Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Persuading for Marriage (1/2)
Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Persuading for Marriage
Translator: 549690339
For peace of mind, many families often arranged marriage matches for their children at a young age; infant engagements were not rare instances in those times.
Zhuang Yuanren was considered a treasure by Zhuang Ruman and Mrs. Song, he was not easily satisfied with ordinary girls, so it might be possible for them to pre-arrange a marriage for Zhuang Qinghe too.
Moreover, Zhuang Qinghe is a girl; once the betrothal is arranged, if all goes well, the groom’s family would need to present betrothal gifts to the bride’s family. And Zhuang Ruman’s family, being in a tight financial situation currently, could benefit from this…
The motive behind arranging a betrothal for Zhuang Qinghe is self-evident.
Although Mrs. Song is harsh, she isn’t very thoughtful and is affectionate towards her children. This matter probably wasn’t her idea, it would likely be the cunning and self-serving Zhuang Ruman who may have come up with this plan.
They often say, ‘even a beast will not devour its young,’ but Zhuang Ruman even tries to sell his own daughter. This kind of person truly is…
Zhuang Qingning had a clear conjecture in her mind, but did not intend to say much to Zhuang Qingsui, who was much younger than her. She only said, “It appears that they must have their reasons. Besides, this matter has no relation to us and we need not worry about it.”
“I will not worry about their matters, but when I heard Aunt talking about it, it reminded me of you, sister.”
Zhuang Qingsui put down her chopsticks and said, “Sister, I remember you are not that much older than Zhuang Qinghe, just by a few months, right?”
“Yes, it seems so,” Zhuang Qingning replied, after quickly searching her memory, and nodded her head.
Zhuang Qingsui tilted her head and asked sincerely, “Now that there is talk of her betrothal, isn’t it about time that you considered such a matter as well, sister? We don’t have any elders, no one will help you worry about this. How about we entrust this matter to Aunt, and have her help you sort it out?”
“Our families are quite close to each other, and it’ only logical for her to take care of this matter for us. If you are embarrassed to propose this to her, I can go and speak to Aunt on your behalf,” suggested Qingsui further.
Zhuang Qingning was startled.
Did she just get her first matchmaking proposal?
At the tender age of thirteen?
She had been often pressured to marry by her elders in her previous life as an older, single woman and was weary of these proposals. She thought that after her soul had crossed over into the ancient past, she wouldn’t have to face marriage pressure considering her current situation. However, shockingly, history seemed to eerily repeat itself.
Besides, this time, it was her eight-year-old younger sister prodding her.
Zhuang Qingning managed to prop her lower jaw back in place after it dropped in shock. She reached out and pinched Zhuang Qingsui’s cheeks, “What’s going on in that little head of yours? I’m still so young, and here you are, thinking about getting me betrothed?”
“Aunt He said that there’s no need to worry about the age differences when it comes to betrothals. Even after betrothal, you can wait for several years before the wedding. It’s possible to arrange the betrothal first.”
Qingsui stated seriously, “If we arrange your betrothal now, sister, and wait a couple of years more, then the age for marriage would be about right – this won’t delay anything. Isn’t this a good idea?”
Zhuang Qingning blinked, her eyes spinning around her little sister; she finally put down the half-bowl of corn ribs soup in her hand.
“So, you’ve actually been thinking about getting me betrothed, because you feel bored of having me around all the time and want to get me out of the house quickly?” she asked.
Zhuang Qingning asked.