Ye Shuzhen never considered that her eldest brother’s family would oppose it, for it had been years since the matchmaker had visited, proposing matches that her brother and sister-in-law had meticulously scrutinized.
Seeing her eldest niece almost reaching seventeen or eighteen years old, and the second niece already fifteen, if they didn’t find matches soon, they would become spinsters.
She herself would have ended up in the same predicament at that age, frantic for a spouse, fortunate enough to have met her husband.
"It must be the eldest niece, right? There can be no mistake now, from what he implies, your sister-in-law has not objected either," Tang Weixing added vegetables to his wife’s bowl, encouraging her to eat as they talked.
Ye Shuzhen wasn’t foolish enough to chat without eating, especially since there were no mother-in-law or relatives around, they could say whatever they wanted in the privacy of their room.
"Mm, they’re marrying into a family like Zhong Xingwang’s, it must be due to our ancestors’ good deeds," she nodded.
However, Tang Weixing shook his head, saying, "I used to say marrying you was due to my good deeds in a previous life, but now it seems your family is not as fortunate as many others.
Their competitiveness is hidden from your sight, but as your husband, I can see it. Who knows what the future holds? It might not be them climbing up to your family!"
Ye Shuzhen stopped eating, her eyes filled with disbelief as she spoke:
"My family are just farmers, even though we own an estate now, surely we’re not as formidable as those Capital City families, are we?"
Tang Weixing shook his head and replied, "Dear, you don’t know, the revenue that estate by the roadside brings in during holidays, we don’t see it, but we can see the flow of customers!"
"Husband, is my brother’s estate that valuable? If it’s making so much money, then wouldn’t cultivating crops and orchards at our estate be a waste?"
Ye Shuzhen, realizing how much money her brother’s estate was earning — theirs was not far behind in profitability, although it didn’t make as much.
"Our estate is set back a bit, the earlier developments are already built, and it’s impossible to mimic your brother’s estate now.
Didn’t you see the estate next door trying to do the same as your brother and failing to earn much? Your brother is just lucky, all three estates making considerable profit, while ours, following their lead, doesn’t earn as much."
Only then did Ye Shuzhen truly understand, her family’s money-making estate was different from others, in ways she couldn’t pinpoint.
She couldn’t exactly say, but somehow the taste of their farmed and bred produce was superior to others.
Tang Weixing let slip that if Zhong Xingwang did marry her niece, her family would surely buy property in Jin Capital, and then they should also consider getting a place in the Capital City.
They couldn’t afford to fall behind in earnings or merely gallop ahead; picking up scraps still enriched them significantly.
"Husband, does my brother really have such ambition? To go back to the Capital City and buy property?"
Ye Shuzhen had not expected that her seemingly docile brother would, in just a few short years, not only have embarked on a successful business venture but was continuously progressing like flourishing sesame flowers.
"Even I never thought of buying a house in the Capital City, can you see my ambition now? We’re thinking about our children’s futures, perhaps your brother is too, seizing luck and opportunity. Who wouldn’t want to strive in their youth to set up a fortune for their children?"
Ye Shuzhen, delighted by her husband’s words, had never imagined as a country woman that she would ever own a house in the Capital City. What had never crossed her mind was not only achievable but could be done well.
Since her marriage, Ye Shuzhen had somewhat changed her view of her family, acquiescing to more interactions between her husband and her family.
Later, seeing her Second Sister treating the family well, now with both a son and a daughter, and expanding her shop business from the town to the city, managing as an ordinary shop owner was no easy feat.
This made Ye Shuzhen think, what an opportunity this was for her and her Second Sister to visit relatives together and meet the children’s new son-in-law.
Coming up with the idea, Ye Shuzhen discussed with her husband about visiting her family with Second Sister the next day.
Tang Weixing nodded in agreement, informing her that a few days earlier, her mother and Aunt Lai had clashed, both suffering. Fortunately, her mother-in-law was healthy and had already recovered some, while Aunt Lai, due to her pregnancy, had been continuously bedridden and was still unwell.
Ye Shuzhen, infuriated by the news, exclaimed, "Why didn’t my brother inform us? Second Sister and I were kept in the dark. Our eldest sister lives in the same village, why didn’t she tell us?"
"Your brother is busy, and besides, your sister-in-law manages the household affairs. With two people sick and your father-in-law drinking daily and neglecting matters, maybe they didn’t want to worry you since you couldn’t have helped!"
Tang Weixing explained, also realizing that among her family, it was only her brother and sister-in-law that could be relied upon.
"It’s infuriating, that Aunt Lai caused the trouble. My father shouldn’t have married her in the first place. It should be her bad luck. Wasn’t having children with his wife enough? Why did he need to marry Aunt Lai to have more children?"
Ye Shuzhen was so upset, she could no longer enjoy her midnight snack.