novelraw Chapter 382 The Matter of Marriage
Chapter 382 The Matter of Marriage
Chapter 382 The Matter of Marriage
"Sometimes I'm actually quite envious of An'er and Zao'an."
Qiao Wei understood Sun Quan's thoughts. He often worried that he hadn't cared enough for his younger brothers and hadn't fulfilled his duty as an elder brother. He always tried his best to give his younger brothers more help and care.
“If Brother Hui could be an elder brother like you, Rong’er and I would be spared many days of anxiety and helplessness.”
These are Qiao Wei's honest thoughts.
If Qiao Hui had treated himself and Rong'er with half the kindness Sun Quan showed his younger siblings, they could probably have avoided many of the days when they felt lonely and helpless.
Sun Quan didn't speak again, but simply held the person tighter, inhaling the fragrance from their hair. His thoughts drifted away like the wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner beside the bed, yet he couldn't dispel them.
A few days later, Cao Yuan brought her young son Sun Tai to visit Qiao Wei and Yuan Langlang. Sun Tai was not yet a year old, but his eyes were bright and he looked around. He was not shy at all. Whoever held him, he would wave his little hands and kick his legs excitedly.
Yuan Langlang was absolutely delighted by the little boy's appearance. She held him in her arms, unable to put him down, and couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. "This child is indeed a good son of Ji and his wife. With such strong arms and legs, he will surely be able to guard the territory and revitalize the family in the future, just like Ji."
Mothers naturally rejoice when others praise their children.
Moreover, Cao Yuan had been married to Sun Kuang for many years and had given birth to two children. However, one of them was raised in Yuzhang by his aunt, Lady Li, and was not close to Cao Yuan. The other died young and did not grow up, which saddened her for a long time.
Now that she has finally had a healthy son, Cao Yuan wishes she could give this child all the best.
Hearing Yuan Langlang praise her child, she knew it was mostly polite small talk, but her eyes and brows couldn't help but soften.
Since Wu Jing was wounded in the battle to attack Lingling County two years ago, his aunt Li left Danyang and went back to the army to take care of his uncle Wu Jing's daily life and illness. Cao Yuan then took over the power of managing the household and handled the affairs of the inner quarters and the trivial matters between the noble families on behalf of Sun Kuang.
With experience in affairs and the nourishment of holding power, one's actions and demeanor become more composed and mature.
"This time, I accompanied my husband to the capital for an oral report, and I also brought some interesting items from Danyang, which are for my nephews and nieces to play with on a daily basis." Cao Yuan had the gifts presented.
Although he said they were just ordinary items, Qiao Wei immediately noticed a piece of cloth inside. The pattern on it was very gorgeous and grand, and it was clear at a glance that it was not from Jiangdong.
Cao Yuan didn't intend to hide anything and specially took out the cloth and handed it to Qiao Wei, "This was sent by my father to Tai'er, saying that it could be used to make swaddling clothes for him. Interestingly, my father is a man after all and doesn't know the intricacies of women and children's matters. Although this cloth is precious, it would be more worthwhile to use it to make formal clothes than to make swaddling clothes."
Qiao Wei tested the fabric with his hand. "General Cao is indeed concerned about Tai'er, but if it's for making clothes for Tai'er's underwear, I do have a softer piece in the storeroom."
It's quite a coincidence. Some time ago, my sister-in-law's family sent a congratulatory gift, which was originally intended to be used to make some clothes for Shao'er. However, Shao'er is growing very fast these days, and we couldn't decide what to make for him, so we put it aside.
In retrospect, giving them to Tai'er to make clothes was the best use of them.
The Yuan family of Runan, a prestigious family with generations of accumulated wealth, would naturally offer only the finest gifts as congratulatory presents. However, Qiao Wei specifically mentioned his sister-in-law and Sun Shao's names at this time, and the return gift was also from the Yuan family.
To Cao Yuan, it sounded as if she was trying to shirk the marriage alliance with the Cao family.
Cao Yuan felt somewhat uneasy. This was something Cao Ren had instructed her to accomplish, and she had finally managed to persuade Sun Kuang. Hearing that the Marquis's attitude seemed to be one of no opposition, she thought it was a done deal. However, Qiao Wei's attitude made Cao Yuan somewhat indecisive.
The maid was quick and brought over the cloth that Qiao Wei had mentioned in a short while.
The fabric was indeed soft and light, perfect for making clothes for summer. Cao Yuan pondered for a moment, then continued Qiao Wei's words, "Then I will thank my two sisters-in-law on behalf of Tai'er. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Deng'er and Shao'er for a long time, and Tai'er has never met his two elder brothers either."
"Judging by the time, Shao'er will be finishing school soon and will be able to come and visit you in a little while. Shen Gao is not in Jingkou, so we'll see each other next time."
When Cao Yuan heard that Sun Deng was not at home, she couldn't help but wonder, "Where did Deng'er go?"
Judging by his age, Sun Deng is only seven years old. The Marquis and his wife are both in Jingkou, so why would he leave Jingkou alone?
“My elder brother and sister-in-law are very loving, and they recently had a new baby. Hui’er wanted to go back to congratulate them, but my lord and I couldn’t leave for the time being, so we asked Deng’er to go with us to deliver the gift, which is a proper way to fulfill our obligations.”
"Sister-in-law, are you at ease with such a young child?"
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Qiao Wei said, showing a great deal of carefree attitude towards raising children. “The Lord has sent many guards to protect us, and we’ve stayed at official post stations and traveled along official roads. Besides, it’s just a congratulatory gift, and the round trip will only take a little over half a month.”
Qiao Wei's tone was so casual, as if he were talking about something as trivial as eating and drinking.
"Your Excellency is so at ease."
Sun Quan only has one adopted son, Sun Deng, and Cao Yuan knows that she would be worried if Tai'er, who is so old, were to travel alone.
"My lord has even less reason to worry. The sons of the Sun family have all been trained on the battlefield since childhood. Even my younger brother, who is only ten years old, is already able to manage the affairs of a county."
Sun Quan himself had witnessed the battlefield alongside Sun Jian and Sun Ce when he was seven or eight years old, so for Sun Quan, sending Sun Deng to deliver gifts was just a routine task and a learning experience.
In Sun Quan's own words, the sons of the Sun family must not be confined to the courtyard.
Upon hearing this, Cao Yuan seemed to be deep in thought.
Clearly, for the lord, regardless of whether Sun Deng was his only heir or not, he regarded Sun Deng as his sole successor and groomed him to be his only successor.
Therefore, Cao Yuan's desire to arrange a marriage between the Cao and Sun families became even stronger, both for the sake of the Cao family and to solidify her own position within the Sun family.
Just then, Sun Shao came in with his younger siblings to greet everyone. Qiao Wei put his arm around Sun Shao and said, "Sister-in-law, there's no need to be surprised. Shao'er is only one year older than Sheng Gao, and he can already receive guests at home on his own while studying."
Lord Junhou often praised Shao'er, saying he had the demeanor of an elder brother; though young, he was already able to manage the affairs of the household well, serving as a right-hand man to his elders.