Chapter 86 Engagement? He really did become Lady Shen's little shadow. ...

Winter wheat is just beginning to turn green in the first month of the lunar calendar.

The slender wheat seedlings still clung to the remaining snowmelt, and the soil in the fields had not yet completely thawed. The water in the pond had risen sharply due to the melting snow, filling it to the brim. On the surface, broken branches and withered leaves floated, but the water was still relatively clear, reflecting the azure sky and the reeds that had just sprouted new buds on the bank.

Xie Qi followed silently behind Shen Miao, who was focused on inspecting the fields.

He had the cloak that Lady Shen had worn draped over his arm. Lady Shen walked forward, and he walked forward too. Lady Shen stopped and looked at something, and he stopped as well, seemingly in a daze.

He indeed became Lady Shen's little shadow.

However, he was somewhat dazed. Although his body was subconsciously chasing after Lady Shen, his soul seemed to have flown away the moment Lady Shen embraced him.

His mind remained in the same place.

It remained in Madam Shen's fleeting embrace.

Lady Shen was intelligent and self-possessed, and always managed to calmly break free first. After the embrace, she playfully wrinkled her nose at him, smiled slightly, and then turned to look at her fields, her pond, and her wheat seedlings.

But he couldn't recover to normal.

He was like a tiny flame, struggling to breathe amidst the ashes.

Xie Qi had never imagined that he would crave such a touch. The waist where Shen Niangzi's arm had encircled him was still burning hot. The chest where Shen Niangzi had pressed against him felt as if it had sunk softly into him with the slightest touch, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

It was as if this embrace had burst open a floodgate, and the torrent washed over his limbs and bones. He couldn't help but want to touch Chen Niangzi more.

I want to hold her hand.

I want to hold her in my arms again.

Thinking... Xie Qi stepped off course and was about to fall into the ditch.

Shen Miao had just turned around. She had intended to go to the other side to take another look, but unexpectedly she saw Xie Qi losing his balance and staggering while trying to steady himself.

She quickly reached out and pulled him up.

"The soil has just thawed and is soaked with snow water, so it may be a bit slippery."

Xie Qi regained his balance after she grabbed his wrist, and then Chen Miao tried to let go.

He panicked and grabbed it with his other hand.

Under Shen Miao's wide-open eyes, he lowered his head, pursed his lips, and refused to let go.

After a moment of awkward silence, his heart pounding like a drum, he clumsily came up with an excuse: "...the ridges are narrow and slippery, it's not easy to fall if you hold on tight."

Shen Miao blinked, but did not break free again.

Deep down, she's still a modern person, so the idea of ​​holding hands and hugging isn't that hard for her to accept. But looking at Xie Qi, it's like he's mustered all his courage; his face is practically steaming from holding it in.

"Let's go around there one more time, then we'll go back and pick up Xiang'er and the others. They should be waiting on the road to Chunzhuang," Shen Miao said naturally.

"Okay." Xie Qi managed a weak, muffled response, as if he was so nervous that his throat and tongue were numb and he could no longer speak.

The two had only walked two steps hand in hand when his palms began to sweat slightly.

Although no one was around, Xie Qi still moved the folded cloak to the other side and covered his and Shen Niangzi's clasped hands. Even when he was out in the dark, he still remembered to consider Shen Niangzi's reputation.

Since Madam Shen treats him so well and responds to him regardless of what others think, he must cherish everything about her and not let her be criticized because of him.

Shen Miao lowered her eyes and glanced at the cloak covering their hands, understanding Xie Qi's feelings. Her heart softened, and she curled her fingers to squeeze Xie Qi's hand in return.

Xie Qi paused slightly, and when he took another step forward, he moved so stiffly that his hands and feet moved in unison.

"Ninth Brother, do your parents know about us? Would they want you to spend the rest of your life with a common woman like me?" Shen Miao glanced at him, but then thought that Ninth Brother had already moved to West Alley, while his family had returned to Chenzhou, which seemed to prove something...

“Mother knows.” Xie Qi took a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter whether Father knows or not, he listens to my mother.”

Shen Miao nodded, indicating that it was good that she understood.

Actually, from the day Ninth Brother returned, she had the idea of ​​getting engaged to him. She wasn't a heartless man; she was a good girl who would take responsibility for Ninth Brother.

Now that she had decided to be with Ninth Brother, she also needed to consider practical matters.

Fortunately, there was none of the constraints of the distorted Neo-Confucian ethics that had been imposed upon us in later generations. While aristocratic families might have had all sorts of rules, ordinary people in the marketplace did not.

Once the engagement is finalized, the two families become one, helping each other with farm work and celebrating festivals together. If they live close by, visiting each other is not a big deal.

No one would say that once engaged, a woman must stay home and embroider her dowry, and is never allowed to go out again; no one would say that meeting her fiancé is inappropriate or improper; and no one would nag about a woman's three obediences and four virtues, and that she should never show her face in public again.

When Sister Shen and Rong Dalang started their marriage proposal, Rong Dalang came to the Shen family's shop almost every day to curry favor, and was even regarded as a model son-in-law.

Therefore, Shen Miao felt that it was better to be clear and open about it. She didn't like being secretive. Why should you act like a thief when you like someone? Her feelings for Jiu Ge'er should be open, honest, and something to be proud of.

In her past life, she had seen far too many strangely shaped, high-quality men. Because of this extensive experience, she trusted herself and Ninth Brother in this life. This wasn't love-struck foolishness; she didn't even have that kind of thing.

This has always been her principle.

Love should be open and honest.

And she had nothing to be afraid of.

If Ninth Brother dares to betray her, she can simply divorce him again.

She's been divorced once before, so she's experienced in this kind of thing.

Moreover... Song Dynasty social customs and laws tended to protect women's dowries and premarital property. She heard Chen Chuan read in detail the legal provisions concerning women's property: "If a husband and wife cannot live in harmony and divorce amicably, the wife's family's property is not subject to division."

A woman's dowry, including jewelry, gold and silver, and land and houses, is her private property. Even after marriage, this property and the benefits it generates remain separate from the husband's family property, and no one in the husband's family may arbitrarily seize or use it.

Normally, if the husband's family wants to use the woman's dowry, they must first obtain the woman's consent. Only dowry that the woman voluntarily gives out can be used by the husband's family.

Even if the husband's family wants to divide the property or incur debts, the wife's dowry cannot be used to repay the debts without her consent. If the purchase of land or houses was financed by borrowing money from the wife's dowry, in the event of a division of property or divorce, that portion of the money must be calculated separately and returned to the wife.

This is why Shen Miao was able to smoothly retrieve the remaining dowry after being divorced. From a public opinion, moral, or legal perspective, the Rong family had no grounds to retain her property unless she wished to.

So... the reason Rong Dalang was able to squander his eldest sister's dowry was purely because she was deceived by this scoundrel. It was only out of consideration for their past as husband and wife that she used the money to support his studies.

If Shen Miao had continued to argue with the Rong family, she might have even been able to sue them and get her money back. However, the dowry dispute took too long, and she was outnumbered, her health hadn't fully recovered, and Jinling wasn't her territory. In the end, she chose to leave those scumbags early and start a new life on her own.

Since she couldn't avenge her eldest sister back then, Shen Miao resolved to take care of her younger siblings. Now that the Shen family's noodle shop has been revived, she owns land and shops, and Ji Ge'er and Xiang Jie'er are growing up safely and happily, she feels somewhat relieved.

I hope that my sister in heaven won't blame me for her choice back then.

However, if the Rong family dares to provoke her again in the future, she is not afraid to sue them now.

In short, at this point in time, there's no need to worry about the husband getting half of the marital property or needing to calm down before divorcing. According to lawyer Deng, if you bribe the court, even if the wife initiates the divorce and the husband disagrees, she can easily get away with a light beating if she sues him.

As long as you have money and can feed those petty officials, there's no divorce that can't be achieved.

She had actually considered everything, both the good and the bad.

She made her decision.

Shen Miao walked forward, looking ahead, seemingly discussing with Xie Qi what vegetables to buy the next day. She casually continued, "Since Madam already knows, then… Ninth Brother, why don't you take some time to return to Chenzhou in a few days and ask Madam to send a matchmaker to propose marriage? We can get engaged first. After the engagement, we won't have to hide our meetings anymore, and Ninth Brother won't have to worry about it affecting my reputation. However, after the engagement, I'd like to postpone the formal wedding for two years, is that alright? I also want to manage the shop even better…"

Before Shen Miao could finish speaking, she felt her arm being tugged. She turned around and saw Xie Qi standing on the edge of the field, looking at her pitifully like a puppy, saying in a half-crying, half-laughing tone, "I can't walk anymore."

"Um?"

"My legs...are...are shaking..."

A pie suddenly fell from the sky, almost knocking him unconscious.

***

While Shen Miao and Xie Qi were discussing important life matters by the field ridge, Xiang Jie and her entourage had already entered the Xie family's Chun Manor. Xiang Jie was still wondering, "Hasn't my elder sister arrived yet?"

Ji Ge'er, carrying frozen pears, replied, "Perhaps it's because I'm looking at the fields more carefully."

Zhou Da led the way; behind Chunzhuang was a pasture for raising horses, perfect for horse racing.

“It’s alright. We’ll lay out some cushions later and have Zhou Dawei put up the curtains. We can sit and eat something while we wait for Madam Shen and Ninth Brother.” Yan Shu said, tightening the cloth straps on his shoulders. In his backpack were two chickens that Shen Miao had roasted before leaving. He had been smelling the aroma of the kiln-roasted chickens all the way, and his mouth was watering.

Chen Chuan also carried persimmon cakes on his back, walking awkwardly with his legs apart—having never ridden a horse before, his inner thighs were burning with pain.

We arrived there in no time.

Yan Shu helped Zhou Da and Zhou Chuyi hang up curtains and lay out mats and cotton quilts, making it warm and comfortable to sit on. He also had the servants left behind in the manor bring over a charcoal brazier and a stove.

The kiln-roasted chicken got cold, so we put it on the stove to heat it up.

It can also be used for heating.

Xiangjie stared intently at the kiln-roasted chicken skewered on bamboo sticks, thinking that she would break off both chicken legs later and save them separately for her older sister and Ninth Brother.

After hanging up the curtain, Yan Shu ran over to Xiang Jie'er in a mysterious manner and said, "I just tripped over a rabbit hole in the grass. Xiang Jie'er, do you want to go catch rabbits together?"

Xiang Jie's eyes lit up: "Where?"

"Over there." Yan Shu pointed to a rock on the side of the earthen slope. "Rabbits love to dig holes near rocks. I saw several. There was rabbit droppings at the entrance of the holes. There must be rabbits inside."

"Brother and Xiao Chuan, let's catch some too. When Sister comes, maybe we'll even have some rabbits to eat." Xiang Jie rubbed her hands together, pulling Chen Chuan with one hand and pushing Ji Ge'er with the other, "Let's go, let's go."

Catching rabbits is simple: pile up damp leaves, twigs, and dry grass at the entrance of the rabbit burrow, light them, and fan the smoke into the burrow. The rabbit will soon run out of the burrow.

Then catch the rabbit when it runs away.

They got right to work. The children scattered, and soon Xiangjie brought back some withered branches and leaves soaked by snowmelt, while Chen Chuan found some thick cattails.

Ji Ge'er bundled these things together and used them to block the cave entrance. Yan Shu took out a flint and steel from his pocket and quickly ignited the leaves and cattails with a few quick snaps. Flames leaped up, and thick smoke billowed into the cave.

Yan Shu rolled up his clothes and fanned the cave entrance vigorously, muttering, "Come out quickly!" The smoke kept pouring into the cave.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was still no movement from inside the cave. Xiangjie was starting to get discouraged and muttered, "Could it be that we smoked the wrong cave, and there's no rabbit in there at all?"

Yan Shu shook his head and said confidently, "Don't rush. A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and the rabbit burrows are very deep. Let the smoke in for a while longer, and it will definitely still be hiding inside."

Just then, a noise came from inside the hole. The children instantly perked up, their eyes fixed on the entrance. Suddenly, two or three large gray rabbits darted out of the hole.

"It's right here!"

Yan Shu shouted and pounced. Xiang Jie followed closely behind, reaching out to grab them as she ran. But the rabbits were agile, leaping and dodging left and right in the grass, running extremely fast.

Chen Chuan seized the opportunity and pounced on one of them, but the rabbit was too fast and he missed, ending up with a mouthful of grass.

The rabbits had scattered and fled down the hillside, almost disappearing from sight. In a flash, Xiangjie grabbed a stone, flicked her wrist, and with a "whoosh," the stone grazed the rabbit's tail. Startled, the gray rabbit veered off course and ran to the side.

Ji Ge'er had been observing the direction the rabbit was fleeing. This time, he took a few steps ahead, lunged forward, and pounced with both hands, pinning the rabbit's hands down.

"Gotcha! Gotcha!" Xiangjie and Yanshu shouted excitedly. The children, their foreheads covered in sweat, gathered around, laughing and playing with joy. Their voices echoed across the grass for a long time.

When Shen Miao and Xie Qi finally arrived at Chunzhuang and met up with them, they saw four children surrounding a large gray rabbit, discussing something with conflicted expressions.

The rabbit had two long, yellow teeth that protruded from its mouth, making it look very fierce. It kept stomping its feet angrily and gnawing on the bamboo cage that Zhou Da had brought.

"Where did you get these rabbits from?" Shen Miao asked, her cloak still draped over her arm.

"We caught it." Sister Xiang excitedly described their heroic feat of catching the rabbit to her.

Shen Miao smiled and praised them, "So amazing?"

Xiang Jie nodded proudly, but soon became dejected. She exchanged a glance with Yan Shu and Chen Chuan, and then sighed in an old-fashioned manner: "We originally wanted to catch a rabbit to make a 'Bo Xia' (a type of meat dish) to eat, but now we don't want to eat it anymore."

Yan Shu nodded, then sighed with a worried expression, resting her chin on her hand: "Zhou Da said that this is probably a female rabbit. Its fur is bald, so it must have plucked its fur to make a nest. Therefore, there are probably still its baby rabbits in this hole."

Chen Chuan had already felt sorry for the rabbit: "Let's release it; it has babies."

Ji Ge'er nodded: "We don't need it, so let's not eat it."

Shen Miao naturally agreed: "Let them go. If you want to eat rabbit, I'll buy a few rabbits that people raise for meat. I'll make braised rabbit, spicy rabbit cubes, or spicy rabbit heads for you. They're all delicious."

The children exchanged glances, and then Xiangjie used a small grass stick to pry open the bolt on the bamboo cage. The rabbit immediately darted out and disappeared in a moment.

Yan Shu reluctantly turned her gaze away from the vanished rabbit, only to find that Ninth Brother was standing behind Madam Shen as if he had lost his soul, staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Ninth Brother? Ninth Brother!"

Xie Qi suddenly came to his senses: "What?"

Yan Shu became increasingly suspicious.

Shen Miao rubbed her nose, feeling a little embarrassed.

If she had known that Ninth Brother would react so strongly, she would have gone back to discuss this matter later.

After discussing the engagement, she and Ninth Brother sat on a relatively dry rock by the field for a long time before he seemed to wake from a deep sleep. Later, when riding towards Chunzhuang, he held her tightly, and when they stopped, his head even drooped weakly against her shoulder, his voice becoming increasingly hoarse.

“Ah Miao”.

“Ah Miao”.

He murmured her name repeatedly.

For some reason, Shen Miao didn't say anything more.

As he helped her dismount, he looked up at her, his gaze intense, reflecting only her image.

It was only at that moment that Shen Miao realized that Xie Qi's heart was like a surging river or bursting fireworks. However, this was his nature; he was used to being peaceful and calm. Even the strongest emotions were not expressed through shouting or crazy actions.

He appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, he was so overjoyed that his legs went weak and he tripped.

Shen Miao suddenly found him somewhat adorable.

She suppressed her laughter and didn't mention it again, letting him catch his breath. However, he couldn't teach Xiangjie to ride a horse like this, so Zhou Da helped Xiangjie and taught her how to mount the horse and hold the reins. Meanwhile, Shenmiao, Jige'er, Chen Chuan, and Yanshu happily ate the glistening and tempting kiln-roasted chicken and the cool, sweet frozen pears.

"It's so delicious." Yan Shu mumbled indistinctly. He reached out and tore off another piece of chicken. Madam Shen's roast duck was amazing, and her roast chicken was just as good! This chicken was roasted so fragrantly. It was wrapped in dried lotus leaves and roasted, so it even had the aroma of lotus leaves. The skin was crispy and fragrant, and the meat inside was coated with a rich sauce. He ate with his mouth full of oil, and he didn't forget to leave a big chicken wing for Xiang Jie'er.

Looking at the dried lotus leaves under the chicken, Chen Miao thought of another dish: lotus leaf sticky rice chicken. She still had several lotus leaves that she had picked, dried, and stored in the summer. When she got home, she could make sticky rice chicken: the sticky rice was filled with chicken, char siu, spare ribs, salted egg yolk, shiitake mushrooms, and other fillings. Every bite was filled with the fragrance of lotus leaves, and the chicken flavor had completely permeated the sticky rice, making it both fresh and fragrant.

Tomorrow we'll have sticky rice chicken. She nodded to herself and took another sip of pear juice.

I glanced at Ninth Brother as well.

He held the fox fur cloak, his long legs bent, and sat quietly in profile.

Shen Miao shook her head: "Oh no, Ninth Brother's soul hasn't returned yet after being blasted away by her."

***

Time flies by. We made red sugar glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival and watched the lively lanterns. The New Year celebrations are over here.

Everything was fine these days, except that Xie Qi still seemed to be missing two of his three souls and seven spirits. He bumped into walls when walking, dropped his chopsticks when eating, and even fell down the stairs two or three times. Startled, Yan Shu hurriedly rummaged through his drawers and cabinets and found a bunch of fancy talismans and peace charms, covering Xie Qi from head to toe.

He circled Xie Qi curiously twice, saying, "How strange, is bad luck back again? But this time it seems a little different."

Shen Miao always tiptoed away.

A few days later, the Bian River gradually thawed, and spring officially arrived in the fourth year of the Baoyuan era.

Early in the morning, Liang Qian led a young eunuch to buy roasted duck. Shen Miao carefully packed the duck into a food box and handed it over with a smile, saying, "Eunuch Liang, please accept this. I also have a favor to ask of you. Could you please introduce me to an official in the Grand Canal Transport Office? I would like to ask someone to take a cargo ship south to buy ducklings."

Liang Qian also remembered this matter. He took the duck and said, "Madam Shen, don't be in a hurry. The Emperor has already made all the arrangements. When the cargo ship is about to set sail, someone will come to the shop to discuss it with you."

"That's wonderful." Shen Miao politely saw Liang Qian off at the door until he boarded his carriage and left.

Having received this confirmation, she hurried to Aunt Li's house to discuss the matter of purchasing ducklings in Nanjing.

Purchasing ducklings requires a trustworthy person skilled in selecting ducks. Even with official approval, one cannot rely entirely on the canal transport official, as he is busy with official duties and not a specialist in raising ducks. Moreover, the journey is long and time-consuming; without a reliable person to take care of the ducks along the way, it is highly likely that a large sum of money will be spent only to receive sick or dead ducks, resulting in a complete loss.

Previously, Shen Miao had mentioned to Aunt Li that she wanted to trouble her to take some money and make a trip to Jinling to pick out a batch of the best ducks. If Aunt Li was worried about Gou'er, she could send Gou'er to the Shen family, where she would take care of Gou'er's three meals a day and pick him up from school.

When asking her to travel far away on business, Shen Miao naturally prepared a generous reward.

At that time, Aunt Li still had some concerns. After all, she had spent most of her life in the small world of Yangliu East Lane and had never left Bianjing City. Now, she was suddenly being asked to go to such a faraway place, and she couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

This time, Shen Miao told me that he could take a canal boat all the way, and there were officials on board to take care of him. Once he arrived in Jinling, he could buy ducklings and then immediately return home. The round trip would take about a month.

Aunt Li gritted her teeth and finally agreed: "Alright, then...then I'll go with your Uncle Li. I'll really entrust Gou'er to you."

She still didn't dare to travel far alone.

Their family's porcelain mending business has been struggling lately, and Li, the porcelain carrier, can barely earn a few hundred coins a day. Besides, Sister Shen said that they don't need to pay for anything out of their own pockets this time; they can just keep track of all their food, drink, and expenses and let her know when they get back.

In addition, they would be given several strings of cash as a reward.

Aunt Li had already realized that Gou'er had no talent for studying. The teacher at the private school had mentioned it subtly several times. Gou'er was very diligent in his studies, but he just didn't have the brains for it.

As a parent, all she could do was try to save as much money as possible for her son while she was still able to work.

Upon hearing Aunt Li's agreement, Shen Miao breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she had planned to have Tang Er learn some quick skills in picking and feeding ducks from Aunt Li before sending him on this trip. But how could a beginner compare to an experienced veteran? They might encounter all sorts of situations along the way, and Tang Er might not be able to handle them.

It would be wonderful if Aunt Li could agree to this.

Just as Aunt Li and her husband were about to set off on the grain transport boat, news of the results of the provincial examination was released.