Chapter 117 Extra: Matters of the Big Family (3)
"Your third aunt and her family, they are truly infuriating."
During the meal, Ji Yangzong couldn't help but sigh as he talked about the village affairs.
The turmoil in Tongzhou had subsided for nearly half a year. After the New Year passed, families with children of marriageable age began making arrangements for their weddings.
During the year that Tongzhou had been occupied, many people had fled or escaped, which delayed marriages for eligible men, women, and gers. Now that stability had returned, families once again turned their attention to this important life event.
Furthermore, to swiftly restore stability and productivity in Tongzhou, even the state government actively encouraged marriages. Matchmakers in the city and throughout the region found themselves extremely busy, almost wearing out their legs from all the matchmaking visits.
The Ji family had become particularly sought-after. They were already an established prominent clan, but now with relatives serving in official positions, their social standing had risen even higher, making them more selective in marriage considerations.
Several young gers and unmarried women in the Ji family had gradually found suitable partners, and the families they were betrothed to were quite respectable, which brought great joy to the entire Ji family.
Not to say every son-in-law could be like Huo Shu or Deng Chenheng, but as long as they could live steadily, parents and elders would have less to worry about, which would be a good marriage.
It was also because the Ji family's prosperity gave them more choices. In contrast, most families in Tongzhou were actually lowering their thresholds for marriage.
Tongzhou had been devastated by war and occupation. Many families lost their male members, and households were systematically exploited, leaving them impoverished. With few options available, most parents considered it sufficient simply to find some form of security for their children.
For this reason, even a man like Yuan Fei, whom matchmakers had previously avoided, now found families actively seeking a connection with him, solely due to his association with the influential Ji family.
After several setbacks, Yuan Fei's age had also increased significantly. Ji Wanglan, who used to be ambitious and proud, after repeatedly failing to find matches for her son and experiencing hardships in Yuchang, gradually lost her spirit.
It was said that after returning to Tongzhou, she just wanted to find someone for Yuan Fei to start a family, and would absolutely not pick and choose anymore.
Thinking that with Tongzhou's current good marriage prospects and the willingness of declining families to actively seek connections, Yuan Fei's matter should be resolved now.
"Who would have thought that despite numerous families coming to inquire, your third aunt started finding fault again. She complained that one household had no able-bodied men, claiming their ger would inevitably have to support his maternal family in the future. She criticized another family's daughter for being too thin and not blessed, insisting she would be unable to bear sons."
"Back and forth, she picked and chose among all the willing families but still didn't find one to her liking."
Huang Manjing picked up a piece of stir-fried meat and fed it to Xiao Taohe, adding: "Her spirits have risen again. She actually took a fancy to the village head of Jiangqiao Village's youngest daughter. That girl is pretty and her family circumstances are quite good, how would she be willing to marry Yuan Fei?"
"Your third aunt stubbornly believes her Yuan Fei is very capable, so she sent a matchmaker, but the family refused outright. She got angry, thinking her family was a good match, spread rumors everywhere about them. The other day on the official road during the city market day, they almost got into a fight."
As she spoke, she sighed helplessly.
Ji Taoyu stuffed the shrimp shelled by Huo Shu into his mouth, finding village gossip made the meal more enjoyable.
But hearing this, he quickly said: "If Third Aunt comes to our house crying and making a scene, you must not agree to help her arrange a marriage."
Ji Yangzong said: "I know. If the girl or ger's family agrees to the marriage because of our family's face, and after marriage their life is chaotic, wouldn't they hate us?"
"I'm too busy with village farming affairs to have time for your third aunt's matters. Anyway, we've advised and talked over the years. If she thinks too highly of herself and can't recognize her own situation, there's nothing we can do."
Ji Taoyu nodded in agreement. Those families willing to consider a match must have some shortcomings. Otherwise, given Yuan Fei's character, any family who inquired would know the situation. Unless forced by circumstances, no one was foolish enough to send their ger or daughter to the Yuan family knowing it was not a good place to be.
That would be asking for trouble.
The problem was not that his third aunt failed to recognize the situation. She openly voiced these criticisms, which not only offended the prospective families but also revealed her belief that the Ji family's rising status entitled her to be more selective.
However, she failed to understand that influence alone, without any real capability of their own, would not earn others' genuine respect.
The eldest branch of the family possessed land and valuable construction skills. The second branch, while less accomplished, had self-awareness and modest ambitions. The fourth and eighth aunts had married out of the family and lived steady lives, never trading on their natal family's name for status.
In the seventh branch, Ji Wenliang had proven himself capable, becoming a military officer, and his partner Jin Kelu was also highly competent.
For a clan to truly become strong, each branch needed to contribute some ability. The successful members could then help lift the others. If a branch had no skills and only thought to borrow the family's influence, they would eventually annoy their own relatives, and outsiders would not acknowledge them either.
Observing his third aunt's behavior, Ji Taoyu concluded that his cousin's marriage prospects would likely remain difficult.
His prediction proved accurate. Due to Ji Wanglan's constant interference, Yuan Fei eventually became known throughout the region as an old bachelor. It wasn't until he was nearly forty that he finally married a widow who had remarried after her husband died.
By then, an aged Ji Wanglan, with tears streaming down her wrinkled face and leaning heavily on a cane, still organized an elaborate wedding ceremony for her son—a celebration that arrived decades too late.
But these were all stories for later.
Thank you for the update!
ReplyDelete