Chapter 230: I Do Not Agree to This Marriage

Shen Sijing brought gifts into the inner residence, while Master Shen was still angry.

"Father, Zhou You has left. He just went to check the trading outpost outside the city, and he put a lot of thought into it."

Master Shen nodded, "He is a good lad. Risking danger to leave the city and run errands for the trading firm—it is a pity the girl does not know his worth."

They did not expect that Zhou You would actually conduct a field inspection of the trading outpost outside the city and study how to improve the business; this level of dedication was truly rare.

It is a pity...

"Ying'er is throwing a tantrum. I personally went to ask her to meet Zhou You, but she refused."

Master Shen puffed out his beard, "I am also to blame for spoiling her like this. She will suffer greatly once she marries in the future."

When news of Zhou You's visit arrived earlier, Master Shen had intended to host him personally and even thought of bringing Shen Siying out for a formal introduction.

Just as Steward Xu knew, the Shen Family intended to recruit Zhou You as a son-in-law to bring him in as a stabilizing force.

Back at the martial arts hall, Shen Siying had also met Zhou You once, so logically, they were not strangers.

However, this young lady of the Shen Family would rather die than agree.

She was high-minded and looked down on Zhou You for his Commoner background; even if he was now rising in fame, he was merely a crude martial artist, unworthy of the pampered eldest daughter of the Shen Family.

Her father and brother were both interested, but she, as the person involved, absolutely did not agree.

The parents parted on bad terms, and to avoid making a scene, they had to let Shen Sijing handle the hosting alone.

Shen Sijing gave a bitter smile, "She is still immature."

A young girl always dreams of marrying an ideal husband, yet she does not know how dire the family's situation has become. The area outside the city is in turmoil, and nine out of ten caravans sent out never return; although rising prices bring huge profits, they cannot offset the skyrocketing costs.

The cost of hiring martial artists is terrifyingly high, and Shen Sijing and Xu Ying are running around putting out fires, stretched thin and working very hard.

The more chaotic the times, the more one must rely on martial force to conduct business smoothly.

Master Shen has a keen eye for the wind, knowing that if they do not seek change in time, their downfall is right before them.

Marriage alliance is the best method.

"I will not marry him! What is that Zhou You anyway! Kicked out of the martial arts hall, he is just a martial artist with no status. If it weren't for our family giving his father a meal, he would have starved to death long ago."

Shen Siying cried out loudly, her heart full of unwillingness and despair.

Even if she did not want to marry into a higher status, she could not lower herself to marry the son of a trading firm employee.

The surrounding maids and servants could not persuade her, so they could only gather around with kind words, fearing she might do something rash.

Shen Sijing softly persuaded his father, "Little sister just hasn't thought it through yet."

He paused and added, "Don't make things difficult for her either; Junior Brother Zhou likely wouldn't agree either."

"What?"

Master Shen asked urgently, "Did he tell you that?"

"Not exactly, but every word he spoke was about the trading firm's affairs, without mentioning little sister once. I think he has already made his stance clear."

"..."

It was only after Zhou You returned home and heard his father mention it that he learned the Shen Family intended to form a marriage alliance with their family.

"The proprietor mentioned this marriage to me; now it depends on your thoughts."

Zhou Laodie was beaming with joy, "You'er, if you could really marry the Shen Family's young lady..."

His mother on the side did not agree, "Is that someone we can climb up to?"

"With our You'er's conditions, is it impossible to climb up?"

Zhou Laodie became unhappy as well and began to argue with his wife on the spot.

His wife's meaning was simple: Song Fugui married a wealthy young lady and suffered so much hardship and so many difficulties.

Marriage is about matching between a man and a woman, emphasizing social parity. If they bring a high-and-mighty young lady into the house, are they, as the parents-in-law, expected to lower their faces to please her?

Zhou Laodie considered that the Shen Family Trading Firm was wealthy and powerful, with a solid foundation, and the other party had explicitly stated it was not a recruitment of a son-in-law but a marriage of a daughter, with a generous dowry that would not be inferior to any other family in the city.

If this marriage succeeded, the old Zhou Family would reach a higher level and no longer rely on working for a living. As for the woman being spoiled? Once she is married into the house, she must follow her husband! After arguing for a long time, Zhou Laodie threw out, "This still depends on You'er's wishes."

"You'er, the Shen Family's young lady is good-looking and has a respectable family background; such a good match is hard to find even with a lantern!"

Zhou You's mind conjured the image of that porcelain-doll-like girl, and he shook his head.

The Shen Family's younger sister, Shen Siying, had tipped him silver at the martial arts hall, and from the bottom of her heart, she considered him a 'lower-class person'.

Therefore, Zhou You did not agree to this marriage.

"Never mind what our family thinks; I heard the Shen Family's young lady does not agree and is making a huge scene at home."

"In marriage, it doesn't work if only one side is enthusiastic."

Zhou You spoke casually, not expecting his words to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Zhou Laodie was shocked, "There is such a thing?"

He had originally been hot-headed, thinking that once the two families were joined, the old Zhou Family would prosper, and he could become 'Master Zhou'.

However, marriage is a major life event concerning the happiness of the second half of one's life; if the person brought into the bedroom is unwilling, the problem is huge.

As the old saying goes, a forced melon is not sweet.

Although his father was keen on this marriage, he cared more about his son's happiness for the rest of his life.

To put it bluntly, if the marital life is not harmonious, they might not even be able to have children, and wouldn't the old Zhou Family line end? "It is indeed the case!"

Zhou You said solemnly; the Shen Family's young lady was raised in the deep boudoir, and his father had no way to ask her in person.

He then brought up this trip to survey the area; the geographical location of the trading outpost was not very good, and the transport costs remained high.

Zhou Laodie was now also in middle-to-upper management and had gained a broader perspective, so he nodded upon hearing this.

"True, if the trading outpost could be moved to the town, costs could be reduced by at least half."

If costs were reduced by 50%, how much could the corresponding profits increase?

Zhou You listened and kept it in his heart.

Eliminating Jin Heshan and sweeping away his influence in the town could not be delayed; it would have the benefit of killing two birds with one stone.

At night, Zhou You lay in his bedroom, looking at the Hungry Tiger painting under the moonlight.

He was carefully experiencing the transformation brought about by the 9th stage of Blood Qi, his body being washed and baptized from the inside out at every moment.

The improvement of Blood Qi and the strengthening of the body are a process of two-way feedback; the stronger the Blood Qi, the stronger the body.

Breaking through to the Martial Master level, when it comes down to it, requires two conditions.

The quantitative change in Blood Qi triggers a qualitative change, turning from virtual to real, reaching a point of being as viscous and condensed as liquid mercury.

Powerful Martial Masters rarely bleed when injured because their blood will actively retract into their bodies, and even if it falls to the ground, it condenses into small beads, the surface not stained with a speck of dust or filth, which is very miraculous.

This is a sign that Blood Qi has reached a high level.

Blood Qi of such intensity carries immense power when flowing, like a great river flowing east, with rolling waves.

At the same time, the strength of the body must also be improved accordingly; otherwise, when the Blood Qi surges, it will burst the blood vessels and pierce through the skin and flesh, leaving the whole person tattered like a broken sack.

Two-way improvement is the only effective improvement.

Zhou You listened to the Blood Qi, compressed to the extreme, beating slowly and powerfully in his ears.

With a movement of his mind, a drop of blood seeped from his fingertip, rolled along his skin, and condensed into a perfectly round, flawless little bead.

Swish—a sharp sound of breaking through the air rang out.

The blood bead was flicked out by Zhou You, piercing through the wall like it was tofu, and it flew dozens of meters away before landing.

Looking at his fingertip again, the wound had been forcibly squeezed shut, and not a trace could be seen.

This was merely the 9th stage of Blood Qi, and there was still a large gap to the Primary Martial Master level.

(End of this chapter)