Chapter 1034: Wife
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Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Mr. Yan and Mrs. Yan graciously invited Shao Erlang and his brother to their home for lunch. After informing them about the invitation, they requested Mei Qing to come over and meet Shao Erlang. If he found her interesting, they hoped he would consider settling down.
Shao Erlang found himself tempted by the proposition. He had already given up on pursuing Ms. Zhang, determined not to cause her any further trouble. His family couldn’t tolerate the torment she had inflicted upon them, and he was concerned that she might lead his children astray.
Realizing that he was still young and that his children shouldn’t grow up without a mother figure, he understood the importance of eventually getting married. However, he didn’t trust his mother’s taste in choosing a partner for him. Additionally, he wasn’t keen on marrying a girl as young as 15 or 16; he doubted she would be capable of caring for his child. It seemed more reasonable to consider marrying a young widow. After all, hadn’t his father remarried?
Furthermore, given that the elderly couple from the Yan Family had requested to play matchmakers, it felt inconvenient for him to refuse their proposition.
Reluctantly, Shao Erlang agreed to meet Mei Qing the following day.
On the designated day, Mei Qing arrived at the Yan Family residence. To Shao Erlang’s surprise, he found himself quite taken with her and immediately agreed to proceed. Upon returning home, he informed his father, who initially expressed discontent, wondering why his son, with such a privileged background, would choose to marry a widow. He pointed out that there were many suitable young girls available.
Hearing Shao Erlang’s explanation—his lack of trust in his mother’s judgment and concerns about his own youth and ability to care for a child—his father, Second Uncle, hesitated.
Second Uncle also had doubts about Ms. Niu’s judgment, fearing that another woman like Ms. Zhang would cause chaos in the household. After a brief moment of hesitation, seeing that his son was willing, Second Uncle decided not to voice his concerns any further.
However, when Shao Erlang relayed the news to Ms. Niu, she exploded in anger.
“What did you say? You’re going to marry a widow! You disappointing child, you’ll be the death of me with your thoughtless decisions!”
She had recently been upset with the rest of the family, so she saw the opportunity of finding Shao Erlang a daughter-in-law as a chance to show off. In fact, because of her, many daughters-in-law and women in the village had been currying favor with her and introducing her to their relatives in the past few days. She felt incredibly smug and proud.
Therefore, she had been eager to be selective until now.
But then… her son actually came and told her that he wanted to marry a widow! A widow!!
Ms. Niu felt as if she had been slapped in the face.
However, the more she resisted, the more determined Shao Erlang became.
He patiently explained to his mother that he already had two children, and marrying a widow would make him more capable of caring for them. It was better than marrying a young girl who was 15 or 16 years old—how could she possibly know how to be a mother? Moreover, at 25 years old, he didn’t want to marry someone much younger than him.
Furthermore, he had seen Mei Qing before and believed she was a genuinely good person. She was the perfect match for him.
But no matter what, Ms. Niu refused to accept it.
Shao Erlang became irritated and decided not to explain any further. In short, he wanted to marry Mei Qing. If his mother didn’t help him, he would find a matchmaker and make it known that he definitely wouldn’t marry the girl his mother chose.
Second Uncle also scolded Ms. Niu, reminding her that since Shao Erlang had set his sights on Mei Qing, she couldn’t blame his parents in the future and should refrain from interfering.
Ms. Niu grew increasingly frustrated as she couldn’t persuade the father and son, so she reluctantly agreed.
After all, it was a second marriage, so there was no need to be overly particular. Moreover, Shao Erlang urgently needed a daughter-in-law to come back and take care of the children, handle household ch.o.r.es, and so on. Mei Qing was eager to leave her mother’s house as soon as possible, so it truly would be inconvenient for her to stay there any longer.
The two sides. .h.i.t it off immediately. There was a good day at the beginning of next month, so the wedding was set at that time.