Leaning on her daughter who had come to sit by her side, Mrs. Lu summoned her strength and proposed the first test.
"The dowry must amount to 10,000 liang of silver."
From her own experiences, Mrs. Lu had learned that spending money on men could bring twenty years of misfortune.
She did not want her daughter to walk the same path she did, nurturing a gigolo.
Therefore, her first test was about money, and plenty of it.
Xiu Wen hesitated, looking at his master, Li Shuchen. According to the allowance promised by Li Shuchen, it would take him more than eight years to accumulate the amount.
However, he couldn't wait for eight years, and his silent gaze questioned, asking if he could advance his allowance?
Reading his eyes, Li Shuchen nodded lightly.
Well, Xiu Wen had been with him all the way, meritorious and hardworking, helping him find a wife was not a big deal.
Having gotten the approval, Xiu Wen puffed out his chest and decisively said, "Deal!"
"I can't."
Du Ziteng rejected without hesitation, citing a realistic reason, "Aunt, I don't have that much money. My father left me only 5,000 liang of silver as a dowry for my wife."
No sooner had he finished speaking than his ear was twisted, Old Lady Du, disappointed at his lack of fight, angrily said, "You do."
"I don't."
"Your mother does."
Old Lady Du had made up her mind, what's 10,000 liang of silver? She could secretly supplement her daughter-in-law, but she absolutely couldn't let the other four daughters-in-law know about it. Therefore, in front of the servants who had come along, she could only say that her daughter-in-law had the money.
Suddenly being mentioned by her mother-in-law, Mrs. Du's handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted to shreds.
She could give her son, but not her money!
Her face turned into a bitter gourd, she refused, "Mother, how could you target my dowry, this..." How humiliating!
Seeing that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were about to start arguing, Mrs. Lu coughed violently a few times to interrupt them, and then proposed the second test.
"Cook a bowl of noodles for Yue Ming."
They say a gentleman stays away from the kitchen, but if a man is willing to cook for his daughter, it shows a bit of sincerity.
Hearing the request, Xiu Wen's eyes immediately brightened.
This was something he was good at.
Spring noodles, egg noodles, shredded pork noodles, etc., he used all his unique skills, made full use of the ingredients available in the kitchen, and made all sorts of more than a dozen bowls of noodles.
Du Ziteng, who was surprised, directly conceded, "This is all women's work, how would I know?...I only know how to eat, this bowl of tomato and egg noodles looks good, I'll have this one!"
Seeing his lack of fight, Old Lady Du was so mad that she hammered the ground with her cane.
She had been worried about her granddaughter marrying into another family. Stuck in the rear house, she couldn't reach her. Even though she was a senior, she had no reason to go to the man's house and give orders.
This is how the world works, a married granddaughter is like water thrown out. Only when the water is splashed on her own can she take care of it.
Furthermore, her husband had already retired, and Lu Baiian had been imprisoned. Yue Ming's reputation was not good along with him.
Although Du Ziteng had always been at odds with Yue Ming since they were young, he had never really bullied her. The one who always ended up crying was Du Ziteng.
With her watching, Mrs. Du and Du Ziteng had to treat Yue Ming properly. Even if she died in the future, there would be her son, Yue Ming's uncle, who could take her place and protect Yue Ming.
But Du Ziteng's repeated hesitation made her waver slightly. Compared to Xiu Wen, he really didn't seem like a good husband.
Old Lady Du clutched her cane tightly, her eyes still focusing on her grandson, but she couldn't help but sneak a peek at Xiu Wen.
At this moment, Mrs. Lu, with the help of her maid, gulped down a few more sips of hot tea, and finally regained some energy.
"The third test, a martial arts duel. Let me see who is more capable of protecting Yue Ming."
"Mother, I can protect myself." Lu Yueming shook Mrs. Lu's arms, attempting to act coquettish to make her change her mind.
Cousin Du Ziteng is a descendant of a military commander, while Xiu Wen is merely a scholarly man. The difference in their strength was evident.
However, Mrs. Lu remained unmoved.
Being from a military family, she highly valued the martial arts skills of her future son-in-law, and whether he could protect her Yue Ming.
She ordered her servants to carry her to the dueling ground, which she had built for Lu Baiian. Mrs. Lu gripped the handle of her soft sedan chair tightly, thinking fiercely: I'll turn this place into a pig farm tomorrow!
The severe heartache made her exceptionally alert.
Staring at the weapons rack in the field, she wished she could jab all of them into Lu Baiian.
On the other side, Old Lady Du had already skillfully twisted Du Ziteng's ear.
"Ziteng, does it hurt?"
"It hurts, it hurts! Grandmother, please let go, don't tire yourself!"
Old Lady Du gave a slight smile, gentle yet a bit sly: "If Ziteng doesn't do his best, I assure you it will hurt even more. In this duel, you must give it your all."
Let's see how persistent the young man on the other side is, how sincere he is.
Du Ziteng, covering his ear, pleaded, "Grandmother, please let go. I'll listen to you! I just ate a full meal, I'm full of energy, I'll certainly knock him down!"
Du Ziteng's mind was full of calculations.
The first test, ten thousand taels of silver. His mother, being so stingy, would definitely not agree.
The second test, cooking noodles. As a young master who was neither hardworking nor knowledgeable about grains, he would likely burn the kitchen down rather than cook.
According to the best-of-three rule, he was bound to lose. Therefore, winning this duel would not matter.
Du Ziteng carefully selected his preferred weapon, the red tassel spear, planning to show off a few moves to please his grandmother, so she wouldn't keep twisting his ear!
Seeing him choose the red tassel spear, Xiu Wen thought for a moment and chose the same weapon.
The spear was long, making it easier to hit people!
For Yue Ming, Xiu Wen picked up the long spear and charged first.
But he was knocked down.
Xiu Wen got up to fight again, but felt a pain in his calf and fell to the ground once more.
After dozens of rounds, Du Ziteng found it as easy to hit him as it was to hit a wooden stake.
Seeing that he had taken so many hits and was still struggling to get up, Du Ziteng furrowed his brows and reminded him, "Just admit defeat!"
"No!"
Seeing such stubbornness for the first time, Du Ziteng was inspired to win. He didn't believe he couldn't defeat him.
"I'm telling you to admit defeat!"
"No!"
Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Xiu Wen used both hands to push himself off the ground, staggering to his feet, and roared, "Again!"
He had already given up on Yue Ming once.
This time, even if it kills him, he will not let go.
"Are you out of your mind?" Du Ziteng was getting impatient seeing the stubbornness in front of him.
The icy stare of his cousin Yue Ming left him spine-chilled, scared to death.
Ever since they were kids, he had never been able to beat Yue Ming, mainly because he dared not win.
If he lost, he was beaten by his cousin.
If he won, he was beaten by the whole family.
Therefore, he always felt intimidated by Lu Yueming. Seeing Lu Yueming's fists clenched tightly, glaring at him with anger, Du Ziteng knew he couldn't escape a beating this time.
While he was distracted, Xiu Wen surprisingly rushed towards him with a spear. He instinctively wanted to strike back to protect himself.
Just when the spear was an inch away from Xiu Wen's chest, it was suddenly deflected. Lu Yueming lunged forward, using all her strength to kick her cousin away.
Upon falling, he crashed into a rack of weapons and was hit on the head by an axe that fell down. Du Ziteng's last words before passing out were: "Marrying my cousin, I'd rather die!"
Seeing blood oozing from his forehead, Mrs. Du rushed to him, sobbing.
Old Lady Du immediately sent a maid to fetch the doctor. A forcefully twisted melon is not sweet after all. Unfortunately, this grandson of hers who had yet to marry was the only melon she could twist.
Her picky gaze shifted to the young man in the field who was severely injured. Old Lady Du let out a deep sigh.
Such unwavering love could indeed move her granddaughter's heart. Perhaps, not all men were like Lu Baiian.
In the field, Lu Yueming was looking at Xiu Wen, who was in so much pain that he was gasping for breath. Her eyes quickly became misty.
You fool!
The resentment she felt when she was rejected by him had long evaporated. She helped Xiu Wen up, letting him kneel using his own strength. Both of them knelt in front of Mrs. Lu. She kowtowed, her eyes resolute.
The wind blew, making their red clothes flutter slightly.
This scene was strikingly similar to when Mrs. Lu and Lu Baiian knelt in front of her parents, begging them to give their blessings.
Mrs. Lu's eyes were slightly blurry. What if they passed the test? People's feelings are fickle.
She called a maid over and whispered a few words into her ear.
When the maid returned with a wooden box, she used her remaining strength to say, "This is a poison pill. If you want to marry Yueming, you must swallow it. Don't worry, I won't take your life for no reason. As long as you don't take concubines and don't betray Yueming, I'll give you the antidote on time. Are you willing?"
"I am willing."
Despite the pain, Xiu Wen tried to kneel as straight as possible. He looked straight at Mrs. Lu, his eyes full of sincerity, speaking firmly, "She is my life."
So, for her, he was willing to risk his life in a duel. For her, he was also willing to swallow the poison without hesitation.
Seeing him swallow the pill, Mrs. Lu's eyes gradually warmed up. Perhaps her daughter was luckier than she was.
Sensing her slight nod, Old Lady Du also stopped being stubborn. Well, let the children have their own luck, she could just enjoy her blessings.
The old lady cheerfully ordered someone to escort Mrs. Lu back to her room. She was concerned about her daughter's health after her big illness and occasionally discussed her granddaughter's marriage.
Xiu Wen was also helped by Lu Yueming to the side room. A servant was sent to fetch the doctor.
"I'll go!"
Qi Huan volunteered, pulling Li Shuchen towards Sun's Medical Hall, taking the opportunity to send the maids out to buy clean new clothes, leaving the room to the couple.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
Through the red robe, the injury is obscured, but thinking of the blood he just spat out, Lu Yueming knew that his injuries were severe.
She carefully helped him onto the bed, and with her eyelashes drooping, she fell silent.
Seeing her this quiet for the first time, Xiu Wen was somewhat anxious. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly felt a warmth on the back of his hand, followed by a few teardrops falling down.
The tears hit his hand, scalding him with heartache.
He removed his mask, smiling at Yue Ming, "Yue'er, don't cry, it doesn't hurt at all. Your cousin is not very good, he fights like he's scratching an itch."
Seeing the face she had been longing for day and night again, Lu Yueming's tears fell even more urgently. Although she knew he was not dead, nothing was more comforting than seeing him in person.
She held his face, and without any technique, kissed him, urgently wanting to feel his warmth, to feel his presence beside her.
However, Xiu Wen pushed her away again.
"Yue, Yue'er, don't do this." Seeing her face flushed with anger, Xiu Wen stuttered out his inner thoughts, "This is not good. ... Wait until we're married, then we can kiss everyday."
"But Ah Huan and Li Shuchen are not married either, they can kiss, why can't we?"
Qi Huan led Sun Doctor in, and happened to hear Lu Yueming's question. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Turns out she was the one who spoiled Lu Yueming.
Sensing Sun Doctor's gossiping gaze, she defended herself, "Yue Ming is talking about Ah Huan, it has nothing to do with my Xiao Qi."
Sun Doctor fell silent, what was Xiao Qi's full name again?
After sending Sun Doctor away, Qi Huan quickly dragged Li Shuchen away.
Recalling the attitudes of Mrs. Lu and Old Lady Du, she believed that Yue Ming and Xiu Wen would surely become a couple.
With the love lives of her friends and family resolved, she could finally spare some thought for the greenhouse cultivation.
