Chapter 29: The Sun Family Comes Calling

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“Who is it?”

In the small courtyard, Li Zhengshan was practicing with his saber.

At the sound of knocking, he immediately lowered the blade and called out, tightening his grip around its hilt.

If it had been Zijun returning, he would have simply pushed the door open and come in.

Clearly, it was not Zijun.

Li Zhengshan also sensed that quite a few people were standing outside.

Luo Jiaorong was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she came out as well and asked, “Who’s knocking?”

At that moment, Sun Jintang’s voice came from outside. “Zhengshan, Niece Jiaorong, it’s me—your Uncle Sun.”

Li Zhengshan and Luo Jiaorong froze when they heard him and exchanged a glance.

Luo Jiaorong’s expression immediately darkened.

Li Zhengshan quickly sheathed his saber, went over, and opened the courtyard gate.

“So it’s Uncle Sun. What brings you here today?”

Sun Jintang was dressed in a purple-and-gold brocade robe, his attire extravagantly luxurious. Behind him came his wife and daughter, along with five or six maids and servants.

Every one of the servants was carrying a gift.

Sun Jintang smiled. “I’ve been busy outside these past few days, but today I finally found some free time, so I brought Yanyan and the others over to pay you a visit.”

Li Zhengshan smiled and glanced behind him before hastily stepping aside. “Uncle Sun, please come in.”

At the kitchen door, Luo Jiaorong also smiled. “So it’s Uncle Sun. It’s not easy to see you, you know. Last month, Zhengshan and I went to your house twice to visit, but we never managed to find you there. I never expected you would have time to come here today.”

Sun Jintang sighed. “Something happened at the shop recently, so I’ve been running around outside all day. I don’t get home until very late most nights. Niece Jiaorong, I hope you won’t take offense.”

“How could I?” Luo Jiaorong replied with a smile. “Come inside and have some tea. I still have food cooking in the pot, but I’ll be there shortly.”

With that, she returned to the kitchen and gave a quiet snort.

Li Zhengshan hurriedly led Sun Jintang and his family through the courtyard and into the house.

Along the way, Madam Chen and her daughter, Sun Yanyan, surveyed everything around them.

The maids and servants remained in the courtyard, setting the gifts down beside them instead of carrying them inside at once.

Once they entered the room, Li Zhengshan called toward the inner chamber, “Xiaohuan, come out and brew tea for our guests.”

Xiaohuan had been mending clothes inside. Hearing him, she hurried out with her head lowered, fetched the teacups, and poured the water.

A kettle of boiling water sat on the stove, ready for brewing tea.

Sun Jintang glanced at her and smiled. “Zhengshan, is that a maid you recently bought?”

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He remembered that there had been no maid in the household before.

Li Zhengshan invited them to sit and smiled. “We bought her a couple of days ago.”

At that moment, Luo Jiaorong came over from the kitchen and smiled from the doorway. “Our Zijun has grown up now, and he recently passed the licentiate examination. He spends every day reading and writing, so he needs a maid to look after him. That’s why we bought one.”

Sun Jintang nodded with a smile. “A maid is indeed necessary.”

Then he asked, “Didn’t you send Zijun to an apothecary’s shop to study medicine? Why did he suddenly take the licentiate examination?”

Luo Jiaorong had originally intended to flaunt the fact that her younger brother had passed the examination. Seeing that he had apparently known already, she gave an inward snort, though her face retained its smile.

“He can study while learning medicine; the two do not interfere with each other. Besides, heh, if he only learned medicine, people would always look down on him because of his lowly status. Zijun has grown up now, and it is time for him to marry. If someone asked about him and learned that he was merely an apprentice at an apothecary’s shop, what family’s daughter would be willing to marry him? Don’t you agree, Uncle Sun?”

Sun Jintang gave an awkward smile and lifted his teacup, intending to take a sip. The tea was scalding, however, and he flinched before setting the cup down again.

“If a man has good character and a respectable family background, he will naturally have no shortage of girls who like him. Still, Niece Jiaorong is right. A scholar’s status is indeed more appealing.”

Luo Jiaorong’s face brightened with delight. “Of course it is. Ever since our Zijun passed the licentiate examination, matchmakers have come to propose marriage every day. I’m so dazzled by all the choices that I don’t know whom to pick.”

Li Zhengshan hurriedly said, “Uncle Sun, have some tea. Please, have some tea.”

Then he looked toward the young girl standing with her head lowered beside Madam Chen. “This must be your daughter, Uncle Sun?”

Sun Jintang quickly said, “Yanyan, hurry and pay your respects to Brother Zhengshan and Sister Jiaorong.”

Sun Yanyan stepped forward with her head bowed and gave a slight curtsy. “Yanyan greets Brother Zhengshan and Sister Jiaorong.”

Li Zhengshan smiled. “There’s no need for such formality. We’re all family. Uncle Sun, your daughter is as beautiful as a flower, gentle and graceful. She is surely destined for a blessed life.”

He was not good at praising people. The few words he had managed were already quite an achievement.

Luo Jiaorong glanced at the girl and discreetly curled her lip.

Sun Jintang sighed. “Ah, this girl has been spoiled by her mother. Now she refuses to consult us about anything and is stubborn beyond belief.”

Madam Chen could not help saying, “Yanyan has been studying and learning proper conduct since childhood. Now she is attending an academy as well; she is not some ordinary girl. Naturally, she has thoughts of her own. Even the teachers at the academy say that women who study should have minds of their own and be allowed to make their own decisions about many things. Parents are not necessarily right about everything.”

Sun Jintang immediately snapped, “Shut your mouth! Look at how you’ve spoiled her! How dare you spout such nonsense!”

Then he let out a deep sigh, rose to his feet, and bowed deeply to Li Zhengshan and Luo Jiaorong.

“Zhengshan, Niece Jiaorong, I, Sun Jintang, have wronged you. I have wronged the ancestors of both our families. We came here today specifically to apologize to you. Ah…”

Luo Jiaorong sat there with a cold expression and said nothing.

Li Zhengshan hurriedly rose as well. “Uncle Sun, what are you saying? There is no wrong between us. The children have both grown up, and some things simply cannot be forced.”

Naturally, he knew why they had come today.

Things had already reached this point. Continuing to hold a grudge would accomplish nothing and would only make both families unhappy.

Seeing this, Sun Jintang’s expression grew even more remorseful. He immediately turned and shouted, “Yanyan, hurry and apologize to Brother Zhengshan and Sister Jiaorong!”

Sun Yanyan bit her lip, turned away, and said softly, “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Sun Jintang flew into a rage. He strode over, raised his hand, and shouted harshly, “You little brat! You still dare to argue?”

Madam Chen hurriedly moved to stop him.

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Li Zhengshan also rushed over and caught his arm, persuading him, “Uncle Sun, let it go. Don’t lose your temper. Yanyan has grown up, and she is attending an academy now. You absolutely must not strike her. There is no need for an apology. She is only a young girl—what crime could she have committed, and what wrong could she have done?”

He sighed before continuing, “The marriage between the two of them was arranged by our ancestors. In the past, people firmly believed in marriages arranged by parents and matchmakers. But times have changed. Once girls enter an academy, they become educated people, and matters concerning their entire lives should be discussed with them. If they are unwilling, we parents cannot force them.”

“As the saying goes, a forcibly twisted melon is never sweet. If the children do not wish to be together, then even if we force them to live under the same roof, they will never be happy. Don’t you agree?”

Hearing the sincerity and selflessness in his words, Sun Jintang felt even more ashamed.

“Zhengshan, I… I have wronged you all!”

Li Zhengshan hurriedly comforted him again.

Luo Jiaorong spoke from the side without expression. “Uncle Sun, there is no need to act this way. Our Zijun has now passed the licentiate examination, and next month he will be taking the entrance examination for an academy. He certainly won’t lack for a wife. As for your daughter, Zijun himself said that he would never presume to marry above his station.”

At those words, Sun Yanyan’s gaze immediately turned toward her.

Madam Chen quickly said, “That’s right, Master. Zijun is a licentiate now, so he certainly won’t have trouble finding a wife. I know several young ladies myself. If Zijun is willing, I can introduce a few of them to him when the time comes.”

Luo Jiaorong snorted. “There is no need to trouble yourself. Our Zijun knows plenty of young ladies.”

Madam Chen glanced at her and smiled without saying anything further, though she inwardly sneered.

If he truly knew so many, would the two of you have come to our house twice in a single month, hoping to marry my Yanyan into your family? With a household like yours, what decent girl would willingly come here to suffer? They are probably all crooked melons and cracked dates, ugly enough to shame themselves in public.

Li Zhengshan continued consoling Sun Jintang for a while before the older man finally sat down. Suddenly, he asked, “Where is Zijun? Why haven’t I seen him?”

“He is helping at the apothecary’s shop,” Li Zhengshan replied. “He hasn’t returned yet, but he should be back soon.”

Sun Jintang thought for a moment. “How about this? When Zijun comes back, have him come work at my shop for a while. I can eventually make him the shopkeeper. It would certainly be better than staying at the apothecary’s. If he gets into an academy, he could also earn money to pay his tuition.”

Li Zhengshan turned his gaze toward his wife.

Luo Jiaorong immediately replied in an indifferent tone, “Thank you for your concern, Uncle Sun, but there is no need. Zijun is doing quite well at the apothecary’s. His schedule is flexible enough for him to learn medicine and study at the same time. Besides, he plans to take the academy entrance examination next month.”

Sun Yanyan suddenly asked, “Which academy is he planning to apply to?”

Luo Jiaorong glanced at her and answered coolly, “That is his business. I do not know. You can ask him yourself.”

Madam Chen suddenly smiled. “Jiaorong, there are only two good academies in the outer city: Linfeng Academy and West Lake Academy. Of the two, West Lake Academy is the better one. My Yanyan studies there, though it is very difficult to get in. Even she needed a little help from our connections to gain admission. I hear it is even harder for men. Not only must they hold licentiate status, they must also take a series of examinations, and only the top few are admitted. In my opinion, when Zijun comes back, you should advise him to apply to some other academy instead of setting his sights on those two. After all, he has not been studying for very long. The other academies are less demanding and easier to get into.”

Sun Jintang immediately scolded her, “He can apply to whichever academy he wishes! Who are you to lecture him? A woman should keep quiet if she has nothing sensible to say!”

Madam Chen gave a low snort and said nothing more.

Sun Jintang pondered for a moment and glanced at the servants and gifts outside. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw two figures entering through the main gate, one following the other.

“Sister, Brother-in-law, I’m back. Senior Sister Ling’er came with me too.”

Luo Zijun’s voice rang out.

The gloom vanished from Luo Jiaorong’s face like flowers bursting into bloom, and she immediately went out to greet them.