Not long after breakfast, I began to suffer from a headache, stomachache, vomiting, and diarrhea. I took some medicine and didn’t start to feel better until almost evening. These notes were written yesterday, so don’t worry. Tonight, Nuan will try her best to catch up. We should be someone whose word counts. Now that it’s summer, everyone should be careful with what they eat. Nuan got sick from eating peaches, sigh...
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Chuxia, since Dagang’s Grandpa is so close to the Zhou family, he probably wouldn’t make things up. You’d better ask Regimental Commander Zhou..." Luo Xiaoqiong paused, her eyes widening in shock, "Whether the commander is divorced is secondary, the key is whether he has children! Chuxia, you must clarify this!"
Upon hearing Luo Xiaoqiong say this, Zhao Yulan also became panicked, "Chuxia, Xiaoqiong is right; you have to find out clearly. If he really has children, no matter what, it won’t work. You’re still a child yourself, how can you become a mother to someone else’s children?"
"I just knew it. With all of Commander Zhou’s good qualities, why would he be so eager to marry our Chuxia? He must be worried that if he waits too long, the truth will come out, and Chuxia won’t marry him," Li Aiyuan said with conviction.
"There’s no good deal in hurrying. With Zhou Mikang’s qualifications, what kind of bride couldn’t he find?" Zhao Yushan sighed, "Nine times out of ten, it’s because he doesn’t want to lose out for his child, that he’s looking for someone from a less well-off family."
"Not just less well-off," Lin Baohe sighed deeply, "it’s simply no comparison. Chuxia, let’s forget about this soldier business. Come home with dad. There’s no way I’d let you marry a divorced man with children."
Chuxia looked toward the only one who had not yet spoken, Zhao Qiliang, and asked, "Brother, what do you say?"
"Me?" Zhao Qiliang was still dazed from the thought of the commander becoming his brother-in-law and was confused when Chuxia asked him, "What do you mean, ’what do I say’?"
Chuxia decided not to bother with him anymore and turned to the others, "Don’t worry, he’s not married and he doesn’t have children."
"How is that possible? Your grandpa Dagang doesn’t just talk nonsense. With his relationship with the Zhou family, how could he make up such a thing? Chuxia, you’re still a child, you don’t understand the intricacies of these matters. Listen to your mother, just ask him out right. I feel that, as a military man and an officer of his rank, he should not lie once you ask him directly," Zhao Yulan said.
Li Aiyuan quickly agreed, "Exactly, Chuxia, your mother is right. You can’t guess these things on your own. It’s hard for a man with a child to find a partner anywhere, regardless of his family’s conditions."
Seeing that her eldest maternal aunt and father were about to speak, Chuxia quickly gestured for them to stop, "Hold on, from what you’re suggesting, do you mean if he isn’t married and doesn’t have children, it’s impossible for him to marry me?"
With an unnatural look in her eyes, Zhao Yulan hesitated, "Chuxia, your mother thinks you’re the best, and doesn’t feel at all that you’re not good enough for him, but the outside world, those people don’t know how good you are."
"Chuxia, our own family of course sees how wonderful you are in every aspect, but marriage is about matching doorways to doorways. Commander Zhou may be a bit older, but he’s only twenty-seven.
Besides, Commander Zhou has everything – if he asks, what kind of girl couldn’t he get? Of course, your eldest maternal aunt isn’t saying Chuxia isn’t good, but our family’s circumstances are what they are.
These officials care about appearances. If you really marry him, and you’re taken out and asked about yourself, what will you have to show that’s worth flaunting? This matter, no matter how I think about it, something seems off. You should be more careful; this is a matter for a lifetime and can’t be taken lightly," Zhao Yulan continued.
"Chuxia, your mother and your eldest maternal aunt have the same idea. We have our conditions to consider, we can’t help but worry more," Li Aiyuan added.
"Yeah, Chuxia, you might feel proud that the commander favors you now, but this matter... Well, even if he sincerely thinks so himself, his family would never agree," Zhao Yulan inserted.
Zhao Yulan and Li Aiyuan were speaking over each other, and Chuxia simply couldn’t get a word in.
As the two went on, Lin Baohe’s expression grew darker and darker.
Zhao Yushan smoked more and more fiercely.
In the meantime, Zhao Qiliang actually came to his senses, listening to his mother and his aunt dishing back and forth, he too was at a loss for words; unfortunately, if Chuxia couldn’t get a word in, neither could he.
As for Luo Xiaoqiong, who had started this topic, the more she listened, the more sense it made to her. She tugged at Chuxia’s sleeve, nodding vigorously and blinked her big eyes, signaling that Chuxia should listen to her mothers and sort out the matter properly.
Finally, as her mother and her eldest maternal aunt paused for breath, Chuxia quickly took the chance to speak, "Mom, Eldest maternal aunt, I know you’re doing this for my good, but this matter isn’t something I’m imagining on my own; Commander Zhou truly isn’t married."