Peter Cooper started his business with fur trading beyond the frontier, but by the time it reached Peter Cooper, he no longer engaged in those risky, life-threatening trades. Now, he owned land and lived off collecting rent.

So, after living most of his life, Peter Cooper didn’t have many things to be proud of, but being able to form a marriage alliance with the The Bolton Family was one of his few proudest achievements.

The The Bolton Family were native to Western Qin and were considered a family of scholars. In these times, literate people were rare, so for a nouveau riche like the The Cooper Family to secure such a marriage naturally made Peter Cooper immensely proud.

Now, he was even prouder, secretly praising his own foresight back then—swallowing his pride to propose to the The Bolton Family really was the right move. Although the third son of the The Bolton Family wasn’t as outstanding as the eldest, he was much better than the second. See, after just a few days, the former lowly tax collector had already become the dignified Salt Commissioner. Now, it would be impossible not to be in the limelight when going out. Imagining the envious looks of his old friends, Peter Cooper couldn’t feel more pleased.

Thinking of this, Peter Cooper’s eyes narrowed into slits from smiling, and though he was illiterate, he spoke in a scholarly tone, “Dear son-in-law, don’t leave tonight. Such a joyous occasion must be celebrated. Let Hong’er’s mother cook personally, and the two of us, father- and son-in-law, can have a good drink together.”

“Father-in-law, let’s not rush.” Mark Bolton was weighing things in his mind, and finally decided it was best to be straightforward, so he said directly, “I have something to discuss with you, and it’s better to talk it out first.”

“Oh?” Seeing his son-in-law’s serious demeanor, Peter Cooper put away his smile, feeling a bit puzzled. He knew his son-in-law’s character well—just like himself, he cared a lot about face. Since marrying his daughter, he had never asked for anything. Why, now that he’d been promoted, was he coming to ask for something?

Mark Bolton rubbed his hands together—not out of shyness, but because today’s matter would be a big deal even in the The Bolton Family. He’d heard that back in the day, his father had suffered greatly just to marry his mother after seeing her once in the countryside, even to the point of almost being kicked out of the family by the old man, all because their families weren’t a good match.

Ever since he became Salt Commissioner, his cousin’s marriage had weighed on his mind. He hadn’t thought too much about it, but since his cousin, though young, had helped him so much, he felt he must find a good match for him. After much thought, a sudden idea struck him—his wife’s younger sister had just turned eight this year, which was a perfect match for his cousin. So, he hurried over.

“Please, hear me out. It doesn’t matter if it works out or not, but please don’t be angry after you hear it—just consider it. Today, I’ve come to act as a matchmaker…”

Peter Cooper was delighted to hear this. Although the Salt Commissioner wasn’t ranked among the nine grades of officials, he was still a real government official, earning more than a county magistrate and not under the magistrate’s jurisdiction. The amount of money passing through his hands was unimaginable—a truly lucrative post. Anyone would have to address him as “Sir.” Now, his son-in-law, the Salt Commissioner, was personally coming to arrange a marriage—how could that go wrong?

“Mark, you must be talking about Wan’er, right? I’ve been worried that girl is too wild and no one would want her. Tell me, what kind of family is the other party, how old is he? We’re not outsiders here, so there’s nothing we can’t say. Look at you.”

“Oh, I’m not talking about Wan’er, but… Rou’er…”

“What?” Although child betrothals were not uncommon, Peter Cooper was still taken aback. He still had two unmarried daughters at home—one was Wan’er, who had just turned fourteen and was of marriageable age, and the other had just turned eight, still a child. He hadn’t expected his son-in-law to be talking about the younger one.

“Rou’er is only eight this year…”

“That’s right. I have a cousin who is eleven this year. I watched him grow up—his character is impeccable, and he’s quite decent-looking… it’s just that his family background… is a bit lacking. But… my cousin is no ordinary person. Compared to me—if I may say so without making you laugh—when it comes to intelligence, I can’t even compare…

Originally, my cousin is still young, and it wouldn’t be too late to find a good match after he’s made something of himself. But my uncle only has this one son, so he’s naturally anxious and entrusted this matter to me, so…” It was Mark Bolton’s first time acting as a matchmaker, and he felt awkward, speaking hesitantly.

As the saying goes, the older the wiser. Peter Cooper hadn’t lived this long for nothing, so he immediately asked, “Your uncle’s family is?”