Volume 1 In the Countryside Chapter 16 Everyone Says Good Marriage
Zhang Shou, who was repeatedly called son-in-law by Mr. Yang, finally had to flee from his doorstep.
He usually knew that this old man was a person with a strong temper when he scolded people, but this was the first time he experienced it. This old man was also very good at pestering people.
Not to mention getting the truth out of him about how he came to live in this village from another place, Mr. Yang even pestered him and asked him when, where, and why he had married into the Zhaoguo Mansion. His attitude was no different from that of an aunt or mother who would check the household registration during a blind date in later generations...
After finding out that he couldn't get the point, Mr. Yang immediately showered him with compliments. Something like, "I've long seen that the young master and the eldest lady are a perfect match, a match made in heaven, and they will grow old together..."
God knows that Mr. Yang may not have even seen what Zhu Ying looks like! When Zhu Ying got up early and strolled outside in men's clothes, Mr. Yang, who was still strong and healthy at his age, was still busy working in the fields!
In the end, he could only rely on his youth and agility to get rid of this shameless old man. As for his manners... He was not really out of touch with the world, so how could he be so dignified in front of the villagers? Otherwise, how could he have survived the past three years?
When Zhang Shou finally stopped, he found that he had arrived at the door of Deng Xiaodai's house. Since he was already here, he thought that tomorrow this prospective disciple would officially go to the Shuntian Prefecture Office in the capital and start his career as a white-robed official, so he planned to go in and give him some instructions.
But as soon as he stepped over the threshold, he saw Deng Xiaodai coming out in high spirits. When he saw him, his eyes lit up immediately.
"Young sir, I was just about to look for you! How could you hide such a big thing from everyone! You were clearly engaged to the Duke of Zhao a long time ago, and you lied to me this morning. But it's true, if the Duke of Zhao isn't a top noble, then whose family is a top noble!"
Zhang Shou's first reaction was to rush forward and cover the boy's mouth with his hand. He then dragged him to the base of his house's wall, then let go of his hand and asked angrily, "Where did you hear this nonsense?"
"The man who just came to my house to buy a board said so. He said he was a guard from the Duke of Zhao's mansion. I didn't expect someone from the Duke of Zhao's mansion to come to a small place like ours, so I asked him a few questions out of curiosity."
"I heard that you and the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhao's mansion have been engaged for a long time. My parents are praying to the Buddha. They said that if they had known that the Duke of Zhao's mansion's son-in-law would be my teacher, they would have let me study with you no matter how high the tuition was. How could they let you support my family?"
Seeing Deng Xiaodai's proud expression, Zhang Shou was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
However, what made him feel even more unbelievable was that the people in Duke Zhao's Mansion could be so big-mouthed!
You know, Miss Zhu is definitely a top beauty with perfect looks. Although she is a little willful and impulsive, she has a good nature overall. And she has the bonus of being the daughter of a famous family. So will she have trouble finding a husband?
Even if the eldest daughter's second brother is unreliable and wants to use his younger sister as a bargaining chip for marriage, there is no reason for the lady to be so anxious to publicize the marriage to everyone at once - it would be more reasonable for her to break up the couple instead!
He calmed himself down and coughed dryly, "I just found out about this marriage and I'm still confused. Please swallow the two words congratulations. When you go to Shuntian Prefecture tomorrow, remember to help me check whether there is a marriage certificate archived for this marriage. By the way, take a look at when and where it was decided. Of course, it would be even better if you can know the reason."
"Okay, young master, rest assured. I'll take care of it!" Deng Xiaodai agreed very readily, but then added, "People in the Duke Zhao's mansion are saying this. This marriage is a done deal and they won't go back on their word."
They may not regret it, but the most important thing is that I am not really that happy about it!
Even if he is forced into marriage by a top beauty from a famous family, he must be given a chance to clarify the situation first!
As Zhang Shou thought this, he couldn't help but feel that Deng Xiaodai, who had a dull air, was a little unreliable. However, when faced with such an unexpected event as a fiancée falling from the sky, who else could he rely on except Deng Xiaodai, who he had taught and who had passed the examination to get into the household department of Shuntian Prefecture, to find out the reason?
After walking around the village again, Zhang Shou avoided Carpenter Xu's house, so he didn't run into the guards from Duke Zhao's mansion who were buying bed boards. However, he encountered several groups of villagers who suddenly came out to congratulate him!
Without a doubt, they were all congratulating him on his marriage to the Duke of Zhao's Mansion...
Amidst the congratulations, Zhang Shou, who looked calm, even felt as if he was a newly-appointed Jinshi who was forced to become the son-in-law of a powerful family due to the selection of sons-in-law from below the list.
But he knew very well that he was not a Jinshi, and he didn't even have a title at the moment, and he was actually a pauper. Why did these people in the Zhaoguo Mansion deliberately release the news in such a big way?
Just because he is... good-looking? Can good looks be used to make a living? Although the Duke Zhao's Mansion has no shortage of sons-in-law...
Zhang Shou secretly complained in his heart, and then decided that there was no way to avoid the disaster, so he went directly to Carpenter Xu's house, whom he had deliberately avoided before.
He had lived in this small village for three years and could find the way with his eyes closed, so he deliberately took a long detour and instead of going through the main gate, came to the back wall of Carpenter Xu's house.
He was wondering whether to go in through the back door when he heard the loud voice of Carpenter Xu.
"Hey, these boards are pretty good. I picked many of them myself..."
Perhaps he realized that the reason for his admiration was not right, so Zhang Shou just listened to Carpenter Xu immediately changing the subject.
"Don't worry, some of the baseboards are ready-made painted flat boards. I'll saw them apart and take my son to the Zhang family compound to set up the bunk bed. As for making the beds, I'm afraid it will take a few days. After all, even if you don't paint them, you can't sleep on them until they're dry with a layer of tung oil."
"It doesn't matter if it's a few days later. We won't leave for ten days or half a month anyway."
Zhang Shou immediately recognized that the person who spoke last was Zhu Hong, and he couldn't help but feel a little pain in his teeth.
Do these people from Duke Zhao's Mansion really intend to stay in his house and fight a protracted war ?
The next moment, he heard Carpenter Xu's obviously flattering laugh again: "The young master looks like a god in the New Year pictures. He has a good temper, sympathizes with the elderly and the poor, and is kind-hearted. No one in our village doesn't respect him. It's really unimaginable that a noble like the Duke can have such a discerning eye and choose the young master as his son-in-law!"
Zhang Shou had no time to care about Carpenter Xu's flattery. He pricked up his ears and waited for Zhu Hong's answer. However, he waited for a long time, but in the end, he only got a long sigh.
"Stop talking so much, I'll pay you double the wages, just get the stuff out now!"
Following this voice, he heard Carpenter Xu repeatedly respond, and then gradually heard footsteps, obviously people left. But before he could quietly slip away in disappointment, he heard Zhu Hong speak again in a low voice on the other side of the wall.
"I know you don't want to."
At that moment, Zhang Shou thought that Zhu Hong, the guard of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, was a top expert who could notice that he was still several steps away from the wall and was almost holding his breath. But soon, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was talking to someone else.
"Even if the youngest son of the Lu family is a spoiled pig-headed waste, and the eldest lady doesn't like him at all, why did the lady have to choose that country boy! Just because he is good-looking?"
"Shut up!" Zhu Hong's voice was very stern. "This is the marriage arranged by the Duke. It is not our turn to interfere!"
"I know that the Madam has always disliked the Second Young Master. Now that he is so bold as to want to get involved in the family business, she will naturally not tolerate it. If the Master is really held accountable for the unfavorable outcome of the war this time, and something happens to the First Young Master, she will definitely go all out to remove the Second Young Master from the family tree. The Master has not had any children in these years, and the Madam doesn't like other people in the family, so she is targeting the First Young Lady!"
Perhaps because Zhu Hong remained silent, the voice became even louder: "Young lady is attracted to Zhang Shou because he is handsome, but what about the future? Can she bear to be criticized by others when she goes out? Can she bear to have her husband marry into the Zhu family and live a mediocre life in the future?"
Zhu Hong finally couldn't help but refute: "Let's not talk about the fact that the Madam has no intention of marrying a son-in-law for the eldest lady. The Duke and the eldest son will definitely return safely. Let's talk about our dynasty's Taizu. Didn't he start out as a son-in-law?"
"Well, don't forget that when our great ancestor ruled the country, who dared to call him a son-in-law? Didn't the Empress tolerate his numerous concubines?"
Snapped--
Hearing the loud slapping sound from inside, which was clearly a slap on someone's face, Zhang Shou couldn't help but laugh secretly, thinking that this gossip that was delivered to his doorstep really contained a lot of information.
But whether it was true or not was hard to say! Maybe one of the parties said it to him on purpose?
