Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

Chapter 170 The Proud Lian Family

Ye Changyan was a little confused. After the last turmoil, the old house had become much more peaceful, and the performance at the factory was also remarkable. What could have brought his aunt-in-law over here today?

Ye Changyan asked the girl out of curiosity.

"Did my aunt come here alone? What strange questions did she ask?"

After hearing Ye Changyan's question, Erniu's expression eased a little and she then spoke.

"My aunt came here alone. She started by asking if you were going on a long journey with Mr. Cai since it was the beginning of spring."

"So how did you respond?"

"Mother told my aunt that I didn't hear you mention this matter."

"What else did the aunt ask?"

"When my mother replied that she hadn't heard you mention this, my aunt seemed a little happy. She then mentioned that Brother Liang had bought some land in Shanghe Village and asked you whether Mr. Cai and Brother Liang were planning to settle down in our area. My mother replied that Brother Liang had bought some land, but she didn't know whether he had any plans to settle down there."

Just then Lian came out of the room and saw the brother and sister whispering to each other. Lian sent Erniu away and took Ye Changyan to a secluded place, where she started talking with a gossipy look on her face.

"Your aunt came over this afternoon and tried to find out about Mr. Liang in a roundabout way. She asked about Mr. Liang's purchase of land, asked if he planned to settle down in our area, and even asked him openly and secretly whether he was engaged."

After hearing what Lian said, and seeing Lian's gossipy look on her face, Ye Changyan asked Lian with some suspicion.

"Aunt, are you planning to be a matchmaker for Brother?"

Lian glanced at her son and spoke in a low voice.

"I think you have become stupid from studying too much. Your eldest aunt is not like your second aunt, who likes to wander around. She doesn't have the intention of matchmaking for others."

Ye Changyan heard Lian's somewhat reproachful tone and suddenly realized something.

"Mom, what you mean is that the aunt is targeting Senior Brother?"

Lian nodded with a gossipy look on his face and continued speaking in a low voice.

"Big girl is the same age as you, and a few months older than you. Now another year has passed, and Big girl is already seventeen years old, but I haven't heard of any matchmaker coming to propose marriage. Last year, your aunt wanted to marry Big girl to the son of her eldest sister's family, but her eldest sister refused, and the two sisters ended up quarreling and parting on bad terms."

As Lian spoke, he sighed.

"The old house originally had more than a hundred acres of good farmland left by your grandfather, and there was still some savings. It wouldn't be too difficult to find a good marriage for the eldest girl, but your uncle and aunt wanted to marry the eldest girl to a well-off family in the county. Now the land of the old house has been ruined by your second uncle. Not only the eldest girl, but also Dalang, Erlang and Silang will have some difficulties in finding a marriage in the county."

Lian watched these nephews and nieces grow up. The second son was a scoundrel who ruined the family business and caused trouble for the other children.

Some families here pay attention to matching each other's social status, and even if there is a little disparity, it is not too outrageous. Although everyone in the old house now lives in a fairly luxurious house, the family's livelihood depends on the wages from working in the processing workshop. It may not be easy for them to go to the county town to become a wealthy family.

"I think my aunt may end up with nothing."

After hearing Lian's sigh, Ye Changyan spoke.

Lian came back to her senses from her thoughts and looked at Ye Changyan with some curiosity.

"Although Senior Brother has been brought up by the teacher and his mistress since he was young, from what I know, Senior Brother may be from a wealthy family in Shengjing. I can understand why Auntie wants to marry into a wealthy family, but Senior Brother's family is too high for Big Girl to reach."

Lian knew that Liang Jingcheng grew up with the Cai couple, but she knew nothing about Liang Jingcheng's family background. Today, Xu asked about Liang Jingcheng's family background, and Lian could only shake her head.

But hearing Ye Changyan's uncertain tone, Lian shook her head and expressed her pessimism about her sister-in-law's idea of climbing up the social ladder like Liang Jingcheng.

Seeing Lian shaking her head, Ye Changyan asked Lian back with a gossipy look.

"Mom, has anyone mentioned Erniu's marriage to you?"

When Lian heard Ye Changyan's question, she looked somewhat proud and spoke.

"On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I took Wu Lang and Er Niu back to your maternal grandparents' home. Your aunt said that two families asked her about Er Niu's situation. From what your aunt said, these two families were not bad. One was the third son of a constable in Changxi County, and the other was the youngest son of a gentry in Changxi County."

Seeing the change in expression on Lian's face, Ye Changyan knew that Lian was a little proud, and then he listened to Lian's slightly lowered voice as he continued.

"Years ago, you tied up Aunt Zhang from your uncle's family and told me about the second son of Mr. Shi's family in the town next door. Your Aunt Zhang said that Mr. Shi's family owns hundreds of acres of land in the town next door, and also has several shops in the town and the county seat."

Judging from Lian's tone, she seemed to be interested in Mr. Shi's second son.

"Then how did you respond to Aunt Zhang?"

"What can I say? I can only say that Erniu is still young and in mourning. We have to wait until Erniu is out of mourning before we can talk about marriage. Besides, Erniu won't be a marriageable girl until next year. You also said before that you wanted to find a good family for Erniu and didn't want her to live a mediocre life. I remember all these words."

Ye Changyan nodded with a sly smile on his face.

"Mom, someone mentioned Erniu to me today."

Lian saw her son's smirk and asked anxiously.

"who is it?"

"You know this guy too."

Seeing that her son was still keeping her in suspense, Lian glared at Ye Changyan.

"Say it!"

"It's Zhong Yunfeng."

Lian almost lost her balance and looked at Ye Changyan in disbelief, as if she had not heard clearly what Ye Changyan had just said.

"Who did you say you were?"

"In fact, I noticed some unusual behavior of Zhong Yunfeng recently. For example, the gift he gave to Erniu during the New Year was a bit too generous. On the night of the Lantern Festival, the county was in chaos because of the beacon shooting incident. Zhong Yunfeng squeezed in the crowd, frantically looking for Erniu who had lost her. So I deliberately asked him today, and he frankly admitted that he had a good impression of Erniu."

Lian's expression was both surprised and happy. After listening to what Ye Changyan mentioned, Lian carefully recalled the scenes in her mind. It seemed that every time Zhong Yunfeng came home, he always had a gentle smile on his face when facing Erniu.

His family and Zhong Yunfeng were tied together in business, and after these days of contact, he found that Zhong Yunfeng's character and behavior were very outstanding. Although he couldn't say that he knew him inside and out, he had some understanding of him. Thinking of this, Lian felt very happy and nodded secretly with joy.

"Mother, what do you think? Is this Zhong Yunfeng worthy of your attention?"