Ruining took a sip of tea to moisten her throat before continuing, "The Li family expressed their gratitude to Song Chi for his righteous actions and went to the Song family to thank him. They praised Song Chi for his noble character and said that Lord Song had raised his son well. In short, they showered him with praise. Lord Song was very pleased and, as the conversation progressed, suggested that since the Li family thought so highly of Song Chi, why not have the two families form a marriage alliance?"
Both Qi Zhenzhen and Jin Rong, along with Yan Qi, showed surprise. Was marriage arranged this way?
"The Song family was certainly not trying to take advantage of the situation. They immediately detailed Song Chi's various traits to Lord Li. The summary was that his character was acceptable, but he was spoiled, adept at eating and drinking, and lacked ambition. They emphasized that he maintained his purity, and the Song family had a household rule: only after reaching the age of forty without a son could he take a concubine; if he disobeyed, he would be expelled from the family.
Being adept at eating and drinking was not a major flaw. Lacking ambition was also not a concern, as he was the youngest son of the Song family, and they didn't expect him to bring glory to their ancestors. Maintaining his purity, however, greatly moved Lord and Lady Li. What parent with a daughter wouldn't want a son-in-law who was devoted to their daughter? Furthermore, the Song family's household rules were exactly what they desired.
Fortunately, Lord and Lady Li were not swept away by emotion and stated they needed to ask their daughter's opinion. They also reminded Lord Song that although marriage was a matter of parental decree, they should not completely disregard their children's wishes. If they were unwilling, forcing them together would be like forcing a melon to ripen – it wouldn't be sweet and would be detrimental to both children. Lord Song immediately patted his chest and guaranteed that Song Chi was definitely interested in Sister Ruyi. Otherwise, given his indifferent nature, why would he have gotten involved in this mess? Their family, from parents to sons, was very pleased with Sister Ruyi, and it all depended on whether Sister Ruyi was willing."
Now that they were about to get married, Li Ruyi was certainly willing.
"I always thought that a dandy like Song Chi wouldn't be able to find a wife, but it turns out he's going to marry such a good wife as Sister Ruyi," Ruining sighed.
"That's fate; they've taken a liking to each other," Yan Qi said.
"Besides, Song Chi isn't that bad of a person. He just enjoys eating and playing, but when it comes to matters of principle, he has his bottom line. Such a person, who appears to be a playboy, is actually the most devoted. In fact, you can see it from the Song family's household atmosphere. Lord and Lady Song live in harmony, and the other sons of the Song family are also devoted to their wives. Growing up in such an environment, how could Song Chi be too bad?" Qi Zhenzhen said with a smile. In her opinion, Song Chi was indeed quite good. During the Lotus Appreciation Banquet, he handled the confrontation with Lu Chen very well, and he was open-minded.
"I thought Sister Zhenzhen would dislike people like Song Chi the most," Ruining laughed.
"How could that be? In my opinion, Song Chi hasn't done anything outrageous. Everything he has shown indicates that he has a very happy and fulfilling family life; otherwise, how could such a son be raised? As for the points that people dislike about him, it's nothing more than his lack of ambition. His several older brothers are very outstanding, which naturally makes him seem lacking in everything. But if you set aside his brothers as a comparison? Song Chi should be a Xiu Cai, right? To be a Xiu Cai at such a young age, how can he have the reputation of being unlearned? If he were truly unlearned, how could he have achieved the title of Xiu Cai?" Qi Zhenzhen analyzed for the young girls.
Ruining frowned. She knew Song Chi the best. Setting aside his outstanding brothers, apart from his love for eating and playing, Song Chi indeed seemed to have no major flaws. In any case, he had never done anything contemptible or shameful.