“I wonder if the young master of the Luo family is really as handsome as they say.”
Knowing the family had arranged a matchmaking meeting, Zhen’er woke early that day, searching out the freshly made emerald green dress and preparing herself ahead of time.
Previously, a few matchmakers had come by, but none were deemed suitable by the family. Finally, this time the matchmaking would actually take place. Qiao’er was happy for Zhen’er and got up early as well to help her braid her hair.
Hearing Qiao’er’s remarks, Zhen’er blushed deeply. “One shouldn’t judge a person by looks alone. Mother and elder brother carefully picked him out. Surely he won’t be a bad match.”
Qiao’er smiled in agreement, then teased her sister for being stubborn. “I told you to wear the fresh, bright yellow dress—it’s more eye-catching. But you just wouldn’t listen.”
Zhen’er also thought the yellow dress was pretty but had never dared to wear it before. She felt matchmaking shouldn’t be made too formal, nor should she dress too extravagantly. She feared people might laugh at her inwardly.
“Green is fine.”
“It’s good. You usually prefer simple colors.”
The two sisters chatted for a while inside the house, then got ready to leave. Chen Sanfang glanced over and thought nothing was amiss, so she led Zhen’er out.
The matchmaking was set at He Garden in the city. In summer, lotus flowers bloomed splendidly, and many young people came to enjoy the blossoms. There were quite a few matchmaking events during the summer months—if not at the Monkey Mountain temple fair, then in places like this.
Originally, Chen Sanfang considered Monkey Mountain too, since she believed the matchmakers there were especially auspicious. After all, Kang He and Fan Jing had met there, and not only did their marriage succeed, but their lives also went smoothly—it must have been the blessing of the deity at Monkey Mountain.
However, if the meeting were held there, they wouldn’t have a chance to see the young master Luo of the Luo family. Besides, the Luo family preferred to meet in the city.
Chen Sanfang had arranged for the brothers Huan and Erxi to borrow their family’s new covered carriage. In summer, the sun was scorching, and riding an open board cart made one sweat like hanging cured meat over the stove.
Although the covered carriage cost as much as three board carts, at least it shielded them from wind and rain. No matter who rode inside, strangers couldn’t easily see them.
Zhen’er was well prepared that day. If the villagers saw her, they would surely know about the matchmaking and ask questions.
Since such matters often failed, it was best to say it first and avoid unnecessary trouble.
Chen Sanfang fanned herself with a handkerchief, noticing Fan’s father sweating heavily. She took a cloth from her clothes and wiped his forehead. “You seem hotter than me.”
Fan’s father was somewhat well-dressed today. He wasn’t ugly, but having worked in the fields all his life, he lacked sophistication. Even in good clothes, he looked like an honest, simple man.
“This covered carriage is stuffy, like a steamer. Not as cool as the board cart.”
“The sun isn’t fully up yet; what’s there to be stuffy about? I know you feel uneasy because of the Luo family’s status,” Chen Sanfang said. “Your cousin Yun has met them before. They’re kind people. Luo Tongsheng is a scholar who knows etiquette. He won’t embarrass anyone. Just keep quiet later, and it’ll be fine.”
Fan’s father nodded.
Zhen’er was just as nervous, clutching the orchid-embroidered handkerchief in her hands. Sweat dampened the cloth.
If not for the good care she had taken over the years, her fair skin needing little powder, even the light makeup on her face might have smeared.
The three of them arrived in the city, where the Luo family was already at He Garden.
Both parties first gathered in separate rooms to drink tea while the elders discussed matters. Only after that did they summon the two young people to meet.
Zhen’er caught a glimpse of the man and immediately blushed, lowering her head and unable to look at him again. She wasn’t sure how to approach him to walk together among the flowers.
The elders did not interfere, staying inside drinking tea while the two talked openly in the bright garden.
Luo Yichuan had already heard from his family about the match. He wasn’t that eager to marry at his age. Rather, he wanted to seize the moment to pass some official examinations.
Getting married now would inevitably distract him from studying. Seeing his parents running around for his sake wasn’t easy either. Since the matchmaking was set up, he would come out of courtesy.
He planned to simply meet and then explain to his parents that after a couple more years of study, he could discuss marriage again.
Unexpectedly, led by his parents, when he met Miss Fan, his mind began to change.
At first glance, he saw her dressed in a plain emerald green skirt, neither bright nor flashy, but the simplicity gave her a fresh, spring-like aura.
Perhaps it was her delicate features and modest demeanor that made him feel as if a gentle breeze had passed over him.
Suddenly, he found himself awkwardly fiddling with the edge of his sleeve.
His posture became somewhat uneasy.
Luo Yichuan tentatively looked up at Zhen’er, who kept her head lowered. He wasn’t sure if she liked him or was just shy, so he began talking about his rural hometown.
Upon hearing this, Zhen’er’s eyes flickered. Knowing he was a learned scholar of good family, she wondered if he would despise her for coming from a remote countryside.
Even if others looked down, Zhen’er’s family was harmonious and living well, not inferior to anyone.
She nodded softly. “Yes. Though our home is not like the city’s, I think life in the countryside is good.”
Luo Yichuan quickly responded, “My maternal family is from the countryside too. As a child, I often…”
“The countryside has fishing, catching little shrimp, and catching frogs. It’s fun. But later, when studies become heavy, those happy days become rare.”
Hearing this, Zhen’er was somewhat surprised. Seeing him as a typical scholarly type, she no longer thought as before, when she liked the village boys.
She tightly gripped the handkerchief in her hand and said, “Though studying is hard, it teaches manners and many truths.”
“Yes.”
Luo Yichuan said, “That is why I want to study well.”
They gradually talked, while across from He Garden, two figures crouched among lotus flowers, peering towards the pavilion.
“Can you see them?”
“Yes.”
Fan Jing replied.
Kang He stretched his neck but could only make out one figure. He couldn’t clearly see the face of the Luo family’s second son.
Though he couldn’t see the features clearly, he could tell it was a man with some dignity. Though he appeared a bit restrained from afar, his back was straight as a brush stroke.
Fan Jing grabbed Kang He to prevent him from falling into the lotus pond. “Don’t spy like this again, or people will think you’re a thief.”
“Heh, you really know how to talk.”
Kang He said, “Your eyes are sharp. What does the Luo second son look like?”
“Not bad.”
Fan Jing replied briefly, then pulled Kang He away.
Kang He saw Fan Jing’s good mood and laughed as he left, asking, “Not going to look again?”
“Back to the shop.”
The Fan couple and the Luo couple were still inside drinking tea. Chen Sanfang and cousin Yun got along well, their faces glowing with the happiness of prospective in-laws.
Fan’s father and Luo Tongsheng sat quietly, exchanging few words.
Luo Tongsheng held his teacup politely but with an air of superiority.
He asked Fan’s father a few questions about farming, then launched into taxes and land matters, making Fan’s father uneasy. The two resembled a government official interrogating a farmer.
After some small talk, they fell silent.
Luo Tongsheng thought to himself, if this match succeeds, the relationship won’t be easy. Originally, he hoped to marry into a scholarly family for better conversation, but now it seemed it would just be a formality.
“It seems not bad. The two children have looked each other over.”
Cousin Yun and Chen Sanfang wanted the two to sit together again, but Luo Tongsheng had already spoken up and didn’t want to. So they called the young people to the pavilion.
Luo Yichuan saw his parents approaching, his brow furrowing slightly. He felt he and Zhen’er had connected well, but just as they were about to talk more, the time came.
Both sides exchanged polite words and bows, then parted.
On the way back, Luo Yichuan still lingered on the meeting. His father called him twice before he responded.
“How do you feel about today’s meeting?”
Asked by his father, Luo Yichuan bowed respectfully and sincerely answered, “I think Miss Fan is very good. Thank you, Father and Mother, for arranging this match.”
Luo Tongsheng originally hoped Luo Yichuan would reject the Fan family, so he could naturally dismiss the match.
Unexpectedly, his son seemed quite satisfied.
Luo Tongsheng couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Fan is indeed pretty and refined, but their family are pig butchers with no education. As a scholar, can you really accept that?”
Luo Yichuan replied, “Though I am a scholar, I’m ashamed to say that at eighteen, I have no official rank. The title scholar only brings me shame. How could I look down on others?
“Though Miss Fan grew up in the countryside, she is gentle and polite. Such a good girl, carefully found by my parents for me. How could I be dissatisfied?”
Luo Tongsheng was at a loss for words. Cousin Yun was overjoyed, “My dear son, you are so understanding. Your mother and I thought the same way. At first sight, your mother liked the second Miss Fan.”
Then she elbowed Luo Tongsheng, scolding, “You always pick on the Fan family because they’re not scholars. When you matched with me, what kind of rural family did you choose?”
Luo Tongsheng’s face reddened. Thinking it over, it was true.
His son had just walked the same path, proving the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
The second Miss Fan was quiet and gentle, with no faults. Though the families weren’t perfectly matched, they wouldn’t be living under the same roof.
“If you’re happy, your mother and I won’t oppose it. We will follow your wishes.”
Luo Yichuan, happy but a bit worried, said, “I only don’t know if Miss Fan likes me.”
Zhen’er was also questioned by her family but had nothing much to say. Blushing, she simply nodded.
Seeing her interest in the young master Luo, her family felt at ease.
Not yet telling the family, but unable to resist Qiao’er’s questions, Zhen’er confided a little to her sister.
“He has a pale face, very much the scholarly type.”
“A pale scholar? Isn’t he like Da Xin ge?”
Qiao’er’s sharp tongue snapped, “You shouldn’t say that. I don’t think he’s any better. Mother warned us that a man like Da Xin ge could be a relative, but not a husband.”
Zhen’er rarely defended herself, “He’s not like Da Xin ge, who had no commitment. Though gentle, he has his heart set.”
Qiao’er laughed at her, saying she was defending him after just one meeting. What would happen later?
Zhen’er was embarrassed and vowed not to speak another word to her.
The Fan family eagerly awaited news but did not press.
After a couple of days, the Luo family came with a reply.
It was good news.
Both families agreed, and matchmakers came to take Zhen’er’s birthdate and zodiac for compatibility with Luo Yichuan.
In late July, the Luo family brought gifts and an official matchmaker to the Fan household to discuss wedding arrangements.
They agreed to formalize the engagement first, postponing the wedding to the following year.
First, both families needed time to prepare. Second, Luo Yichuan had upcoming imperial examinations early next year. Holding the wedding this year would disrupt his studies.
The Fan family was in no rush to marry Zhen’er off. Leaving her at home for one, even three or five years was no problem. They cared little for gossip and had no objections about postponing the wedding.
On the engagement day, the two young people met once more, though not speaking much. Luo Yichuan took the opportunity to give Zhen’er a lotus-shaped red hairpin, and she gave him an embroidered handkerchief decorated with green bamboo.
When they parted, both felt a little reluctant.
“They really gave such generous engagement gifts!”
Zhang Jinguì heard Zhen’er was matched to a good family in the city. She asked many questions, but Chen Sanfang kept quiet.
Zhang Jinguì thought no one could surpass their own Xiangxiu family and came to have a look herself.
Unexpectedly, the young Luo was handsome and well-mannered, a scholar who spoke well.
She loved scholars, so she couldn’t help but admire the young master Luo.
Hearing the old Master Luo was a scholar, she was even more impressed. Upon meeting, Luo Tongsheng carried himself with distinguished manners.
After the guests left, Zhang Jinguì asked Chen Sanfang to show her the engagement gifts.
Opening the box, besides the usual wine, tea, ham, and red dates, there were six bolts of fine cloth, two boxes of wedding pastries, and a set of silver jewelry.
The jewelry probably weighed six taels.
Zhang Jinguì clicked her tongue, regardless of the Luo family’s wealth, the perfect etiquette showed they truly valued Zhen’er.
She had thought to introduce her family’s relatives to Zhen’er but never expected she’d already found such a good match.
Zhang Jinguì was happy for Zhen’er but couldn’t help feeling a little jealous.
Chen Sanfang said, “These are just material things. What matters is that the young master Luo loves our Zhen’er very much. He won’t let her suffer.”
Her face glowed with joy.
Zhang Jinguì sighed enviously, “You’re truly lucky.”
Soon some village women came by to chat before the engagement ceremony finished. The room was lively, all speaking happily about Zhen’er’s engagement.
Zhen’er, shy, hid inside and did not join their conversation.
Kang He saw the Luo family’s impeccable manners and the young master Luo’s good disposition and was quite satisfied.
He noticed Fan Jing seemed less enthusiastic and quietly returned to the house.
After feeding Da Fu in his arms, Kang He went back and saw Fan Jing sitting by the window, head down, quietly twisting hemp thread as a laborer would—clearly troubled.
“Zhen’er isn’t even married yet, and you already miss her?”
Fan Jing didn’t answer.
Kang He poured him a cup of tea, knowing that though Fan Jing acted indifferent, he cared deeply for his family. “Girls get older and leave home; it’s hard to have two sons-in-law under one roof.”
Fan Jing looked up at him.
“Are you afraid another son-in-law will take your place at home?”
Kang He laughed, “I’m not afraid. Even if ten more came, they wouldn’t be better than me.”
Fan Jing smiled briefly.
Seeing this, Kang He sat next to him. “I think Luo Yichuan really likes Zhen’er. And Zhen’er feels the same. The two families getting along like this is already rare. You should be happy for her.”
“I know.”
Fan Jing looked at everything and was happy for his sister but fell silent, then said to Kang He, “I just feel Luo Tongsheng doesn’t really look on our family well.”
Though Kang He was the head of the household, in such important matters, the elders always spoke.
Having the prospective son-in-law lead discussions about his sister’s marriage was sure to draw gossip.
In the hall, Chen Sanfang spoke with Fan’s father, who rarely spoke to Luo Tongsheng, except when his wife Yun said something pleasant.
Kang He frowned when hearing Fan Jing’s words. He had also met Luo Tongsheng and talked a little.
He was astute enough to see Luo Tongsheng’s attitude.
Scholarly families were naturally proud. It was common to look down on families like theirs—pig butchers and farmers—which sounded unpleasant.
Luo Tongsheng wasn’t as easygoing as the Xu family scholars but was still polite and knew his limits.
The Luo family’s status was indeed higher than theirs. They carried themselves well in front of the Fans.
One could not demand respect from a family of higher status by expecting them to lower themselves.
Rather than begging wealthy families for courteous treatment, it was better to work hard to raise their own family’s standing.
Nothing in the world was perfect, especially in marriage. There would always be some mismatch; if everything seemed perfect, it might be a trap.
Today the Luo family had brought heavy engagement gifts but didn’t demand extravagant dowry in return, only proper etiquette—reasonable and considerate.
Fan Jing said, “Whether or not they look down on us doesn’t matter. I just worry Zhen’er might have a difficult life after marriage. She’s fragile by nature.”
Kang He understood Fan Jing’s worry and knew he wasn’t the kind to be upset just because others looked down on him.
He comforted, “She will live with her mother-in-law more than with her father-in-law. Besides, the Luo family is scholarly and very particular about manners.
“Aunt Yun likes Zhen’er and won’t make things hard. Even if Luo Tongsheng isn’t fully satisfied, they’ll still get along.”
Fan Jing furrowed his brow but said nothing, then thought it over and relaxed somewhat.
Kang He squeezed Fan Jing’s hand. “Don’t worry. It’s only an engagement for now. There’s about a year left. During that time, the families will interact more. If anything’s not right, we’ll have a chance.”
Fan Jing nodded.