Master Xu half-closed his eyes and tapped the armrest of his chair with his hand.
"If they could bring an entire village to Jiangnan, the Jiang family isn't foolish. Even if they don't want to marry into the Xu family, they wouldn't be so stupid as to slap the Xu family in the face."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu quickly calmed down. "Does Master mean that Zhao the matchmaker's words are questionable?"
Master Xu stood up. "Put aside the marriage negotiations with the Jiang family for now. Fate has not yet arrived."
Madam Xu looked somewhat displeased but obediently nodded in agreement.
Fearing that the Xu family might play dirty, the Jiang family had Jiang Pan and Da Lang guard the village entrance all night.
Nothing happened overnight. By dawn, Da Lang yawned and said, "Father, you're being too tense. Is the Xu family really that petty?"
Jiang Pan snorted. "Do you think the Xu family is easy to deal with? Do you know what kind of business the Xu family is in? The brothels, gambling houses, escort agencies, and docks in Yao County are all owned by the Xu family."
"A family like that is no pushover. If they truly wanted to connect with your grand-master through our family, they wouldn't give up so easily."
Da Lang was startled. The Xu family had such a significant background.
Jiang Pan glanced at him, then thought for a moment before instructing, "You need to be more careful in the future. The Xu family isn't a principled family. What if they set their sights on you?"
Da Lang was confused. "But I'm already married!"
Jiang Pan shot him a glare. "That depends on whether you want another concubine. Da Lang, I'm telling you upfront, we don't allow that kind of messy business in our family. If you get tricked, I'll kick you out of the house!"
Da Lang shrunk his neck and then mumbled, "Then, according to you, Father, don't you also have to be careful?"
Jiang Pan couldn't stand it and kicked him in the backside. "Can't you use your brain for once?"
The Xu family wanted to marry into their family, not make enemies!
Giving him a woman would be directly offending Chen Yuezhi to death!
What kind of brainless creature had he spawned!
The father and son returned home. Jiang Pan washed his face and then quickly went to invite the old village chief over.
After the matchmaker Qi left yesterday, Chen Yuezhi had gone to the old village chief to arrange a marriage for Er Lang.
The old village chief was naturally delighted and agreed without hesitation.
Chen Yuezhi packed the betrothal gifts into two baskets.
Betrothal gifts for villagers were generally simple. Chen Yuezhi didn't do anything too extravagant, just followed the customs of their Jianzhou region, doubling the quantity to make it look quite generous.
While the adults were packing, Jiang Wan was tidying herself up in her room.
She was going with them today, so she had to dress up.
Madam Su changed her into a pink dress, styled her hair into two little buns, and then inserted pink silk flowers into each, making her look very cute and festive.
As soon as she was ready, Chen Yuezhi called out that it was time to leave.
The entire family, except for San Lang, was dressed in new clothes. Da Lang carried the basket of gifts, and they headed towards the Zhang family's house.
The villagers were mostly aware of the marriage arrangement between the two families. Seeing them carrying gifts towards the Zhang family, they knew they were going to finalize the engagement and came to offer their congratulations.
Er Lang's dark face turned red all over the village.
The Zhang family had also prepared well in advance. As soon as the Jiang family arrived, they were welcomed into the house.
The moment Jiang Wan entered, Madam Zhang stuffed a large handful of snacks and candies into her hands.
The Zhang family was actually very poor, but it was evident that Madam and Master Zhang had tried their best to give their daughter face.
These snacks and candies were cheap, but Jiang Wan could feel the sincerity of Madam and Master Zhang's intentions. So, in front of Madam Zhang, she immediately popped a candy into her mouth and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Auntie. It's really sweet."
Madam Zhang's wrinkled face broke into a smile, and she reached out to pat Jiang Wan's chubby cheeks.
"Auntie, where's Sister Qiaoxiu? I want to go play with her."
She didn't like listening to the adults talk.
Madam Zhang smilingly led her to Zhang Qiaoxiu's room. As soon as Jiang Wan entered, she called out to Zhang Qiaoxiu, "Second Sister-in-law!"
Zhang Qiaoxiu's face turned completely red, and she stammered, "You can't call me that."
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "You'll have to call me that sooner or later, and for a lifetime too."
Zhang Qiaoxiu's face turned even redder. "Okay, Wan Wan, please call me like you used to."
Jiang Wan shook her head. "No, I think calling you sister-in-law sounds more affectionate."
No matter how Zhang Qiaoxiu tried to coax her, she couldn't get Jiang Wan to change her address. Instead, Jiang Wan's teasing made her face constantly flushed.
After the adults had settled the main matters, Madam Zhang came to call Zhang Qiaoxiu out to meet the guests.
Zhang Qiaoxiu, holding Jiang Wan's hand, walked into the main hall with a flushed face. When she looked up, she saw Er Lang smiling foolishly at her with a red face.
This made Zhang Qiaoxiu's face turn even redder.
Jiang Wan was afraid that Zhang Qiaoxiu's blood vessels would burst if her face continued to turn red, so she quickly used her special ability to alleviate it.
The adults in the room, seeing the young couple, couldn't help but smile.
The two families exchanged their birth date charts, and the marriage was officially settled. Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Pan breathed a sigh of relief.
Er Lang was only fifteen years old this year, and Zhang Qiaoxiu was a year older. The parents of both families discussed and decided to hold the wedding next year.
The main reason was that Chen Yuezhi felt Er Lang was too young and his temperament was too lively and not steady enough for marriage at this age. She thought another year would help him mature.
The Zhang family had only one daughter, and they had originally planned to keep her for another year or two, so this decision was perfectly agreeable.
Both sides were in complete agreement, and the marriage arrangement was very satisfactory. Thus, they began to address each other as in-laws.
Madam Su watched from the side, feeling a pang of bitterness.
When she married Da Lang back then, the two families had a rather unpleasant dispute. The Su family made an exorbitant demand that emptied the Jiang family's coffers and caused trouble every other day. At that time, Chen Yuezhi and Jiang Pan were somewhat displeased.
If Da Lang hadn't been determined to marry her, Madam Su truly wouldn't have been able to enter the Jiang family's door.
Having made her in-laws prejudiced before the marriage, coupled with the later actions of the Su family, especially after moving to Jiangnan, she felt somewhat lacking in confidence in front of her in-laws.
She understood in her heart that her in-laws were simply kind-hearted, and with her being pregnant now, they hadn't shown her any ill will.
This future sister-in-law had saved Er Lang's life, and her in-laws had watched her grow up. Her character and appearance were impeccable. What mother-in-law wouldn't like such a daughter-in-law?
Madam Su felt a sense of insecurity.
With Er Lang's marriage settled, the Jiang family had resolved their most pressing concern and calmly returned to their usual lives.
It was time to plant the first season's crops in the small mountain village.
However, the Jiang family currently lacked manpower.