Chapter 240 Night Talk
Old Mrs. Sheng took a sip of tea, giving Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu some time to react.

Then he continued:

"With a family like hers, no matter how she marries down, she can't marry much lower, so it's hard for his daughter to get married, leaving a glimmer of hope for my family."

To put it bluntly, it is because the daughter of the Hai family has many demands that Old Lady Sheng brought up this matter. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, Old Lady Sheng would not have said this.

Even Mrs. Sheng had already thought of the strategy for proposing marriage.

That is to let Changbai follow the method of his father Sheng Hong and let the matchmaker bring the visiting card to the door directly so that the other party's family can take a look first.

If everything goes well, it would be possible to get married.

"No, this won't work!"

While Sheng Hong was still thinking with his brows down, Wang Ruofu suddenly said:

"How can we welcome a daughter-in-law who is not allowed to take concubines? It's not like no one wants our Changbai family. How can this be justified?"

In Wang Ruofu's eyes, her son is an extremely popular commodity in the Bianjing marriage market. How could she let herself be wronged by marrying a jealous woman?
Wouldn’t life at home be uneasy from now on?

It is always lip service to say that people should let others do as they would like.

Wang Ruofu was extremely reluctant when Sheng Hong decided to take a concubine.

But if the candidate was changed to her own son Changbai, Wang Ruofu would think that the more the better. She would even want to spend her dowry to welcome a hundred concubines into the house so that she could have many descendants!
"What do you know as a woman? You only know how to talk nonsense!"

Sheng Hong was wavering in his heart, and suddenly heard Wang Ruofu's anxious words, and immediately said unhappily:
"She's the daughter of Jiang Ninghai's family. If she can marry into our family, then it's reasonable to have more requests!"

Wang Ruofu was unwilling to let her son suffer any loss.

He immediately twisted his neck and said with an unhappy look on his face:
"When I, the daughter of the Wang family, was welcomed into your family, I didn't ask for anything!"

As she spoke, seeing that Sheng Hong looked unhappy, Wang Ruofu suddenly had an idea and pulled in old lady Sheng who was sitting at the top of the table.

"Besides, my mother was here in person. When she was the only daughter of the Marquis of Yongyi, she brought in most of the family wealth and never said anything excessive."

"Why is it that now it's Bai'er's turn, she is so restrained..."

What a mother cares most about is that her son has many offspring. Wang Ruofu is now arguing with reason and is unwilling to give in. Especially when she likes Yang Ruijin very much, she is even more unwilling to marry into the Hai family.

Wang Ruofu was being clever, but Sheng Hong quickly stood up and apologized to Old Madam Sheng:

"Mother, please forgive me. You know that when the lady speaks, she is always careless."

Old Madam Sheng shook her head slightly and replied:

"What the lady said is quite reasonable. It concerns the marriage of our children. I am not such a petty old woman. It won't anger me."

"I just said that this matter needs to be discussed between you two, so just go ahead."

Hearing this, Wang Ruofu looked triumphantly at Sheng Hong who had sat down again.

Sheng Hong's brows were still furrowed.

Wang Ruofu only needs to speak her mind, but Sheng Hong, as the lord of the Sheng family, has a lot of things to consider.

Although Sheng Hong felt that what Wang Ruofu said made some sense, it was different at different times and corresponded to different people, so it couldn't be generalized.

After thinking for a while, Sheng Hong did not explain to Wang Ruofu who was in high spirits beside him, but spoke to Old Madam Sheng at the top:

"I am worried that if I propose marriage to Commander Yangdu's family, I will be too deeply involved with them in the future."

Old Mrs. Sheng nodded slightly.

She understood what Sheng Hong meant.

After all, Yang Wenyuan had already married Hualan. If the eldest daughter of the Yang family now married Changbai from their own family, then the two families would have a bit of the flavor of a family marriage.

As a general rule, it is not good to put all your eggs in one basket, and this is especially true for marriage.

At this time, you should cast a wide net and expand your family's network.

Unless the two families are particularly close and see each other's future, they will only get married successively.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Sheng suddenly asked back:

"Do you think that if my family finds Yang Rujin, will my family have to consider more things, or will Yang's family have to consider more aspects?"

Old Madam Sheng put down the warm teacup in her hand and continued:
"Both the Yang family and the Hai family are good matchmakers, but neither is quite sure. Now we are discussing it, and all we have to do is figure out the order of priority."

"Yes, mother is absolutely right!"

Wang Ruofu quickly responded:

"It doesn't mean that we have to reject the girl from the Hai family. It's just that if Ru Jin doesn't work out, then we'll just have to wait until someone else takes her turn."

Wang Ruofu's mind was still online today, and he kept saying:

"Besides, Hualan can ask the Yang family about this privately. If the Yang family has no interest in this, then out of consideration for the relationship between the two families, they can just treat it as a joke and not let it spread outside."

"But if I go to the Hai family first, I can only formally hand in a visiting card and pay a visit. If that doesn't work out, how can I have the face to go to the Yang family to propose marriage later?"

This clearly-organized analysis immediately made both Old Lady Sheng and Sheng Hong look sideways at Wang Ruofu.

How come my lady is so sharp-eyed and sharp-eared today, and yet has a gully in her heart?
It's like he's completely a different person!
Wang Ruofu: Keep a low profile, keep a low profile!
Being a mother means being strong. Being a mother means being strong!
"That's true." Sheng Hong couldn't help but nodded in agreement.

Old Mrs. Sheng also nodded slightly.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember it now!"

Wang Ruofu suddenly stood up in surprise, attracting the attention of everyone in the room.

Wang Ruofu shouted:

"I seem to have heard about the girl from the Hai family at the polo match!"

"Oh?" Sheng Hong and Old Lady Sheng looked even more surprised.

"What's the matter? Tell me in detail." Sheng Hong asked immediately.

Wang Ruofu frowned and said softly:

"I didn't hear this clearly at the time. I just heard Madam Wu and the others mention it a few times when they were chatting and joking. They said that the Jiang Ninghai family is used to maintaining their reputation. Not only did the husband come up with a gimmick to attract attention, but even the daughter followed suit. As a result, now the married daughter has made such a joke of being jealous and contradicting her parents-in-law..."

The upright civil officials looked down upon the nobles, thinking that they were Nth-generation ancestors who were relying on the merits of their ancestors.

The nobles also disliked the civil officials who claimed to be noble, thinking that they were shameless and pretentious.

Therefore, the two sides are usually at loggerheads with each other and are unhappy with each other.

The masters in the court confronted each other, and the ladies and female generals in the backyard naturally confronted each other on a daily basis.

Once the other party makes a ridiculous joke, they will get the news first, make a joke of it verbally, and make fun of it behind their backs.

"A married daughter?"

Sheng Hong thought for a while and came up with the answer:

“Could it be that the eldest daughter of the Hai family has a bad reputation?”

The reputation of the girls in a family is often closely linked.

Even if you marry out of your original family, your every word and action will be linked to your original family, especially your unmarried sisters.

After listening to Wang Ruofu's description, Sheng Hong couldn't help but feel nervous, worrying that the girl he would marry into the family in the future would be a restless girl.

On the other hand, he had met Yang Ruijin several times, and his children could still play together at home, so he had no worries in this regard.

On one side is the Haijia blind box with many conditions.

On one side was Yang Rujin, who knew everything about him. Sheng Hong couldn't help but start to tilt the balance in his heart.

"Even if the two families are too closely tied together, I am only a fifth-rank official, and Changbai may not be able to wear a purple robe in the future. Instead of worrying about this and that, it is better to throw the problem to the Yang family. Anyway, they have more problems to consider."

After thinking about it this way, Sheng Hong's idea suddenly became clear!

Anyway, this matter may not succeed, and there will be no loss even if it succeeds. It is better to just throw the problem directly to the Yang family and let them make the decision!
"Then wait until Hua'er comes home and ask her!"

Sheng Hong immediately made the decision and handed the decision-making power to the Yang family!
“It should have been done long ago!”

Wang Ruofu readily agreed, nodded happily and said:
"I think Rujin is a sensible and lovable girl. I can always see the shadow of my youth in her. There is no doubt about it!"

"..."

Sheng Hong and Old Lady Sheng: There is no need for this resemblance...

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu were discussing the matter below. When she heard Wang Ruofu talking about her concern about the character of the second daughter of the Hai family, Mrs. Sheng subconsciously opened her mouth to speak. However, as her mouth opened slightly, the light in her eyes flickered a few times, and a few imperceptible groans were heard.

In the end, he sighed in his heart and let Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu continue talking without saying a word.

"But speaking of which, the girls in my family are about to reach marriage age..."

As she spoke, Wang Ruofu turned to look at Old Lady Sheng expectantly, and said carefully:

"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble my mother to help with this matter."

In families like the Sheng family, which have some power but not much and are seeking to advance themselves, the girls in the family usually marry down from a lower position in order to win over talented people and seek common progress.

Therefore, among all the girls in the family, Rulan is the only one who is qualified to ask Old Lady Sheng for help in expanding her wealth.

Therefore, Sheng Hong and Old Madam Sheng also understood the meaning of Wang Ruofu's words.

"Don't worry, madam, I will help you with the arrangements these days." Old Lady Sheng nodded in response.

Sheng Hong on the side glared at Wang Ruofu with a look of frustration, his face showing displeasure, but in his heart he was happy that Wang Ruofu was the substitute.

Many things are hard to explain myself, but with Wang Ruofu leading the charge and myself supporting him from the side, things will be much easier.

Sheng Hong also felt that he had no control over Rulan's marriage, so it would be best to leave it to Old Madam Sheng.

As for Minglan and Molan.

Minglan should also have Old Madam Sheng to help her with things here.

Last time, Sheng Hong had sensed something about He Hongwen from the He family of Baishitan, and Wang Ruofu was also talking about him from time to time, but unfortunately the timing was not right, as He Hongwen had to go to Lingzhou, so the matter had to be dropped.

Molan is here.

Although Lin Qinshuang's previous selfishness hurt Sheng Hong's heart, Sheng Hong was still very satisfied with Molan. He thought about finding a young and handsome man for her and arranging a good marriage for her.

Sheng Hong has already outlined the general scope, so just choose a student like himself!
After the general chat, Mrs. Sheng talked about trivial matters of life for a while, during which time she asked Mama Fang to call Minglan and Rulan back.

When the two returned to Shou'an Hall with joy on their faces, tonight's talk about their children's marriage was officially over.

Everyone bowed and left.

Out of Shou'an Hall.

Sheng Hong also wanted to visit Chang Rong, so he said a few words to Wang Ruofu and went to Mucangzhai.

Wang Ruofu didn't care much. Her attention was on Rulan.

Wang Ruofu frowned as she watched her daughter skipping all the way back.

"This is not the quiet and graceful manner of a girl at all. I don't know where she learned this from. How can this be so disgraceful!"

This made Wang Ruofu think of Hualan immediately.

Thinking of her outstanding daughter, Wang Ruofu felt a little relieved:

"I think Hualan is the only one who inherited my good qualities."

But after all, she is her own daughter, so Wang Ruofu still has to help with the planning.

Wei Ruixuan.

After returning to the courtyard, Rulan was about to go to bed happily, but as soon as she entered the hanging flower gate, she was pulled into the mistress's room by Wang Ruofu.

"Sleep with me tonight!"

Since Sheng Hong was not around, Wang Ruofu had a good chance to talk to her daughter about her inner thoughts.

Rulan was very reluctant at first, thinking that her mother was going to lecture her again, but she heard her mother say:

"I was chatting with your father and your grandmother tonight, and I mentioned your story. I have to tell you about it."

Wang Ruofu wanted Rulan to change her personality and behave like a lady from a noble family, so that she could marry into a good family in the future.

Rulan immediately became interested after hearing this.

Oh? Is this what the elders talked about tonight?
Then I'm interested!
night.

The house is brightly lit by lights.

Wang Ruofu knew that Rulan couldn't keep things to herself, so she didn't tell her about Changbai's possible marriage proposal to Yang Rujin. Instead, she talked about the things to be discussed tonight, which were related to their children's marriages. She also told her about her plan to entrust their marriage to Old Lady Sheng.

"Ah?" Rulan looked unhappy.

Although she didn't understand her mother's intention, she felt upset when she heard that her mother was planning to marry her off.

"What's the good of getting married? It's so much more fun to stay at home." Rulan complained with a pout.

Wang Ruofu stretched out her index finger and tapped Rulan's white forehead, and said with a look of disappointment:

"You! Can you still stay at home like an old maid?"

"Women always have to get married!" Wang Ruofu said this with emotion on her face.

She was raised in her uncle's home in the countryside. After returning to the Wang family, she got married with a confused look on her face. She was just a wild country girl who knew nothing.

From the beginning to the end, the only thing she had left was a daughter of the Wang family and the title of her father being worthy of being enshrined in the Taimiao. Only with this could she feel a little at ease in the Sheng family where she was unfamiliar with the place.

This is also the reason why she kept saying "My father deserves to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple" in the past few years.

"But it's not necessary anymore..."

Rulan whispered:
"I just want to be an old girl and stay at home..."

Suddenly noticing her mother's expression was not right, Rulan quickly explained:

"It's not that my daughter doesn't want to get married, she just doesn't know anything!"

"It's okay. Your grandmother is helping with all this."

Wang Ruofu gently stroked Rulan's hair, which was as soft as a waterfall, to cheer herself up and to encourage Rulan, and whispered:
"I will marry you off to a good family when the time comes!"

Rulan hugged Wang Ruofu's waist, leaned against her mother's arms, and murmured softly:
"There's nothing good about marrying up..."

According to Rulan's years of experience in reading student stories, women who marry into wealthy families often do not live a happy life.

On the contrary, those women who married down, especially those who married poor scholars, often relied on their own virtue and their husbands' diligence and love of learning to live a prosperous and happy life.

Therefore, in Rulan's mind, if she, a legitimate daughter, married off to a lower class, her husband's family would definitely treat her well and she would live an easy and comfortable life.

But the naive and romantic little girl didn't know that most of the stories in these vernacular books were written by poor scholars, just like the beautiful female ghosts and daughters of wealthy families in Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio who were mostly attached to the scholars who were "full of knowledge and elegant in temperament."

The stories in books are all used to satisfy one's own imagination.

(End of this chapter)