The Blessed Farm Girl Has a Spatial Storage - Chapter 287: Zhao Cheng Talks about Marriage

Of course, Wei Shulan wasn’t genuinely angry, though she was certainly a little jealous.

Thinking about what she had been busy with recently, Wei Shulan suddenly remembered something. "Oh, by the way," she said, "a few days ago, I discovered a small, convenient hidden weapon. Wait until I’ve perfected it, and I’ll give it to you for self-defense."

Zhao Zhitong was, naturally, immensely grateful and excited.

The two girls chatted and laughed, strolling hand-in-hand through the temple fair.

「...」

Year after year passed. After this New Year, Zhao Zhitong would be ten by traditional age counting.

The nearly ten-year-old girl already reached Zhao Dong’s chest in height. With her hair in a delicate bun and dressed in beautiful clothes, she cut a graceful figure wherever she stood.

It felt like just yesterday she was a little radish-head, Zhao Dong mused. He was filled with the classic paternal sentiment: My little girl is growing up.

He found himself growing a little wistful. His little girl was becoming a young woman... She would no longer be the soft, cuddly little darling who wheedled for hugs.

However, he didn’t have much time for sentimentality because, recently, matchmakers had been flocking to their door, almost wearing down the threshold.

Of course, they weren’t here to find a match for his precious little girl, he thought. If they were, he’d probably be furious for a good ten days or half a month!

The matchmakers who came were all for his eldest, Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng had just completed his coming-of-age ceremony this year, and the matchmakers swarmed in as if they had smelled freshly steamed buns.

Although he had come of age and was considered an adult by local standards, he was, after all, only fifteen.

In the minds of Zhao Dong and Sun Mei, who had for most of their lives accepted the ideas of marrying and having children later for better upbringing, they felt that their boy was still too young to get married.

However, not to seek a match for him at this age would seem very strange.

Take Sun Youcai, for example. He turned twenty after his birthday this year and was still unmarried, completely engrossed in his flower business. Now, his peony flowers were famous even in the Capital City. He was successful in his career and should be settling down, but the young man was unwilling, which greatly worried his grandparents.

Nowadays, many people gossiped about Sun Youcai behind his back. Those petty individuals, jealous of the Sun Family’s prosperity, said particularly nasty things. Rumors had even spread, slandering him about certain inadequacies. In any case, no matchmakers were approaching Sun Youcai anymore.

So, even though they felt Zhao Cheng was young, Zhao Dong and Sun Mei decided to follow local customs and began to carefully select a match for their son.

"This girl won’t do," Sun Mei said, likely to Zhao Dong as she sifted through the profiles. "I’ve made inquiries; her family has a bad reputation in the neighborhood. None of them are easy to deal with. As the saying goes, one should marry a virtuous wife. We can’t bring a troublemaker into the family."

Sun Mei meticulously examined the information about each young lady sent by the matchmakers, considering them one by one.

Their advantage was clear: Zhao Dong’s family currently held high prestige in Zhao Village. The family was wealthy and had even received an imperial plaque from the emperor. Crucially, of the Zhao Family’s three children, they had two sons, and only the eldest, Zhao Cheng, had inherited Zhao Dong’s exceptional farming skills. Families from miles around were eager to form marriage ties with Zhao Dong’s family.

Therefore, Sun Mei was now the object of much flattery, as many families hoped to marry their daughters into the Zhao Family.

Zhao Dong stood by, offering his opinions. After reviewing candidates for a while, neither he nor Sun Mei was particularly satisfied.

Just then, Zhao Dong looked towards Zhao Cheng in the courtyard, who was never idle. He beckoned him over, saying, "Zhao Cheng, come here. Stop what you’re doing."

"This marriage is for Zhao Cheng, after all," Zhao Dong continued. "Our satisfaction doesn’t really matter; we still need to see if Zhao Cheng likes her."

Sun Mei nodded in agreement.

Zhao Cheng, who was in the courtyard, heard Zhao Dong call him. He put down what he was doing, brushed off his hands, and walked over. "Uncle, Aunt," he asked, "did you call for me?"

Sun Mei smiled, got up, picked up a nearby feather duster, and pulled Zhao Cheng to her side, brushing the dust off him. "Look at you," she said, "why can’t you ever sit still? That kind of work is never-ending."

Zhao Cheng smiled sheepishly. "It’s alright, Aunt, no need to dust. Yesterday, Tongtong mentioned wanting to see our courtyard filled with flowers, so I planted a few rose bushes in the small garden. They should bloom next year."

Sun Mei sighed. "You’re just like that boy Zhao Yu, always doting on that little girl. You treat her every word like an imperial edict. Look, you’ve all spoiled her rotten."

Having been chided by Sun Mei, Zhao Cheng just stood there, smiling sheepishly. "Our little sister is adorable," he said. "She won’t get spoiled."

Sun Mei gave a resigned smile and said, "Alright, alright. Even planting flowers isn’t that urgent."

"You’ve reached marriageable age this year," she continued, "and the matchmakers have nearly worn our doorstep out, bringing proposals from many good families. Your uncle and I feel the same way—it’s most important that you like the young lady. Come, take a look. Is there anyone here you like?"