly thought about it and answered directly, "Before twenty if possible!"
"So that would be before the end of the year?"
It was now early October, leaving little time to prepare.
Xu Shu said, "Whether it’s feasible, I’ll have to find someone to pick an auspicious date."