Miss and farmhand

Huang Xingtong noticed that her face had suddenly turned pale.

"What's wrong?"

Huang Chu opened his mouth and felt his throat was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time; his narrow throat was covered in sweat.

"...Father, besides Mother, who else has ever mentioned the idea of ​​taking a son-in-law as a wife?"

Huang Xingtong was puzzled.

"No one else, we only discussed it with your mother. This isn't something we can publicize everywhere; it concerns your reputation. Of course, we wouldn't mention it to anyone without asking your opinion."

"Not even among the servants? Didn't Mother tell any of the other mothers?"

"You're overthinking things. You said it to no one, so you must have told them behind closed doors. What, did you hear anyone say that?"

Huang Chu slowly shook her head and asked the question in a trembling voice, a question she already knew the answer to.

"...Then, Father, have you chosen a suitable candidate?"

Huang Xingtong had clearly considered this for a long time, and without any hesitation, said, "Father thinks that young Master Zhao is a good candidate right in front of us."

Huang Chu couldn't help but laugh bitterly: "How could Father think that way?"

Huang Xingtong had clearly thought about these conditions carefully many times, and his words were completely true.

"Having spent time with him these past few days, I've found that although he's not a talkative man, he's steady and reliable. In terms of academic knowledge, he's naturally not as good as Zhu Xiaoxu, but he knows how to improve. Even when there's no opportunity, he does his work better than others—wasn't it because you told your father that the beam he drew was quite good?—when there is an opportunity, he doesn't hesitate or dare to seize it. I've taught him calligraphy and painting, and he's always been diligent. He learns very quickly and is a smart man."

Huang Chu laughed even louder in her heart. This feeling was too absurd. She didn't know that her father could list so many good things about anyone.

She remained silent, her smile somewhat distorted.

Huang Xingtong observed this, but misunderstood it. He thought that Huang Chu considered these benefits insufficient, and that his daughter didn't value these things. Therefore, he added unnecessarily, "...I also asked your mother, and she said that he is quite handsome, but he has a fierce look and is too thin, which is not beautiful; but it's not that these flaws cannot be made up for. He has gradually improved these days while staying at our home."

"Judging from Father's high regard for him, could it be that he hinted at this to that young Master Zhao before?"

"How could that be!" Huang Xingtong's eyes widened in shock, and he leaned back as if trying to distance himself from the situation. "You wouldn't even dare say that in front of your mother, how could you dare to reveal such thoughts in front of others!"

But the man eventually realized it himself.

Not only did she notice it, but she also informed Huang Chu in advance, though Huang Chu didn't understand it at the time.

Huang Chu couldn't recall for a moment what the man's expression was when he said those words.

He must be very proud of himself, right?

Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to resist telling her.

Huang Chu remained silent, still not understanding what the emotion that was about to erupt in his chest was.

Huang Xingtong looked at her cautiously and asked, "So, what you mean, Mother Yi..."

Huang Chu shook his head. "Give me a few days to think about it. It's too rare and too conspicuous to have someone marry into the family. I know what Father said wasn't meant to harm me; it was all for my own good. But I really need some time to think it over carefully..."

Huang Xingtong nodded. "Of course I'm not trying to rush you. This is your life, so you should plan it carefully."

Although there was no pressure or urging from her parents, Huang Chu began to genuinely feel the pressure of marriage from that point onward.

The biggest source of pressure was still Madam Zhu. She suddenly started visiting the Huang family more frequently, not necessarily specifically asking to see Huang Chu, nor always bringing Zhu Xiaoxu with her. She acted as if they were just close friends who visited often. She liked talking to Shen Xuying, liked Huang Song, and liked playing with her youngest daughter.

She didn't mention Huang Chu and Zhu Xiaoxu's marriage to their faces, but she liked to say things like, "Rongniang is so cute, how about she become my wife in the future? My family has handsome young men who will take you up the mountain and down the river to play every day." She used Huang Song as a shield to subtly hint at the matter.

Huang Song didn't understand, but obediently let the adults pull her around and touch her round head and upturned nose.

Huang Chu initially suspected that Zhu Xiaoxu had not told Madam Zhu that she had refused him at all, and even asked him about it to his face once.

Zhu Xiaoxu swore to heaven and earth that he had said it, but his mother was determined to do it, and there was nothing he could do.

When Zhu Xiaoxu said this, he still had the same smiling face as that day. He was not in a hurry or anxious. It was just that his mother was the only one who was enthusiastic about the hairdressing, and he was not in a hurry or concerned about the marriage at all.

He just smiled, silently gazing at Huang Chu, staring at her intently for a long time.

This kind of gaze made Huang Chu uncomfortable. Sometimes he would have the illusion that the man was some kind of insect that did not hunt. He would just lie in wait in his territory, and the prey would have to walk into his trap. He could get what he needed without lifting a finger.

Mother Han also said, "Actually, the young lady should never have seen Young Master Zhu again."

Huang Chu said, "I know, I know, it's just our past relationship..."

"That's not how it works. The past is the past, and the present is the present. It's the old custom that men and women engaged to marriage shouldn't meet. And old customs are based on reason."

"What's the reasoning behind that?"

Mother Han, seemingly worldly-wise, said, "People say that marriage is arranged by the man, but that's just a nice way of putting it, to save face for the woman—it's like she's been begged for a golden opportunity. The woman has never met the man, only heard it from the matchmaker, and believes it, happily marrying him. Only after marriage does she realize that the man doesn't value her as much as she thought, and she feels resentful: 'I was begged by your family, and after so long, you treat me like this?' Actually, she's just been deceived. It wasn't the man who begged her, but his family, his parents. That man might still be philandering outside, and his family only arranged the marriage to make him settle down. They'll say they don't want anyone to interfere, but once she's married, she'll still do whatever she wants. He won't stop her; after all, he's the one who benefits from the marriage. Men are good at playing dumb to get what they want. What they say doesn't matter; what matters is what they do. What they get is what matters."

Mrs. Han was getting on in years, and once she started telling stories, she never seemed to stop. Huang Chu actually found some of the stories interesting.

"...Mrs. Han, you're not talking about how you were tricked into marriage when you were young, are you?"

Mother Han raised her head: "If I were ever betrothed, I wouldn't be the one to be your mother's maid. I'm still a virgin!"

He was very proud, and his eyes were bright and piercing.

Huang Chu was influenced by her smugness and laughed as well.

This is the first time in the past few days that I've laughed so heartily.

The rest of the time, she was really annoyed by the disturbance.

Not only the Zhu family, but now when she sees her parents, she is reminded of the matter of marrying into the family, and there is a vague, instinctive avoidance, which also leads her to avoid her parents.

Since she wouldn't agree to marry into the family, her parents didn't have a stronger reason to refuse Madam Zhu. So Madam Zhu still came every few days, and when she didn't come, she would send gifts. The brocade boxes were stacked up layer upon layer, and Huang Chu didn't want to open them. Just having them there felt like a weight on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

She knew that if she simply agreed to take him in as a son-in-law, even if it was just for a name and she didn't actually have to do anything, she could sweep away many of her current troubles in one go.

But she simply couldn't bring herself to say it.

After listening to Huang Xingtong's detailed explanation of the benefits of marrying into the family, she understood that this might be the best solution she could get, and the best path Huang Xingtong could plan for her.

If it weren't for her father, Huang Xingtong, with such a temperament, and if she were from a slightly more ordinary family, she probably wouldn't have had a choice but to marry into the Zhu family. Now that she has a better option, she actually dares to be picky.

She was pushing her luck, or perhaps she was just being ungrateful.

She seriously doubted whether marrying into the family could bring the kind of stable and secure happiness that Huang Xingtong had promised.