What is this all about?
My poor little darlings are only so old, and now weâre talking about a marriage arrangement? My goodness, why do I feel like Iâm about to become a mother-in-law and, soon enough, a grandmother?
Child betrothal, alright, child betrothals were popular in ancient times, but as someone from the modern era whoâs crossed over, how could I possibly agree to such an arrangement for my sons?
In ancient times, how difficult must it have been to call off or set up an engagement? If I agree to this now, what if they grow up and donât like each other?
What do I think? I think itâs not good at all.
And the most crucial point is, this girl is Ms. Liu Juniorâs niece. I mean, Iâll leave Ms. Liu Junior out of it for now, but just looking at the gleam in her eyes tells me sheâs no easy mark. If my precious boys end up with such a mother-in-law, I bet theyâd hate me to death.
Then thereâs the Liu Family girl, what does she even look like? I havenât seen her yet. What if she turns out to be exceptionally unattractive, how would I explain that to my sons?
Spare me the âone shouldnât judge by appearancesâ talk, no matter the era, when people judge, the first thing they look at is the face, right? Even the Emperor picks his concubines primarily based on their appearance. Itâs with the foundation of their looks that people are willing to get to know each otherâs inner qualities.
In a moment of reflection, Yang Chuxia had already thought so much.
And in this silent space, Ms. Liu Juniorâs mother and sister-in-law had exchanged several glances.
Ms. Liu Juniorâs sister-in-law was especially anxious. Was this going to happen or not?
By this time, Yang Chuxia had already snapped back to reality, thinking to herself that normally, it should be the grandma who came to talk to her first about such matters. Yet now, she had come over with the Liu Family people, which probably meant there was a story behind all this.
After thinking for a moment, Yang Chuxia asked, "May I know which niece of my younger aunt-in-law youâre talking about?" She thought it would be better to reject the proposal politelyâafter all, it wouldnât be nice to put Grandma and the younger aunt-in-law in an awkward position in front of the Liu Family.
Ms. Liu Juniorâs sister-in-law misunderstood Yang Chuxiaâs intention as a sign of agreement and eagerly replied, "Itâs my familyâs young girl, sheâs very sturdy and obviously fortunate."
Yang Chuxia thought to herself, itâs precisely because sheâs from your family that I canât agree.
She then asked, "I have two sons, may I know which of them you are considering for this match?"
"The eldest, of course, the Eldest!" Ms. Liu Juniorâs sister-in-law jumped in to say. She believed that the eldest son in a prominent family usually inherited the estate.
Yang Chuxia had naturally thought of this as well.
After pondering for a moment, she said, "Aunt-in-law from the Liu Family, these two boys of mine are just over seven months old. Itâs really too early to talk about engagement, at least we should wait until they are over fifteen. Besides, Brother An and I think that since the boys are twins, they should both be betrothed at the same time, that would be better."
Yang Chuxia thought to herself, you have only one girl, but I have two sons. I want to betroth them both together. Itâs not like theyâre getting married at the same time, so that should be a difficult proposition for you, right?
To her surprise, Ms. Liu Juniorâs sister-in-law said, "My maternal family has a niece whoâs over three years old now. Thereâs a saying that an older girl can hold a gold brick."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chuxiaâs mouth twitched slightly, was her younger aunt-in-lawâs sister deliberately ignoring her hints at rejection?
She then said, "Donât laugh at me, aunts, but Iâm actually quite open-minded, and in the matter of childrenâs marriage, I donât care about all that status and position, whatâs important is the childrenâs own wishes. This daughter-in-law is going to spend a lifetime with my son, so itâs only right that my son grows up and chooses someone he likes. As such, my two sons will be the ones to pick their own brides in the future, and we as parents wonât make decisions and cause trouble for them."