Chapter 125: The Marriage Arrangement Settled

June skies are as changeable as a child’s face—one moment bathed in brilliant sunshine, the next shrouded in dark clouds with thunder rumbling overhead. Those working in the fields, seeing the sudden shift, hurriedly ran home; some had not even reached their doors before the rain began to pour down in torrents.

Old Master Gu led his sons and grandsons home in haste, their clothes already soaked through by the relentless downpour. Mrs. Li quickly fetched dry clothes for her husband, while Gu Chengzhong, Gu Chengyong, and the others each went home to change.

“All right, it’s raining today. Let’s all rest at home. These past few days have been exhausting enough; it’s time to take a break,” the old master said, settling onto the kang after changing, lighting his pipe with slow, steady puffs.

“It was about time for rain anyway—the weather’s been too hot, and the fields were thirsty. But this rain came too suddenly; it would have been better if it had fallen more gently,” he muttered, gazing out the window. As a farmer, his greatest concern was always the crops in the fields; his conversations naturally revolved around them.

Mrs. Li, however, paid little heed to such matters. Her concern was for their eldest son. “Hasn’t our fifth son been in the county town for seven or eight days now? Why hasn’t he come back yet? If there’s something going on, he should have come home to tell us by now. There’s been no word at all.”

Gu Chengren had left for the county town on the eighth day of June with Gu Xiulan, and now it was the sixteenth, yet he had not returned. The old lady’s heart was restless; an eldest son was the flesh and blood closest to her, even more precious than a daughter. “I don’t know if this match with the He family will work out. Honestly, the He family is impeccable in every way. But we don’t know their background or the character of the young lady. This matter remains uncertain.”

Mrs. Li muttered to herself, but the old master said nothing, simply staring out the window. After a long silence, she grew a little irritable. “Old ghost, I’m talking to you—you can’t say a word? Ever since our eldest daughter married off, I have no one to speak to. You old fellow, I’m speaking seriously here, can’t you make a sound?”

The old man put down his pipe and sighed. “Our son has grown up, he’s educated and worldly. He’s more capable than we are. No matter how long he’s away, there’s no need to worry. You, on the other hand, idle all day. If you were as busy as I am, you wouldn’t have time to think about these things.”

Mrs. Li glared at her husband. “We never see eye to eye. I’m done talking to you; you just make me angry.” With that, she rose and went to the outer room to check how much food was left from breakfast and whether she needed to prepare lunch.

Outside, the rain had lessened considerably, almost stopping. She looked out into the courtyard, which the downpour had thoroughly washed clean.

Suddenly, someone dashed through the main gate. It was none other than their eldest son. “Ah, Fifth son, why have you come back at this hour?” Mrs. Li hurriedly grabbed an oil-paper umbrella from the wall and went out to meet him.

Gu Chengren waved her off, refusing the umbrella. “Mother, it’s just a few steps. I’ll go straight inside.” His clothes were soaked, his hair clinging to his face, water dripping steadily.

Mrs. Li quickly took a dry towel and began to wipe his hair. “Come inside, I’ll find you some dry clothes.” She went to fetch a clean outfit.

Once Gu Chengren had changed and dried himself, he finally had the leisure to sit and recount his time in the county town to his parents. “Father, mother, I have accepted the marriage proposal from the He family,” he said plainly at the outset.

Both the old master and Mrs. Li were somewhat surprised. “Oh? You agreed just like that?” Mrs. Li asked instinctively.

“Yes. I’ve already seen the young lady from the He family. She’s quite pretty. As for why they chose me, I found out the reasons,” Gu Chengren said, disregarding their astonishment as he recounted the events of the past few days.

During his stay in the county town, Gu Chengren had been far from idle. He had asked around through contacts close to the Yang family to learn about the He family’s daughter, eventually uncovering the truth.

It turned out that the daughter of the Yang family had married into the He family but had passed away after giving birth to two sons and a daughter. Given the He family's status, the patriarch remarried and had more children. This caused the children of the first wife some discomfort; the boys were still acceptable, but the girl was largely neglected. The eldest daughter of the He family was disliked by her stepmother, and as a result, her marriage prospects remained unresolved.

When the Yang family learned of this, they sent their granddaughter to live with them permanently. They also intended to find a suitable match nearby, so they could keep a close watch on her. With the prior experience of the He family in mind, the Yangs were determined to find a groom from a modest background. By chance, they encountered Gu Chengren, and the Yang patriarch immediately approved, proposing a marriage alliance with the Gu family.

Gu Chengren had briefly seen the He girl through the help of his sister and was quite taken with her. Though not as beautiful as his own sisters, she possessed the distinct bearing of a wealthy family. He was pleased and, through his sister, conveyed his acceptance of the match.

“My son, if the He girl is of such a background, why did you agree to this marriage? She’s not favored at home; marrying her won’t raise our standing. What’s the point?” Mrs. Li asked practically.

“Mother, you’re mistaken. Though the He patriarch doesn’t value his daughter much, she’s got two fine brothers. Both have earned the title of ‘Xiucai’—successful candidates in the imperial examinations—and are preparing for the autumn exams. If they succeed, they’ll become ‘Juren,’ a high-ranking scholar. Those two brothers are very fond of their only sister. With their protection, even if the patriarch is indifferent, isn’t that better than most girls have?”

“Besides, the He family’s status is unquestionable. Even if they don’t value her, their position surpasses that of any small local family. The Yangs assured us that the He girl’s dowry will be generous—she’s bringing all the wealth her mother left behind. Think about it, mother—the Yang family is among the wealthiest in the county. If we truly form this alliance, the benefits will be abundant.”

Gu Chengren was very satisfied with the match. The He girl was attractive and from a reputable family, though her position was awkward due to the scheming stepmother. If not for the stepmother’s interference, she would have been betrothed long ago. It was a stroke of fortune that a humble country boy like him could meet such an opportunity.

Seeing her son so pleased, Mrs. Li decided not to argue further. Indeed, the He girl’s qualities were impeccable.

“Then should we send a matchmaker to propose formally? Such matters can’t be left for the bride’s side to initiate,” she said, eager to plan for her son’s future. With a family like the He’s, they needed to act swiftly; otherwise, someone else might propose first.

“I hurried back to discuss this with you. We must not miss this chance and should act quickly. I’ve already talked it over with my eldest sister and her husband. We plan to go to the county town to find a matchmaker within the next few days. Is that all right?” Gu Chengren was eager, genuinely moved by the prospect of marrying the He girl.

Mrs. Li nodded. “Very well. We’ll discuss and decide on the day to go.”

After dinner that evening, Mrs. Li gathered all four sons and their wives to share the news of Gu Chengren’s engagement. Everyone was surprised; no one expected Gu Chengren to be settling down so soon.

“That’s wonderful—our family is full of good fortune. Our youngest sister just married, and now our fifth brother is engaged. Since this is such a rare opportunity, why wait? Let’s propose and finalize it quickly,” Xu’s wife was the first to speak.

Mrs. Li silently approved. Though the wife of the fourth son was lazy and gluttonous, her words often reflected her true thoughts. Recently, Mrs. Li had been favoring Xu’s wife more, partly to curb Zhao’s influence.

The three sisters-in-law exchanged glances but said nothing. Clearly, Mrs. Li had made her decision and called them together merely to announce it and assign chores. They all nodded in agreement, effectively endorsing Xu’s wife’s remarks.

Pleased with their compliance, Mrs. Li said, “The day after tomorrow, we’ll go to the county town and stay overnight at Xiulan’s place. The nineteenth is an auspicious day; we’ll visit the Yang family to propose then. It’s best to settle this soon so our fifth son can focus on his studies and exam preparations.”

“Eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, you two will come with me to the county town, and second son, you’ll go too. While there, we’ll try to set the wedding date. Once our fifth son returns after the autumn exams, we can arrange his wedding,” Mrs. Li named them specifically, making it clear that Gu Chengyong and his wife would accompany her.

Her plan was deliberate. Of the five sons, only the second and fifth showed promise. The fifth son was well-educated, a scholar-in-training, while the second had worldly experience and could handle any situation. The other three were unreliable for such matters.

As for the daughters-in-law, the third son’s wife was useless, the fourth’s was capable but lacked proper connections, whereas the second son’s wife was the most presentable—good-looking, experienced, and tactful. Naturally, the eldest daughter-in-law, as the senior sister-in-law, could not be left out of such affairs.