The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 338 Suitable

Jia Zhu knew that her younger siblings would compete with each other in private, but she never expected that they would gang up on her youngest cousin.

Does Chang'an have a swagger?

Jia Zhu looked at her younger brother with great curiosity, "Why is it that even your cousin Lin wants you to press him down?"

"He often swaggers around."

Baoyu had been challenged and humiliated by him in his studies many times, and he knew this all too well: "It's only in front of you adults that I pretend to be well-behaved."

In fact, when he did well on the exam, he always had a smile on his face.

In front of his older and younger sisters, he always held his head high, waiting for everyone to praise him.

Even when others didn't praise him, he praised himself.

The key point is that when he praises himself, he also intentionally or unintentionally puts him down.

"Hmm, that sounds familiar."

Jia Zhu couldn't understand his brother's sadness and said with a smile, "Your second brother Lian said the same thing to me back then. He was crying and telling your eldest brother Zhen that he wanted to find some people to beat me up."

Ah, those were my childhood days, so nostalgic.

"So...did they really fight?"

Baoyu was surprised to learn that his older brothers had done the same thing when they were young, and couldn't help but ask his brother about it out of curiosity.

"Hmm!" Jia Zhu stood up, dusting off the corner of her clothes. "I used a trick to make them all get beaten by the elders, and then I went to plead for them!"

Baoyu: "..."

Jia Zhu smiled at his younger brother, "What are you still standing there for? Get up! As long as you pass the exam in Chang'an tomorrow, your brother will take you out for half a day."

The news that the two brothers had left the ancestral hall together quickly spread throughout both households.

Even Shen Ning thought that Jia Zhu wouldn't be able to get out of there until tonight after kneeling down, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

However, it's always a good thing to be able to get out of the ancestral hall.

Shen Ning ignored it; her current concern was for Zhang Hua and his son.

“Zhang Pingyuan was originally the grain manager of the imperial estate, but he was beaten and kicked out because he was too greedy.”

Xing'er reported everything he had found out to Shen Ning, Old Lady You, and Madam You. "But in those years, their family lived well. The father and son were not exactly good at everything, from eating and drinking to gambling and whoring, but they were not lacking in anything."

They used to be fawned over, but once they were kicked out… they immediately fell apart.

At this point, Xing'er stole a glance at Old Lady You. "When he was in high spirits, he probably forgot about the betrothal he had made in childhood. Now that he is in low spirits, he has no way to find his future in-laws. Both father and son work at the labor camp in Houmiao Alley in the South City. They are the kind of people who work when there is work and rest when there is no work."

But other people there, at least they can earn some money each month and send it home; they earn a little, but all they do is eat and drink.

Those who have enjoyed a life of luxury, once they fall from grace, clearly cannot live like ordinary people.

Why is eating and drinking listed first among the four vices (eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring)? Because it actually costs money.

"When they earn money, they eat well, and when they're in a good mood, they might even have a pot of wine. When they don't earn money, they eat worse and worse. I heard they've been going hungry one day and full the next. I went to them, offered them forty taels of silver, and got a letter of annulment."

As he spoke, Xing'er presented the letter of refusal to accept the marriage proposal.

Actually, if we haggle a bit more, we might be able to get a lower price, but if things escalate, it won't look good for their grandmother either.

Especially when Zhang Hua heard that someone had asked his father to break off the engagement, the way he ran over like a madman made Xing'er want to get things over with quickly.

The father and son were clearly in a situation where they couldn't afford to get married.

They almost came to blows over that little bit of silver, but in the end they split it into two portions of twenty taels each.

"Good, good, you did a great job!"

After seeing the letter annulmenting the engagement, Old Lady You was relieved.

Her daughter is finally spared from falling into a pit of fire.

"This matter has really troubled my in-laws."

After carefully putting away the letter of annulment, Old Lady You once again expressed her gratitude to Shen Ning.

"See, you're being too polite again, aren't you?"

Shen Ning smiled and waved her hand, "Second Sister is gentle and quiet, I think she's very good."

As she spoke, she looked at Madam You and said, "Now that the marriage has been called off, you and Zhen'er, as the older sister and brother-in-law, should pay more attention to it."

"Yes!"

You had already been chosen.

Although her second sister was sensible, she was much softer-hearted than her and her third sister.

If you marry into a family with many sisters-in-law, you'll definitely be bullied.

The Jia family no longer needs to curry favor with anyone. Lady You bluntly told Jia Zhen to find a family with few brothers and reasonable parents.

Whether it's academics or martial arts, as long as the child is motivated and has a livelihood, that's fine.

She was well aware that her stepsister's status was not high, and it was impossible for her to be married into a very good family.

The next day, Jia Zhen found her a few suitable ones.

One of them was Zheng Xiaoqi, an eighth-rank officer at the East Gate, who had just been promoted this year. His father was a member of the Five City Garrison.

He's only eighteen this year, and he's tall and strong.

He also has some martial arts skills. He has two brothers. Although his grandparents are still alive, he is open-minded and believes that his sons and grandsons will separate from the family once they get married.

So, although there were many sisters-in-law, it wasn't a big deal at all.

With the Jia family around, my second sister-in-law will definitely not be bullied after she marries into the family.

Another family is the Ma family in Nancheng, who just passed the imperial examination this year. Ma is 21 years old and was raised by his widowed mother. The two of them have depended on each other for many years. In order to go to school, they sold almost all of their house and land.

With the Jia family's support, the second sister-in-law won't be poor after marrying into the family, but whether things will be completely alright depends on Ma Juren's future academic achievements.

These two, one scholar and one warrior, were ranked first, followed by several others. However, Madam You didn't think her stepmother and sister would make the choice.

Sure enough, when evening came, she took out the candidates Jia Zhen had given her, and laid out their advantages and disadvantages.

"Second sister, this is a matter of great importance in your life. Do you prefer a scholar or a warrior?"

What Old Lady Yiyou meant was that Zheng Xiaoqi was a very good official.

That's from the military.

With the eldest sister and Jia Zhen around, the second sister's marriage would be better off than most, but certainly not worse off.

But the daughter's eyes were mostly fixed on Ma Juren's list.

Old Lady You sighed inwardly, knowing she had no choice but to give up.

Third Sister You also understood what her sister meant. Before Second Sister You could speak, she said, "Second Sister, Zheng Xiaoqi is a good official. Although this Scholar Ma seems better, he sold everything he could to pay for his studies and doesn't care about his mother at all."

If you pass the exam in the future, that's fine; if you don't... you might have to take it again when you're seventy or eighty.

This?
Sister You hesitated.

Madam You glanced at her third sister and smiled. "Third sister is right. This mother and son are both very strong-willed and devoted to the imperial examinations. Their family used to own three hundred acres of land and a large house, but over the years, they have squandered it all due to their studies and illnesses. Now they live in rented houses."

Although Ma Juren is not very old and his future looks promising, there are quite a few people who are optimistic about his future.

He felt that he was a rare commodity and had high aspirations.

The expectations for the future in-laws are likely quite high.

Although she was already quite capable as the younger sister, her cousin Min Jianbai, who attended the clan school, had always earned money through studying.

There are many students from impoverished families who study and earn money at the same time.

The two teachers who passed the imperial examination this year have always been studying and earning money at the same time.

If you can't work at the library, then copy books.

In her bookstore, many students from impoverished families copy books.

Honestly, in Madam You's eyes, it would have been better for her second daughter to choose Qian, who was two years younger, rather than that scholar Ma.

Although he has two brothers, he did not burden his brothers. He studied and copied books at the same time, earning about five taels of silver a year just from copying books. "If you like scholars, this Scholar Qian is quite good. Although he only passed the imperial examination this year, he started studying late and his family is poor. Except for the first two years when his parents supported him, he has been supporting himself by studying and copying books since then."

Yu pointed to one of the people below, "A person like this can always take good care of his family."

This?
Sister You hesitated, "Elder sister, can I think about it for two days?"

"Naturally."

There was nothing that Ms. You could not agree to.

She did her best to find a future husband for her younger sister, naturally hoping for the best for her.

If she agrees to any of those offers, and things don't go well for her later, she'll be sad too.

"I just wanted you to take a look first."

Only after the younger sister agrees can they meet.

After the initial assessment, she still needed to inquire further.

Madam You stood up. "Mother, Second Sister, Third Sister, it's getting late. I'll be going now. If you need anything later, just let me know."

"Wait a minute, let's go back together!"

Old Lady You now lives in Madam You's courtyard, and she's worried about her so late at night. "Third Sister, could you also keep an eye on your Second Sister?"

"Eh~"

Third Sister You readily agreed and, together with Second Sister, saw them off at the door.

The two of them didn't go back until they had all gone far away.

"Second sister, have you taken a liking to Scholar Ma?"

"...It's so hard to pass the imperial examination."

Although Qian Xiucai is a good scholar, who knows if he will be able to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination)?
Second Sister You said softly, "Our family..."

What do we have at home?

Sister You interrupted, saying directly, "They say we are an official family, but both our biological father and stepfather have passed away."

She knew what her sister was thinking: "They were all minor officials, and they hadn't accumulated any wealth."

On the biological father's side, most of the family business was taken away by his uncles and aunts.

Her mother married her stepfather while still carrying both of their children.

The stepfather was grateful to his biological father for saving his life, and although he treated them well, he did not live a long life.

Now, the mother and daughter rely on their stepsister.

The stepsister was kind to them, mother and daughter, because the stepsister was a good person.

But if they go too far...

Some members of the Jia family probably look down on their stepsister.

"If you're talking about the Jia family, it's not that we can't rely on them, but since the eldest sister married into the family, it's already a high-status marriage for her. We can't be her help, or at least we can't be her burden."

Her second sister has always been very soft-hearted.

You absolutely can't do it without keeping an eye on things.

Because of her eldest sister, the Jia family respected them, and You Sanjie became even more self-respecting. "Someone like Ma Juren is the kind of person who goes all the way down a dark path. If things go smoothly, that's fine, but if things don't go smoothly... if the Jia family can't help him, I'm afraid they'll all blame their sister."

"Second sister, how will you handle this then?"

This?
Sister You lowered her eyes and after a long while, she murmured, "But we are living in the Jia family now, and I heard that the Jia family has a very prestigious school. This year, three people from that school passed the imperial examination. Many of the Jia family's gentlemen are also studying. Master Zhu from the West Mansion is even a student at the Imperial Academy."

"So, you've taken a liking to Scholar Ma?"

Sister You was very disappointed.

"Then... if you were me, who would you choose?"

Sister You retorted, "Do you want to choose Zheng Xiaoqi as your officer?"

This?
Sister You hesitated for a moment, "Let me see what they look like first."

She likes good-looking people.

"Then choose the one that suits you best."

What does "suitable" mean?

“For example, if Ma Juren and Zheng Xiaoqi Guan looked similar, I would definitely choose Zheng Xiaoqi Guan.”

Sister You said, "And this Scholar Qian, if he's not too bad-looking, I would definitely choose him over Scholar Ma."

Why did you choose him?

"Because whether he relies on the Jia family or not, he can support a family."

Their biological father died, and they had no older or younger brothers. The other side said they didn't want them anymore.

A stepfather may be good, but he's not a blood relative.

If it weren't for the eldest sister's good marriage, the You family and their clan would probably have driven them away long ago.

“I think someone like Ma Juren wouldn’t be able to support a family before he successfully passed the imperial examination.”

Sister You sighed, "But now that he's passed the imperial examination, he might not like his ex-wife anymore. After all, he's over twenty and still not getting married, so how can his standards be low? You may like him, but he might not like you."

Second Sister You: "..."

It would be a lie to say I'm not sad.

They didn't have powerful maternal families.

"Tomorrow, can I ask my older sister if I can sneak a peek at them?"

"Okay!"

Sister You said, "It's just that eldest sister is currently quite ill, so I'm afraid she won't be able to accompany us in person."

Wanting Madam Shen to accompany him... is even more impossible.

You Sanjie already knew that the Japanese had tried to assassinate her several times.

"My brother-in-law is busy again."

Sister You sighed, "It might be that Steward Xing who will take us in a carriage so we can sneak a peek from afar."

"It's fine to see it from a distance!"

You Erjie already knew from You Shi that she had prepared a dowry of about one thousand taels for each of them.

This was something she had never dared to think about before.

Moreover, upon arriving at the Jia family, not only did Madam Shen present a gift, but the old lady, the madam, and the two aunts from the West Mansion also presented gifts.

You Erjie discovered that after only a few days at the Jia family, she already had several hundred taels of silver in assets.

With the dowry from her sister, she won't have any problem choosing a good man.

"Sister, do you want to pick a nice one too?"

"It definitely can't be too ugly!"

The two sisters smiled at each other, picked up the information on Ma Juren and others, and slowly began to examine it closely.

Since Lady You didn't choose a high-ranking family for them, the two women actually had it much easier.

There aren't many wealthy and powerful families like the Ningguo Mansion.

The Rongguo Mansion next door, the second wife and the second master both died a long time ago.

You Sanjie had always worried that if her mother took them to live with her sister, they would all have no future.

With good looks but no family background, what are you in the eyes of the powerful and wealthy in the capital?

But it's the same in the countryside.

Even if these sisters are beautiful but lack family background, they can't guarantee they won't be sold off one day, no matter how well they marry.