124: Chapter 124 Her cousin was reborn (11)

Xiao Yanci and Jiang Wan hadn't talked about much that day. It was as if he had come specifically to say goodbye to her, and he left after only a short conversation.

Before leaving, Xiao Yanci gave Jiang Wan a jade pendant, but it wasn't the one she had picked up before. He told her that if she ever went to the capital in the future and encountered any difficulties, she could take this jade pendant to the Princes Manor to find him. This promise would remain valid forever.

Jiang Wan looked at the jade pendant in her hand, thinking that the capital was so far away that she probably wouldn't have the chance to go there in this lifetime.

However, she did not reject Xiao Yanci's goodwill and accepted the jade pendant. Whether she would go or not was one thing, but she might as well accept it first. Life was so long, and no one could guarantee they would stay in one place forever.

Sitting in the carriage, Xiao Yanci watched her small figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance, and he looked down with a smile.

He didn't know why he had come over either, but in his heart, he just wanted to see this little girl before he left. Perhaps it was because she had saved him!

He had investigated afterward and found out that the little girl's father was gone, leaving her to depend only on her mother. He had given her banknotes last time, so this time he would give her a promise. Even if she never had the chance to go to the capital, having this jade pendant with the emblem of his Princes Manor on it would save her from some unnecessary trouble.

Days passed by unhurriedly, and soon, Jiang Wan was about to turn fifteen.

Over the past few years, Jiang Wan had never given up on trying to find another husband for her mother. However, after searching high and low, she couldn't find anyone suitable.

At her mother's age, marrying a first-time groom was definitely out of the question.

How good could a man be if he hadn't started a family at such an age? He was either sick himself, or his family was too poor to afford a wife.

Jiang Wan shook her head and rejected all such candidates.

Men of this era often held strong chauvinistic ideas. They were very filial to their parents, but toward their wives, they felt that their wives depended on them to survive, treating them like servants to be summoned and dismissed at will.

Under such circumstances, if her mother became someone else's stepmother, her life might not even be as comfortable as it was in the Jiang Family.

After having an open and honest conversation with her mother and seeing that her mother truly had no intention of remarrying, Jiang Wan gave up. Wherever she went in the future, she would just take her mother with her.

In any case, she would absolutely not let her mother stay in the Jiang Family to act as a servant for her cousins.

Jiang Ju was older than Jiang Wan, and the family was currently looking for a husband for Jiang Ju, so Jiang Wan could still scrape by for another two years.

Jiang Wan did not want to marry so early, but this was ancient times. If you married late without a valid reason, the family elders would never allow it.

It would ruin one's reputation and could affect the unmarried sisters in the family.

However, marriage was not something to be rushed into. It would only be finalized after the family had carefully selected a candidate and felt satisfied.

The Jiang Family was currently fretting over Jiang Ju's marriage!

It wasn't that no one was proposing; on the contrary, there were quite a few suitors.

Because the Jiang Family had previously saved a relative of the county magistrate, everyone assumed that the Jiang Family had gained favor with him. Hadn't they seen Third Brother Zhou from the Zhou Family? Just because he married a girl from the Jiang Family, he had passed the imperial examination with flying colors!

He was the Second Place in Imperial Exam! How incredible was that!

Word had it that the county magistrate's relative's family was in the capital, so Third Brother Zhou's success in the exam must have been due to their patronage.

Otherwise, many of those candidates came from great families; why would they fail while a mud-legged peasant like Third Brother Zhou succeeded?

If they said it was because of his scholarship, were the candidates from those great families lacking in knowledge?

Without the help of the county magistrate's relative, it would have been highly unlikely for Third Brother Zhou to pass!

Even the Zhou Family thought so, which was why they treated Jiang Zhu very well.

One could only say that this was truly a perfect misunderstanding!

Now that the Jiang Family had another girl of marriageable age, those who wanted to emulate the Zhou Family came knocking.

Putting aside the county magistrate's relative for a moment, just look at Third Brother Zhou—he was currently an official in the capital. As Jiang Zhu's biological sister, if someone married Jiang Ju, wouldn't they become brothers-in-law with Third Brother Zhou?

How close of a relationship would that be!

Therefore, there were indeed many families who wanted to form a marriage alliance with the Jiang Family, leaving Grandma Jiang and Aunt Jiang completely spoiled for choice.

Their family was no longer in difficult straits. After Jiang Wan's fourth uncle passed the Xiucai exam, the family's fields were exempted from taxes, and all the grain produced from the land belonged to them.

Furthermore, who was Aunt Jiang? She was the genuine mother-in-law of the current court's Second Place in Imperial Exam!

This gave her immense confidence.

Her eldest daughter was one thing; the family had been in a difficult situation back then, so being able to choose a son-in-law like her eldest son-in-law was already considered quite good.

Now that it was her youngest daughter's turn, with an official for a brother-in-law leading the way, she had to choose very carefully.

This one was the youngest son of Squire Wang, that one was the younger brother of the Xiucai from Wang Family Village, another was the young boss of a grocery store, and this one was the young boss of the Ninth Building...

Aunt Jiang was simply dazzled by the choices. In the past, they wouldn't have dared to dream of marrying into families with such status, but now they could easily form connections with them.

No, no, she couldn't let herself be blinded by appearances. She had to choose carefully; even if their family background was decent, if their character was poor, they still wouldn't do!

Seeing the first branch of the family like this, Mother Jiang felt extremely envious. Before the mother and daughter went to sleep that night, Mother Jiang sighed with emotion.

"Your Eldest Aunt has been absolutely thrilled lately, with so many people expressing their desire to marry into our family. If only it could be like this when my daughter discusses marriage, how wonderful that would be!"

Though she said so, Mother Jiang knew it was impossible.

Their branch was weak and isolated, consisting of just the two of them, mother and daughter. Although her cousins had married well, they were not siblings from the same parents after all. Once the family split up in the future, they would be two separate households.

Mother Jiang looked at her daughter's beautiful, flower-like face after she finished washing it, and let out a sigh.

"My child, you've suffered."

Her daughter was clearly so beautiful, yet to avoid drawing attention and to ensure her own safety, she had to make herself look plain.

She also blamed herself for being useless and unable to protect her daughter.

Jiang Wan smiled, not minding at all.

"Mother, what nonsense are you talking about? Our life is so good now, how have I suffered? We don't have to pay taxes anymore, and we can eat our fill at every meal, which is so much better than before. As for marriage, I'm still young, so it's too early to talk about it. I don't want to marry so early anyway."

Mother Jiang frowned in disapproval.

"You're already fifteen, how is that young? Even if you don't marry now, won't you have to in a couple of years? We can start looking around now, so that when the time comes, we won't be completely in the dark."

Her mother's mindset was very stubborn. Jiang Wan knew that no matter how much she said, she wouldn't be able to change her mother's mind, so she could only close her eyes and go to sleep.

She would just leave this matter to time. As long as she was unwilling, could her mother really tie her up and force her onto the bridal sedan?

Aunt Jiang was completely dazzled by the choices; she felt it was bad to give up this one, and also bad to give up that one. After choosing back and forth, she still hadn't made a decision.

However, a letter from the capital changed Aunt Jiang's mind.

Jiang Zhu had already followed her husband to the capital. Since going to the capital, she had never returned once, though she never failed to send gifts every year.

Jiang Zhu wrote back this time because she knew her younger sisters at home had reached marriageable age, so she suggested that the sisters in the family come to the capital to find husbands.

Jiang Zhu's reasoning was that their Zhou Family was newly arrived in the capital and had a relatively weak foundation. They wanted to form marriage alliances, but the Zhou Family didn't have any daughters of marriageable age.

Jiang Zhu thought that while the Zhou Family had none, their Jiang Family had many daughters. If the Jiang Family's daughters also came to the capital and, with some luck, climbed into noble families, wouldn't they be able to help her husband then?

Aunt Jiang's eyes lit up upon receiving Jiang Zhu's letter. That was right—her elder sister and brother-in-law were in the capital, and there were plenty of good families there.

After discussing it with Grandpa Jiang and Grandma Jiang, everyone decided to let Jiang Ju go to the capital.

Of course, Jiang Ju would not be going alone.

Besides Jiang Ju, Jiang Wan and Jiang Chun were also reaching marriageable age, so the family decided to let the three sisters go together, accompanied by the second grandson, Jiang Xiaoxi.

There was an escort agency in town, so they could hire their guards to escort them safely to their destination.