Chapter 175

"Xinxin, come here."

Wen Shi was sitting not far away. Upon hearing this, the little guy trembled and cautiously glanced at his mother.

Yingxiang wasn't too surprised; she knew what Wenshi valued most about the children.

One is character; back then, he truly taught Yue Qian by example.

Secondly, there's reading. He's been very busy lately. Although the father and son ride in the carriage together morning and evening, Xinxin told her that her father sleeps in the carriage.

The child should be resting with eyes closed, but he doesn't understand that smelling it can be tiring in some ways.

Wen Shi stretched out his hand, and the little guy slowly moved toward him, looking back every few steps, unsure of what to do.

He was initially happy to receive a lot of lucky money, but now he unconsciously swallowed hard.

Le Qian sat to the side, his expression unchanged, but upon closer inspection, one could see the doting affection in his eyes for his younger brother.

When asked, the little guy pointed and immediately read it out; he also recognized all the questions asked about.

Only when Wen Shi put down his book did he show a relieved expression. Yingxiang smiled inwardly at the little boy, thinking how adorable he was.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, after the family finished eating dumplings, they went back to rest.

When Yingxiang woke up from her nap, it was already afternoon.

After regaining consciousness, she dressed herself and went out to stretch her body.

Yingxiang smiled as she watched Madam Xu walking back and forth in the courtyard with her daughter.

Putting everything else aside, this little girl is really fair-skinned and chubby. In this era, she wouldn't regret not having a daughter, but when she sees other pretty little girls, she can't help but want to hug them.

"Third Aunt, today is the first day of the new year. I don't have much to give you, but this purse is just a small token of my appreciation."

When Xu Yi saw Yingxiang come out, she carried the child over and then took out a brand new, beautiful, and exquisitely patterned red purse from her bosom.

She made the purse herself, and the fabric she used was quite good.

With her dowry money, she wouldn't have to worry about food and drink as long as she didn't spend it recklessly. She kept 90% of her dowry in a money exchange and didn't carry much with her. She would only withdraw some money when she ran out. She didn't trust her mother-in-law's character and dared not put money directly into the house.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

Yingxiang accepted it and praised it.

"Your skills are really good. It looks even better than what you buy outside, and the red color is also auspicious."

Yingxiang herself has absolutely no needlework skills.

“If Third Aunt is happy, that’s good. After the New Year, my husband and I will also come to the capital. He plans to find a job first, and we will rent a room to save up some money and see if we can start a business in the future. He said he doesn’t want to continue studying because it’s too difficult and there won’t be any results.”

Xu Yi came from a merchant family, and she had learned many business principles from a young age.

Besides, her family can also help. Borrowing money is definitely out of the question, but they can offer some advice, which is also good.

The Wen family is now truly thriving, and since they haven't separated, they appear to outsiders as one family.

If the path of the imperial examination is not viable, going into business is a good alternative.

Yingxiang didn't care about social classes like scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants; as long as she could earn money to support herself legally, there was nothing wrong with it.

"You are all parents now, so it's good that you have a plan in mind."

Although they were both village women, Yingxiang looked completely different from her mother-in-law. Remembering how she couldn't give birth to a son with her first child, Xu Yi still couldn't forget her mother-in-law's face.

He was reluctant to have much contact with her at home, and he completely ignored her daughter, subtly and overtly mocking her for not being able to conceive.

Xiuyu has two sons. The older one has this idea, but the younger one still wants to continue taking the exam. The couple tried everything at home, saying both good and bad things, but the older son remained unmoved.

In the end, they had no choice; he wasn't a child who could be disciplined by beating him.

After the seventh day of the lunar new year, Wen Shi became busy again, and after the fifteenth day, the children went to the school and academy.

The family members all went back home, some were planting spring crops, and others were busy with their own affairs.

Before we knew it, it was early March.

On this day, the cloth shop owner delivered all the red cotton cloth that Yingxiang had ordered beforehand. These were all for the wedding and needed to be hung in front of the mansion and in various courtyards.

Yingxiang counted the items and then paid the bill.

"Put it in the warehouse first, and have someone hang it up on the 13th."

There are still two weeks until the wedding day. If we go too early, it might just get dusty. Chunyu nodded.

Spring has arrived, and the bare branches have sprouted new buds. As the weather gradually warms up, the forsythia has already donned its spring attire.

To ensure the flowers bloom even better this year, she hired a gardener to tidy up the garden. The garden now has a variety of flowers of almost every type, so there are blooming flowers all year round, making it more beautiful.

Shen Family

Shen Chu took one last count of her money box. In the Shen family, she could receive two hundred taels of silver a year from the public funds. This two hundred taels included the monthly wages of all the maids, servants, and old women in her small courtyard, as well as her food, clothing, and daily necessities.

Those who could serve her personally were all bound by contracts with her.

The day before yesterday, Madam Bo sent someone over to deliver the indentures of the remaining servants. After she married into the Wen family, all the servants in this courtyard became her dowry, and she could take them all with her.

Four servants, two old women, and six maids will all be with her when she gets married, so they can serve her in the future.

She didn't refuse; after all, a woman's dowry is a matter of face, and more is always better than less.

Previously, her aunt had sent her eight hundred taels of silver, saying it was for her to keep her money. When her grandmother passed away, she personally took care of her and her grandmother's medicine. Before her grandmother passed away, her grandmother had also given her a thousand taels of silver, telling her to keep it safe and use it as a dowry when she got married.

Unlike her two younger brothers, she was able to stay in the family to inherit the title and bring glory to the family.

Unlike her two younger sisters, who had their own mother by their side and their father's doting love, their mother would also give them an extra share of the money they received when they got married, in addition to the money provided by the family.

She was raised by her grandmother and has always been very grateful to her.

Over the years, she has not lived a luxurious life and has not had many opportunities to go out. She rarely manages to spend all of the two hundred taels of silver each year, and over the years, she has accumulated some savings bit by bit.

When she goes out, no one will talk about her to her face; at most, some busybodies will whisper a few words behind her back.

After all, her father was Lord Shen, and she was a daughter of the Shen family.

Besides, she was raised by her grandmother, who was a royal princess.

The money in the money box totaled less than three thousand taels, but all the dowry had been given, so her life after marriage wouldn't be too difficult.

"Get everything packed up."

"yes."

“Miss, the wet nurse sent a message saying that after you get married, she wants to go and stay with you at the Wen family for a while.”

“I know she means well, but I just got married and the Wen family has the dowry list. It wouldn’t be good to suddenly add another person. If needed, I will naturally go to her.”

The maid nodded and then remained silent.

On March 14th, the weather was clear and sunny. The Wen family had already hung up red cloth, and from the outside, it looked very festive.

All the servants in the house were dressed in neat and clean clothes, with red cloths wrapped around their waists, while the maids wore red belts.

From the farm, various kinds of processed meat have been delivered one after another.

In the kitchen, Yingxiang did a final check. The meat had been cleaned and the vegetables were ready, currently stored in a large vat. The weather hadn't been very hot lately, and there were two large ice blocks at the bottom of the vat to keep them fresh to the maximum extent.

The ice blocks were all cut from the river last winter, and the mansion also stored some, so that more meat can be stored in the summer.

Ancient cellars were similar to modern basements.

"Sister-in-law, how are the preparations going? Is there anything I can help with?"

Xiuyu tried on the new clothes, and unsurprisingly they fit perfectly. They had all arrived a day early. Yingxiang shook her head.

"It's all healed now, thank you so much, sister-in-law."

In the evening, the cook will arrive at the mansion. The wedding day is tomorrow morning, and everything is ready. All we need to do is follow the procedures step by step.

In the main hall, the tables and chairs were already set out, and the food and drinks were also prepared.

As for the menu, she ultimately had the experienced chefs draft it, and she would make the revisions. The menu consisted of ten dishes per table, plus two soups, one meat and one vegetable, making a total of twelve dishes.

Yingxiang went to the bridal chamber one last time. The courtyard had already been properly decorated, and the furniture was all brand new. A few days ago, she had it wiped clean again.

Looking at the room now, it is brand new and bright. The furniture is not made of the most expensive wood, but it is not bad either.

Some details show that it is much more refined than the ready-made sets she bought before.

On the bed, red bedding had already been laid out, and red dates, peanuts, longans, and lotus seeds had also been arranged.

The large red wedding candle on the lampstand next to it was particularly eye-catching.

It can be said that Yingxiang wholeheartedly helped her son prepare for his engagement from the very beginning.

She had no objections to her future daughter-in-law. She had been raised in the Earl's mansion since childhood and was considered a noble lady. She would definitely be very familiar with social interactions in the future.

After dinner, the family sat together. Wen Shi glanced at Old Man Wen, who immediately coughed a few times and began to speak.

After everyone left, Yingxiang went back to her room and washed up carefully, then asked someone to bring out her new clothes so she could change into them the next day.

She thought she might have trouble sleeping tonight, but she ended up sleeping soundly until dawn.

The Shen family has also made all the necessary preparations.

When the auspicious hour arrived, Leqian put on his red wedding attire and went out to greet his bride.

The front door of the house was wide open, and she and Wen Shi were welcoming guests. There were indeed quite a few guests. Ninety percent of the guests who had sent out invitations came, and most of them brought their families. The remaining ten percent either had something come up and couldn't come, but they sent their wedding gifts through others.

On the one hand, Yingxiang arranged for people to register and tidy up.

On the other hand, she started socializing, and by noon, her face was almost frozen from smiling.

After the bride was welcomed back, everyone's attention was focused on the two of them. Next came the wedding ceremony, and those who could sit in the hall were mostly elders.

Wen Le* Qian was dressed in a red wedding robe, with a handsome face and a steady gait.

Shen Chu came from a prominent family, so her manners and poise were impeccable. Even with someone helping her, she walked very steadily.

Liu and Old Man Wen straightened their chests as they looked at Le Qian, and the other uncles and elders did the same.

After the wedding ceremony, the bride was led to the bridal chamber, where guests were received.

Wen Shi and his brothers didn't falter at this time. They remained calm in the face of the big feast and no one wolfed down their food. Wen Shi was busy entertaining his colleagues and superiors. Occasionally, he would glance over and see that they were mostly sitting upright, which reassured him a lot.

Congratulations!

Hu Yong'an greeted them with a smile.

The situation was similar for the women; many of them were seeing Yingxiang for the first time, especially the wives of Wen Shi's colleagues from the Ministry of Rites.

As the meat dishes were served one after another, the rather large round table was soon filled, and everyone began to drink and chat.

During this time, Wen Shi and Wen Leqian accepted all the drinks offered, as it was a joyous occasion. As for Yingxiang, she only drank a little, as she wasn't a big drinker.

"Today's banquet is quite good, it has everything you need, and the taste is similar to that of Xiangyunlou."

"I think it's probably not much different; they probably hired the chef from here."

"This wine is also good; it's sweet and not spicy at all."

"yes."

The two types of liquor are naturally different; compared to the strong liquor over there, this one is much milder.

From dawn to dusk, after seeing off the last guest, Yingxiang breathed a sigh of relief, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

"Alright, go find the bride. After you get married, you'll be an adult. Your father has already told you many things."

“My son knows.”

Wen Leqian had drunk quite a bit, but he was a good drinker. He stood to the side and nodded respectfully. Yingxiang had just given him a bowl of hangover soup, so he was now truly sober.

"You don't need to go too early tomorrow to pay your respects and offer tea. Your wife hasn't eaten much. When a woman gets married, she often has to start getting ready in the middle of the night. In the kitchen, I had someone reserve some dishes for her in advance. You can have someone bring them over directly."

Once the gate is closed, the rules don't matter so much.

Wen Shi had already been helped back into the house. It was clear that he was genuinely happy and quite drunk.

Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu didn't want to embarrass their son, so they didn't say a word today.

The others had also drunk quite a bit, and they had all been sent back. Yingxiang was alright; she was instructing her son while telling Chunyu to start tidying up the house.

The wedding is finally over.

In the small courtyard where Shen Chu was staying, the candlelight was gradually brightening, and the sky was already dark. A cold wind was blowing, and it was still a bit chilly. She had brought quite a dowry, and when she went out today, it could be said that she was part of a grand procession of ten miles of red bridal procession.

Apart from the larger items, most of them are currently displayed in the yard, filling it to the brim.

Wen Leqian walked in front, followed by a maid carrying a tray with three dishes and an extra plate of soft hibiscus cake.

"Greetings, young master."

Upon entering the room, seeing the bride sitting gracefully on the wedding bed, Wen Leqian picked up a scale rod, walked directly to her, and lifted the red veil in one swift motion.

The two had never met before their marriage.

The dragon and phoenix wedding candles were burning brightly nearby. Wen Leqian glanced at the bride.

"Put your things down and you can all leave."

Only the couple remained inside. After bowing to heaven and earth, they were now husband and wife.