My Happy Daily Life After Being Reborn-Chapter 336 - 37 Tree Tunnel_2

Shen Chi felt stiflingly annoyed by the ordeal, yet the matter seemed to pass. However, some people just couldn’t take a hint and insisted on seeking discomfort by provoking him.

"You say that one more time?" Shen Chi raised an eyebrow, his smile intensely unnerving.

Han Kuang sensed something was amiss but nevertheless said, "Chen Yaosi has a nine-year-old son who seems quite suitable. He would match well with our Sisi or Qiaoqiao. You decide whom to arrange the marriage with."

"Who are your Sisi and Qiaoqiao?" Shen Chi asked with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes, "General Han Kuang, have you knocked on the wrong door? When you leave, take a left turn and walk for three miles; your granddaughter is over there."

By now, Han Kuang had grown somewhat immune to his son’s sarcasm. Although still annoyed, he had learned to reinterpret his younger son’s words.

"Nuonuo is too old, five years older than the boy from the Chen family; it’s not suitable. Besides, there’s a generational gap between the two children. As for Sisi and Qiaoqiao, since they don’t carry the Han surname, the Han family’s generational hierarchy is of no concern to them." Han Kuang’s voice carried a hint of resentment by the end.

Having heard enough, Shen Chi gritted his teeth and retorted, "As you’ve said, they don’t carry the Han surname. Their marital affairs are not for someone with the Han surname to criticize."

Han Kuang tried to persuade him in all manner of ways, but Shen Chi was simply not buying his rhetoric.

Standing at the front door of the Shen Family house, Han Kuang felt wronged to the extreme.

He knew his son suspected that he aimed to marry off Sisi and Qiaoqiao in a strategic alliance, but Heaven knew that was not his intention. He genuinely thought the boy from the Chen family was a fine match. Handsome and steady, the top of his class at school, there was an old saying, ’Do not let the water you can channel to your own rice fields flow to another’s.’ Naturally, he did not want such an excellent potential grandson-in-law to benefit someone else.

Given the upper echelons of the Capital were so insular, with so many unworthy descendants, the small number of acceptable young men was further reduced by political affiliations they couldn’t endorse, leaving even fewer options. Happening upon such a fine candidate, it was natural he wanted to keep him in reserve for his granddaughter. If the eldest granddaughter was unsuitable, then the thought went to the two younger ones who matched in age.

All his goodwill, however, seemed to his son like malicious intent. With these thoughts, Han Kuang’s mood dampened. He’d even arranged to go fishing with Old Gu, but now he lacked the interest.

On the other side, Shen Chi was also fuming. He lamented to Lin Xiaoguai, "I wish I’d never had daughters. It’s unbearable when people talk about setting up betrothals for them. Won’t I be heartbroken when they marry off?"

"What’s so bad about marrying off? It’s not like the old days when married daughters could hardly visit their natal homes. As long as the kids are filial, won’t they come to see you often?" Lin Xiaoguai was nonchalant.

It wasn’t that she didn’t cherish her children—she knew that, in modern times, it was rare for married children to live with their parents.

She had seen it often in the old city district. Some families with sons found them housing on their own, and the parents might only see them once every fortnight. That was considered fortunate. If unlucky enough to have a disrespectful daughter-in-law, they might not even meet once a year. On the other hand, some families with daughters found those daughters extremely filial, returning to their natal homes every few days, sons-in-law in tow, often and diligently. In fact, some households would even build new homes for both their own and the in-laws, with the result that daughters, taking care of their natal families, spent most of their year with their parents.

Nowadays, it is not like ancient times where sons stayed with parents and daughters had difficulty returning home after marriage.

Discussions about whether it’s better to have sons or daughters are common in modern times. Though sons are still generally more favored, it isn’t rare to find families who only wish to have daughters.

In her previous life, Lin Xiaoguai once suspected she had kidney stones due to frequent back pain and went to the hospital. There, she met an elderly lady who was accompanying her pregnant daughter for an ultrasound. Chatting idly, the old lady mentioned her daughter already had a granddaughter, and this pregnancy was unplanned. They were deliberating whether to keep the baby because the son-in-law didn’t want a son, declaring if it was another girl, they would keep it, but if it was a boy, they would abort.

Realizing his wife lacked any empathy on the matter, Shen Chi felt dispirited and dejected. Only when he looked down and saw Sisi smiling at him, did his mood soften.

What was there to fear? His daughter was still young, and marrying her off was a distant concern.

When the main estate was finally completed, it was half a month later than expected. The delay was due to the house’s design being foreign to local architecture. The extraterrestrial designer’s plans increased safety and uniqueness but also the complexity of construction.

Yet the result was indeed stunning.

Lin Xiaoguai was thoroughly impressed by the enormous structure before her, its main colors of gray, white, and blue, opulent as a palace but with a sleek elegance. The gray and white stone paving created a plaza in front of the main house, with a square depression in the middle featuring a lifelike garden of artificial mountains and streams, complete with real rivers and miniature waterfalls. Beyond that lay the road to the South Gate of the farmstead, with its avenues lined with old Jacaranda trees, forming a beautiful tree tunnel.

—She had always been fond of tree tunnels and preferred ginkgo and oaks, but considering the design’s simpler, darker tones, ginkgo would clash, and oaks would also be too dim. Jacarandas, neither too gaudy nor plain and delicate in their elegance, were the perfect choice.

She had worried that such extravagance might draw too much attention, but Jacarandas were relatively inexpensive. Furthermore, the tree tunnel spanned only a few kilometers from the gate to the main house. Though the mature trees might attract some notice, their limited number meant that, at most, people would marvel and wonder how she managed to acquire so many old trees. (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)