Chapter 166: Suitable
Li Xiaonan looked at the half-stack of books that had decreased on the long desk and slowly let out a sigh of relief.
These days, she would bury her head in study all day, finishing a stack and a half, and by the next morning, the half-stack and stack that had decreased would definitely grow back, sometimes even growing by another half-stack.
Although she didn’t fear reading, the ever-increasing amount of books was truly depressing.
Today, it finally decreased, and it didn’t grow back after a night.
Li Xiaonan was in a good mood and continued reading until almost noon. Wan Jing went out and came back in, leaning next to Li Xiaonan, “I’m going to eat with you again!”
Li Xiaonan dragged out her “oh.”
Wan Jing frowned, “What ‘oh’? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing!” Li Xiaonan chuckled.
“There’s definitely something, look at how you’re smiling!” Wan Jing pouted and looked askance at Li Xiaonan.
“If we’re eating together, we’re eating together. Why don’t you go eat first? I think after eating today, we’ll definitely have tea and talk, and it might take quite a while,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
Wan Jing exclaimed, stood up, “Then I’ll go eat now. I just saw them making rice cakes in the kitchen, do you want to take some back?”
“No!” Li Xiaonan shook her head firmly.
Sneaking pastries used to be a private matter between her and Wan Jing. Now, being able to openly carry large bags home felt inappropriate.
Miss Shi was as thin as ever, with a very poor complexion. Fourth Mistress Wei and Ninth Lady Pan were also the same as last time. After the four of them ate, Fourth Mistress Wei ordered the tea table to be brought over and personally brewed the tea.
“The Crown Prince is coming, did you hear?” Ninth Lady Pan sat between Li Xiaonan and Miss Shi, smiling at Li Xiaonan as she asked.
Li Xiaonan nodded.
“Then do you know when he’s coming? Tomorrow? The day after? The day after that?” Ninth Lady Pan immediately pressed.
“You’re asking me?” Li Xiaonan pointed to her own nose. “If you don’t know, how could I know?”
“You don’t know either? I thought Cousin told you.” Ninth Lady Pan looked disappointed. “Cousin is really something, he just won’t tell me when I ask him!”
“Then it’s definitely not something that can be said,” Li Xiaonan replied.
“Not at all, he’s just deliberately not telling me.” Ninth Lady Pan huffed. “When I asked him when Elder Brother Yang would arrive, he said he’d arrive with the Crown Prince. So I asked when the Crown Prince would arrive, and he said he’d arrive with Elder Brother Yang. Isn’t that infuriating?”
Li Xiaonan chuckled.
“You’re still laughing, I’m so angry.” Ninth Lady Pan pointed at Fourth Mistress Wei, who was smiling with her lips pursed, “Why are you laughing at me too? I’m doing all this for you!”
“Why for her?” Li Xiaonan asked with a smile.
“She’s having an arranged meeting with Elder Brother Yang. Aunt Wei wrote to my Aunt, asking her to look after their arranged meeting. I haven’t seen Elder Brother Yang in many years, I don’t even remember what he looks like anymore,” Ninth Lady Pan sighed heavily.
Li Xiaonan raised her eyebrows and looked at the composed Fourth Mistress Wei, smiling, “Does the Young Lord know you’re having an arranged meeting?”
“Of course he knows!” Ninth Lady Pan answered before Fourth Mistress Wei.
“If he knows, why doesn’t he tell you when your Elder Brother Yang is arriving?”
“Exactly! I told Cousin that Fourth Sister needs to prepare well. Cousin said Fourth Sister is already good enough without preparation, and with preparation, she’d be too good, which is counterproductive. Too good isn’t good either. Sigh, Cousin really knows how to be infuriating.”
Li Xiaonan burst out laughing.
“Cousin said you have an excellent eye for people. He said if I’m unsure, I should ask you to help me take a look,” Fourth Mistress Wei said, smiling at Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan was startled and quickly waved her hands, “How could I have an eye for people? I’ve barely met anyone.”
“Cousin is very good at judging people. He said your eye is good, so your eye must be excellent. Cousin said if he were choosing an official for a task, he’d know how to judge, but if he were choosing a good husband, he wouldn’t know. Cousin thought for a long time and recommended you,” Fourth Mistress Wei said, smiling at Li Xiaonan.
“I don’t think I can do it,” Li Xiaonan shook her head. “Even if I have a good eye, we are too different. The kind of good husband I see will definitely be vastly different from the kind of good husband you see.”
Fourth Mistress Wei’s eyebrows slightly rose, and she looked at Li Xiaonan with confusion.
Li Xiaonan thought for a moment, “For example, my Third Sister, when choosing a good husband, only looks at two things: first, can he provide enough to eat and wear, and second, does he hit people.”
Fourth Mistress Wei was alright, but Ninth Lady Pan’s eyes widened in shock, and she let out an astonished “Ah.”
“You haven’t known me for long, so I don’t know what kind of person you’re looking for, or what kind of life you want to live after marriage.
“Besides, the gap between your family and mine is too large. I don’t know what kind of person is considered a good husband in the eyes of noble ladies like you, or what is considered a good marriage.
“The kind of good husband I see, you might find unbearable, or I might not consider him a good husband, while you think it’s perfectly natural,” Li Xiaonan spread her hands.
She was thousands of years apart from them; she truly couldn’t help her assess if someone was a good husband.
“The core principles remain the same; there are always good marriages that transcend wealth and status,” Miss Shi said gently.
“What kind of good husband does Eldest Madam think is suitable regardless of wealth or status?” Li Xiaonan asked with a smile.
Miss Shi looked at Li Xiaonan and remained silent.
“Only my Third Sister in our family is married. My Third Brother-in-law is determined to pass the Xiucai and Recommended Scholar exams, but my Third Sister thinks my Third Brother-in-law spending his days studying and writing is not doing proper work. She thinks my Third Brother-in-law should be down-to-earth, farming and doing business to support the family.
“My Third Brother-in-law’s Mother thinks my Third Brother-in-law’s Father managing farmland and business is not doing proper work. She thinks men should focus on their studies and dedicate their lives to scholarship.”
Ninth Lady Pan burst into laughter, “It would be perfect if your Third Brother-in-law and his Father swapped!”
Fourth Mistress Wei gently patted Ninth Lady Pan.
“Whether it’s managing farmland and business or dedicating oneself to scholarship, both are legitimate paths,” Miss Shi said gently.
“Legitimate paths differ. What Fourth Mistress wants, what is most suitable for Fourth Mistress, is only one kind, right?” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
“Miss Li is truly naive,” Miss Shi said with a hint of a cold smile. “What if that one kind simply doesn’t exist? What if that one kind has already chosen someone else?”
“Then it’s compromising one step, compromising two steps, compromising three steps, or not compromising at all,” Li Xiaonan said, looking at Miss Shi and spreading her hands.
“Do you compromise, Miss Li?” Miss Shi narrowed her eyes and looked at Li Xiaonan.
“I don’t compromise,” Li Xiaonan shook her head decisively. “Families like ours don’t have many rules. No one in my family is forcing me to get married. My Eldest Sister is already self-combed.”
Miss Shi pursed her lips tightly and stared directly at Li Xiaonan.
Fourth Mistress Wei quickly handed Li Xiaonan a cup of tea and then offered Miss Shi a cup of red date juice, “This is this year’s Autumn Tea, please try it. Eldest Madam has a weak constitution, please have a cup of red date juice.”
Miss Shi took the red date juice, lowered her eyes, and began to sip it.
