Ye Yun and Leng Yao had confessed their feelings for each other.
However, they still had to get past their parents.
On that very day, Qi Jiao told Ye Ba to go back and fetch Ye Yun's mother.
Ye Yun's mother had met Leng Yao before and initially thought of her as the "steamed - bun beauty".
Now that she knew Leng Yao was the girl her second son liked, her feelings towards the girl were quite different.
Within half a day, Ye Yun's mother went out five or six times. The more she looked at Leng Yao, the more she liked her. When she came back, she couldn't help but praise Leng Yao's good looks to Hua Sanniang.
Hua Sanniang said with a smile, "Miss Leng is not only beautiful but also has a good character and is very capable. You're really blessed."
Ye Yun's mother beamed with joy. So excited was she that she couldn't sleep soundly at night.
The next day, Ye Yun's mother kept urging Ye Yun to visit the Leng family.
But since Ye Yun was directly involved, it was not appropriate for him to go. So the task of mediation was left to Qi Jiao.
Leng Yao's parents lived in Yuanyang Alley in the south of the city. They got up early every morning to grind soybeans, then transported the cooked soybean milk to the steamed - bun shop. They left Leng Yao to help there until the shop closed in the afternoon before going home to rest.
Qi Jiao noted the time and waited until they were at home before going to their place with Ye Yun's mother.
Ye Yun's mother brought two big bags of local specialties from Yinwan and six sets of wedding gifts prepared by Qi Jiao.
When Leng Yao's parents saw the owner of Jiaoniang Restaurant coming to their home with gifts, they were a bit dazed for a moment.
Qi Jiao explained her purpose with a smile and introduced Ye Yun's mother, "This is my foster mother, the mother of the second brother."
Only then did Leng Yao's parents understand the relationship between Qi Jiao and the Ye family. So Ye Yun was Qi Jiao's foster brother.
The two elders were old but in good health. They did everything by themselves and there was no one else in the family.
Leng Yao's mother personally brewed some honeysuckle flower tea and served it.
She found Ye Yun's mother to be elegant in appearance and straightforward in conversation. Immediately, she developed a favorable impression of the Ye family.
Leng Yao's father was used to leaving the family affairs to his wife. He felt a bit uncomfortable among so many women in the room, so he excused himself, saying that he was going to play cards with an old friend across the street.
Qi Jiao had never been a matchmaker before.
But she knew the essence of matchmaking was to let the girl's family know the sincerity of the boy's family in proposing marriage and the boy's family background and wealth.
Of course, parents who were marrying off their daughters hoped that their daughters would live a sweet and comfortable life after marriage.
No parents in the world would let their daughters marry into a poor family or work like a beast of burden.
So Qi Jiao appropriately mentioned Ye Yun's advantages and potential, mainly focusing on the Ye family's population and family atmosphere.
"… Not to mention anything else, my eldest sister - in - law is extremely kind. She and my eldest brother live in Yinwan and help me manage the duck farm. They don't come to the city very often. My third brother is discussing marriage with my husband's cousin, Hui'er. You've seen Hui'er often. She's a kind - hearted and good girl. As for my foster parents, their characters are beyond reproach. If they hadn't taken such good care of me and regarded me as their own daughter, I wouldn't be where I am today…"
Leng Yao's mother had initially thought that since the Ye family had many sons, there might be conflicts among the sisters - in - law if Ah Yao married Ye Yun.
But after hearing what Qi Jiao said, she felt more at ease.
After chatting for a while, Leng Yao's mother finally spoke her mind.
"Don't laugh at me. I didn't have Ah Yao until I was thirty. The neighbors joked that I was an old oyster giving birth to a precious pearl, but I didn't care.
My daughter is a gift from heaven. I was so overjoyed. I took great care of her as she grew up. When she got older, I was worried that she wouldn't have a good marriage. After all, there's no brother in the family to support her. I was really worried about her…"
"Her father once considered having a son - in - law move into our family, but these days, which well - born son would be willing to do so? Ah Yao got angry when she heard this, so we dropped the idea… Now we've thought it through. As long as our daughter meets a good man, it doesn't matter whether it's an in - law marriage or not…"
It's a pity for parents all over the world.
Ye Yun's mother knew how hard it was for Leng Yao's mother to raise a daughter. She was deeply touched. Holding Leng Yao's mother's hand, she said, "Sister, if you don't mind, let our second son support you in your old age in the future. He's not only our Ye family's son but also your Leng family's son. Our Ye family is just an ordinary fishing and farming family. It's already a high honor for us to come and propose marriage to your Ah Yao today. As long as the kids get along well, we have no other opinions."
If Leng Yao's mother had only had a slight favorable impression of Ye Yun before, Ye Yun's mother's sincere words made her quite satisfied.
After discussing the important matters, Leng Yao's mother accepted the gifts and said that she would discuss it with her husband when he came back and give them an answer in three days.
When they left, Leng Yao's mother treated Ye Yun's mother like an old sister. She warmly sent them to the alley entrance.
During these three days, Qi Jiao specifically gave Ye Yun a holiday and asked him to go to the steamed - bun shop to work hard and show his good side.
Ye Yun went there with a big smile on his face.
Leng Yao's father found Ye Yun good - looking and likable in character. Most importantly, he listened to his daughter.
With Ye Yun's help, Ah Yao could be much more relaxed.
Moreover, Ye Yun promised that after they got married, he wouldn't restrict Ah Yao. She could do business if she wanted to and live in Yuanyang Alley if she liked. He and his family had no objections.
Although Leng Yao's father didn't show it on his face, he was very happy inside. So he nodded and agreed to the marriage.
Leng Yao's parents found the Ye family reasonable, so they reciprocated with sincerity.
The two elders had been running their business for many years and had another small house in the city, which they would use as the wedding house for Leng Yao and Ye Yun. From then on, the young couple would live there.
As long as the young couple visited them from time to time, the two elders would be content.
Since Leng Yao had to run the steamed - bun shop, she definitely wouldn't go back to Yinwan with Ye Yun every day.
Uncle Ye and Aunt Ye had originally planned to tighten their belts and buy a small courtyard for them in the county town.
Unexpectedly, the Leng family directly gave their daughter a house as a dowry.
Aunt Ye immediately doubled the betrothal gifts. Besides eight gold coins, there were also eighteen sets of betrothal presents, showing great sincerity.
The two families reached an agreement on the marriage and quickly completed the procedures, setting a wedding date.
On this side, Ye Ba was so anxious that he got blisters on his lips when he saw his elder brother was going to get married.
Ye Ba went to his mother and said, "Mom, I want to marry Hui'er!"
Aunt Ye said happily and scolded him gently, "You've finally come to your senses. Mom knows you're in a hurry, but don't be impatient. We should follow the order of seniority. Wait until your second brother and sister - in - law get married, and then it'll be your turn."
Ye Ba was a bit disappointed, but he still happily went to tell Hui'er about this.
"As soon as my second brother's wedding is over, I'll marry you."
There were still other people around. Ye Ba was really outspoken.
Hui'er wished she could pinch him. Blushing, she went into the house to help Qi Jiao.
As Ye Yun's younger sister - in - law, Qi Jiao really liked Leng Yao's appearance and spent some time preparing gifts for her.
Leng Yao had a bright and beautiful appearance.
Qi Jiao prepared a set of red - jade hair ornaments for her, as well as two sets of gauze clothes, one powder - blue and the other begonia - red. They were extremely elegant and beautiful.
The gauze clothes made Qi Jiao quite excited. It was the hot summer, and the gauze clothes were so cool!
She waved her hand and bought two sets for herself.
That night, after taking a bath, with a gentle night breeze blowing, Qi Jiao, wearing a light - green gauze dress and a milky - white camisole, sat in front of the dressing table to do her evening makeup.
She had raven - black hair, fair skin, and a fragrant body. She was extremely charming and full of tenderness.
Behind her, Pei Xia's eyes were dark, and his gaze, filled with strong desire, seemed to devour her.
Before Qi Jiao could take off her hairpins, he stepped forward, firmly grabbing her wrist.
Qi Jiao turned around with a soft exclamation. Pei Xia took action and kissed her lips that were more fragrant than flowers.
The two of them fell into the hot mirror and entangled with each other for the whole night.
Behind the cloud - patterned screen, there was boundless amorous joy.