Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Yun Zhangxie had previously promised to hold a *zhuazhou* ceremony for their son.

Unexpectedly, his return to official duties had caused a delay.

Now that everything was finally settled, Yun Zhangxie held a belated ceremony for the child during the Minor New Year festival.

The child was already over a year old, and on the day of the *zhuazhou* ceremony, many local common folk were invited.

This banquet wasn’t held to collect gifts but primarily to celebrate the child’s *zhuazhou* ceremony, hoping for a lively atmosphere.

Yun Zhangxie had told Su Qingruo that he didn’t care about the child’s gender—even if it was a son, he still wanted to give the child the best.

So on the day of the ceremony, many people came to the county office.

Among them were local landlords and gentry, relatives from the Yun family, and Yun Zhangxie’s acquaintances.

Apart from these, the majority were ordinary common folk.

When the common folk arrived, Yun Zhangxie didn’t allow them to bring gifts.

But considering it was the county magistrate’s son’s *zhuazhou* ceremony, they still wanted to express their goodwill in some small way.

They didn’t bring anything extravagant—most brought simple items.

Things like foraged winter bamboo shoots from the mountains, sun-dried wild mushrooms, eggs from their own homes, hand-embroidered handkerchiefs, handwoven grass baskets, or even rabbits caught in the hills…

The gifts they brought were quite interesting. Yun Tinglou, in Su Qingruo's arms, stared at them one by one, and the toddler looked fascinated.

Later, when Su Qingruo’s arms grew tired from holding him, he handed him over to Tian Sang and Du Ruo.

The child, spoiled by Liu Shi, had grown more willful and sometimes acted a bit mischievous.

Yun Zhangxie thought it was good for a son to be a little mischievous—being lively and sturdy would prevent them from being easily bullied later in life.

As the saying goes, “Nice guys finish last.” Raising a child to be too soft wasn’t a good thing.

When they grew up, they wouldn’t just be bullied by men—even women or other boys could push him around.

At times, Su Qingruo found Yun Zhangxie’s mindset rather puzzling.

He felt his way of thinking often ran counter to those around him.

Most families raising sons wanted them to be docile and compliant, making them more marriageable when they grew up.

But Yun Zhangxie was different—he believed that if a son was too obedient, it would only harm them in the end.

If someone sought a virtuous, sensible, and submissive spouse, then marrying such a person wouldn’t bring much happiness.

In his eyes, a son’s sensibility, thoughtfulness, and ability to serve others were expected as default.

No matter how well the son behaved, he wouldn’t truly appreciate them.

On the contrary, if the son made even the slightest mistake, he would find fault with everything.

Yun Zhangxie didn’t bring this child into the world just to raise them with great effort, only to send them off to wait on others hand and foot.

If his son were to marry in the future, it would only be to someone who truly loved and doted on them.

Even if he couldn't find someone to his liking, he wouldn’t pressure him to settle for just any marriage.

As long as the Yun family remained prosperous and influential, their son could stay unmarried his whole life without issue.

At Lou'er's *zhuazhou* ceremony, he grabbed a small wooden sword.

The onlookers were astonished by this and couldn’t help but glance at Yun Zhangxie, worried he might be displeased.

Most families hoped their sons would take an interest in scholarly pursuits like *qin*, chess, calligraphy, or painting.

Martial arts and weaponry were usually reserved for men—rarely did sons or women show such interest.

To everyone's surprise, the Magistrate wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he smiled and praised the child.

"This child shows promise—he isn’t afraid of hardship."

Hearing this, Su Qingruo, standing nearby, couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.

He knew Yun Zhangxie too well. While others were holding their breath, he'd already predicted Yun Zhangxie's response.

Once the ceremony ended, Su Qingruo brought the child back to the women's quarters.

He disliked crowds and socializing, so he didn’t want to linger and make small talk with everyone.

Not long after he left, someone approached Liu Shi and brought up Aicao's marriage prospects.

Liu Shi smiled and replied, "Their marriage depends mainly on Zhangxie and his husband’s wishes. Zhangxie isn’t in a hurry—they can wait another two years before settling things. As for his husband, he cares about his younger siblings’ opinions. If a suitable match comes along, it could be considered."

Hearing that it was possible, the person grew enthusiastic.

"There's a scholar I know who shows potential. His family isn’t well-off—he has a widowed mother, and the two rely on each other. He earned his *xiucai* degree and is now looking to marry before his age becomes an issue."

"Oh? Did he take notice of our Aicao or Shanli? You say he’s an orphan with just his mother—doesn’t he have any relatives?"

The two discussed it in detail. It turned out the scholar had set his sights on Shanli.

Shanli was still young, and Su Qingruo wanted to focus on arranging Aicao’s match first. Shanli could wait a few more years—they could take their time.

The scholar was a *xiucai*, already twenty-three this year.

Perhaps he didn’t want to delay any longer, or maybe he was angling for the Yun family's connections for his future imperial exams.

After learning more, Liu Shi frowned and waved her hand dismissively.

"This won’t do. You say he noticed Shanli when she was selling her needlework for pin money and thought she was good with household management? So he decided he wanted to marry into the Yun family? Is it Shanli he’s interested in, or her ability to make money?"

Her tone turned sharp, but she couldn’t be blamed.

The man had neither great talent nor a distinguished background.

He was just a mere *xiucai*, yet he was already trying to marry above his station—did he really think being a *xiucai* was so impressive?

Her own son was a *Tanhua*—compared to that, this man’s intentions seemed rather shameless.

The matchmaker seemed taken aback by Liu Shi’s reaction.

Most families would be pleased to hear their daughter praised for being hardworking and virtuous.

She had thought her words were complimentary, but instead, they had rubbed her the wrong way. Seeing Liu Shi's growing irritation, she let the subject drop.

The day after the first birthday ceremony, Liu Shi mentioned the incident to Su Qingruo and Yun Zhangxie.

Yun Zhangxie agreed with Liu Shi’s concerns—that family was no good for marriage.

A widow who managed to raise a scholar son was clearly a tough woman.

Not that her strength was a bad thing—it was good for her and her son.

But for the girl marrying into their household, it wouldn’t be so great.

A strong-willed widow like her would likely walk all over them, and both Aicao and Shanli were gentle and obedient by nature.

If they ended up with such a mother-in-law, they would easily be bullied and controlled.

As for the scholar himself, eyeing an unmarried girl like that was downright rude.

Courtship’s a two-way street—how could he just start sizing her up on his own without even a proper introduction?

And he calls himself educated? He lacked even basic manners.

Moreover, courtship wasn’t just about the man’s approval—the girl’s family had to evaluate him as well.

Did he really think they would agree just because he took a liking to her?

Especially when the Yun family outranked them—yet he still behaved with such nerve.

If he were to rise in rank and surpass Yun Zhangxie in the future, who knew what kind of arrogance he might display?

Yun Zhangxie had wealth, but he had no intention of raising a backstabbing ingrate.

Yun Zhangxie said, "This man is no good. Tell the servants attending your younger siblings to be more alert and not let them be deceived by cunning people."

If the scholar pulled some shady move like forcing her hand, Aicao and Shanli, being inexperienced, could easily fall for such sweet talk.

Su Qingruo nodded and instructed Tian Sang to speak with the servants looking after his younger siblings.

To his surprise, he discovered that the scholar had already gotten to Shanli.

What alarmed Su Qingruo even more was that Shanli had hid this from him.

Shaken, Su Qingruo told Yun Zhangxie about it.

Seeing how pale Su Qingruo looked, Yun Zhangxie took his hand and reassured him, "Don’t worry. It’s good we found out in time—we can still fix this. Later, go talk to Shanli, but keep your cool. We don’t want to frighten her."

As a man and her brother-in-law, it wasn’t his place to step in.

This was better handled by Su Qingruo as her elder brother.

If Su Qingruo struggled to manage it, they could always involve Aunt Liang or Liu Shi later.

After all, Aicao and Shanli had been raised by Aunt Liang all these years, and they shared a close bond.

Following Yun Zhangxie’s advice, Su Qingruo went to talk to Shanli.

Unlike Aicao, Shanli was quiet and kept to herself.

When Su Qingruo asked her, she frowned and shot back, "Did you grill my maid? I thought you said she was mine to command."

Unable to speak, Su Qingruo had to write his responses slowly on paper, making communication difficult.

This was especially true when the other party was a rebellious teenager—getting through to her was like talking to a wall.

Seeing that Shanli was reluctant to talk and even seemed to push him away, Su Qingruo had no choice but to leave for the time being.

After he left, the usually even-keeled Shanli suddenly slapped her maid.

"From now on, don’t snitch on me to my elder brother."

The maid immediately knelt, protesting, "This matter couldn’t have been swept under the rug. I thought it was wrong to keep it secret. Aunt Liang always said that matchmaking should involve the elders first—only then should the younger ones interact..."

Before the maid could finish, Shanli cut in.

She hadn’t planned to hide it for long anyway. People were naturally drawn to power.

Seeing how her elder brother’s marriage to a scholar had turned their luck around, Shanli figured why not her too.

Even if her brother and brother-in-law’s relationship soured in the future, at least they could rely on her.

As for whether she actually liked the man—she hadn’t gotten that deep.

Not long after Su Qingruo left, Aunt Liang arrived with a tray of sweets.

Seeing the maid kneeling, she shooed her out.

Once they were alone, Aunt Liang didn’t scold Shanli for punishing the maid. Instead, she made small talk about other matters.

As they ate the pastries and talked, Shanli gradually cooled off.

Without needing prompting, she ended up spilling the whole story to Aunt Liang.