Chapter 1376: Chapter 1354 Heartache

As early as last year, after discussing with Bai Dalang, Old Master Bai tentatively spread the news, though, of course, he did not say it personally.

Bai Shan reminded him that it was necessary to look beyond one place, so he contacted the best official matchmaker in Luojiang County, hinting that the matchmaker should also visit neighboring counties, and the matchmaker understood immediately.

Official matchmakers in different places are interlinked. Although matchmaking often circulates locally, if a suitable match isn’t found locally, especially for larger households, marrying in or out of the region is common.

All these require the matchmaker to run around.

In such large households, marriages are mostly privately brokered, but during the proposing and naming ceremonies, an official matchmaker is often invited for assistance. Through these interactions, the most capable official matchmakers build connections, acquainting with matchmakers from various places and expanding their business.

Old Master Bai wants to arrange a marriage for his son, so it can’t be just any girl chosen randomly, right?

That’s why he directly sought out an official matchmaker.

After learning about the Bai Family’s wealth and Bai Dalang’s own merits, the official matchmaker didn’t stay in Luojiang County; she directly went to Mianzhou City.

Of course, she couldn’t run her business in Mianzhou City by herself; everyone has their own territory, and territory should not be infringed upon, so she directly contacted the official matchmaker she knew in Mianzhou.

At that time, it was just before the New Year, always the best time for matchmaking. With Old Master Bai’s substantial family wealth and Bai Dalang’s good qualifications, it was necessary to aim high.

Such a match is worth a hundred others, so both the official matchmakers from Luojiang County and Mianzhou City valued it highly.

During the New Year period, the matchmakers were able to quickly find three suitable families by visiting and inquiring around.

The two matchmakers discussed and decided to start from the top. Firstly, they mentioned it to the wife of the Prefect of Mianzhou, as their family also had a marriageable daughter.

The Prefect’s wife, after learning about Bai Dalang’s family background, politely declined.

The matchmakers weren’t disappointed and turned to the Cheng Family of the Chancellor Cheng next door, whose second daughter was also of marriageable age.

Initially, they didn’t have high expectations, but unexpectedly, the Cheng Family didn’t outright refuse; they merely said they hadn’t seen the person and didn’t know what he was like.

Thus, the official matchmaker from Luojiang County reported this to Old Master Bai.

Of course, if the women have the right to choose, then the men should have the right to choose as well, so both matchmakers thoroughly understood both parties’ backgrounds and requirements.

The official matchmaker from Luojiang County could proudly declare, “Though this Old Master Bai lives in the countryside, his family fortune is substantial. Don’t be fooled by their low profile; they hail from the renowned Bai Clan of Longzhou.”

As an official matchmaker, she had the most up-to-date information. Bai Dalang had long been the desirable match in the eyes of Luojiang County’s major matchmakers, so they were already quite familiar with the Bai Family. When Old Master Bai boasted of his family background in front of the matchmaker, they understood even more.

Of course, they didn’t just take the party’s word for it—they even conducted discreet investigations.

Three points of goodness were exaggerated to five, and seven points of excellence turned into a perfect ten.

The official matchmaker from Luojiang County dared to boast of Bai Dalang’s scholarly knowledge and noble character, and the official matchmaker from Mianzhou City dared guarantee that the Second Miss Cheng was gentle, virtuous, and beautiful as a flower.

Old Master Bai couldn’t concern himself with Second Miss Cheng’s virtues; his first inquiries were about Chancellor Cheng’s character and official conduct, followed by the conduct of the two young gentlemen of the Cheng Family.

Finding nothing majorly wrong, he then took Bai Dalang to Mianzhou City to meet Chancellor Cheng under the guise of a New Year’s visit.

Bai Dalang and Second Miss Cheng also met each other from afar.

Of course, it was much more convenient for Second Miss Cheng. Bai Dalang would bet that while he was responding to Chancellor Cheng in the hall, Second Miss Cheng was definitely standing behind the screen.

He was comparatively less fortunate, only managing a distant glimpse of her, barely enough to see her appearance.

So, when Old Master Bai asked him for his thoughts, he said he had none.

Noticing his indecision, Old Master Bai directly bypassed him to consult Bai Shan.

In his view, whether in terms of intelligence, vision, or relevant experience, Bai Shan was superior to his son; seeing he had secured an engagement with Zhou Man early on was proof enough.

He carefully recounted the situation of the Cheng Family, especially the information he had gathered, and then looked intently at Bai Shan, “What do you think of this match?”

Young Bai Shan pondered for a moment before asking, “Is the Cheng Family very pleased with my older cousin?”

Old Master Bai enthusiastically slapped his thigh and said, “Of course! After they met, although Lord Cheng didn’t say it outright, he was very satisfied with Dalang. The matchmaker also said that Lord Cheng was interested.”

But…

Old Master Bai glanced at Bai Dalang, feeling a bit disappointed in him, for while he himself had some satisfaction, it all depended on Bai Dalang.

Bai Dalang did not express dissatisfaction, but his uncertain attitude was the most troublesome, as he would be the one getting married and living the life.

Bai Shan also thought his older cousin’s attitude was inappropriate and turned to ask him, “Older cousin, what do you think?”

Bai Dalang scratched his head honestly and said, “I don’t know.”

Bai Shan then said, “Uncle, my older cousin just doesn’t know Second Miss Cheng yet. Why don’t you discuss with the Cheng Family, letting my older cousin and Second Miss Cheng sit down and talk, have a conversation?”

Old Master Bai: “…Are you dreaming? How could they let a young lady be alone with an outsider? It’s not like you and Manbao, who have known each other since childhood.”

Bai Shan felt a sense of accomplishment and then said, “But as my grandmother said, ‘Marry a virtuous woman.’ You’ve only understood her father and brothers. What if she doesn’t live up to them and has a distorted temperament?”

Old Master Bai: …

“Moreover, as you said, it’s my older cousin’s marriage. He’s the one who will be living the life in the future, so of course, he should meet her, understand her a bit, which would be better.”

Bai Dalang nodded repeatedly, agreeing with this reasoning.

Seeing this, Old Master Bai grumbled, “You agree now, but why didn’t you say so earlier when I asked you?”

Bai Dalang: …Wasn’t it you who said, ‘Marriage is the order of parents and the arrangement of matchmakers’?

Bai Shan and Bai Erlang encouraged Bai Dalang to meet the girl, and Bai Shan said, “Perhaps Second Miss Cheng also wants to see you, cousin?”

For women, marrying is as important as men marrying, and he didn’t believe that Second Miss Cheng wouldn’t want to talk to his cousin.

Old Master Bai worriedly said, “I’ll let the matchmaker go and negotiate, but in that case, Dalang definitely can’t go to the capital with you on the eighth day.”

Bai Dalang immediately said, “That’s not possible, Dad. There is a time restriction for enrollment at the Imperial Academy, and if I’m late, I will be penalized.”

“But getting married is also a big matter…”

Bai Dalang thought for a moment and said, “If it’s not suitable, let’s leave it for now. I’m not in a hurry to get married.”

He added, “There are plenty of people who only get engaged after they reach adulthood. I’m not the only one.”

Although late marriages were less common, they weren’t unheard of, and Bai Dalang didn’t see an issue with it.

But Old Master Bai looked at Bai Shan, and then at his two sons, feeling a sense of frustration.