I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

It's been ten days.

Ten days have passed since Xuebao last parted ways with Fang Shuqi at the bookstore.

For the past ten days, Xuebao has not gone to buy the calligraphy brush called Wuyuan.

After breakfast, an unfamiliar servant came to the outer gate, saying that Yang Chengxue's order from their shop had been prepared and was being delivered to her home as requested.

"I didn't order anything."

"These are the young master Yang's things, please keep them safe." The servant put down the items and ran off before Xuebao could refuse.

Olaf reluctantly opened the box and took a look.

It is a set of the Four Treasures of the Study, missing one of the writing brushes.

The finest pine soot ink, precious old Xuan paper, and a Duan inkstone engraved with images of snow falling from the sky.

The only thing missing was a calligraphy brush.

Fang Shuqi is urging Xuebao to get married.

"What is this?" Yang Tongchuan had just returned from outside. He was off today and went out to order the banquet for Xiaofeng's wedding after breakfast.

Halfway there, they remembered that Xiangxi had written a note with several dishes on it, saying that they must order them when they arrived, so they turned back.

I happened to run into Olaf holding a big box, standing at the door in a daze.

"Was it a gift from someone?"

"Fang Shuqi gave it to me." Yang Tongchuan didn't ask in a questioning tone, but rather stated a fact.

"Dad, how did you know?" Xuebao was unaware that Yang Tongchuan and Fang Shuqi had already met.

"Let's go inside first and talk."

The father and son returned to Xuebao's house.

Yang Tongchuan took the box and placed it on Xuebao's desk.

"It's a good set."

"Father, you know?"

"What do I know?" Yang Tongchuan was also very curious about what stage Xuebao and Fang Shuqi had reached.

"Fang Shuqi asked to meet me a while ago; he wants to come to my house to propose marriage."

Xuebao thought his father would be furious after hearing this.

On the contrary, Yang Tongchuan's expression did not change much, as if Xuebao had just talked about what to eat for lunch.

"Dad, aren't you angry?"

"My son is such a good guy, and someone has their eye on him. I can only say they have good taste." Yang Tongchuan had been drinking with Fang Shuqi the last time, and Fang Shuqi asked him about the "pending" matter.

Yang Tongchuan asked him two questions.

Would Olaf agree?

What can you give Olaf?

Fang Shuqi did not answer the first question.

The second question was that Fang Shuqi handed Yang Tongchuan an envelope.

When Yang Tongchuan opened it, the contents made him frown deeply.

This is a letter of divorce.

The names written on it are Fang Shuqi and Yang Chengxue.

The divorce agreement clearly states that after the divorce, Yang Chengxue can take all of her dowry with her, and she can also take half of Fang Shuqi's private property as compensation, including land, shops and estates.

Even if they had children, Yang Chengxue could take the children away, provided both she and the children were willing. However, the children's surname could not be changed.

He Lishufang had already signed the document and affixed his personal seal.

The divorce agreement was given to Yang Tongchuan for safekeeping, and Yang Chengxue would never know of its existence.

At the same time, Fang Shuqi promised that he would only marry Yang Chengxue in his life, and would not take concubines or maids. If he had no children, he was willing to adopt a child from the Yang family.

If she couldn't do it, Yang Chengxue could leave at any time with this divorce agreement.

Yang Tongchuan's gaze toward Fang Shuqi held a newfound scrutiny.

"You can't make the decision about marriage; Governor Fang won't agree." Yang Tongchuan wasn't so easily fooled, but he believed whatever Fang Shuqi wrote.

"My father will agree, because I am just an illegitimate son." Fang Shuqi knew what Yang Tongchuan was worried about.

"Yang Yucheng has been a monogamous man for life, so naturally he has no experience in this area. In families like ours, the role of a son born out of wedlock is always to contribute to the family's prosperity. As long as he doesn't cause trouble for the family, few people care how my branch of the bloodline is passed down." Fang Shuqi said the words "contribute to the family's prosperity" through gritted teeth.

He tried very hard to prove to his father that he was better than his older brother, and to help his aunt gain some respect in front of his father.

Unfortunately, I later realized how ridiculous my thinking was.

"In my father's eyes, the Fang family will belong to my eldest brother in the future. The greatest role of us illegitimate sons is to continue the family line. As long as we don't cause trouble, that's fine."

Fang Shuqi is a smart man, but admitting that he is not the child his father favored is still a painful process.

"Or perhaps, Yang Yucheng is worried that my stepmother will make things difficult for Chengxue. But you're wrong. First, my stepmother has her pride, and second, she's not that free."

The Fang family is such a large family, every day is filled with all sorts of things to do as soon as they open their eyes.

The stepmother was busy from morning till night, just looking at the stewards and nannies in various places. She also had to take care of the social interactions between the Fang family and other families. Being the head of the household was not an easy job.

Moreover, Fang Shuqi had received word that things were starting to look up regarding his sister-in-law's family. Once that was resolved, his elder brother would bring his sister-in-law back.

At that time, the legal wife was even busier, and she had no time to care about the affairs of a concubine's son's courtyard.

As long as you don't cause trouble under her nose, she won't take any action.

During this meal, Fang Shuqi thoroughly explained the Fang family's affairs to Yang Tongchuan.

This also allowed Yang Tongchuan to better understand how people living in such grand mansions lived.

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"Dad, have you ever thought about what kind of husband you'd choose for me in the future?" Xuebao thought for a long time but couldn't find an answer to this question.

"Father doesn't know either, but he always feels that none of the men in this world are good enough for my Xuebao."

Yang Tongchuan knew that Xuebao had grown up and Xiaofeng was about to get married. How many more years could he keep Xuebao?

"Dad, I'm scared." Xuebao stepped forward and hugged Yang Tongchuan.

Yang Tongchuan turned around and hugged the child in his arms.

Are you afraid of Fang Shuqi as a person, or are you afraid of getting married?

"Everyone's afraid. Is Fang Shuqi born in the Year of the Snake? I always feel like he's flicking his tongue."

"There's no rush to get married. The Fang family won't be coming to propose so soon, so relax." This was the consensus reached between Yang Tongchuan and Fang Shuqi.

The Fang family's marriage proposal was contingent on Xuebao's own willingness to accept him.

"If you don't dislike him and are willing to talk to him more, Dad won't stop you." Yang Tongchuan was also reflecting on whether he had been overly protective of Xuebao.

"Dad, do you think he's a good person?"

"A good person? Not really. But not a bad person either. You're growing up now, you need to learn to get to know a person, not just categorize them as good or bad. People are complex."

From childhood to adulthood, Xuebao has never encountered any truly wicked or evil people; all he sees are beautiful things.

This innocence needs to be cherished.

"You can't marry someone just because they're a good person, nor can you miss out on someone who's good to you because of prejudice. Life is long, take it slow, it's okay, Daddy will back you up." Yang Tongchuan couldn't avoid Xuebao's marriage.

Even if it wasn't Fang Shuqi this time, but a son-in-law who lived with them, who can guarantee that this son-in-law will treat Xuebao well after he and Xiangxi grow old?

From that day onward.

Fang Shuqi remained quiet for three more days.