Wei Lanxiang had already met Gu Chengyue, he was good-looking, not short, and a scholar to boot. His manners and speech were entirely different from the country boys she was used to - gentle and polite. His family was well-off too, with farmland, a house, and even a shop. Among the potential matches they’d considered, this one was truly good.
She had also met Gu Chengyue’s elder sister, who spoke softly and kindly. As for his younger siblings - his ten-year-old third brother and seven-year-old fourth sister, they were still too young. If Shen Yan married into the family, she wouldn’t have to deal with sisters-in-law for years, and the sister-in-law she did have seemed agreeable. If not for all this, Wei Lanxiang wouldn’t have agreed to let Shen Yan and Gu Chengyue meet.
Zhou Xiangjun carried the ingredients to the kitchen, smiling. “Second Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Today, it’s all up to our Yan Yan. Things will only move forward if the child is willing.”
Wei Lanxiang sighed lightly and nodded. “Exactly. Oh, and there’s plenty of meat and vegetables. The fish can’t be touched yet, but remember to set aside portions for Yu ger and Xinlian first. Don’t let the children eat leftovers.”
Shen Yu wasn’t married yet and was also looking for a match. With strange men at the table, it was proper for him to keep his distance. Zhou Xiangjun thought it would be lonely for him to eat alone, so she had Chen Xinlian keep him company in the room. Wei Lanxiang knew about this and reminded him to make sure they were taken care of.
Before long, Lu Gu asked Shen Xuanqing - who had just finished sweeping the front and back yards, to take the children so he and Ji Qiuyue could go to the third branch’s home. The two of them washed vegetables and cut meat, letting Wei Lanxiang and Zhou Xiangjun rest.
After some busy work, a carriage entered the village, drawing many people’s attention. Gu Chengyue and his elder cousin Gu Chengyuan had arrived. Everyone in Qingxi Village knew this was the suitor coming to meet the girl.
The carriage stopped in front of the Shen family’s third branch courtyard, and Shen Yuping came out to greet them, leading them inside.
Shen Yan, who had been waiting in Shen Yu’s room, felt her heart skip a beat at the noise. She wasn’t alone, Lu Gu and Ji Qiuyue were there too.
“Don’t worry,” Ji Qiuyue said with a smile. “I’ll open the window in a bit, and you can take a look. If you feel too awkward, I’ll close it again. No need to be afraid.”
Lu Gu had never gone through this himself, so he had no advice to offer. He just listened quietly, feeling inexplicably nervous along with Shen Yan. Wei Lanxiang and Shen Yaoqing had been to the Gu family, and the Gu family had visited their home, but like Shen Yan and Ji Qiuyue, he hadn’t met Gu Chengyue yet.
He wondered what kind of man their little sister would end up marrying.
Their confusion and nervousness lasted only until the four of them saw Gu Chengyue returning with two buckets of water. Except for Shen Yu, who was puzzled, the other three exchanged glances—they hadn’t expected him to be the young scholar who had nearly bumped into Ji Qiuyue at the embroidery shop entrance that day.
After a moment of stunned silence, Ji Qiuyue burst out laughing. Wei Lanxiang had only said he was decent-looking - not dark or ugly, a fair and clean scholar. She and Lu Gu had spent time at home speculating about Gu Chengyue’s appearance, never realizing they’d already seen him.
All of Shen Yan’s tension melted away. She found it oddly funny too, all that worry for nothing.
When Gu Chengyue looked over - his fair, handsome features lighting up as he smiled directly at her.
Though the man outside the window was somewhat shy, there was a bright light in his eyes, full of vitality. Shen Yan quickly averted her gaze, but even her cheeks and neck flushed slightly pink.
Ji Qiuyue, watching from the side, nudged Lu Gu with a subtle smirk. The two of them stifled a laugh before she closed the window—otherwise, their little sister’s face would have turned completely red.
Gu Chengyue carried water, chopped firewood, and was even going to hoe the fields later. Though he worked alone, he did so with great enthusiasm, afraid his future in-laws might think poorly of him.
While he worked, Gu Chengyuan chatted casually with Shen Yuping and Shen Shunwang over drinks. Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing also came over, both carrying their children.
Though Gu Chengyue was a scholar and not particularly robust, he was still a man and had some strength in his hands. Carrying two buckets of water at once was no trouble, and he worked like an old hand, showing none of the delicacy of a spoiled young master. Shen Xuanqing glanced at Shen Yaoqing and, seeing his elder brother’s slight nod, understood his approval.
The water vat wasn’t full yet—last night, Shen Yuping had scooped out all the water from the bottom. When Shen Yaoqing arrived, Shen Yuping had even deliberately brought his cousin to the kitchen to see. Young men were like that sometimes, they loved to stir up a little mischief.
Teasing the prospective suitor a bit wasn’t too serious, so Shen Yaoqing just laughed and called him sly but didn’t interfere further.
While Gu Chengyue went out to fetch more water, Shen Yan and the others came out of the room. Since they were all women or shuang'ers, they only nodded briefly at Gu Chengyuan without needing to exchange words.
Gu Chengyue hadn’t grown up wealthy—as a child, he’d followed his parents into the fields. Hoeing and weeding were familiar tasks, and he handled them without hesitation.
Shen Xuanqing and Shen Yaoqing watched silently, keeping their thoughts to themselves, but they’d already made up their minds.
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