As long as his Grandpa was still on his side and willing to step forward and ask for Meng Jixue’s hand in marriage on behalf of him and the Meng family, this marriage was sure to happen.
It wasn’t that Zhou Zhishu was overly confident.
The situation was simply that urgent.
Given the Meng family’s current situation, aside from the Zhou family, no one else dared or was willing, to get involved in this mess.
Just moments ago, Zhou Zhishu had still been worried that his Grandpa would be displeased by his improper behavior and feared that he might refuse to bring up the matter. Now, he could finally relax.
Ignoring the swelling and pain on his face, Zhou Zhishu hurried over to Meng Qingsong and looked eagerly at his future father-in-law.
His knees softened, and he was just about to kneel.
But before his knees could touch the ground, he heard Old Master Zhou continue, “As for which grandson it should be, I think that should be for Jixue to decide herself. Although this matter has come up suddenly, marriage is a major decision for a lifetime, especially for a young woman. Qingsong, what do you think?”
Zhou Zhishu froze. The smile on his face disappeared as well.
He stared in disbelief and blurted out, “Grandpa, what are you talking about?!”
Wasn’t Grandpa supposed to help him ask for her hand in marriage? How had it suddenly become a matter of choosing from all the Zhou family’s grandsons?
There were several young men of marriageable age in the Zhou family!
If he really had to compete with his brothers, Zhou Zhishu wasn’t sure he could win.
Old Master Zhou frowned and glared at him. “Shut your mouth!”
After all, he had been through the battlefield. One look from him was enough to frighten Zhou Zhishu stiff, and he immediately fell silent.
The way Zhou Zhishu was acting was truly embarrassing.
But he was still a member of the Zhou family. Although Meng Qingsong disliked what he saw, he naturally wouldn’t say it aloud. Besides, Old Master Zhou had come here sincerely to consider the future of the Meng family and Meng Jixue. He had to accept this kindness.
The Zhou family was indeed the best choice.
They were old family friends, and they had enough power and influence to protect Meng Jixue. What was more, Old Master Zhou was being completely sincere. He had put all of the Zhou family’s grandsons forward and was allowing his daughter to choose for herself.
The thought warmed Meng Qingsong’s heart.
“Uncle Zhou, you’ve already put it this way. Naturally, I have no objections.” After saying that, he looked at Meng Jixue. “But Ah Xue, this is your lifelong marriage, after all. Your father wants to hear what you think.”
That was what mattered most.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Meng Jixue.
Zhou Zhishu immediately became nervous.
Meng Jixue must have some feelings for him, right? Otherwise, why would she always call him Brother Zhishu this and Brother Zhishu that?
If Meng Jixue herself chose him, then he would still have a chance to win her heart.
Thinking of this, Zhou Zhishu’s peach blossom eyes nearly fluttered themselves off his face as he desperately winked at Meng Jixue.
But Meng Jixue didn’t even spare his lovestruck self a glance.
Originally, she had intended to politely refuse this marriage. After all, she had no intention of ending up with the same fate as in her previous life.
But she had never expected that deliberately allowing Zhou Zhishu to expose his frivolous side would actually make Old Master Zhou change his mind, from asking for her hand on Zhou Zhishu’s behalf to asking for her hand on behalf of the entire Zhou family.
Could this be what they called a twist of fate?
Meng Jixue quickly considered her family’s current situation.
If she followed Meng Qingsong to the countryside, she would be completely helpless. She might even end up hanging herself alongside her father.
If she wanted to restore the Meng family’s former glory, she had to remain in the capital.
But even if she managed to find another way to stay in the capital, without a powerful family backing her, it would already be difficult for an orphaned girl like her to survive, let alone help clear her father’s name.
After thinking it over, she realized that she still had to get married.
The Zhou family was a good choice. Setting Zhou Zhishu aside, when she thought back over the decades of her previous life, there were actually several men of her generation who weren’t bad.
But the most outstanding and dazzling one, it had to be Zhou Zhishu younger uncle.
Zhou Hanzhang…
That’s right. There was also Zhou Hanzhang!
For some reason, despite being exceptionally outstanding, Zhou Hanzhang had never married in her previous life.
Countless women had been introduced to him, but Zhou Hanzhang hadn’t taken a liking to a single one. It seemed that he simply had no time in his life to concern himself with romance and marriage.
Old Master Zhou had practically exhausted himself worrying about his son’s marriage. But there was nothing he could do. His son was already grown, and he was exceptionally capable and strong willed. Neither threats nor persuasion had worked.
In the end, Old Master Zhou could only resign himself to it.
Fortunately, he himself was capable and had many children, so he wasn’t afraid of the Zhou family’s bloodline dying out. If Zhou Hanzhang didn’t want to marry, then so be it. When he grew old, they could simply adopt one of the Zhou family’s children into his branch. That would be just as good.
If she was going to marry, she might as well marry the most powerful man.
Meng Jixue decisively set her sights on this powerful and influential man.
However, if she directly said that she wanted to choose Zhou Hanzhang, she would probably provoke Zhou Hanzhang displeasure. Besides, they were of different generations, and the Zhou family might not agree either.
The best solution was to make Zhou Hanzhang take the initiative and ask for her hand in marriage.
Meng Jixue made up her mind.
She looked at Old Master Zhou and carefully organized her words.
“Grandpa Zhou, I know very well that you care about me. I’m not an unreasonable girl, either. Now that the Meng family is in trouble, everyone else is avoiding us like the plague, yet you were still willing to come here in person. It’s not only because of the favor you owe my grandfather. It’s also because you truly treat me like your own granddaughter.”
“With your guidance, the Zhou family has always had strict family values, so naturally, the children you raised are all exceptional. Even if nothing had happened to my family, if you asked me to choose one of the Zhou family’s young men as my husband, I wouldn’t be losing out.”
She paused before continuing, “It’s just that I’ve always regarded them as my own older brothers. Asking me to suddenly choose one of them as my husband… it’s really difficult to decide.”
Those words were beautifully spoken.
Old Master Zhou liked her even more after hearing them.
If the Zhou family had a granddaughter-in-law like this, perhaps their future descendants might even inherit some artistic talent. He was a rough military man himself, and he admired cultured people the most.
What Meng Jixue meant was that she had agreed to the marriage. She simply hadn’t decided whom to choose yet.
He smiled warmly. “That’s easy. I estimate your father still has about two months before he is sent down. During these two months, spend some time getting to know my grandsons and developing feelings for them. Once you’ve taken a liking to one of them, just tell Grandpa. I’ll make the decision and arrange the marriage for you!”