"The official media in this town say he is a slut."
Gu Yan learned the pronunciation of the word Naqiao in Wu dialect and looked at Li Xiaonan. Li Xiaonan immediately translated: "It's Naqiao."
"When he was sixteen years old, a matchmaker came to arrange his first marriage. He was said to be the youngest daughter of the Zhang family who owned a southern goods shop down the street. She was one year older than Ni Rushi. The Zhang family said that she would be married to a small courtyard and a hall full of furniture.
As for the dowry, the matchmaker said that she thought it would be done as soon as she said it, but unexpectedly Aunt Ni refused.
"After that, there were seven or eight more families intermittently. The best family was from a wealthy family ten miles away. The girl was two years younger than Ni Rushi. She was said to have a pretty face. She was given fifty acres of paddy fields as a dowry and one hundred taels of cash. p>
"Both the Ni family's mother and son refused."
"What are they looking for? Are they targeting Second Sister, or is it just Second Sister's own thoughts?" Li Xiaonan frowned.
"What kind of thing are you looking for? You have to ask the mother and son. Can't you find anything from your second sister?" Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan.
"Second Sister is either checking accounts or discussing things every day. She is surrounded by people all the time, and she hasn't found a chance yet." Li Xiaonan sighed.
Her second sister is busier than the prince.
"Ask him to come up and ask?" Gu Yan suggested.
Li Xiaonan was startled, "Who are you going to call up? Ni Rushi? Why are you calling me up to ask? Why don't you get married?"
Gu Yan nodded.
Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan like a fool, and simply didn't know what to say.
"Even the shopkeeper of this restaurant knows that the backer behind Yueyang Preserved Egg Shop is Prince Rui's Mansion. A smart man like Ni Rushi must know more. Since he knows, he might as well ask in person."
Gu Yan pushed Li Xiaonan's forehead with a folding fan, causing her head to tilt back.
Li Xiaonan raised her hand and patted Gu Yan's folding fan away, opened her mouth, and subconsciously looked around.
Gu Yan immediately raised his hand to signal Shi Gun.
Shi Gun exited with all the boys.
"Tell me." Gu Yan motioned to Li Xiaonan.
"What kind of origin makes you treat me like a brother and sister?" Li Xiaonan asked directly.
Gu Yan was silent for a moment, then turned the folding fan twice in his fingers, "Just think of it as a gift for rebirth."
"It's not me." Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan.
"What you do is what she wants." Gu Yan smiled.
"I won't stay with you. I want to marry someone I like. If I can't find someone I like, it doesn't matter if I don't marry. I will work with the eldest sister to continue the fine cloth business.
"Is this what she wants to do?"
Gu Yan met Li Xiaonan's gaze, remained silent for a while, and then hummed in a low but affirmative voice.
Li Xiaonan was a little surprised and stayed for a moment, "Then," after a pause, Li Xiaonan frowned and said, "What if I get married?"
"I have to nod." Gu Yan replied impolitely. Looking at Li Xiaonan's widened eyes, Gu Yan spread his hands and said with a smile, "I don't mean anything else. I just don't want you to marry someone who is not a human being."
Li Xiaonan put her arms on the table and held her chin. After a moment, she let out a long sigh, "Oh, I deserve it."
"You tried every means to teach women to weave, borrowed looms to weave cloth, and made every family's machine in the south of the Yangtze River spin. This is what I wanted to do but couldn't do well. This alone is enough. There is no need to be ashamed." Gu Yan looked solemn.
.
"I've been pulling on your tiger skin." Li Xiaonan said.
Gu Yan laughed.
"Do you really want to call me up and ask?" Li Xiaonan changed the topic.
"Do you want to see it in person?" Gu Yan asked.
Li Xiaonan hesitated for a moment and shook her head, "I can't look at it now. I'd better check what the second sister said first."
Gu Yan hummed, "I have three sisters."
Li Xiaonan raised her eyebrows and looked at Gu Yan, why was he telling her this?
"My eldest sister is ten years older than me. To this day, the most common thing she says is: An elder sister is like a mother."
Gu Yan paused. Almost every letter sent to him by his eldest sister contained this sentence. He used to be extremely bored when he saw these four words. Later, these four words made him feel sour and unbearable. Now,
In addition to the sourness and warmth, there is also a little bit of speechlessness and helplessness.
"On the day my eldest sister got married, I remember very clearly. There were loud drums and drums outside urging me to marry. The eldest sister put her hands on my shoulders and solemnly told the second sister: I will leave my brother to you. The second sister put one hand on her waist and pointed her fingers
Pointed at my forehead and said: You heard me, you must listen to me from now on!"
Gu Yan raised his hand and touched his forehead.
Li Xiaonan raised her eyebrows when she heard this. She couldn't imagine that the powerful and eloquent prince in front of her actually had two sisters who were weighing on his head.
These two sisters sound much more fierce than her elder sister!
"The third sister is only three years older than me. After the second sister got married, she still dared to take charge of me. When the third sister got married, I was already more than a head taller than her. I fought in the north for four or five years. Once,
I accompanied her to pick beads, and a horse on the street was startled. She immediately rushed in front of me and shouted: "Stay back! I'll do it!"
Li Xiaonan snorted.
His three sisters are just like her three sisters, they have to stand in front of her no matter what happens, but she is really not good at it!
"My sisters take good care of me. In front of them, I never have to pour tea by myself."
Gu Yan said, pouring tea for himself and adding some for Li Xiaonan.
"I have never treated you as a sister." Gu Yan put down the pot and tapped the pot twice with his fingers.
Li Xiaonan glanced sideways at the teapot, then turned to look out the window.
"It's not easy to talk about Ni Rushi's affairs. You might as well ask your second sister directly. If your second sister really has something to think about, I will arrange for someone to take another look at Ni Rushi and talk to him. After that, there is still time.
Let’s see what he can do in the boy’s exam this year.” Gu Yan said with a smile.
"I think he looks too high-spirited." Li Xiaonan was silent for a moment and sighed.
"Whether his spirit is too high depends on his ability. Now it seems that he is smart enough, has determination, can endure hardships, and can meet your second sister, and his luck is also good."
After a pause, Gu Yan then smiled and said: "As for taking advantage of Qiao in marriage, his marriage is the only opportunity he can seize, and he should seize it carefully.
"Looking at his articles and knowledge, a scholar can pass the exam. Wait until he passes the exam to become a scholar before we can marry him. If he can endure it, and with the support of luck, he can pass the Qiuwei exam in one subject, and then we can marry him. How can he be like these people now?
In comparison, there is a world of difference.
"Your brother's marriage is decided too early."
"My brother's marriage is going very well!" Li Xiaonan retorted first, then sighed, "He is so ambitious. If he takes a step up, he will definitely want to climb a higher branch. I..."
"Is there any higher branch than Prince Rui's Mansion?" Gu Yan interrupted Li Xiaonan and asked with a surprised look on his face.
Li Xiaonan stared at Gu Yan, not knowing what to say.
"When I climb up to you, I climb up to me." Gu Yanqu raised his fingers and tapped the table, "You have to stand taller and have a broader vision. It is a good thing to have a high heart. Only when you have great ambitions can you make a difference, just like your brother.
When you have a full meal and are satisfied, the court... I mean, among you siblings, at least one of you must be brave and courageous, and you can't just rely on you."
