The young man is gentle and elegant, tall as a bamboo, with a handsome appearance.
Cheng Chi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your grandfather and I are close friends regardless of age difference. We have similar personalities, so we can be carefree. Xiuzhi doesn't need to worry too much."
The eighteen-year-old boy, who won the top prize in the Hunan and Hubei provinces last year, should not be underestimated.
Xiuzhi is his courtesy name.
Song Mu smiled apologetically and bowed to Cheng Chi.
The smile is gentle and steady.
Cheng Chi suddenly had an idea and went to Old Master Song's room.
Old Master Song was leaning on the big kang near the window, reading a local history book. When he heard the voice, he looked up and saw Cheng Chi. He immediately sat up and said, "Is there any progress on the Kaifeng Prefecture issue?"
The old man has become a little obsessed.
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "How can it be that simple?"
Old Master Song said dissatisfiedly, "I think you can definitely find a way to deal with it now that it's in your hands." Then he asked, "What do you want from me?"
Cheng Chi sat on the kang opposite him, leaned forward with his hands on the kang table and asked him, "Is your Xiuzhi engaged?"
"No!" Old Master Song asked suspiciously, "Why are you asking this?"
Cheng Chi did not answer, but continued: "Have you ever had a verbal engagement with anyone?"
Old Master Song asked, "Do you want to be a matchmaker for our Xiuzhi?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "If it's suitable, why not?"
Old Master Song became interested and asked hurriedly, "Whose daughter is this? What's her character like? Why are you acting as a matchmaker for that family?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "You have seen him too. He went to Mount Putuo with me last time..."
Old Master Song suddenly realized, his face showing more interest, and said: "I remember that little girl was like a pearl in the morning dew, and once you saw her, you would never forget her. Why? Hasn't she been engaged yet? I remember that little girl is your niece, a girl from your Cheng family's branch?"
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "She is the granddaughter of the fourth room. Her surname is Zhou. She is the second daughter of Baoding prefect Zhou Dacheng. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up with her elder sister in Jiuru Lane. When she was young, she was raised by Aunt Guan of the fourth room. When she was older, she was raised in my mother's room. Her elder sister married the eldest son of the Liao family in Zhenjiang. Now she lives with the eldest son of the Liao family in the capital. She just gave birth to a son. She went to the capital with her stepmother and stepsister to visit her elder sister. She happened to be in the capital... I just don't know why your Xiuzhi hasn't been engaged yet?"
The experience was somewhat tortuous, but since Cheng Chi was the matchmaker and he had met him before, Old Master Song put aside the words about losing a child and a mother, and sighed, "You also know that my current daughter-in-law is a concubine, and Xiuzhi is the daughter of the previous woman. At that time, my family was in decline, and I carefully selected Jingran to marry the eldest daughter of Mr. Wang in Jingzhou Prefecture. After Wang came into the family, the couple lived in harmony, managed the household well, was very filial to me, and gave birth to four sons and one daughter. I had no complaints. But later, Wang was infected with an epidemic and died before she was thirty. I decided to marry Jingran to his current daughter-in-law.
"My current daughter-in-law is also very good. She has a gentle temperament, respects her elders, loves her children, and respects her husband. The family is very happy. On the contrary, the Wang family has gradually declined since Mr. Wang passed away, and Uncle Wang has been engaged in business. But with the help of Jingran and me, his business has been doing well, and now it is one of the best families in the two lakes. In addition to his wife, Uncle Wang has five or six concubines, and his fourteen sons are not good at studying, so he wants to marry one of his eldest daughter or second daughter. Although Jingran was not satisfied, he reluctantly agreed for the sake of his previous daughter-in-law.
“But Xiuzhi didn’t want to.
“And I don’t want to do it anyway.
“He said he had met two cousins, but neither of them was his ideal partner.
“But the Wang family insisted on marrying a daughter into the family, and they specifically asked for Xiuzhi.
"Huang is the stepmother. She is afraid of offending both Xiuzhi and Jingran, so she stands in the middle like a fence-sitter. As a result of this incident, Xiuzhi's marriage has been delayed, and so have the marriages of his three younger brothers. His father is extremely anxious about this matter. Two days ago, the father and son had an argument about this matter... That's why I brought Xiuzhi to your place to walk around and relax."
Uncle Wang had a wife and concubines, and a total of fourteen sons... It can be seen that the family was very ordinary.
Is this also the reason why Song Jingran did not let his son marry Wang's daughter? Otherwise, if Song Jingran agreed, it would be useless for Song Xiuzhi to object.
The Song family is so complicated that Cheng Chi is a little hesitant.
When Old Master Song saw her, he even wanted to marry her.
In his opinion, girls who were pampered by aristocratic families had not experienced the hardships of life, and were mostly gentle, generous, and kind-hearted. Especially those who were liked by their elders, their character and morals would not be bad.
Huang is such a person.
Although she was a second wife, she was kind and caring to her step-sons.
This is the daughter-in-law that the Song family wants.
"I think it's better to do this," Old Master Song thought for a moment and immediately came up with an idea, "I will stay here for two more days. The daughter of the Zhou family is not an outsider. Let them meet each other. If they like each other, it won't be too late to talk about the marriage. Marriage is a union of two families. If it's a resentful marriage, the two families will not be at peace, and the parents will be worried. It's not good for enemies to become enemies."
Cheng Chi didn't expect Old Master Song to be so open-minded.
And Song Xiuzhi is also a man with his own ideas...
He smiled and said, "That's fine. I'll call the second girl from the Zhou family over to talk in a couple of days, so that the two of them can meet..." As soon as he said that, his heart suddenly ached. Even Old Master Song could see that he was not feeling well, and asked with concern, "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"It's okay." Cheng Chi smiled, "Maybe I was thinking with my head down for too long, so I feel a little dizzy now."
When Cheng Zichuan and he went up the mountain, they walked very fast. Isn't his physique strong enough to kill a tiger
Old Master Song was suspicious for a while, thinking that his eldest grandson's marriage was now imminent, he talked to Cheng Zichuan for a few words and then went to Song Mu.
Song Mu looked at the picture of mountains and rivers, and the more he looked, the more insignificant his life seemed.
The person who drew this picture of mountains and rivers is truly amazing.
He began to understand why his grandfather was obsessed with traveling!
If he has the chance, he will go around and have a look.
Song Mu's expression became more serious.
When Old Master Song came in and saw the appearance of his eldest grandson, he nodded secretly, sent the servants away, and told Song Mu about the agreement with Cheng Chi.
Song Mu's face flushed, with a hint of strangeness appearing between his brows.
He heard others calling the woman "Second Cousin". Could it be that the woman that Cheng Shishu was talking about was the one he ran into in the banquet room
Song Mu still remembers that stunning glimpse.
He had never seen a woman so beautiful.
Just standing there casually like that makes life as warm as a spring breeze.
He couldn't help but stammer, "But, it's up to grandfather!"
Old Master Song was stunned, remembering that when he and Cheng Chi were discussing flood control in the study, a servant came in to report that someone had come... He laughed, squinting his eyes and teasing his eldest grandson: "You haven't seen that girl, have you? That girl is very beautiful."
Song Mu murmured, unable to speak.
Old Master Song laughed, patted Song Mu on the shoulder, and said happily: "Don't worry, you have your stepmother to help you, and you are just as strong as your father. With me on your side, you are sure to win. In a few days, Zichuan will call the little girl to talk, you have to fight for me and let the girl take a fancy to you."
Song Mu was too embarrassed to speak.
Old Master Song happily went to Cheng Chi and urged him, "Hurry up and bring out the water control regulations, so that we can call the little girl over to talk."
Cheng Chi's chest was aching.
He knows why!
But if the person being proposed to is Song Xiuzhi, and she has the opportunity to get to know Song Xiuzhi, she should not be opposed to marrying Song Xiuzhi, right
Even if you can't accept it at the moment, you will gradually settle down over time, right
What's more, Song Xiuzhi is so outstanding in both demeanor and knowledge. Compared with Cheng Xu, he is more resolute and calm. She should like him.
Cheng Chi took a few deep breaths, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind, and said with a smile: "I thought you would be more worried about your eldest grandson's marriage."
Old Master Song will definitely not tell anyone about his plans.
Firstly, the matter has not yet been finalized, and secondly, he may not be interested in fame and gain and may not want to be an official.
He has his own way of trapping him.
"Do you know how many people died in Kaifeng Prefecture last year when the dike burst?" Old Master Song said solemnly, "When I went to Kaifeng Prefecture a few days ago, the siltation in Kaifeng Prefecture was more serious than before, and the temperature this year is higher than in previous years - it's only March now, but it's like midsummer, and it's a bit hot even wearing a jacket. If it rains continuously in summer, Kaifeng Prefecture will probably have no harvest even if the dike doesn't burst. You are safe and sound, but what about the people? If the government can rely on it, why are there so many illegal households in Dezhou? This is a major event for the country and the people. If you don't have this talent, it's fine, but if you have this talent, you can't be at ease."
Cheng Chi smiled bitterly at what he said.
Compared with Old Master Song, he looks more like an elderly man.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "Will you come back from Yushu Hutong and bring out the rules overnight?"
Old Master Song reluctantly agreed.
Cheng Chi went to Yushu Hutong.
Zhou Shaojin waited until his sister fed Guan Ge and handed him over to the wet nurse to take him away, then he talked about going to Yuqian Hutong: "... Uncle Chi was busy, I didn't see him, I can only visit him another day."
Zhou Chujin didn't take it seriously and smiled, "Anyway, Uncle Chi already knows that we visited him. Next time we go, he won't blame me for it. That's all. We each do our best."
Zhou Shaojin nodded, feeling a little depressed.
Zhou Chujin asked hurriedly: "Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? Or have you encountered some injustice?"
"No!" Zhou Shaojin quickly perked up and laughed, saying, "I just feel a little tired. Or maybe it's because of spring sleepiness."
"Then you should go back to your room and rest." Zhou Chujin laughed and said, "Don't come to accompany me at night. Guan Ge has a wet nurse and maids on night duty. I have people to serve me here. You should have a good sleep."
Zhou Shaojin was indeed not in the mood.
She smiled and said "OK". Just as she was about to get up and say goodbye, a little maid came in and said, "Master Chi from the Cheng family in Yuqian Hutong is here."
※
Sisters and brothers, catching up on yesterday’s update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)