Chapter 1334: Chapter 1312: The First Reason for Refusing Marriage

Bai Dalang cleared his throat and said, “There’s something I need to tell you. This time, Aunt and Uncle came to our house intending to arrange a marriage between me and Cousin.”

Bai Erlang widened his eyes. “You and Cousin?”

Bai Dalang nodded.

Bai Erlang didn’t even have to think before saying, “That won’t do!”

He added, “If you marry Cousin, in the future, will he refuse to pay back the money he owes me, or ask Cousin to pay it back instead?”

Then who exactly repays the money—my brother, or Chen Bo?

Bai Shan and Manbao doubled over laughing, finding the situation quite amusing.

Bai Dalang sighed, “What can I do? It’s the order of my parents. How can I possibly disobey?”

Previously, Bai Erlang had been consumed with worrying whether he should lend money or not. But now, an idea struck him, and he suddenly perked up, staring at Bai Dalang with bright eyes. “Big Brother, you don’t like Cousin, do you?”

Bai Shan and Manbao also looked at him with excited expressions, for reasons unknown.

Bai Dalang coughed softly in embarrassment and scolded, “Don’t talk nonsense. What if Cousin hears?”

Bai Erlang replied, “It’s just the four of us here, even the servants are asleep. Who’s going to hear us?”

Immediately, he shoved aside the topic of borrowing money, leaned over to the bed, and stared at his brother with enthusiasm. “Big Brother, tell me honestly. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

Bai Dalang hesitated for a moment. Faced with three pairs of sparkling eyes, he couldn’t hold back. After spending half a year living together, his bonds with them had grown stronger, and being a young man, he felt a strong urge to share his thoughts.

With a sigh, he said, “It’s not that I dislike her, it’s just that I’m not very familiar with her.”

Manbao, who had accompanied her brother and sister-in-law on a matchmaking visit, said confidently, “Before my brother and sister-in-law got married, they weren’t very familiar either. But if you see someone and feel a connection, then that’s all it takes.”

She quoted her Fifth Brother, “When you meet her, you instinctively feel that she’s the person you’re going to spend the rest of your days with.”

Bai Dalang froze in surprise. “There’s such a feeling?”

Manbao nodded earnestly.

Bai Shan added, “Can you imagine the life you’ll have together, and feel genuine excitement and happiness deep in your heart?”

Bai Dalang paused, then shook his head. He didn’t feel that way.

Bai Shan said, “Then forget it. You don’t like Cousin from the Chen Family.”

Bai Dalang protested, “You speak as if you’re some sort of expert.”

Bai Shan smiled and said nothing. Bai Erlang chimed in, “He’s definitely more experienced than you.”

Bai Dalang: …

He looked at Bai Shan, then at Zhou Man, and finally let out a long sigh before lying back on his pillow. “Now I’m not only physically injured but also emotionally hurt.”

Bai Shan encouraged him, “Big Cousin, since you don’t like her, you should talk to Uncle and make your stance clear. Rushing into an engagement isn’t good for you or your Cousin from the Chen Family.”

Bai Dalang frowned. “But marriage is determined by the order of our parents…”

Bai Erlang said, “If you don’t like her, do you think Father would force you?”

He even reached out to pat Bai Dalang’s chest reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Father won’t insist on forcing a wife on you.”

Bai Dalang looked visibly torn and said nothing.

Bai Shan glanced at him and said, “Big Cousin, are you worried about Aunt instead?”

Bai Dalang murmured, “If I strongly oppose, Mother might feel hurt.”

Manbao suggested, “Then tell Mrs. Bai that marrying cousins might result in children with defects or health issues.”

The three brothers simultaneously turned to look at Manbao, surprised and unsure. “Are you making this up, or is it true?”

“Of course it’s true,” Manbao replied. “Do you know how children are made?”

The young man and two teenagers blushed almost in unison. Bai Dalang awkwardly coughed, and Bai Shan muttered, “You get them after marriage.”

Manbao shot him a glance. “You can have children even without marriage. Children are the product of both parents’ essences. If I explain too much, you won’t understand. I don’t even know how to explain thoroughly, so let’s just keep it simple.”

Pointing at Bai Dalang, she explained, “Your blood comes half from your father and half from your mother. In this world, the people with the closest blood resemblance to you aren’t your parents but Bai Er.”

Initially, Manbao wanted to use the term ‘genes,’ but knowing they wouldn’t understand, she switched to simpler terms. This wasn’t difficult for them to grasp, and all three brothers nodded in agreement.

Manbao continued, “By that logic, the closest blood relation your uncle and mother share is each other. Your cousin and you each inherit half from your respective parents, right?”

Bai Dalang kept nodding.

Manbao explained, “Blood relationships contain a lot of hidden traits. There’s an old saying, ‘Dragons give birth to dragons, phoenixes give birth to phoenixes.’ What does that mean?”

Bai Erlang quickly answered, “It means that smart people give birth to smart children!”

He glanced at Manbao and added, “Everyone knows that. What’s next? My Big Brother is smart, and Cousin doesn’t seem stupid either.”

Manbao nodded solemnly. “Correct. But blood doesn’t just carry traits like intelligence; it also contains health indicators—both good and bad ones.”

Manbao elaborated, “Here’s a simple analogy: suppose someone is born with six fingers. They marry and have two children—one with six fingers, and one with five. Why is that?”

The three brothers became intrigued and asked together, “Why?”

“Because of inheritance! The child with five fingers may have inherited the problematic trait but doesn’t show it physically. If that child marries someone else, the problematic trait gets diluted over generations. It might disappear or rarely resurface. But if the spouse is Blood Cousin or another closely related cousin, then the problematic trait strengthens and becomes much likelier to manifest.”

Manbao asked, “Understand now?”

The three brothers nodded, still processing the somewhat complicated explanation.

Bai Dalang swallowed and nervously asked Bai Erlang, “I don’t think someone in our family tree or maternal line ever had six fingers, right?”

Bai Erlang nodded, “I don’t recall seeing it in the genealogy records either.”

Manbao glanced at them and said, “There are all sorts of genetic defects, not just six fingers. Examples include cognitive issues, organ problems, respiratory illness, short lifespans, and proneness to disease. Normally with unrelated partners, the defects inherited by the children are sparse and mostly suppressed by the body’s defenses. But with closely related partners, the repeated defective traits intensify exponentially, making it much harder for the body to suppress them.”

Bai Dalang listened, swallowing nervously.

Bai Erlang mused, “Isn’t your Big Brother and Sister-in-law also Cousins?”

Manbao nodded. “Yes, which is why I told my Second Aunt not to let Lichong marry her youngest daughter. Lichong might be fine, but that doesn’t guarantee their children will be fine in the future.”

Bai Erlang sighed in relief and reassured his brother, “Don’t worry, Big Brother. Look at Zhou Lichong and his wife—they’re doing well. So, marrying Cousins doesn’t necessarily mean the children will have issues.”

Bai Dalang wanted to kick Bai Erlang, but his legs were covered with acupuncture needles, leaving him immobile and unable to act on his frustration.