A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

Mr. Chen's words were somewhat dry; rather than comforting his family, it seemed more like he was trying to convince himself.

He tapped his pipe, but didn't add any more tobacco. His gaze unconsciously drifted to his daughter sitting beside him.

Chen's mother sat on the other side of Chen's grandmother, twisting a piece of hemp rope in her hand, her lips pursed tightly.

She naturally sensed the reluctance in her husband's words and knew exactly what he was worried about. This contrast made her heart flutter with anxiety.

Uncle Chen didn't respond to his third brother's words, nor did he refute his eldest brother. He just snorted softly and stared at the dark woodpile in the corner of the yard, lost in thought.

Aunt Chen glanced at everyone's expressions, then gently nudged her husband's arm, signaling him to stop talking.

She might have felt a little envious, but she knew that saying anything more at this point would be pointless and could easily cause trouble.

A brief silence filled the cool air of the spring night, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog in the distance, making the courtyard even quieter.

Listening to everyone's chatter, Chen Wanxing couldn't find a way to join the conversation. Besides, she had agreed to the engagement, but now that she had to tell her family, she didn't know how to bring it up.

After waiting a while, Chen Wanxing mentally prepared herself before clearing her throat and speaking to Grandma Chen:

"Grandma, there's something I'd like to say while everyone's here."

The main room fell silent. Grandma Chen's hand, which was holding chopsticks, paused almost imperceptibly. She looked up at her granddaughter and nodded: "Yes, you said it. The whole family is here."

Mr. and Mrs. Chen's hearts jumped, and they looked at their daughter nervously. Mr. and Mrs. Chen also pricked up their ears, their faces full of curiosity.

Chen Wanxing took a slight breath, carefully considering the most appropriate words, but her eyes did not waver at all, remaining calm and composed.

What she was about to say was something she had already thought through on her way back and during her earlier hesitation, and now it was a matter of course settled in her mind.

Chen Wanxing sat up straighter, looked at her parents, and then glanced around at her uncles and aunts. Her voice was clear and steady, sounding particularly clear in the quiet spring night: "This afternoon, I went to the county town and met Wang Yanning."

She got straight to the point: "He proposed marriage to me, hoping that before I return to Kaifeng, we could have a matchmaker come to my door to finalize the engagement."

"Proposing marriage?"

"What?"

Almost simultaneously, several exclamations rang out in the quiet main room.

Chen's mother clenched her clothes tightly. Chen's father straightened his back, forgot to smoke his pipe, and stared straight at Chen Wanxing.

A marriage proposal? At this time? When the Wang family's son had just passed the imperial examination and was enjoying unparalleled fame?

Mr. Chen was completely unprepared to hear this news. He was prepared that his daughter might be sad and that the family might need to comfort her.

The whole family was somewhat unsettled, except for Grandma Chen, whose fingers tightened slightly as she held the palm-leaf fan, but whose face remained relatively calm.

"Proposing marriage? What did he say? Tell Grandma in detail."

Chen Wanxing took in his family’s reactions. “He said that the elders in the family now agree, and since he will be going to study at the Kaifeng Prefectural School in a while, he hopes to ask a matchmaker to come to his home before then to complete the engagement ceremony.”

In this way, we can have a legitimate reason to look after each other on our way to Kaifeng.

"You...you agreed?" Chen's mother finally found her voice and asked tremblingly, her eyes fixed on her daughter.

Chen Wanxing met her mother's gaze and nodded firmly without hesitation:

"Yes, I agree."

These five words seemed to have a greater impact than the two words "marriage proposal" from before. Only the rustling of the wind through the old locust tree leaves and the increasingly heavy breathing of someone could be heard in the courtyard.

The main room fell into an almost frozen silence once again.

The flickering light of the oil lamp cast swaying shadows on everyone's still-shocked faces.

Grandma Chen looked at her granddaughter. She had indeed worried about Chen Wanxing's marriage since she returned, feeling that her granddaughter was getting old and might not be able to find a good family.

However, hearing this news so unexpectedly at this time still made her feel a little sad. Her granddaughter had only been home for a few months, and now she was going to get married and go to someone else's family again.

After the initial shock, when Uncle Chen heard that Wang Yanning had just obtained the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and was so eager to settle down with Chen Wanxing, the sour feeling in his heart rose even more intensely.

Listen to this, going to the Kaifeng Prefectural School, is that a place for ordinary scholars?

They even had to rush to arrange the engagement together. The Wang family not only had their eye on Wanxing, but they were also eager to get her engaged!

He couldn't help but blurt out, his tone carrying a sharpness and skepticism he himself didn't realize: "A month? That's way too rushed. Can the Six Rites be done so hastily? Did the Wang family see Wanxing's competence and hear something, so they..."

Uncle Chen wanted to say that he was in a hurry to coax her, but under Grandma Chen's stern gaze, he swallowed the rest of his sentence and changed it to, "So...so in such a hurry?"

"Wanxing, your second uncle is worried about you. You must be careful about this important life event. Don't be fooled. Although he is now a scholar, our family..."

"Second brother," Chen's father interrupted him in a deep voice, his brows furrowed. Although he also had concerns, he was unwilling to hear people question his daughter's choice and his future son-in-law's sincerity in such an almost provocative manner.

Chen Wanxing didn't even glance in that direction, but said to Grandma Chen, "Grandma, I have carefully considered this important matter of my life."

It is precisely because of this caution that I discussed this with my family today. My granddaughter has her own judgment on what kind of person Mr. Wang is, based on our interactions over the past few days.

He frankly told us about his family situation today, without hiding anything. As for the short notice...

She turned to Mr. and Mrs. Chen, her tone softening and reassuring, "It's because he's about to start his studies, and it's a rare opportunity. Also, as I mentioned before, I happen to be planning to go to Kaifeng recently."

Although his proposal of engagement was somewhat unexpected, it was probably because he didn't want me to accompany him without a proper status, or to be separated from him and worry about him.

Finally, she glanced at everyone in the courtyard, her tone calm yet firm: "Whether Young Master Wang is sincere or not, time will tell, but for now, I'm willing to trust him this time, and I trust my own judgment."

Uncle Chen was speechless after hearing her words. His niece's attitude was so frank that it made his hidden thoughts seem rather unseemly.

He chuckled awkwardly, then muttered, "You know what you're doing."