Chapter 248

Chapter 248

A Broader Path

Zhang Xiaofeng couldn’t help but feel a headache when she thought of her daughter’s resistance to marriage.

“Are you planning to be an old maid and never marry?!” she snapped.

“I still have to study!” Lu Yuan shot back without hesitation. “Besides, A Ming hasn’t married yet. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“How can I not be? Girls and boys are different, okay?” Zhang Xiaofeng shot back.

What had started as Lu Ming being reprimanded had now turned into a quarrel between Zhang Xiaofeng and her daughter, leaving Lin Nannan and Lu Hang exchanging looks while the others remained silent.

“What’s going on?” Lu Hang asked his father in a low voice, who was watching from the sidelines.

Lu Fang glanced at him and said, “Our family’s fortunes have improved. You’re married, and there’s still A Ming and A Yuan. So, there have been a lot of marriage proposals lately. Your mother’s tempted to secure a good match for A Yuan before she’s left with only poor options. That’s why they’ve been arguing these past few days. But don’t worry, they won’t come to blows—just watch.”

His matter-of-fact tone left Lin Nannan at a loss for words.

“Mom,” Lu Hang spoke up, “A Yuan’s future lies beyond the young men in the village. Do you really want her to stay here, marry someone, and be stuck raising kids and tending house?”

The question gave Zhang Xiaofeng pause. After a moment, she protested weakly, “But isn’t that what all women do?”

“She can marry and have children, but her path can be much wider!” Lu Hang said firmly.

“Exactly! The village boys don’t measure up to A Yuan!” Lin Nannan chimed in, echoing Lu Hang’s thoughts.

He, too, believed that the village youths, with no future beyond these fields, were unworthy of his sister.

Zhang Xiaofeng wavered under their words but hesitated, recalling what others in the village had said. “But… would city people even want her?”

Lin Nannan sensed her mother-in-law had fallen into some misconception and asked curiously, “Mom, what exactly are people saying when they propose matches for A Yuan?”

“What do you mean? They say city people are picky and won’t consider girls from the village. They say it’s better to settle early before all the good options are gone.” Zhang Xiaofeng truly cared for her daughter but had been misled. Now, with her son and daughter-in-law back, she felt more assured, and her perspective began to shift.

“That might be true for some girls, but A Yuan is different. She’s studying under Mr. Hu. If she succeeds, she won’t stay in the village—she might even become the most successful person in our family. If she marries, would her husband be okay with her being busier and more successful than him?” Lin Nannan laid it out plainly, addressing the unlikeliest scenario.

The words instantly dispelled Zhang Xiaofeng’s thoughts of arranging a marriage for her daughter.

In the village, women could toil at home and in the fields without complaint from their husbands. But if a woman ventured out and surpassed men in achievement, tongues would wag, and her in-laws would surely make trouble.

The reason Nan Nan faced no such criticism was that A Hang had her back—something most men wouldn’t do.

“Alright, I’ll drop it!” Zhang Xiaofeng relented, then turned to Lu Yuan and added, “Your future is yours to walk. You’ll bear the consequences, good or bad.”

“Absolutely!” Lu Yuan beamed immediately.

“Mom, I don’t want to get engaged either. I still have to study!” Lu Ming jumped in.

Pan Xiaoping, who usually contradicted her son, didn’t immediately protest this time. After a pause, she said, “Then study hard. Otherwise, I’ll have you married off to a village girl and stay here farming!”

“I promise!” The thought of being stuck farming made Lu Ming declare in a panic.