Chapter 1079: Niece

Spring outing.

Chen Xiaolan forcefully dragged Chen Guanlou out.

She said he had a moldy smell on him, plus a stinky man smell.

"You spend all day hanging around with a bunch of prisoners and jailers, or else you're mingling with people from the brothels. Just look at yourself; you have no sense of propriety at all. With such beautiful weather, why are you cooped up in the Heavenly Prison? You'd be better off accompanying me out to enjoy the spring."

Chen Guanlou couldn't refuse his eldest sister, so he had to comply. He just considered himself a bodyguard, escorting the three nephews out to play.

The capital had its own suitable places for spring outings, right in the suburbs, with mountains and water, lawns, and peach blossoms all over the mountains. The scenery was very beautiful!

When they arrived, he realized that his eldest sister's main purpose for going out today was to look at a marriage for his niece, Su Rongrong.

He was furious!

"Eldest sister is muddled! Rongrong is only how old, and you are in such a hurry to marry her off. How much rice can she eat, and how much money of yours can she use? How can you be so ruthless."

"Fart! You are a big man, what do you know. A girl's youth is precious; if the marriage isn't settled early, the good young men of the right age will be snatched away by others. At that time, what will you have Rongrong do? Don't tell me you want her to marry some old man, or a widower! If you truly care about your niece, then look with me. If there is a suitable one, settle the marriage, and get married in two years; the age will be just right."

Chen Guanlou was very unconvinced.

In his view, Rongrong was good in every way; she should at least wait until twenty to get married.

But on second thought, in this day and age, women had to get married at sixteen or seventeen; waiting until twenty was indeed a bit late and would invite gossip.

He felt very sorry for his niece. Young and getting married, she would inevitably be tormented by her in-laws and suffer grievances. And she must give birth to a son. If she couldn't give birth to a son, she would be criticized again.

He remembered very clearly that his eldest sister Chen Xiaolan had suffered many cold words and lived a bitter life for several years before giving birth to her eldest nephew. If it weren't for Brother-in-law Su feeling sorry for his eldest sister, his eldest sister's life would have been even harder.

As a brother-in-law, although he felt sorry for his eldest sister, he was far away. The Su family closed their doors to live their own lives, and he couldn't intervene. He could only keep sending money and gifts, hoping the Su family would have some sense and treat his eldest sister better.

It wasn't until his eldest sister gave birth to his eldest nephew that she truly began to hold her head high.

He pulled Su Rongrong aside and asked quietly, "Rongrong, if you are unwilling, tell your uncle. Uncle will make the decision for you. There are plenty of good men in the world; it doesn't necessarily have to be settled this year."

Su Rongrong was a bit shy.

A girl was raised very reservedly.

She blushed. "Uncle, you don't know, the families we are looking at today were introduced by the Hou Fu. There are three families in total. If it weren't for the spring outing, it wouldn't be convenient to look at three families in one day."

"There are actually three families?" Chen Guanlou was completely unaware. "Do you know which three families?"

Su Rongrong nodded, and although shy, she was generous.

She whispered that all three families were involved in military affairs.

"The positions aren't very high, but they win in having upright character. Mother also said, with my conditions, climbing a high branch would only invite humiliation. Finding a family background slightly higher than the Su family is very suitable."

"Do you like military affairs, or do you like scholars?"

"I... I don't know either." Su Rongrong was a bit dazed. "I listen to mother."

"You don't have any ideas of your own."

"Uncle, don't ask me. Marriage is a major event; I had no ideas before. Being asked suddenly, I don't know how to answer for a moment."

"You hang out with the girls from the Hou Fu, and you don't have any ideas of your own?"

Su Rongrong shook her head slightly. "The Hou Fu and the Su family are like heaven and earth. Being able to be friends with them and gain some knowledge is enough for me. How can I covet what I shouldn't have? Uncle, mother won't harm me."

Looking at his obedient, sensible, and submissive niece, Chen Guanlou felt a bit melancholy.

What he was happy about was that his niece was pretty and had upright character; she was a good girl.

What he was worried about was that his niece was too good, and her personality seemed a bit too soft; he was afraid she would be bullied in the future and wouldn't dare to return to her maiden home to complain. He was truly afraid she would suffer grievances.

"Fine, I know your thoughts; I will keep a close eye on things for you."

As long as the man's family had a vicious and unreasonable person, or a biased and unreasonable person, he wouldn't let his niece marry over and suffer grievances. Many methods of humiliating people happen in places that can't be seen.

Having worked in the Heavenly Prison for so many years, he understood this point better than anyone. To humiliate someone, why bother with open blades or guns? There are plenty of ways to grind a woman in the prime of her life to death without a sound.

He couldn't look after his niece at all times.

He didn't want to wait until things were beyond repair to find out his niece had been tortured.

Therefore, he had to examine carefully from the beginning. From character to family style to the way relatives and friends handle things... he would never let Rongrong marry a guy who swells his face to look fat, let alone let Rongrong marry a man who is entangled with women outside, and even less let Rongrong marry a guy who is honest on the surface but sinister and bad behind the scenes.

Chen Guanlou joined his eldest sister Chen Xiaolan.

He asked curiously, "Since you found the Hou Fu to be a matchmaker, why not find a family with a higher background? It wouldn't be a grievance to Rongrong."

Chen Xiaolan sighed. "You think I don't want to. From the Hou Fu's side, any family background would do. However, Rongrong is, after all, a Su family member. Your brother-in-law and I are just merchants running a teahouse. At most, Rongrong's grandfather is a small official at the city gate. With our family background, if we really climb a high branch, wouldn't Rongrong be hated to death by her in-laws?

Even if the man's family is reasonable and gives the Hou Fu face, they wouldn't mistreat Rongrong on the surface. But behind their backs, there would be gossip, and outsiders would also talk. If Rongrong marries over, I'm afraid she wouldn't have a single happy day. As time goes by, if there is a rift between husband and wife, and if there are concubines' sons and daughters, I don't even dare to think about that scene; how would Rongrong handle it? Just thinking about it makes my heart panic!"

Chen Guanlou hummed. "Do you think if the family background is lower, there won't be concubines' sons and daughters?"

Chen Xiaolan's face sank, her expression serious and solemn. She said, "At least when your brother-in-law and I run to the in-laws to vent anger for Rongrong, we can be righteous and fear no one!

If Rongrong marries high, your brother-in-law and I wouldn't even have the confidence to vent anger for Rongrong or teach the son-in-law a lesson; we would have to be careful. Your two nephews will also be lower than others in the future.

I have already thought about it; your two nephews' future relies on the Hou Fu, which is enough! For Rongrong's marriage, there is no need to climb a high branch and let her suffer grievances. Some wealth is too heavy to bear.

Besides, with me as her mother, I will definitely prepare a thick dowry for Rongrong so she won't suffer grievances by being stingy with money. And there is you as her uncle to look after her, which adds another layer of protection."

That also makes some sense.

Chen Guanlou nodded slightly.

"However, Rongrong's marriage partner must be approved by me. If I don't approve, you and brother-in-law are not allowed to settle a marriage contract with anyone behind my back."

Chen Xiaolan thought about it; this request wasn't excessive, so she nodded and agreed. ===== CHAPTER 1080 =====