Chapter 544: Words Like Waves

"What audacity!"

This was the shared thought of the matchmaker and the two men. At the same time, they couldn't help but size up Ji Yuan again. Though his clothes were relatively simple, his demeanor was truly extraordinary.

The short-bearded man couldn't help but speak.

"Miss Sun is indeed a rare talent, but your words, sir, are a bit excessive. Of course, we won't take them seriously, but if someone with ulterior motives were to hear them, they could damage the Sun family's reputation."

While expressing his displeasure, the man's words were quite polite. The matchmaker, though smiling, was a little more blunt.

"Oh, dear sir, what are you saying? Your friendship with the Sun family seems quite deep. But as a matchmaker, I need to thoroughly understand both families' backgrounds. What you just said was indeed an exaggeration. Of course, since you are surely an elder to Miss Sun, your words are excusable, hahaha."

Ji Yuan smiled and nodded. The matchmaker certainly lived up to her long-standing profession; she was clearly a master among matchmakers. Her speaking ability was impressive; she could even mock someone without uttering a single vulgar word. Essentially, she was implying that the Sun family did not come from a "clean" background and that he shouldn't exaggerate. Here, "unclean" didn't refer to criminal activity but to engaging in a "lowly" profession. The Sun family, having made braised noodles from a roadside stall for generations, was considered to be in such a profession.

Just as the matchmaker finished speaking, she truly looked into Ji Yuan's eyes for the first time. She clearly saw his pale eyes, which were not obscured by any illusion, and was visibly stunned for a moment.

"Hmph!"

Sun Yaya also let out a cold snort from the side but remained silent. In essence, she knew it was the truth. The other Sun family members couldn't quite grasp the full implication, but they sensed the atmosphere had grown tense the moment Ji Yuan spoke.

"Uh, Mr. Ji, this... after all, everyone here is a guest..."

Sun Fu, with a forced expression, uttered this to Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan then withdrew his gaze from the matchmaker and smiled at Sun Fu.

"Heh heh, it was I who spoke too much, but what I just said was not false."

As their eyes met, Sun Fu suddenly understood.

"Oh, please, everyone, have some tea! Yaya, please refill their cups."

"Yes!"

As Sun Yaya poured tea for everyone, the slightly tense atmosphere eased. With Ji Yuan present, the main topic inevitably shifted away from matchmaking, regardless of the matchmaker's wishes. The Sun family spoke of events in Ning'an County over the years and were curious about Ji Yuan's experiences. Ji Yuan, in turn, shared what he could, satisfying some of their curiosity.

The two men also listened carefully to the conversation, aiming to understand Ji Yuan better. Only the matchmaker, still focused on her mission and her fee, persistently pulled Sun Yaya's mother aside, continually discussing the merits of the proposed marriage.

About fifteen minutes later, members of the extended Sun family began to arrive. Those who held Ji Yuan in particularly high regard were Sun Fu and his brothers, along with Sun Fu's direct descendants. However, driven by curiosity and a desire to join the commotion, a significant number of Sun family members showed up, led by two very elderly individuals.

As if by prearrangement, a large number of Sun family members arrived at Sun Yaya's house at roughly the same time, entering the courtyard one after another.

With this bustling crowd arriving to see him, Ji Yuan naturally couldn't remain seated. He left the reception hall and stepped into the courtyard, where all the old and young members of the Sun family, led by a few elders, bowed together to him.

"We, the old and young of the Sun family, pay our respects to Mr. Ji!"

"No need for such ceremony."

Ji Yuan helped the two elders to stand upright. As for the others, most of whom were merely there to join the excitement and put on a show, they simply nodded.

Sun Fu's second elder brother, with slightly trembling arms, grasped Ji Yuan's hand and exclaimed with a touch of emotion.

"Sir, it's been so many years! I should have gone to visit you with Father back then!"

Sun Fu's third elder brother was in slightly better health, but still looked very old and frail. He also made sure to speak to Ji Yuan from the side.

"Mr. Ji, I'm Xiao Mao, you remember me, don't you? Back then, when you paid to rescue the red fox from those ruffians, I was right there, carrying rice and flour."

Ji Yuan smiled and nodded at them but said little. He had occasionally seen the Sun brothers on the street before. In truth, apart from Sun Fu, these brothers had respected Ji Yuan in the past, but it was merely the respect one shows to a scholar, nothing particularly special. However, it was clear that their views had changed with age.

The matchmaker, the two men, and the four sedan chair bearers in the courtyard watched from the side with a mix of surprise and bewilderment. Not only had the Sun family, old and young, brought some thirty-odd people to bow to Ji Yuan together, but the way the two trembling elders spoke to him was as if juniors addressing an elder. It was truly a bizarre sight.

After the Sun family bowed together, they continued to chatter noisily. Sun Fu then moved aside and subtly hinted to the matchmaking party that it was time for them to leave, as discussing marriage matters at his home was indeed inappropriate for the day.

The matchmaker naturally had her reservations.

"Old Man Sun, this is a match you couldn't find even with a lantern! Your Sun family shouldn't ruin Sun Yaya's future!"

"Yes, yes, I understand."

"I don't think you quite understand. Young Master Feng not only comes from a good family but is also highly educated. He's about to take the autumn imperial examination and is sure to pass. What's more, he previously studied at Huiyuan Academy, which means he's from the same school as Imperial Son-in-Law Yin. In the future, if he goes to the capital, he might even be able to forge a connection with Grand Councilor Yin..."

The matchmaker continued to boast, but Sun Fu suddenly grew impatient. He recalled Yaya mentioning that Imperial Son-in-Law Yin had once brought the princess to Ju'an Pavilion to visit Mr. Ji. The matchmaker's incessant chatter suddenly seemed quite ridiculous.

"Alright, alright, I understand. Please head back now!"

This matchmaker was highly adept at reading people. She vaguely sensed a change in Sun Fu's attitude, paused slightly, and then said no more.

"Well, then, think it over carefully. I'll come again another day."

"Alright, please take care. We have guests, so we won't see you out!"

The matchmaker and the two men departed together, the former entering the sedan chair and the latter mounting their horses. As they left, the two men repeatedly looked back at the Sun family courtyard.

On the road, the short-bearded man said to his companion.

"Is there a person named Ji Yuan in Ning'an County?"

"Never heard of him."

Inside the sedan chair, the matchmaker also poked her head out from the side curtain.

"I haven't heard of him either. I've inquired about all the families close to the Sun family, and there's no one named Ji!"

Among the sedan chair bearers, one sturdy man hesitated before speaking.

"If you're talking about someone named Ji in our Ning'an County, I do have some recollection..."

The sedan chair had been hired in the county, so the bearers were all locals of Ning'an County. The short-bearded man on horseback immediately showed an interested expression.

"Oh? Do tell!"

The sedan chair bearer, steadily carrying the sedan chair, spoke with slight hesitation.

"Although I have some recollection, but, uh..."

"Come on, out with it!"

The matchmaker wasn't so polite to the sedan chair bearers.

"Yes, yes! Years ago, well, when I was very young, I heard stories about Mr. Ji. He was said to be an extraordinary person in our county, living in a haunted house and even paying to treat an injured fox..."

As the sedan chair bearer spoke, one of his three companions immediately chimed in.

"Oh, oh, oh, you mean the 'Fox Bowing to the Master' incident, right? So that master's surname was Ji?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's the incident. It's rumored that the fox was almost beaten to death by thugs and nearly bitten to death by dogs. Seeing Mr. Ji pass by, it desperately darted out onto the road and knelt, begging for help. Mr. Ji then paid the thugs and idlers for the fox and took it to be treated."

"Oh, I just remembered something else. It's rumored that Yin Wenqu and Mr. Ji were good friends and had an excellent relationship before Yin entered officialdom. I wonder if it's true..."

These words left the matchmaker and the two men somewhat bewildered.

"But if what you say is true, how old must this Mr. Ji be?"

"Indeed, that's why I'm not entirely sure about these things. Oh, right, the person who came must be Mr. Ji's son."

"Yes, yes! That must be it!" "I think so too. That gentleman doesn't look much older than me, but when the 'Fox Bowing to the Master' story happened, I hadn't even been born yet."

"Hahahahaha..."

The sedan chair bearers all started laughing.

The men on horseback didn't put much stock in the other stories, but anything related to Yin Zhaoxian piqued their interest. Perhaps the elder of the man named Ji Yuan, whom they had just met, truly was a friend of Duke Yin.

With this thought, the short-bearded man and his companion decided they needed to thoroughly investigate the matter. If it were true, it would explain why Mr. Ji dared to make such bold statements; though still an exaggeration, it would at least be rooted in some genuine confidence. In that case, the Feng family should take this proposed marriage with the Sun family even more seriously!

The matchmaking party departed. In the Sun family courtyard, Ji Yuan had finally finished addressing all the old and young members of the Sun family. In the end, only Sun Fu and his two elder brothers remained at Sun Yaya's house, preparing to eat dinner together. Everyone else had already returned home, and even Sun Fu's other two sons had left much earlier, making Sun Fu secretly regretful that he hadn't managed to call them back.

Dinner was personally prepared by Sun Fu, with Sun Yaya's parents only assisting on the side. Ji Yuan stood at the entrance of the reception hall, looking towards the kitchen. Although he couldn't clearly see the frantic activity inside, the clumsy movements of Yaya's father and the frequent criticism he received from Sun Fu made Ji Yuan ponder that Sun Ji's braised noodles might very well be lost forever.

"Sir, what are you looking at? Please come and take a seat, the dishes will be served soon!"

Sun Yaya called out from the hall, where a small round table had already been set up with chairs, ready for them to be seated.

A moment later, the Sun family gathered around the table. On it were fish, meat, chicken soup, and, of course, a large basin of the Sun family's braised noodles, along with lamb offal. The Sun family enthusiastically toasted Ji Yuan, who sat at the head of the table. Ji Yuan accepted every toast, drinking as many cups as he was offered, all while maintaining a calm expression.

The nostalgic conversation had mostly concluded, eventually circling back to Sun Yaya's marriage. After Sun Fu toasted Ji Yuan once more, he cautiously spoke.

"Mr. Ji, Yaya is who she is today because you taught her to write. Now that she's of marriageable age, it's time to find a good match for her. Do you think that Feng family, whom we just discussed, is unsuitable?"

Sun Yaya immediately felt a wave of irritation upon hearing this.

"Grandfather, I met that Feng fellow back in Chunhui Prefecture, and I don't like him!"

"Marriage is decided by the will of parents and the words of the matchmaker; don't be foolish!"

Sun's father reprimanded Sun Yaya, who, suppressing her anger, immediately left the table and returned to her room.

Ji Yuan swallowed his food and drink, put down his chopsticks, and looked earnestly at Sun Fu.

"Back then, outside Tianniu Ward, I once said that if the Sun family had any matter, they could come to me. So now, this is just about a marriage?"

Ji Yuan's face was full of smiles as his gaze swept over everyone in the Sun family. Sun Fu was slightly taken aback, opened his mouth, but the "yes" he was about to utter remained unsaid.

"Sir, look!"

Sun Yaya returned to the reception hall, unfolding a calligraphy copybook in her hand. Ji Yuan turned and his eyes lit up. The copybook was in Sun Yaya's own handwriting, but the characters were fluid and graceful, like a clear stream. As Ji Yuan's gaze swept over them, each character seemed to ripple like waves, yet upon closer inspection, they also contained an icy sharpness!

"Beautiful writing!"

"Sir, the Sun family can come to you if they have any matter, but other members of the Sun family cannot speak for Yaya!"

Ji Yuan smiled broadly, nodded, and said.

"You're right!"