Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 479 - 470: Choosing a Son-in-Law

Chapter 479: Chapter 470: Choosing a Son-in-Law

The innocent chatter of the two little brothers frequently amused Liao Chen, causing her to burst into laughter. She bent down to plant a kiss on Yu’er, then turned to plant kisses on them too.

They were indeed smart, resolutely carrying out the tasks assigned to them by their father and mother, determined to win their grandmother’s favour.

Meanwhile, Ms. Chu and Chen Dabao sat quietly next to Chen Afu, listening to their younger brothers’ silly talks and laughing along.

By late afternoon, Uncle Wang Cheng and Mrs. Wu arrived first with Wang Xiaodi and Wang Xiaomei. Then, The Fus, The Qins, and The Wangs all arrived with their children, even Commander Fu showed up, which was quite a compliment.

The men were entertained by Chu Lingqi in the Outer Court. Chen Afu and Mrs. Song, on the other hand, were busy entertaining the women and children in the main court.

After dinner and seeing off the guests, Chen Afu presented Mrs. Song with a brocade box, saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law, for your help these past few days."

Mrs. Song laughed, and replied, "Our husbands are brothers and we’re sisters-in-law. There’s no need to thank us. Why are you being so polite?"

Chen Afu laughed and said, "That’s not always the case. Even among brothers and sisters-in-law, there’s often backstabbing..." She didn’t mention explicitly that Mrs. Li, your mother-in-law, is one such person.

Mrs. Song understood Chen Afu’s implied meaning and also laughed. When she opened the brocade box, she saw a gold rattle encrusted with turquoise, and two gold hairpins embedded with pearls, which were as big as wine cups and made by Jitai Silver Tower in the Capital City. Mrs. Song estimated that the total value of her jewellery didn’t even add up to the cost of these few pieces.

She hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, these pieces of jewellery are too expensive. How could I accept them... if my husband knew that I accepted such valuable things from you, he’d scold me."

Chen Afu laughed and said, "These are my gifts to you. As sisters-in-law, it’s fine for you to accept them."

Mrs. Song really adored the jewellery, so she collected them with pure joy, then mentioned, "Thanks to you, sister-in-law, Mr. Zeng and Mr. Luo often give me some rare goods. Now, my business is booming. In less than a year, I’ve made more than a hundred taels of silver."

Mrs. Song owned a small fabric shop. Mr. Luo often supplied her with Jiangnan silk at a fair price, while Mr. Zeng gave her foreign fabrics like Korea cloth and woolen blanket.

The two sisters-in-law chatted for quite a while before Chu Lingqi came to the main court to call them, and then Mrs. Song and her son left.

On the eleventh, the Yamen reopened, and the Chen Shiying family returned from Capital City in the midday of the tenth day of the first lunar month. As soon as they came back, they sent a message to Chen Afu asking her to bring the children over for dinner and to bring back the gifts they received from the Marquis’ Mansion, the Royal Rui Mansion, and the Jiangs, including a letter from Marquis Chu.

Chen Afu waited until 3 pm, assuming they should have finished unpacking by then, and happily led her five children to the Chens.

When she reached the main court, she saw that Chen Shiying’s face wasn’t looking good and Mrs. Jiang’s eyes were somewhat red and swollen.

Clearly, the couple had quarreled!

Mrs. Jiang had always been unconditionally accommodating to Chen Shiying, what had happened today?

When they saw Chen Afu’s family arriving, they put on smiles and greeted the children warmly. Mrs. Jiang took Yu’er into her arms and said, "Ayo, my granddaughter has grown up. She resembles her grandfather even more now."

After hearing Mrs. Jiang’s words, Chen Shiying took a few more glances at Yu’er and a smile finally appeared in his eyes.

Soon after, Chen Yuqing, Chen Yulan, Chen Yuxia, and Chen Yuchao arrived. Chen Yuchao wasn’t as robust as Yu and Zhao. He was still a bit unsteady when walking and needed an adult’s help. However, he had already begun speaking fluently and could even recite a few lines of poetry.

The group chatted for a while, then Chen Afu followed Mrs. Jiang to the side room after seeing her making eye contact.

As it turned out, Mrs. Jiang’s family had proposed a match for Chen Yuqing. The family was well-off, with the grandfather being a Censor of the Left in the Censorate, a third-rank official. The father was also a governor, stationed in Liaozhou. The young man himself was also well-educated and had already passed the scholar examination. He was planning to take the imperial examination this autumn to become a provincial graduate. He was half a year younger than Chen Yuqing and was seventeen this year.

Chen Afu said, "From what I hear, the family sounds fine. Doesn’t father agree?"

Mrs. Jiang sighed and said, "Your father doesn’t agree. He says the young man isn’t good-looking. He’s short and stout, not a suitable match for Qing’er."

Chen Afu started to laugh, saying, "My father is a handsome man, so he sets high standards for his sons-in-law."

Mrs. Jiang also laughed. Then hesitating, she said, "This young man from the Feng family... Well, it’s not that your father is too picky. This young man is even shorter than Qing’er. I was thinking, what’s wrong with him being short and fat? As long as he’s a good man and the family is good, it’s enough if Qing’er doesn’t suffer after marrying him. Qing’er is already eighteen years old. If we keep being picky, I’m worried..."

When they were talking, Chen Shiying walked in and said, "Mr. Feng is oddly tempered and a stickler for rules. Qing’er may not necessarily have a good life if she marries into his family. Besides, that son of the Fengs is so..." He stopped, realizing it was improper for a man to critique others’ appearances. He frowned in disgust then said, "How could I, Chen Shiying, have such a son-in-law? I’d rather find a handsome, talented and decent young man from a humble family. I came from a humble family as well, and I haven’t let my wife and children suffer."

Mrs. Jiang replied, "How many are there with a character as noble as yours among the young men of humble families? They are hard to come by even when you search with a lantern. I fear we might end up with those young men from humbler families who are constantly thinking of their wife’s dowry. With dozens of family members intending to live off that dowry, life would be very difficult for Qing’er. I heard that there are quite a few families like that..."

Mrs. Jiang, being a strong mother, was opposing her husband for the first time.

After hearing about the young man from the Feng family, Chen Afu didn’t like him either. Chen Yuqing, although not particularly beautiful, was definitely not ugly and had a good figure. It would indeed be regrettable to match her with such a man.

It wasn’t that Chen Afu necessarily judged people based on their appearance, but when the two sides didn’t know each other and had no emotional foundation, one had to consider their appearances first. Additionally, considering the upcoming instatement of the Ninth Prince as the heir apparent, the emperor could issue the decree anytime.

With the rise of the Chus, Chen Shiying inevitably having a bright future, and herself as the sister who had raised the Ninth Prince’s half-brother, these three advantages should offset the negative effects caused by Mrs. Zhao and Chen Yuhui on the Chen sisters. In this case, Chen Yuqing’s marriage wouldn’t be too difficult, at least she wouldn’t have to settle for such a match.

So, she said, "Mother, don’t worry, let’s wait a bit longer. The young man from the Feng family hasn’t even passed the provincial graduate examination yet. Maybe we could discuss it after he passes. Imagine if he couldn’t even pass that exam. A short, fat and useless man certainly doesn’t deserve to be the son-in-law of a father who is tall, handsome, and capable."

Chen Shiying laughed. He wanted to say that the young man wouldn’t be suitable even if he passed the provincial graduate examination, but there were still half a year left and a suitable person might appear. Moreover, the situation in the court seemed extremely favorable to the Ninth Prince, so he simply nodded without saying anything.

Mrs. Jiang also laughed. Even if the young man passed the examination, he would still be useless except for a decent family background.

Chen Shiying handed over a letter to Chen Afu, saying, "This is a letter from Marquis Chu to you."