Chapter 40 - 40 0040 Uncle and Aunt 4_1

Chapter 40: Chapter 0040: Uncle and Aunt 4_1 Chapter 40: Chapter 0040: Uncle and Aunt 4_1 Only after Aunt Wang finished talking did Uncle Wang speak up, his voice low. “Xue, I am not such a foolish uncle who will send his niece to the tiger’s den. I think Lu Jiang is a remarkable man, steady and reliable, intelligent and capable. As a soldier, his only flaw is his family background. Given your current circumstances, I thought to introduce him to you.” Feng Qingxue hurriedly said: “I know my uncle would never harm me.” If he really wanted to harm her, he wouldn’t have travelled all the way and gathered so much grain for her. Moreover, a man like Lu Jiang, even if she refused to meet him, there will certainly be astute individuals who will not care about his family background, and hence, may end up marrying him. In this era, the status of a soldier is quite high. Hearing Feng Qingxue say this, Uncle Wang felt a sense of relief and a smile crept up from the corner of his mouth. “As a matter of fact, the Lu Family is widely respected for their kindness. They are not those who would mistreat their tenants. When they selected a study companion from the children of the tenants, I was fortunate enough to study with Lu Zhiyuan for more than a decade – from the age of seven to when I turned twenty and got married. The Lu Family always treated us graciously. During times of war, we were spared the hardships some others had to face. Now that the Lu Family has fallen from grace due to the national situation, I can’t turn my back on them like others. That’s why I refused to leave the Wanglou Brigade, because as long as I am there, I can secretly take care of them and guard them from further disgrace.” “Uncle, you know to repay kindness. You are a righteous person and a role model for us younger generations.” Feng Qingxue sincerely admired Uncle Wang. How many people can sincerely repay a favor given their circumstances? How many people are willing to lend a helping hand in face of adversity? Many might add fuel to fire during a disaster, but few can help when in dire straits. Uncle Wang felt reassured by what Feng Qingxue said. “You have a good perspective on this. Actually, when Lu Jiang joined the army at only sixteen, he participated in numerous wars and earned numerous merits. He had a promising future, but due to the class division following the founding of the nation, his family, being landlords, became targets of attack. He missed several opportunities for promotion due to this. However, having participated in numerous battles and proven his mettle saved him from disgrace. Xue, I don’t understand the current national situation or predict the future, but it could be both good and bad to introduce you to someone with a good status like you.” In today’s marriages, it isn’t like old times when marriages were based on matching statuses. Now it’s about marrying within the same class – the ‘red’ class marries with the ‘red’, the ‘black’ with the ‘black’, and the ‘gray’ with the ‘gray’. Crossing these class boundaries, it’s difficult to predict the outcome. Aunt Wang, who also belonged to the Wanglou Brigade, added: “Lu Jiang is a soldier, seldom home throughout the year. You would have to take care of the old and the young by yourself. I fear life won’t be easy for you, and you will face discrimination due to your class. However, a family like his would not refuse to have you marry into their family along with Xiaoyun. Lu Jiang and Lu Zhiyuan have to take care of their two nephews until they can fend for themselves. Other families, as I mentioned earlier, find it challenging to manage their existing affairs, thus, they don’t wish to provide for an extra mouth.” These days, the number of young men and women getting married is significantly less than before, as everyone has their plans. Of course, there are also some instances of marriage in exchange for return favors or marriages happening for a little food.