Chapter 46 Persuading Hao Yu

Chapter 46 Persuading Hao Yu

Don't be fooled by his willingness to dedicate the best years of his life to protecting and educating Jiang Yuan, and to buy him houses and land; he's not that generous to others.

After all, others are just others, but Jiang Yuan is Jiang Yuan's cousin and mentor. In his heart, Jiang Yuan is his own son who is not related to him by blood.

When Jiang Yuan heard him say that he was not opposed to marriage, but felt that he was getting old and it would be difficult to find a suitable marriage partner, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He said, “I understand. You don’t want to marry a widow with children, nor do you want to marry a girl who is only a teenager. Then I will ask someone to help you find a girl who is over twenty years old and whose marriage has been delayed for some reason.”

Hao Yu instinctively wanted to object, but remembering what Jiang Yuan had just said—that he might be ashamed to face his parents after his death—he swallowed his words of objection.

Jiang Yuan looked at him and said, "Do you have any other requests? Tell me them all so I can pass them on to my sister."

After a long pause, Hao Yu finally managed to say, "Then... be an upright and reasonable person, and don't let your family members be too difficult to deal with."

As for appearance, skills, and dowry, Hao Yu, who considered himself to be a middle-aged man, did not care.

Jiang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously. "I understand. I will tell my sister."

Hao Yu was unusually embarrassed, and he waved his hand, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore."

He pointed to Chang Yao's box of spoils, "Give me the belt and bracelet, you can keep the rest for your future wife."

Now it was Jiang Yuan's turn to blush. He subconsciously turned his head and glanced out the window.

Hao Yu laughed out loud, "You."

Could his thoughts be any more blunt? I really don't know how he manages to keep such a stoic expression all the time.

"Keep the writing brush, ink, paper, inkstone, books, and official gazettes for now. I'll come to your room to get them whenever I need them or want to read them."

Few people in the village knew that the two of them could read, and they always kept their writing implements, paper, inkstones, and books tightly locked in a box.

"Keep the tea and mare's milk wine for the New Year and when entertaining guests. Anyone who wants charcoal can go to the storeroom and get it themselves. As for oats, flour, dried meat, pastries, preserved fruit, and milk curds... let Wan Niang arrange these as she sees fit."

Jiang Yuan nodded, then relayed Hao Yu's words to Xie Wanniang, telling her to make the arrangements as she saw fit.

Xie Wanniang didn't stand on ceremony. After a moment's thought, she suggested to Jiang Yuan, "Dried meat, pastries, preserved fruit, and milk curds can all be eaten directly. We can secretly send some to our sister."

Wang Xiaozhi's in-laws lived together as a large family. Even if they were given flour and oats, they would not eat them alone. Therefore, whenever Jiang Yuan wanted to help his sister, he would send her some edible food as much as possible.

This practice is not uncommon. Families who dote on their daughters and grandchildren will secretly slip them things whenever they have the chance to help them out.

Jiang Yuan was just about to talk to Wang Xiaozhi about asking her to help Hao Yu find a suitable candidate when he heard Xie Wanniang say this. He immediately nodded vigorously, "I'll take some for my sister later."

Of course, you can't take too much; you have to take small amounts frequently, like a slow and steady stream, otherwise others will notice that he's hiding some goodies.

Jiang Yuan hid a small packet of candied winter melon, a small packet of crab shell pastry, a small packet of milk curds, and a small packet of dried mutton wrapped in oil paper in his pocket. Then, he took two jin of wheat flour and two jin of millet to Wang Xiaozhi's house.

The reason for giving her flour and millet was that Wang Xiaozhi would definitely have to go around asking around for suitable girls for Hao Yu. Although she didn't need Jiang Yuan to pay her a running fee, the fact that Jiang Yuan did pay her would effectively shut up her sisters-in-law.

After exchanging greetings with Wang Xiaozhi's parents-in-law and the rest of their family, Jiang Yuan was invited by Wang Xiaozhi and her husband to sit down in their east wing room.

After entering the house, Jiang Yuan immediately took out the oil paper package containing candied winter melon, crab shell pastries, milk curds, and dried mutton that he had hidden in the sleeve of his cotton coat.

Jiang Yuan opened the oil paper package and showed off the delicious treats one by one.

Lamb jerky, marinated and cooked with salt, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices, has only a slight gamey smell and is a very nice snack.

Children especially love it. When they see dried meat, they forget about snacks and candied winter melon. Their bright eyes blink and their gaze remains fixed on the dried meat.

Jiang Yuan smiled and gave one to each of the two children and their parents, saying, "Try it all."

Wang Xiaozhi and her husband were reluctant to eat it. Jiang Yuan had given it to them a couple of years ago, but they only tasted it the first time they received it. The rest they left to their parents and daughter.

Their eldest daughter, Chen Yuan, will be five years old next year, and their youngest son, Chen Fang, is already one year and eight months old. One of them has a bigger appetite, and the other has grown from a baby to an age where he can eat dried meat. In order for the two children to eat more, they, as parents, naturally have to save as much as possible.

Seeing that they were holding the jerky without moving, Jiang Yuan didn't say anything to persuade them; he wasn't the type to give long-winded advice.

He held his little nephew Chen Fang in his arms and said, "Sister, Uncle Hao is willing to get married."

Wang Xiaozhi looked delighted. "What? He suddenly changed his mind? No, no, no, that's not important. Tell me quickly, what kind of person is he looking for?"

Jiang Yuan smiled slightly, "He wants to find someone over twenty years old, who has never been married, is upright and understanding, and whose family is easy to get along with."

Wang Xiaozhi was taken aback. "Why would you want to find someone so old?"

It wasn't that she looked down on older women; Hao Yu's age was a given, and even a thirty-year-old spinster could be considered a suitable match for him.

Wang Xiaozhi said this because in this era, if a girl waited until she was eighteen or nineteen to get married, she would already be considered a late-married person who would attract attention.

Those over twenty years old immediately eliminated 99% of unmarried women.

Jiang Yuan sighed, "He said he's too old to date a teenage girl."

Wang Xiaozhi: ......

Chen Zhao, who was eavesdropping intently: ......

The two exchanged a glance, and Chen Zhao spoke in a low voice, "Uncle Hao is an upright person with a good temperament. Most importantly, he has a wealthy family background, and he is capable and can make money. He can pick a good girl out of the teenage girls... well, let's not talk about fourteen or fifteen or very young girls, but sixteen, seventeen, eighteen or nineteen."

Wang Xiaozhi nodded vigorously, "Besides, Uncle Hao looks to be only twenty-five or twenty-six. He hunts all year round, so he's in good health."

He looks young and handsome, so if you marry your daughter to his family, you don't have to worry about being gossiped about by the neighbors.

A healthy body meant he wouldn't die young, and coupled with his substantial family fortune and hunting skills, his physical attributes were far superior to those of young boys whose families struggled to make ends meet.