Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Mrs. Guan beamed, "Second Mrs. Meng, would you mind if I joined you? As you can see, there are no other seats available."

As they were acquainted, Feng Shi naturally wouldn't refuse. She readily agreed, "Please, have a seat. We have plenty of room here."

Mrs. Guan's smile widened. "Thank you so much, Second Mrs. Meng."

But just as she was about to sit, she spotted Jiang Cihe at an adjacent table and quickly greeted him with a smile, "So Prince Zhao is here too?"

Jiang Cihe nodded, "Mm."

Noting Jiang Cihe's aloofness, Mrs. Guan said no more. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Feng Shi, she took her seat. Then, she scrutinized Meng Qingyun and asked Feng Shi, "Second Mrs. Meng, your daughter is no longer a child, is she? Has her marriage been arranged?"

Meng Shuping discreetly perked up his ears. [Tsk tsk tsk, is she here to play matchmaker? Do people really encounter forced marriages during the New Year?]

Feng Shi shook her head with a smile. "Not yet. She's my only biological daughter, so I naturally want to choose carefully for her."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Guan chuckled, "You should indeed choose carefully, but being too particular isn't always good. Just find someone suitable—where would you find a young man who's perfect in every way? I think your daughter should find a good family sooner rather than later. If she waits too long, the good ones will be gone. Take Official Zhang's daughter, for example—when she was young, she disliked everyone, was picky until she was older, and ended up marrying someone worse than the ones she knew before."

Hearing this, Meng Shuping felt a surge of discomfort. [What business is it of hers how others choose for their daughter? Does she need to offer her unsolicited opinion? It sounds like she's jinxing Second Sister, implying she won't find a good match.]

[Besides, Second Sister isn't even that old. Why can't she take her time?]

Mrs. Guan was taken aback and quickly looked at Meng Shuchun, only to find he hadn't spoken at all. She was utterly perplexed—what was going on?

Feng Shi had initially thought Mrs. Guan was just making casual conversation, but after hearing Meng Shuping's words, she felt somewhat displeased. Still, out of politeness, she said, "I naturally know what I'm doing."

Mrs. Guan, completely oblivious to Feng Shi's change in demeanor, continued, "Speaking of which, I know a few promising young men. How about I introduce them to your daughter? Since there's a lantern festival today, they're all out and about—they could even meet."

Feng Shi, thinking Mrs. Guan was merely straightforward, didn't mind. She glanced at Meng Qingyun and politely inquired, "What kind of young men are they?"

Meng Qingyun's face flushed slightly. Meng Shuping suddenly understood. [Could it be that Second Aunt is being manipulated? First, she belittles and pressures Second Aunt's ideas, making her anxious and lowering her standards, then conveniently suggests her own candidates—and Second Aunt agrees? Tsk, she's a marketing expert!]

Feng Shi was puzzled—"PUA"? What was that?

Jiang Cihe mused—Meng Shuping's words actually made sense. Who would have thought matchmaking could be so complicated?

Mrs. Guan was stunned—what was all this? She couldn't understand. But since Feng Shi didn't refuse, her smile widened. She enthusiastically said, "I have a nephew from my maiden family. I've watched him grow up—he's been honest since childhood and very driven."

Meng Shuping couldn't help but translate in his mind, [Slow to react, not very sharp, works hard but gets nowhere.]

Mrs. Guan: "..."

She glanced at Meng Shuchun again—still not speaking. But what was going on? How could this person describe her nephew's character so accurately?

Feng Shi was also very curious—how did Ping'er know? Had he met Mrs. Guan's nephew before?

Mrs. Guan ignored Meng Shuping's words and continued, "And at home, he's very filial."

Feng Shi's expression shifted slightly—this was quite good. A filial young man surely wouldn't have too bad a character, right?

No sooner had she thought this than she heard Meng Shuping's voice: [Then he's probably a mama's boy. Such a man isn't marriage material—he'd do everything his mother says, with no opinions or judgment of his own. How could that lead to a good life? A weak son and a domineering mother—just hearing it sounds suffocating. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts would be severe.]

[If she really married into such a family, she might be tormented by her mother-in-law every day, and the husband wouldn't dare say a word. I've even heard of couples where the mother-in-law lives in their room after marriage!]

Feng Shi was shocked—this would not do. No matter how good the man's character, she couldn't let her daughter end up with such a difficult mother-in-law!

Mrs. Guan was even more surprised—had this person investigated her nephew behind her back? How did he know her sister-in-law was like that?

She looked at Feng Shi and the others again. Seeing that they seemed completely unaffected, she pressed on, "Also, my sister-in-law said she doesn't care how much dowry the bride brings. Whether there is one or not, their family can provide for her."

Meng Shuping thought disdainfully, [Of course—because they already know Second Sister's family background. She comes from a good family with plenty of wealth. Second Aunt is so rich—how could the dowry she gives her daughter be small?]

[Besides, what does 'provide for her' mean? Buying jewelry and clothes for the daughter-in-law regularly is providing for her, but so is feeding her simple fare every day just to fill her up. There's a big difference between 'providing for' and 'providing for'—can they guarantee Second Sister's standard of living won't drop?]

Feng Shi found Meng Shuping's words very reasonable. She politely said, "We appreciate Mrs. Guan's kindness, but my daughter has been spoiled and is a bit willful. I'm afraid she might not be a good match for your nephew."

Mrs. Guan was annoyed—was this kid determined to find fault? She took a deep breath and put on a smile again, "No problem, no problem. If my nephew isn't suitable, I have another young man here who's also quite good!"

Without waiting for Feng Shi to respond, she described this person: "This young man is a fellow townsman of my husband. Although his family background is average, he's very ambitious. At a young age, he passed the provincial exam and became a juren. Next, he'll be taking the imperial exam to become a jinshi."

Feng Shi was somewhat interested—this one sounded promising?

Meng Shuping pondered, [Ah, this? Could he be a phoenix man? Honestly, although such people are quite outstanding themselves, I don't think Second Sister should marry someone like that.]

[After all, Second Sister grew up pampered. Marrying someone from an average family—does that mean she'll have to endure hardship, or use her dowry to support the family? If the matchmaker says his family background is average, it must be quite poor.]

Feng Shi thought that if it were just about money, it wouldn't matter. If the man was excellent in every way but just from a poorer family, how could she let her daughter suffer? And if the daughter really had to support the family, wouldn't the man's family at least treat her better?

But just as she was about to ask more, she heard Meng Shuping's voice continue, [If it's just about money, that's manageable. The biggest issue is that their values might not align—that would lead to many conflicts.]

Feng Shi: "..."

If they argued every few days, that would not do.

Mrs. Guan gritted her teeth—what conflicts could there be? What couple doesn't have occasional disagreements? She added, "I'm not exaggerating—this young man is someone who knows how to live practically."

Meng Shuping couldn't help but think, [In other words, he's stingy. Then he's even less suitable. Second Sister spends money freely—if they lived together, wouldn't they argue every day?]

Meng Qingyun: "..."

It wasn't that exaggerated, was it? Although she spent a lot, she still had some restraint!

Mrs. Guan forced a smile and said, "You don't know—the moment I saw him, I thought he was polite, well-mannered, and articulate."

Meng Shuping translated again, [A snob who loves to boast.]

"..." Mrs. Guan added, "Mature, steady, and caring."

[He must be several years older than Second Sister, right? I knew there couldn't be that many young jurens. The reason he hasn't married yet—could it be that he wants to find a good father-in-law to promote him?]

"Even my husband says this young man is diligent and hardworking—he'll surely achieve great things in the future."

[That's true—they are very hardworking and diligent people, so they tend to look down on those from good backgrounds, thinking they wouldn't compare without their parents' support.]

The more Feng Shi listened, the more she felt it wouldn't work. She awkwardly declined, "I... I think marriage should be between families of similar status. My daughter grew up in luxury—I'm afraid she wouldn't adapt."

Meng Shuchun and Meng Qingyun couldn't help but pinch their legs to keep from laughing—hahaha, Fifth Brother/Fifth Young Master saw right through it! How did he manage that?

Jiang Cihe also covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile. It seemed Meng Shuping cared quite a bit for this sister—his standards were so picky.

Mrs. Guan's expression darkened—there was no way to continue this conversation. Why did this person rebut every word she said? She shifted her gaze to Meng Shuping, "Second Mrs. Meng, is he here with you?"

While speaking earlier, she had observed that, aside from Meng Shuping, no one else seemed to be the one talking.

Feng Shi had no choice but to introduce him, "He's our Ping'er, our fifth son, and Chun'er's younger brother."

Mrs. Guan looked Meng Shuping up and down appraisingly, then turned to Feng Shi, "I see. So has Fifth Young Master Meng's marriage been settled?"

Meng Shuping stared in disbelief, [No way, no way! She wouldn't actually try to matchmake for me, would she? Ah? No, no—I'd rather believe there are ghosts in this world than trust that big mouth of hers!]

[Not that I mean to badmouth her, but why does she keep introducing people to our family? Doesn't anyone want to introduce someone to Jiang Cihe?]

Feng Shi suppressed a laugh, "Not really."

But come to think of it, she really should start making arrangements for Ping Geer. Meng Wenxiu didn't seem like he would take care of it, and if she didn't bother, no one else would.

Jiang Cihe cast a dismissive glance at Mrs. Guan—such a meddling busybody.

Mrs. Guan was quite annoyed, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a chill. She shifted slightly, biting back her anger as she said, "Speaking of which, there is a suitable young lady from our family's branch. She is cultured, gentle, and refined, and her father serves as a local judge—her status certainly wouldn't disgrace Fifth Young Master Meng. What does Second Mrs. Meng think of this match?"

Feng Shi glanced at Meng Shuping, "Well... our family values the children's opinions. As long as they like the person, we're fine with it."

Mrs. Guan then turned to Meng Shuping, "What does Fifth Young Master Meng think?"

Jiang Cihe looked up at Meng Shuping, only to see him shaking his head quickly, "I... I think it's better to... forget it."

Mrs. Guan immediately snapped, "What? Does Fifth Young Master Meng look down on the status of our family's niece?"

Meng Qingyun was one thing—after all, her family was wealthy, and she was the legitimate daughter—but what was Fifth Young Master Meng even? Who even knew if he had any scholarly honors?