After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

Chapter 1000 Wang Rong

The three walked along the street. As it got darker, more and more people appeared, and they were almost walking side by side, being swept along.

Bai Wu led his men forward, shielding their masters in the middle, and managed to carve out a space in the street, preventing anyone from approaching.

Gradually, the lanterns in the shops along the street began to light up, and the lanterns carried by pedestrians also began to glow faintly.

From scattered lights to a long line of lights, it only took a moment.

Fang Nanzhi's eyes lit up; she couldn't wait to join in the fun.

Fang Tong casually picked up a quirky tiger lantern from the roadside. The fierce tiger was made a bit chubby, which made it more adorable.

"or?"

"Yes!" Fang Nanzhi nodded without hesitation.

Carrying a tiger lantern, she walked with a powerful stride, then stopped at a dough figurine stall.

The old man with exquisite craftsmanship can sculpt dough figurines that closely resemble people's faces, and his stall has attracted many people.

"Boss, how long can this dough figurine be stored after it's been sculpted?"

A slender man in front asked a question, and a petite girl stood beside him.

Although there was a little distance between them, their eyes were filled with shyness when they occasionally looked at each other.

They clearly have a special relationship.

"About three days. What's the point of leaving it here? Young man, you can take it and eat it."

The old man didn't even look up; his hands kept moving.

"You can eat this?" the girl asked in surprise.

"Of course, you're from out of town, right? These dough figurines are made of glutinous rice flour, wheat flour... they're edible." Before the stall owner even had to speak, someone answered.

"Then, I'll take two," the man said, noticing the expectation in the woman's eyes.

Fang Nanzhi also started to look forward to it. Sculpting herself and then biting off her head seemed like a good idea.

Qingyan looked at the crowded people and felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Otherwise, let the guards line up and we'll continue forward. I've reserved a table at Wanbaolou."

Fang Nanzhi looked at him in surprise: "Of course you have to queue up yourself."

You can't let someone else do the shopping for you.

Fang Tong seized the opportunity to interject: "Zhizhi, how can you speak like that? Your Highness, cough, if the young master is tired, why don't you go to Wanbaolou to rest first, and we'll go there later."

In short, it was both a way to send the crown prince away and an implication that he was delicate and frail.

Qingyan shook his head, indicating he wouldn't leave now, and the three of them obediently lined up.

Anyone who has ever stood in a long line knows that standing for a long time is tiring and not as comfortable as squatting in line.

Fang Tong squatted down naturally, while Fang Nanzhi squatted down, supporting her head with her hands and looking up at the sky.

The moon hasn't come out yet.

"Are there dark clouds tonight?"

Fang Tong glanced at the dark sky and said, "No, we can't see from here. We'll be fine once we walk a bit further."

Seeing how casual the father and daughter were, Qingyan naturally had to adapt.

But he rarely does this posture, and he almost fell because he didn't use the right amount of force when he squatted.

Fang Nanzhi said with disdain, "You must have never eaten while squatting before, otherwise you would be used to it."

Qingyan asked, bewildered, "Isn't it better to eat sitting down?"

"No, that's not it. When the village holds a feast, there are never enough tables and chairs. So people just squat down by the gate with their bowls, eat and chat, and it tastes just as good."

In the summer, some people would even bring out their rice bowls and squat down to eat under the shade of a tree or at the front door.

Qingyan didn't want to talk about this topic much, mainly because he hadn't experienced it and couldn't really understand it.

Who hosts a banquet where there aren't enough chairs and guests have to squat to eat?

In the capital, this would be considered a breach of etiquette.

"Wishing you a peaceful and healthy new year, Zhizhi."

Fang Nanzhi turned her head to look at him.

Qingyan smiled slightly, like snow melting on a mountain: "Although my New Year's greetings are late, my blessings are sincere."

"Then I wish you good fortune and happiness," Fang Nanzhi said with a smile.

"Yes, I will." Qingyan nodded earnestly.

Fang Tong couldn't bear to watch anymore; his teeth ached.

"Zhizhi, Dad is thirsty. There's a dessert shop across the street. Go buy Dad a bowl."

Fang Nanzhi didn't think much of it and got up to go.

Once she left, Fang Tong's expression turned serious: "Young Master, Zhizhi is still young, she hasn't matured yet. It's best to forget some of your ideas."

He didn't want Qingyan to reveal anything in front of Zhizhi.

"Uncle, I know, I will wait for her to grow up." Qingyan was warned, but he was not unhappy.

Compared to Uncle Fang's deliberate avoidance and feigned ignorance during their last conversation, this kind of direct communication is what he wants.

“Young master, my Fang family comes from a very humble background, and I am a person of modest means. I do not expect my daughter to marry into a wealthy family in the future. I hope that she can live under the protection of her father for the rest of her life.”

Fang Tong expressed his rejection more bluntly, indicating that he did not think highly of him.

Others might think that marrying a prince or grandson of the emperor was a blessing bestowed upon him for eight lifetimes, but Fang Tong didn't see it that way.

The older generation's emphasis on marrying someone of equal social standing has its roots in history.

Two children from similar backgrounds tend to have similar perspectives and lifestyles.

In case of conflict, the groom's family and the bride's family can hold their own against each other.

But if the difference is too great, the one with a lower social status will always feel ashamed. Not to mention supporting their own child, the other party might not even consider them a proper in-law.

Qingyan's legs went numb from squatting, and he could no longer hold on, so he simply stood up.

"Uncle, I don't think so."

"Zhizhi is smarter and more ambitious than you. She will surely surpass you in the future, becoming the next generation to surpass you."

Therefore, you cannot protect someone for a lifetime.

Fang Tong choked. How could he not know that his daughter was more capable than him?

But is that the issue he's referring to?

"So Zhizhi didn't marry up. She is a mountain and a deep sea. There are only others who are not good enough for her, not the other way around."

Qingyan's gaze was focused and earnest as he looked at the girl opposite him.

Fang Tong was shocked. Even though he thought his daughter was wonderful in every way, he never expected her to be this good.

He could tell that Qingyan was sincere and wasn't lying.

“Uncle, a woman like Zhizhi can only be matched with someone who is both scholarly and martial, and I happen to be one of them.”

Qingyan was actually being modest.

He was given many titles, the most dazzling of which was his status as the crown prince.

But setting aside his identity, he possesses a photographic memory, quick wit, exceptional martial arts skills, a strong sense of responsibility, and lofty aspirations…

Each one of them is very impressive.

So why can't he be paired with a branch?

Fang Tongqi laughed: "No matter how good you are, my daughter's marriage still needs my approval. I don't agree to it."

When she couldn't win an argument with him, she started to act unreasonably.

Undeniably, Qingyan's words were very tempting.

But that's not how it works; not everyone can think like him.

Most people still view things through a worldly lens.

Zhizhi was a peasant girl whose family was among the powerful and influential people in the capital, but she was not considered respectable.

This one point alone has drawn criticism.

Some even went so far as to say, "How many women will the crown prince have in his harem?"

Can his daughter bear the humiliation of competing with others for affection?

Or, like some housewives, they might be bothered but have to pretend to be magnanimous, arranging whose room their husbands should visit today and whose room they should visit tomorrow.

Fang Tong felt nauseous just thinking about it, and was so angry he felt like he could vomit blood.

His precious daughter shouldn't be treated so badly.

For the first time, Fang Tong, a man, felt disgusted by the idea of ​​men taking concubines.

He had never thought before that there was anything wrong with having three wives and four concubines.

Although he wouldn't do it, he couldn't understand the heartache involved. Now, applying it to his own daughter made him feel uncomfortable.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue said that the population has grown rapidly in recent years, but there are still more men than women registered.

It is evident that many men are unable to find wives.

Even with all this, those with money and power still want multiple wives and concubines.

Fang Tong's thoughts became increasingly skewed and distressing.

Qingyan was rejected again, but he wasn't in a hurry. The reason he told Uncle Fang his thoughts was that he wanted to slowly boil the frog in water.

In the past two years, I've first cooked for my uncle, cough cough, no, I've gotten my uncle's approval.

When Zhizhi came of age, he proposed marriage.

That's right, that's his plan. He can't seduce young girls now, but he can seduce... his father-in-law.

Fang Nanzhi had already returned with the sweet soup, and there were also a few glutinous rice balls in the bowl.

"Dad, the stall owner said they have black sesame, taro, and meat fillings. Would you like to try them and see which one you like best?"

Fang Tong snapped out of his daze and took the bowl.

Neither he nor Qingyan continued their previous conversation.

Just then, it was their turn to line up for the dough figurines.

The old man's hands were very nimble. He first sculpted a dough figurine of a little girl carrying a lantern, then a dough figurine of a middle-aged man casually holding a bowl of sweet soup, and finally a dough figurine of the prince.

Dressed in black, with cold eyes, the masked figure seemed to exude an imposing aura.

After paying for her companion, Fang Nanzhi looked at her clay figurine with delight: "Wow, I'm so cute."

Then, with one bite, it bit off "its own" head.

Qingyan, who was just about to find an excuse to exchange clay figurines with the young girl: ...

Fang Nanzhi's face scrunched up. She said, "You only say that dough figurines are edible, but why don't you say they're not tasty? They don't seem to be cooked through."

Qingyan noticed something was wrong with her, so he opened his palm and held it out to her: "Spit it out."

Fang Nanzhi shook her head, frowned, and swallowed the food in her mouth with difficulty.

She didn't want to waste food, especially wheat flour and glutinous rice flour, which were delicacies she couldn't afford when she was a child.

"It doesn't taste good." She said, feeling wronged.

Fang Tong remained silent: "Of course it doesn't taste good. The dough figurine isn't seasoned. When we get back, I'll have your mother steam it for you and make some dipping sauce."

He had carefully put away his clay figurines.

He was preparing to go back and show his wife his heroic appearance.

The three of them strolled around the streets again, mainly looking at the lanterns. Some shops had rows of lanterns hanging in front of them, with riddles written below them. Whoever could solve the riddles could get a lantern.

Fang Nanzhi thought this was fun, so she won more lanterns and went back to decorate Wanru's courtyard so that she could see many lanterns without leaving the house.

She rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

To solve riddles, you need to know how to read and write, and you also need to make connections.

After visiting two shops, Fang Nanzhi concluded that the riddles offered by the shops were either related to the Lantern Festival or to the goods sold in the shops.

With a direction, she could guess faster.

Not to mention Fang Tong and Qing Yan.

The riddles were no challenge for Fang Tong, but Qing Yan observed for a while before speaking.

He was very selective in guessing riddles, only guessing tiger lanterns, and he wanted all kinds of tiger lanterns.

Unlike Fang Nanzhi, who would sometimes think the lotus lantern was prettier and sometimes the rabbit lantern was prettier, and wanted to show it to Wanru.

After visiting several shops, the three of them had already acquired more than twenty lanterns.

They were all carried by guards, but they were still very conspicuous.

"Wanbaolou is just ahead. Let's go rest for a while and have something to eat."

Qingyan spoke up, remembering that Zhizhi hadn't eaten much today.

The ones we bought earlier weren't very tasty, so the little girl only tried one bite.

"it is good."

Fang Nanzhi touched her stomach; she was a little hungry.

The only one who wasn't hungry was Fang Tong; he had eaten quite a bit while shopping with his wife during the day.

The lights at the entrance of Wanbaolou are two stories high, which attracts many people.

The store is doing exceptionally well tonight; you can feel the bustling atmosphere as soon as you enter.

Wang Rong and a group of scions of prominent families stood on the first floor, their expressions somewhat grim.

"What, manager? Are we not allowed to enter the top floor of Wanbaolou?"

He and those around him were all direct descendants of prominent families, and in previous years they would gather on the top floor during the Lantern Festival.

But this year, the shopkeeper insisted that the top floor had been reserved, but when he had someone check, it was clearly empty.

Wang Rong felt he was being brushed off, and coupled with his recent unhappiness, he started making a scene.

"That's right, does the manager not respect us? What, where's your young master? Didn't he teach you any manners?"

One of Cui's sons made a fuss.

The innkeeper wore a polite smile: "Gentlemen, please don't make things difficult for me. The top floor has already been booked by distinguished guests."

"Tch, you think you're worth making things difficult for us?"

"You said you booked it, so tell me who it is? Who's so shameless as to try and take our private room?"

Several scions of prominent families were being aggressive.

Fang Nanzhi watched them with great interest. She had met young men from prominent families before and found them to be thoughtful, learned, and methodical in their actions.

This is the first time I've ever seen someone so arrogant.

It seems that not all scions of noble families are like the Jade Gentleman.

"Gentlemen, how could I possibly reveal the identities of my distinguished guests? Wanbaolou is completely full today. Why don't you consider visiting another restaurant?"

The shopkeeper adopted a humble attitude, but his words were somewhat forceful.

This means they're trying to drive away customers.

Even if Wanbaolou is Wansheng, it shouldn't be this arrogant.

Wang Rong was intelligent and had already sensed something was wrong. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Since it's such an unfortunate coincidence, we'll be leaving now."

The person following behind him was stunned for a moment, then became unhappy.

"Brother Wang, what are you saying? Now that we're leaving, you're not going to care about our reputation?"

"What kind of esteemed guest is this? You cowardly coward, are you blind?"

The several scions of prominent families who often followed Wang Rong were all legitimate sons.

But even among the legitimate sons, there are those who are promising and those who are not. How could the one who is truly favored by the family and becomes the future young master follow in someone else's footsteps?

Wang Rong's group consisted of people who were not involved in clan affairs but held relatively high positions.

They have no other skills, all they can do is make a scene and have fun.

Wang Rong's interactions with them were also a way to build connections.

Don't underestimate these spoiled brats. They can't help with really important matters, but they can always lend a hand with some minor or dirty tricks.

But at this moment, Wang Rong realized the drawbacks of bringing them along.

Before he could say anything, a clear and authoritative voice came from behind him: "What, do I need to inform you of my whereabouts?"

Wang Rongxin's heart sank immediately.

Prince!

Several scions of prominent families also turned around, momentarily stunned.