CHAPTER 343: CHAPTER 335: CHEN FAMILY VISITS (1)

"Which family is it? Tell us quickly!" Prince Luling urged. Good boy, already has a girl he likes? Just don’t end up with another Xue Family situation.

The Xue Family marriage was an arranged one, they had no choice.

For their other sons who were choosing their own wives, they needed to choose carefully with open eyes.

Mu Yuanxiu observed their expressions and said, "It’s a girl from the Chen Family Village near the town’s marketplace. That family is large and prosperous, with assets almost comparable to the Chai Family. They are in the shipping business, own five hundred acres of land, and have long-term workers. By the way, it’s the family Yu Zhu went to for a delivery. The girl is the adopted daughter of the lady who just had a child."

The Princess Consort Luling realized, "Oh, so it’s that family..."

Prince Luling said, "A large and wealthy family doesn’t necessarily have a good family tradition. Just yesterday, Yu Zhu mentioned that the family specializes in the grim business of retrieving bodies from the water, charging an exorbitant fee of over a hundred taels of silver per person, and two hundred and fifty taels for two. That’s heartless money!"

The Princess Consort Luling shook her head, "A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it properly. Making money unscrupulously will surely bring retribution."

Mu Yuanxiu added, "I unintentionally saw Third Brother Li getting close with the Chen family’s girl, they continued talking as they parted ways. I suspect they might like each other. Uncle Li, Aunt Li, I discovered this secretly, please don’t say it was me who told you, he’d blame me."

Prince Luling said, "Don’t worry, Yuanxiu. I won’t mention a word to that brat."

The Princess Consort Luling also said, "Rest assured, we’ll keep it a secret."

There were just the couple and two children in the room.

The two children were playing with wooden toys, not listening to the adults’ conversation, and wouldn’t understand even if they did.

Guoguo looked up at Mu Yuanxiu, then at the Prince Luling couple, and grabbed Li Jing’s toy.

Li Jing immediately shouted, "Guoguo, you can’t take mine, you have plenty!"

"Want!" Guoguo insisted on taking it.

"You can’t take it, bad Guoguo."

"Want! Want!" Guoguo stubbornly grabbed.

The two children were busy snatching, oblivious to the adults’ conversation.

Just as they were talking, Li Xing’an came in.

"Father, mother, I’m back." He walked briskly into the room, noticing Mu Yuanxiu was still there, and curiously asked, "Oh? Mu Yuanxiu, why haven’t you gone home yet? It’s dark, the mountain paths are hard to walk, you should hurry back."

"I’m heading back now." Mu Yuanxiu stood up, bowed to the Prince Luling couple, and left.

Prince Luling continuously called out to Li Xing’an, asking him to fetch a torch for Mu Yuanxiu.

Li Xing’an reluctantly muttered, "He’s lived on the mountain for over ten years, still worried he can’t find his way home?"

Though muttering softly under his breath, he still went to get a torch.

Mu Yuanxiu took the torch from him, smiled slightly, and said, "Thank you, Third Brother."

In the flickering torchlight, Li Xing’an felt Mu Yuanxiu’s smile seemed a bit eerie.

He couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy inside.

"Alright, alright, hurry back." Li Xing’an waved Mu Yuanxiu off and closed the courtyard door.

Upon returning to the North Courtyard, he found Li Yuzhu had also arrived.

Li Yuzhu was talking to the Prince Luling couple about the Chen family.

She praised the Chen family’s adopted daughter as a diligent girl.

"With many men in the house, the Chen family’s mother-in-law longs for a grandson, despising the daughter-in-law for having a daughter, barely looking at her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. At night, objecting to the noise of the child, she went to stay at a relative’s house. The tasks of taking care of Madam Chen during her confinement fell to her adopted daughter. The girl tirelessly looked after her adoptive mother and sister, washed diapers, served meals and medicine, and never complained about the hardship."

The Princess Consort Luling sighed, "That child is really admirable." But recalling the family’s disreputable business, she liked Chen Danan less.

When Li Xing’an heard them praising Chen Danan, thinking about matchmaking Mu Yuanxiu, he chimed in with praise, "Yes, indeed, the girl is not only diligent but also good-looking."

Even Lady Lian praised Chen Danan. Why not have mother act as matchmaker for Mu Yuanxiu?

"What man praises a woman like that? If this spreads, won’t it cause gossip?" The Princess Consort Luling frowned.

Frightened, Li Xing’an immediately said, "Got it, won’t mention it again." It seems this matchmaking job isn’t suitable for a man; I should find an opportunity to tell mother instead.

"Alright, everyone go to sleep; Yu Zhu has had a long day, sleep early." The Princess Consort Luling waved to the two children.

"Yes, mother." Li Yuzhu called out to the Prince Luling, patted Guoguo and Li Jing’s cheeks, and then left.

Li Xing’an didn’t leave, lingering with an expression suggesting he had more to say.

The Princess Consort Luling asked, "Is there something else?"