"Since that is the case, you should all go ahead," Zhu Shunyao waved his hand. It made no difference whether one or three went; it was better for them to travel together so they could look out for each other.
"Dad, are you really willing to let us all leave?" Zhu Yanli tilted her head and asked.
Zhu Shunyao glared at her. "Does my reluctance mean you aren't leaving? Hurry up and go. But let me make one thing clear: going early is fine, but no early romances. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes." Zhu Yanli and Zhu Yanyi nodded quickly. Zhu Yanyi added, "I’m only fourteen, so I don’t have those thoughts. But Dad, Sister is nineteen. She will eventually need a boyfriend."
"Cough, cough." Zhu Shunyao stared at Zhu Yanyi. "I’ve decided. None of you are allowed to marry before you are twenty-five." She paused, thinking twenty-five was still too young, and added, "Or maybe thirty is better."
"You mean you want our daughters to become old maids?" Xie Xinlian walked in from outside, having just heard this. She looked at Zhu Shunyao with dissatisfaction.
"Why marry them off if we can afford to keep them?" Zhu Shunyao’s daughter-obsessed nature showed no sign of changing with age. Yan Aohan, who entered with Xie Xinlian, also heard this. She glanced at Zhu Yanyi, realizing she would need to change her future father-in-law’s mindset. After all, she had planned to bring Zhu Yanyi home when she turned twenty.
Zhu Yanyi had no idea about Yan Aohan’s intentions. Even if she did, she would likely just smile coldly. She had no plans to marry so soon. As for Yan Aohan’s proposal, she would wait and see. For now, she watched the standoff between Xie Xinlian and Zhu Shunyao with interest. "You say you can’t bear to part with them? You were only twenty-one when you married me. Why don’t you think about whether my father could bear it?"
"That’s different," Zhu Shunyao murmured. "Besides, if I hadn’t married you, where would An’ni and An’ni come from?" The last part was spoken so softly that even Yan Aohan had to concentrate to hear it. He raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed his chosen father-in-law wasn’t as honest as he appeared.
"How is it different? Give me a good reason," Xie Xinlian glared at him. "I’m telling you, if you dare block our daughters’ marriages, you’ll spend the rest of your life alone."
Zhu Shunyao pouted. "Our daughters are so good. Marrying them off would be a bargain for other families. Besides, a husband’s home isn’t like a father’s home. What if they meet a tyrannical mother-in-law? I think it’s better to keep them at home. If necessary, we could take a husband into our family. At least they’d be under our eyes." Anything that might cause his daughters distress was unacceptable.
"What nonsense are you talking? How many men who marry into a family are good?" Xie Xinlian was angry. "Take my sister Yuandi for example. She took a husband into the family. A-Shen is a decent man, but she’s too honest to hold a family together. Yuandi had no choice; the Qi family needed an heir, and A-Shen’s family had many sons, so giving up one honest son was acceptable. But do you want our daughters to live like that? Can you bear it?"
"But thinking about those evil mothers-in-law makes me reluctant too," Zhu Shunyao continued to pout. He loved his daughters and would never let them suffer any wrong.