The Humble Family’s Daughter Has A Spatial Pocket!
Chapter 707 - 635: High Requirements_1

Chapter 707: Chapter 635: High Requirements_1

Yan Residence.

"Mother, you were so anxious to call me back, is there something wrong?"

As soon as she returned, Daohua went to see Madam Li in the main courtyard.

Madam Li gestured to Ping Tong to hand Daohua the card from the Dong Family.

Daohua took the card and started reading, "Uncle Dong is celebrating his birthday?"

Madam Li began, "This year is the last year of Provincial Governor Dong’s service in Zhongzhou. With the help of the Marquis Yongjia Residence in Beijing, he will surely return to the capital next year. Thus, they want to take this opportunity to gather more with the officials of Zhongzhou, I suppose."

Daohua nodded. Yuanyao had often mentioned in their correspondence that this year, her family’s gatherings had been far more frequent than in previous years, probably to maintain relationships with everyone before leaving.

After all, in the bureaucratic world, more connections mean more pathways, and the Dong Family surely wouldn’t want to lose the network they’ve built in Zhongzhou once they leave.

Daohua asked, "Are Yihuan and the others going this time?"

Madam Li nodded, "All will go." All four daughters in the family were growing up and it was time to start considering marriage prospects. Thinking of this, she smiled and beckoned her daughter to sit beside her.

Once Daohua sat down, Madam Li took her hand and said, "Next year you will be of age. Some things must be considered. Tell Mother what kind of husband you would like, so I can keep an eye out for you."

Daohua hadn’t expected Madam Li to suddenly bring this up, and laughed awkwardly, about to deflect when Madam Li interrupted her, "No saying you haven’t thought about it or you don’t know. This is a matter of your lifetime happiness; if you don’t tell Mother your thoughts, how can I find someone for you? If Mother goes by her own ideas, would you be willing to accept that?"

Daohua quickly shook her head.

Madam Li smiled slightly and continued, "Men should marry and women should wed; this is natural order and common sense. Besides, you are talking to your mother, not to outsiders. What’s there to be shy about?"

Daohua looked down, fiddling with her handkerchief for a while before she said, "Mother, I haven’t thought about this matter yet. Can I think about it and tell you later?"

Madam Li glared at Daohua, "Every time we talk about this, you change the subject. When you were younger, I didn’t push you, but now you are grown up, and I can’t let you do as you please anymore. If you say nothing, then I will proceed according to my own ideas."

Seeing Madam Li’s serious face, Daohua knew she could not dodge the issue this time. After contemplating for a while, she stood up and said, "Alright then, I’ll just talk about the kind of man I like."

"First, he must be chaste and not frivolous. My husband must be faithful only to me; he cannot have relations with other women, whether concubines or handmaids."

"Second, he must have responsibility and commitment, capable of handling and undertaking affairs when they arise."

"Third, he must understand and accommodate me, not forcing me to do things I dislike."

"Fourth, he should be able to earn a living, be self-sufficient even without relying on his family and have his own pursuits."

"Fifth, he should prioritize our small family, not simply follow his parents’ wishes, nor allow them to meddle in our affairs. When his family troubles his wife, he should unconditionally support his wife."

"Sixth, he should have a good personality and appearance, not be too dull or too slick, and he should occasionally be romantic and tender..."

Daohua spoke energetically in one go.

Madam Li and both Ping Tong and Ping Xiao were listening, struck dumb.

Just considering the first criterion alone, it was almost impossible for large households.

When Daohua turned around and saw Madam Li staring at her blankly, she smiled sheepishly, "Mother, for now I’ve just thought of this much. You can start selecting based on these criteria, and I will tell you if I think of others later."

Madam Li swallowed hard, truly not expecting her daughter to have such high standards for her future husband, and asked with some difficulty, "Do you have other requirements?"

Daohua nodded, matter-of-factly saying, "Of course. Men fear entering the wrong trade, women fear marrying the wrong man. Marriage concerns a daughter’s lifetime happiness; there can be no carelessness, so one must pick and choose carefully."

Madam Li coughed a few times, "...If we really go by what you said, you might end up not getting married at all."

Daohua looked trustingly at Madam Li, "I believe in Mother. You will surely be able to find such a husband for me."

Madam Li strained a smile, feeling that her daughter was deliberately posing difficult questions to delay an early engagement.

With this thought, Madam Li, nursing a headache, waved Daohua off, indicating she could leave.

Seeing the signal, Daohua immediately left with a smile.

...

On the twentieth of September, Madam Li, accompanied by Daohua and her four sisters, took a boat to the provincial capital.

This time in the provincial capital, Madam Li and the four girls stayed with the Li Family. Early the next morning, they went to the Dong Residence for a birthday feast.

With so many guests, Madam Dong was too busy to greet them, so Dong Yuanyao greeted Madam Li and her group.

"Grandmother, Madam Li and Yiyi have arrived,"

Dong Yuanyao led Daohua and the others to the courtyard of the elderly Madam Dong.

"We’ve come to offer our respects to the elderly Madam,"

Madam Li approached with a smile to give her respects, and the elderly Madam Dong hurriedly asked them to rise.

When it was Daohua’s turn to pay her respects, she clearly felt that the elderly Madam Dong’s attitude was not as warm as before. She wondered if it was her imagination, but it seemed that the elderly Madam Dong’s smile was somewhat forced.

Soon after, Dong Yuanyao left to greet other guests. When the ladies of various families were chatting together, Daohua saw the elderly Madam Dong jesting and laughing only with the other girls, not paying her any attention. Daohua was certain she had become estranged from the elderly Madam Dong.

This puzzled her, but after meeting Madam Dong and finding her treatment unchanged, Daohua put these concerns out of her mind.

After lunch, Dong Yuanyao took Daohua and Yan Yihuan for a walk in the garden to help with digestion, and halfway through, they unexpectedly ran into Dong Yuanxuan.

Dong Yuanyao asked in surprise, "Brother, what are you doing here?"

Daohua and Yan Yihuan were taken aback to see Dong Yuanxuan, who had lost a lot of weight.

Daohua asked with concern, "Brother Dong, what’s the matter with you? Why have you lost so much weight, are you sick?"

Seeing the concern on Daohua’s face, Dong Yuanxuan’s heart ached again. He lowered his eyes to hide his unspeakable affection, remained silent for a moment, and then managed a faint smile, "I’m fine, thank you for your concern, Sister Yan." Saying this, he casually picked up Mo Ju saying, "A guest wanted to admire Mo Ju, I came to fetch her."

After speaking, he hurriedly left.

Once he was far away, Daohua pulled Dong Yuanyao aside and asked, "What happened to Brother Dong?"

Dong Yuanyao whispered, "My brother is dissatisfied with the marriage arranged by our family. He’s been out of sorts with our grandmother for months, sullen all the time, and he’s also not eating well, which is why he’s wasted away to this."

Daohua showed surprise, "Brother Dong is engaged? To which family’s daughter?"

Dong Yuanyao replied, "The legitimate eldest daughter of the Marquis Zhao De Residence."

Daohua commented, "A match from the Marquis Residence does seem well-suited to your family."

Dong Yuanyao sighed, "Matching families is one thing, but the key issue is that my brother doesn’t like her."

Daohua sympathized with Dong Yuanxuan; not being able to decide on one’s own marriage is quite frustrating. However, it was a private family matter, and it wasn’t her place to say much. She changed the topic with Dong Yuanyao.

Dong Yuanyao asked, "Yiyi, when are you going back?"

Daohua replied, "In a couple of days. My third cousin is considering a match, and my aunt wants my mother to have a look as well."

Hearing this, Dong Yuanyao’s face brightened, "Then I will come to see you tomorrow."

Daohua nodded with a smile, "Sure, that would be lovely."