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Shen Rong became a teacher in the town, and several youngsters from the Shen family also enrolled in the school.
The heavy burden that had been weighing on the hearts of the Shen family members finally seemed to find a place to settle down.
The act of sending all seven children of the Shen family to school at once was a shocking revelation for others as well.
In this town, even the least expensive school required five taels of silver for tuition over a six-month period.
For many families, they could only afford to send one child to school, typically the one believed to have the most potential, pooling all their resources to make it possible.
In the beginning, Shen Rong was just like this as well. It was precisely due to the Shen family’s actions that people’s enthusiasm for the family grew stronger.
As for the nature of this enthusiasm, their attention was fixed on Shen Dalang, Erlang, Zhang Wendong, and Shen Yu’an.
Matchmaker Li visited several times, each time praising several eligible young men and women.
Implied within her words was a suggestion for the Shen family to set aside some time, allowing the younger generation to meet and see if they got along well.
After all, Shen Dalang, Erlang, and Zhang Wendong were occupied with their studies in the town school every day. If there were thoughts of arranging marriages, it would have to wait for their leisure time.
Initially, everyone thought that the Song family couldn’t be located, so they included Song Xiao Ni’s marriage arrangement in the mix.
However, since Song Xiao Ni has returned to her family, her marriage matters naturally no longer concern them.
The eligible young men mentioned by Matchmaker Li were all directed towards Shen Yu’an.
Regarding this, Shen Yu’an could only express her feelings in two words. And those words were: Unwavering Persistence!
These past few days, she was engrossed in finalizing her factory plans, keeping her incredibly busy and overwhelmed.
However, the matchmakers who came to her doorstep every day insisted on taking her out for scrutiny, and then would elaborate on how wonderful and compatible each of the men was for her.
Their words were all praise, but being examined multiple times a day had become unbearable for Shen Yu’an.
Furthermore, she hadn’t originally planned to marry so early. In the modern world, at her age, she would have just started high school; there was no need to consider this.
Currently, her mind was set on building a career, and she certainly couldn’t afford to be tied down by a husband’s family.
Due to the limitations of the era, Shen Yu’an deeply understood that even if her family was understanding of her situation, it didn’t mean others would accept a new bride who wasn’t content with just being a wife and mother at home, but wanted to go out and pursue a career.
Shen Rong, as the person who currently supports Shen Yu’an the most in considering marriage, would inquire about the situation every evening when he returned home. He would ask Song Shi to provide details about the various men mentioned, and then he would carefully evaluate their character and knowledge.
In his demeanor, there was a sense of determination to select the best possible husband for Shen Yu’an.
One evening, as Shen Rong was questioning Song Shi about the eligible young men the matchmakers had talked about during the day, Shen Yu’an finally couldn’t hold back and interrupted him.
With dissatisfaction, she muttered, “Father, I’m only seventeen years old. There’s no need to rush into considering marriage. It would be better if you first settle matters for our eldest and second brother.”
Shen Rong looked at her and said, “Why wouldn’t we be in a hurry? In a few more months, you’ll be eighteen. There’s hardly a young lady that age who hasn’t arranged her marriage yet.”
Song Shi glanced at Shen Rong, who was firmly expressing his opinion.
Back when they were in Shen village, they had already been preparing for matrimonial arrangements for Shen Yu’an. However, Shen Rong was the one who was most against it, suggesting that she could wait a few more years before making any decisions regarding marriage.
Ironically, he had become the most urgent in pushing for it now.
With a smile, Song Shi intervened between the father and daughter, saying, “I’ll let the matchmakers assess the situation first. If there’s a suitable match, we can consider it; if not, there’s no need to rush.”
Shen Yu’an and Shen Rong argued about this matter for quite a while, both unwilling to back down.
In the end, they had no choice but to go with the approach suggested by Song Shi.
However, whether or not she wants to settle down will depend on her own wishes; they can’t force her.
After discussing this matter, Shen Yu’an left their room in a huff.
Song Shi looked at Shen Rong with reproach, saying, “See, now you’ve upset Yu’an.”
Shen Rong stubbornly retorted, “Hmph, how did I upset her? She just wants to keep postponing marriage indefinitely!”
Song Shi shook her head and remarked, “Come on, you’re the one who can’t bear to see Yu’an change the most.”
After a moment of thought, Song Shi could only think of one reason, and she asked in confusion, “Are you worried about that child, Ah Chen?”
Shen Rong sighed and shook his head after giving Song Shi a glance.
Song Shi actually quite liked Fei Yanchen. Seeing Shen Rong’s reluctance to speak, she continued, “I think that Ah Chen is a good child. He gets along well with our family, but I don’t understand why you seem to have reservations.”
Shen Rong let out another sigh and finally spoke up.
“You know his background. It’s fine for us to have some interaction with him privately, but if Yu’an gets involved with him, have you thought about the consequences?”
Upon hearing these words, Song Shi fell silent as well.
She remained silent for a while before hesitantly adding, “Are you suggesting that you think Yu’an is not a suitable match for Ah Chen? But from what I’ve observed, he doesn’t seem to care about such matters.”
Shen Rong rubbed his forehead and explained, “It’s not that I think Yu’an is not suitable for him. Have you ever considered why he’s so focused on the Crown Prince’s identity and why he hasn’t returned to the capital?”
Song Shi was momentarily stunned; she hadn’t thought about that at all.
However, thanks to Shen Rong’s reminder, she started recalling the events related to Fei Yanchen.
Back when Yu’an brought him back injured, there were imperial soldiers searching for him along the way, but he chose not to return…
Seeing her starting to piece things together, Shen Rong lowered his voice and continued his explanation.
“Given the current turbulent situation, it’s not just us commoners who are uneasy. Until now, there hasn’t been any news about the Emperor’s plans for succession. Do you think those princes wouldn’t want to seize that position?” Shen Rong pointed upward with his finger, his voice becoming even lower.
Continuing his explanation, he said, “Fei Yanchen, that lad, is one of the son of a prince of the Wei Dynasty. If he’s reluctant to return, it must be because the situation back in the capital wouldn’t favor him. He’s trying to find a chance for survival out here.”
“If Yu’an sets her heart on him, we can’t be sure if things will turn out well in the future.”
Song Shi fell silent completely. She might not have the depth of understanding that Shen Rong did, but she found his words to be logical.
She murmured, “I can’t control this anymore. If Yu’an doesn’t want to, we can’t force her into marriage.”