Chapter 35: Proposal

“Come, Xiuyan, sit down.” The headmaster smiled kindly.

“Thank you, Headmaster.” Shen Xiuyan bowed respectfully. “I wonder if there’s something you wish to discuss with me today?”

The headmaster, smiling, casually responded, “Nothing important, just wanted to check on how your studies are going and if you need any help. As the head of the academy, feel free to ask if there’s anything you need. I’m happy to assist you.”

Shen Xiuyan smiled and replied, “Thank you for your concern, but there’s nothing I need help with. Right now, I spend my days reading and studying, and whenever I encounter difficulties, my master provides excellent guidance.”

The headmaster stroked his beard, “Oh, I see, how forgetful of me, I forgot you’re Liu Fuzi’s closed-door disciple.”

Shen Xiuyan nodded, “Indeed.”

“Not bad, not bad, you’re a promising young man,” the headmaster suddenly changed the subject, “I heard you haven’t married yet?”

Shen Xiuyan’s heart sank, and his smile stiffened. This was exactly what he feared! Why was this coming up again?

You’re the headmaster of a prestigious academy, not a matchmaker, why are you trying to cause trouble for him?

Shen Xiuyan clasped his hands together, “Replying to the Headmaster, I have not yet married, but I will soon.”

The headmaster furrowed his brows, “Oh? Which family’s daughter?”

Had someone else already gotten ahead of him?

Shen Xiuyan scratched his head, “This… I’m preparing to propose, but until it’s settled, I can’t say much, lest I tarnish the young lady’s reputation.”

Hearing this, the headmaster was delighted. Since the proposal hadn’t been made yet, there was still a chance for his daughter.

He cleared his throat and directly said, “Let me speak frankly, my youngest daughter is of marriageable age. I’ve been considering potential suitors for her, and I’d like to introduce you to her.”

He believed Shen Xiuyan would make the best choice.

At least he had the intention to marry, and if he married his daughter, the headmaster could provide him with a better learning environment.

If it were the original owner, he would have eagerly agreed.

But Shen Xiuyan was not the original owner; he was faithful to the one he loved.

He immediately rejected firmly, “Your daughter is of noble stature; I am not worthy to meet her.”

His words were polite yet direct.

The headmaster slammed the table with a thud, “You must think this through. Once you miss this opportunity, it may not come again.”

Shen Xiuyan shook his head, “Only I know whether it is suitable, and if I really married your daughter, would you not fear that I might one day divorce her for my own interests and marry another?”

The headmaster’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly. This statement had struck a chord with him.

He just wanted to find a good husband for his daughter, not to harm her.

If Shen Xiuyan had immediately agreed to his proposal today, he would actually have been worried.

Ah, forget it, perhaps it was just not meant to be.

He sighed. After all, this kind of thing was inherently contradictory.

How could such a good young man be considering others already?

It would have been better if it had been a little later.

Well, perhaps this was just fate.

With the intent of not offending anyone, the headmaster nodded lightly, “You’re right. Let’s forget about this matter for now. You can go back.”

“Thank you for understanding, Headmaster.” Shen Xiuyan bowed respectfully. “Rest assured, I won’t mention today’s conversation to anyone.”

The headmaster gave him a resentful glance, “Go on, go on.”

It was frustrating to see such a good son-in-law candidate slip away to someone else.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

After leaving the academy, Shen Xiuyan sighed in relief.

Marriage pressure and being forced into it were truly terrifying.

He was just a small Xiucai, how did he become the object of so much attention?

This wouldn’t do!

He couldn’t wait any longer to propose; tomorrow, he must propose.

The sooner, the better!

That way, no one would have any hopes left.

Without a second thought, Shen Xiuyan rushed back home and pulled out the silver notes from beneath his bed.

He carefully counted them three times. Good, there were only 720 taels…

He was really poor.

No, he had never been well-off.

He hoped that Su Mingyue’s father wouldn’t despise him…

Ugh…

It didn’t feel very realistic…

Thinking from another perspective, a poor scholar wanting to marry the daughter of a rich family… oh, his blood pressure was rising…

He could only hope that tomorrow’s obstacles would be smaller.

He sighed, stuffed the silver notes into his chest, and called out, “Yuanming, let’s go! Come with me to buy some things.”

After that, Shen Yuanming silently watched as his brother bought one expensive item after another.

It was as though the things didn’t even cost money.

What kind of celestial beauty was his brother marrying to deserve all this? The future sure didn’t look bright…

But a sensible younger brother wouldn’t stop him. After all, the money was earned by his brother; as long as he was happy, that was enough.

After the purchases were made, Shen Yuanming cracked, maybe he should stop him after all…

He really couldn’t carry any more.

“Yuanming, hurry up!”

“I’m coming!”

Shen Yuanming bitterly adjusted the basket on his shoulder and grabbed the things from the ground, quickly rushing forward.

He understood now, he was just here to do the hard work, and laborers didn’t need to speak.

Shen Yuanming thought his mother would be unhappy when they returned with so many expensive things.

But reality didn’t play out that way.

At the doorstep, Zhou Shi greeted them with a beaming smile, “Oh, you bought so many things. Are you going to propose tomorrow?”

Shen Xiuyan nodded, “Yes, I’ve found a matchmaker, and tomorrow, I’ll need mother to accompany me.”

“Good, good!” Zhou Shi was overjoyed. Finally, Shen Xiuyan was going to marry the woman who had motivated him to study!

The money spent on these gifts didn’t matter. What were gifts compared to her future daughter-in-law?

As long as Shen Xiuyan kept striving to improve, she would treat her daughter-in-law as if serving

Shen Xiuyan looked at his mother’s smiling face and thought for a moment before giving a warning, “Mother, let me tell you in advance, don’t get too excited. Tomorrow, when we go to propose, there’s a chance we might be rejected or faced with difficulties. If that happens, please bear with it and don’t get angry.”

“Huh?” Zhou Shi blinked, her son was now a Xiucai, why would he be rejected or faced with trouble? Normally, wouldn’t they happily agree?

Shen Xiuyan scratched his nose and explained, “Even though I’ve passed the Xiucai exam, I’m still reaching too high…”

Although Zhou Shi knew that the woman her son liked was from a wealthy family, how could he still be reaching too high after becoming a Xiucai?

What kind of family was this?

She hesitated, asking, “We’re proposing tomorrow, so can you tell me now which young lady it is?”

Shen Xiuyan replied, “Su Family!”

Zhou Shi’s first thought was the Su Family, the wealthiest family in the county. Then she shook her head furiously. Impossible. Could she really be thinking this? Their young lady, born into wealth, could never be interested in her son.

As Zhou Shi looked him up and down, pursing her lips, Shen Xiuyan was speechless.

“Mother, don’t look at me like that. I can tell what you’re thinking. Yes, it’s the Su Family you’re thinking of.”

“!!!”

All Zhou Shi could think now was one thing.

He’s crazy!

Her son must be crazy!

He really dared to think this way, a small Xiucai thinking he could win the heart of the young lady of such a prestigious family.

And he might face difficulties tomorrow? If he wasn’t thrown out on the spot, it would be a miracle.

Weakly, Zhou Shi said, “Xiuyan… are you dreaming? How could the young lady look at us? Maybe we should just save ourselves the embarrassment…”

She, at her age, couldn’t bear to be struck down.

“Mother! What are you saying? I’ll never marry anyone but her.” Shen Xiuyan said firmly, “Also, we are mutually in love. But when you go to propose tomorrow, don’t say anything about us. Let’s pretend we’re just strangers who’ve met a few times, don’t ruin her reputation, understand?”

Zhou Shi: “…”

Her foolish son, how could he still be thinking of the young lady’s reputation right now.