Perfumery

21-30

Chapter 21 Thoughts

That night, Xu told her husband that Miss Cheng was coming and that she was planning to tell him. Second Uncle sat on the bed and said nothing. He didn't think it was a lie, but he was more or less self-aware. He sighed and said, "Would Miss Cheng like our Erlang?"

Xu was naturally unhappy to hear that. In her heart, no one was better than her son. She shouted angrily, "What's wrong with our son? What's wrong with our son? Our son is going to be an official in the future. How can he be worthy of a merchant's daughter? If we wait until the day... After Erlang becomes an official, it is I who should consider whether the young lady from the Cheng family is qualified to be the principal wife!"

She said this in anger. After hearing this, the second uncle was looking forward to the day when his son would graduate from high school, but at the same time he was a little worried. The two emotions entangled him so that he said nothing. He sat on the bed like a wooden stick for a while, then stood up and walked out, "You decide on this matter."

Xu's original intention was to persuade her husband to persuade his mother, but she left before she got to the point. Xu couldn't help but mutter a few words.

When Erlang came back in the evening, Xu couldn't wait to pull him into the room and told him the same thing again.

Erlang is not young anymore, and has reached the age of falling in love, but he does not like any of the young ladies in the village. He usually does not come into contact with others in the town. When he heard his mother talking about the daughter of the Cheng family in the capital, he was naturally happy. In his mind, he had unconsciously outlined how noble and well-behaved the young lady from a rich family was. However, he still pretended to be reserved, frowned slightly, and said lightly, "The daughter of a merchant!"

As a scholar, he unconsciously looked down on the daughters of merchants.

Xu didn't see his true thoughts and was afraid that her son really looked down on her. She patted her thigh anxiously and said, "My son, after all, she is the daughter of a wealthy businessman in Beijing. How can her family not have some connections? Besides, men have three wives and four concubines. When you become an official in the future, at most you can marry another official lady. By then, even if you let Miss Cheng be a concubine, I'm afraid her family will be happy for it!"

These words touched Erlang's heart. He showed a satisfied smile and said softly, "Everything is fine. It's all up to you, mother."

It had been a long time since Xu had heard her son's voice so pleasant, and she was even more excited. Then she sighed, "But what is the background of the young lady from the Cheng family? Even if she comes to the village, she probably won't come out easily. How can she like you if she can't see you? My son, if she can get to know you, I guarantee she will be in love with you."

This was what Erlang liked to hear. After all, he was still a half-grown child, and his face was a little anxious. He subconsciously asked, "Then mother, what should we do?"

"Originally I was thinking of asking your grandmother to take a few eggs to Ma's wife. Her daughter-in-law and Nanny Song from Cheng Garden are very close, and they are almost acknowledging each other as godmothers. If we can get Ma's daughter-in-law to say a few good words for you in front of Nanny Song, and Nanny Song can say a few good words in front of Miss Cheng, wouldn't it be a success?"

Erlang nodded.

Xu sighed again, "But your grandmother is not happy. I think she is reluctant to part with the eggs..."

Erlang's face darkened and he pursed his lips tightly.

Xu glanced at her son, approached him and said, "Erlang, go talk to your grandmother. If you ask, she will definitely agree."

"I won't say it." Erlang said without thinking, and shook his sleeves unwillingly. He was happy about this, but he couldn't bring himself to ask.

Xu wanted to say something, but Erlang flashed into the house, "Mom, I'm going to study."

When Xu heard her son say he was going to study, she didn't dare to say anything.

Erlang took a few steps, and seeing that his mother didn't respond, he didn't say anything. He couldn't help but feel a little angry, but he had already figured out his mother's temper. He walked to the door, lifted the curtain with one hand, paused, and his voice returned to the cold and condescending tone, "Mom, I'm going to go outing with my friends in a few days, give me some money then."

After saying that, he lifted the curtain and went into the inner room.

When Xu heard this, she felt a pang of pain in her heart. Now she didn't even have a penny of private money, where could she get money? Thinking of this, she was even more determined to make this marriage happen, so she turned around and went out without saying a word. Seeing her mother-in-law standing at the kitchen door staring at Cao cooking, she walked over slowly and said, "Mom, I have something to tell you about Erlang."

When Grandma Bai heard that it was about Erlang, she didn't dare to delay. She shouted from the kitchen and followed Xu to the main house, asking as she walked, "What's wrong with Erlang?"

Xu was afraid that the noise would be too loud and disturb her son's studies, so she and Grandma Bai listened at the door and said, "Mom, Erlang is going on an outing with his friends in a few days and needs some money."

When Grandma Bai heard this, she sucked her teeth. It turned out that Xu used the trick she used on Erlang on Grandma Bai without any modification.

Seeing that Grandma Bai looked embarrassed, Xu also pretended to be embarrassed and sighed, "If we had sold Wu Niang back then, we would have had some extra money, but where can we get it now?" She was still complaining about that incident in her heart, and as she spoke, her emotions came out, and she couldn't help but bring it up again, "Mom, you know, the people in their academy are all children of prominent families. If we can establish a good relationship with them, it will also be beneficial to Erlang in the future. If our Erlang can marry into the Cheng family, with the strength of the Cheng family, wouldn't the Cheng family greatly support Erlang? Then we can also benefit from it..."

Grandma Bai finally realized Xu's intention and couldn't help glaring at her. In fact, she had been thinking about visiting Sister Ma's house these days, but she didn't tell Xu. Now she said "yes" impatiently.

Xu couldn't figure out what her mother-in-law meant, so she said, "I've just mentioned it to Erlang, and he seems to be happy about it. After all, Erlang is not a child anymore."

When Grandma Bai heard that Erlang knew about it, she was afraid that Xu would say something nonsense and make them feel alienated. It must be said that Grandma Bai knew Xu very well, so she had to say, "I know. I've also been thinking about visiting Sister Ma's house one of these days, bringing some eggs and some sachets and handkerchiefs made by Cao."

"Sister-in-law's craftsmanship is great, everyone in the village praises her." Xu was overjoyed when she heard this. She nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but say a few good words about Cao.

Although Xu felt that her second son was more than a good match for Miss Cheng, she still had some self-awareness and was afraid of losing face if the marriage failed, so she tried to hide it in front of the Bai family. However, she had been whispering with Grandma Bai these days, which had attracted the attention of other people. The first family was a little numb and didn't care much. However, Ding was afraid that Xu would do something bad, so she secretly eavesdropped and knew that they were talking about Miss Cheng. She breathed a sigh of relief, but scolded her in her heart for being shameless. At the same time, she hated herself for not having a son and became more jealous. So she set her sights on Bai Xin. Judging from his appearance, the third son was no worse than the second son, and recently he had become more energetic for some reason, and he was a completely different person.

Ding then revealed to Cao the news that the Cheng family was going to have a young lady come to live in the countryside for a while. In fact, this matter was no secret in the village, but Cao was deaf to the news and really didn't know. She thought Ding was gossiping to her and was a little flattered, but she didn't know what to say. After Ding finished speaking, she paused for a long time before saying dryly, "Why are they coming to the countryside when it's cold?"

Seeing that she was talking about this matter without any connection, Ding curled her lips in disdain and said, "The young lady is not young anymore, but she still hasn't found a marriage. Sister-in-law, don't you make plans for your Sanlang?"

When Cao heard this, she turned pale with fright and shook her head repeatedly. Her lips were clenched, revealing a cut that was slowly oozing blood. When Ding saw this, she turned her head away in disgust, and then she heard Cao's voice become unnatural, "I dare not imagine that the daughter of a wealthy family would fall in love with Sanlang?" When

Ding heard her say this, she felt relieved, but she still tried her best to persuade him, not for anything else, but just to add more children to the second room. "That's not the case. Although the young lady is of high status, there is a saying that marriage is a matter of fate. Besides, our Sanlang is handsome and has a good temper. Maybe the young lady likes him!" It is

impossible for Cao not to be moved. However, she felt that it was impossible 90% of the time, and only the 10% was her delusion. However, she still waved her hands and shook her head frequently, and took a few steps back as if she was forced.

Ding said this not for Cao to do anything. As long as she was interested and told Sanlang, she didn't believe that Sanlang would not be moved. Who knows, he might do something to stop Erlang.

Bai Xin was naturally not tempted after hearing this. He knew his own worth very well and only thought about making money, nothing else. He snorted with disdain, thinking that the second branch's family was really a toad wanting to eat swan meat. He guessed that the first branch still thought that Erlang would become an official in the future and would be a good match for the young lady from the Cheng family. Although Bai Xin had only occupied this body for a short time, he knew the temperament of the Bai family very well and guessed it exactly.

He glanced at his mother and said, "Mom, how could the young lady from the Cheng family like me? Besides, I can't see her, so you'd better stop thinking about it."

Cao sighed, knowing that she was just daydreaming. She was not in a bad mood, but she began to think about what kind of wife she would find for Sanlang in the future, and she also sorted out the girls of the right age in the village.