Chapter Three

No matter how unwilling Mu Bai was, time did not change according to his will, and in the blink of an eye, it was the eighteenth day.

The Zhou family was all dressed neatly. Today was the engagement day of the Zhou family's eldest son, and in order not to be gossiped about by the villagers, the betrothal gifts that should be given were prepared in full to save face.

Early in the morning, Mu Jin tidied up the courtyard neatly and cleanly, and changed into his only presentable indigo winter coat.

"Oh my, Mu Mei, you've arrived! Please come in, please come in." Zhou Lingxi greeted them with a beaming smile, appearing to be a truly devoted and caring father who had put a lot of effort into Mu Jin's marriage and doted on his stepson.

"Mu-fu-lang, your house is very clean and tidy." Mu-mei-mo said with a smile. The last time he came, it didn't look as clean as it does today. Even the brooms and hoes were put away in the woodshed.

"I didn't know you were coming today, so I got up early to pack." Zhou Ling didn't mention who got up early to pack, but glanced at the betrothal gifts brought by the Zhou family, which were more than he had expected.

Mu Laoqi sat upright in the main room, waiting for them. Mu Zhou and Mu Bai were also at home, and the whole family was dressed in clean and presentable clothes, showing that they valued the arrival of the Zhou family.

"Oh dear, everyone's here, so let's not waste any more time. Brother Mu, Mr. Mu, take a look at Zhou Lin, the eldest son of the Zhou family. He's got the looks and the build; he's definitely a fine man." Mu Mei, with his sharp tongue, praised Zhou Lin again and again.

Zhou Lin knew he wasn't a handsome man. All he had was big, bright eyes and a large, straight nose, but his lips were too thick and his face too square. His mother had once said that he was the ugliest man in the family.

Because of Mu Mei's effusive praise, the honest man was so embarrassed that he wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Mu Laoqi nodded. When Zhou Ling saw that Zhou Lin's appearance was not as good as he had expected, his eyes darkened for a moment. Mu Jin had indeed picked a good one. However, when he thought about the personality of Zhou Lin that he had inquired about, he felt a little better.

He glanced at Zhou Lin again and shook his head inwardly. He seemed like a capable man, but he was a pushover who anyone could easily manipulate.

Zhou Ling is a bit conflicted. On one hand, she wants to leave a way out for the Mu Zhou and Mu Bai brothers, but on the other hand, she doesn't want Mu Jin to have too easy a life.

He knew perfectly well that Mu Jin didn't like him. He'd rather rely on her himself and find a good family for Mu Bai and Mu Zhou to marry into. Even if Mu Jin lived a good life, he wouldn't benefit from it.

Because of this, he had previously rejected many families who were willing to pay ten or fifteen taels of silver to marry Mu Jin.

A family that can afford to spend more than ten taels of silver to marry a young man must be living a wealthy life. Compared to spending more than ten taels of silver, he felt even more uncomfortable watching Mu Jin marry into the family and enjoy a life of luxury.

He didn't want to see his son, whom he always bossed around, one day live a life ahead of him.

He couldn't just marry Mu Jin to any old widower. If he did, not to mention whether Mu Laoqi would agree for his sake, the good reputation he had built up in the village over the years would be ruined. The Zhou family was just right, neither bad nor good, just right for Mu Jin.

Seeing that the Mu family couple had no objections, Mu Mei smiled and read out the betrothal gifts brought by the Zhou family. Chicken, duck, pork, rice and flour were common items, and the betrothal gifts were the usual two taels of silver given when marrying a young man, neither more nor less.

After Mu Mei finished reading the betrothal gift list, Mu Laoqi frowned. "Two taels of silver is really too little. I remember that some families who wanted to marry Jin Ge'er gave fifteen taels of silver."

Everyone gasped. Fifteen taels! Why didn't this old man just rob him?!

Zhou Wu's lips stiffened slightly, and she said with a forced smile, "Every family is different. My family supports a student, and even this two taels of silver is what my husband and I have managed to save up over the years by tightening our belts and skipping a meal every day."

Mu Laoqi's face darkened slightly, clearly indicating his dissatisfaction with the betrothal gifts.

Mu Mei quickly said, "When we marry off a young man, we can't just look at the betrothal gifts. We also have to consider the character of the man's family. The Zhou family is known in our village for their kind fathers and filial sons. Everyone who sees them gives them a thumbs up."

Mu Laoqi was dissatisfied. What did it matter to him what kind of person this man was, or what kind of life Mu Jin lived? He didn't care.

Zhou Ling whispered in his ear, "Think about the fourth son of the Zhou family. He will be taking the imperial examination next year. How many men in our village have academic titles? If he passes the exam, won't we also benefit from it?"

Zhou Ling said this, but in his heart he felt that Zhou Qiang was not cut out for studying. He had seen Zhou Qiang going to brothels in town countless times before. Look at him, so young, yet so weak.

Little did people know that Zhou Qiang, despite his seemingly weak appearance, wasn't actually involved with the men and women in brothels. He was simply lazy and didn't work, lacking any energy or spirit.

Mu Laoqi's mind softened a bit. He was thinking of having Mu Zhou pass the imperial examinations and change his family's fortunes. If a relative could lend a hand, that would be ideal.

"Considering that Lin is a good young man, you can add another tael of silver. If it's too low, I won't have any face."

Mu Laoqi's family was considered to be among the middle to upper class in the village, and they weren't short of money. His uncle was now the village head of Mujia Village, and he didn't need fifteen taels of silver. In fact, it was better if the dowry was a little less, so as not to be accused of selling his son.

However, he still wanted to save face. As long as his son's betrothal gifts were more expensive than others', even if it was only by a tael or two, he would feel at ease.

Zhou Laosan and Zhou Wushi exchanged a glance. Zhou Lin, standing behind them, held his breath, fearing that his parents would call off his marriage to Mu Jin because of this one or two taels of silver.

"Alright, three taels of silver. The remaining one tael will be delivered in a couple of days," Zhou Laosan decided.

Zhou Lin breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile playing on his lips. Mu Jin was now his fiancé!

Thinking about the matchmaker's money that was about to be in his hands, Mu Mei smiled and said, "In that case, give me Jin Ge'er's birth date and time, and I'll pick an auspicious day. Lin boy, don't stand here anymore, go find Jin Ge'er, and you two can chat in the courtyard."

Zhou Lin's ears turned slightly red. Just as he was about to step out, he heard a clear, youthful voice: "You'll treat my older brother well, right?!"

Zhou Lin turned around and saw that it was Mu Zhou who spoke. He dared not be negligent because of Mu Zhou's young age, and nodded solemnly, "I will not let Jin Ge'er shed a single tear in front of me."

Mu Bai waved his little fist and pretended to be fierce, saying, "If you treat my eldest brother badly, my second brother and I will go and beat up your house!"

Mu Mei feigned a slight annoyance: "You're quite something, young man. Why are you acting like a tough guy, always ready to throw punches?"

He loved teasing Mu Bai the most, and he adored this nine-year-old boy.

"Alright, go call your older brother out to meet us." Zhou Ling patted Mu Bai's shoulder and said helplessly.

Having passed the test of his two brothers-in-law, Zhou Lin felt a little relieved, his expression softened, and he left the main room, staring at Mu Jin, who had been called out, for a while.

The honest man was extremely anxious, but he didn't know what to say, so he kept scratching his head in frustration.

Mu Jin chuckled, her smile as radiant as a flower. She gently handed him the shoes, which he had made from clean old clothes. They were faded in color, sturdy but not very attractive.

Somewhat shyly, she said, "The matchmaker said that I should give you something when we get engaged. After thinking about it, I asked him for your shoe pattern and made a pair of shoes for you. Do you like them?"

Zhou Lin nodded repeatedly, carefully taking the shoes with both hands, grinning sheepishly. He then pulled out a tightly wrapped package from his person, saying, "I asked my mother for money the other day and went to town to buy these for you."

Mu Jin blushed and accepted it. The people inside the house looked at the two newlyweds, and the courtyard fell silent. The two of them were immediately a little shy.

The matchmaker in the main room joked, "Look at these two, they're such a perfect match."

After they finished explaining the matter, the Zhou family members all came out of the Mu family's house, and Zhou Lin still had a lingering joy on his face.

Zhou Wu sighed casually, "Alas, the Mu family is really something. That extra tael of silver was meant for Qiang'er to take the imperial examination in the spring!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin snapped out of his reverie with Mu Jin and immediately said, "Mother, don't worry, I'll go to town tomorrow to see if there are any job openings. I'll earn back this tael of silver for you as soon as possible, so it won't interfere with Fourth Brother's exam."

Zhou Wu smiled and said insincerely, "No rush, no rush. Your fourth brother will take the exam in the spring. In this cold weather, his health is the most important thing."

Zhou Lin touched his head and said with a simple smile, "Mom, I'm not cold or tired."

Mu Qing rolled his eyes at the silly older brother, but then he thought that it had nothing to do with him anyway. If Zhou Lin did more work, he could eat more meat.

Zhou Ming's teeth ached from the sourness; it's true what they say, fools sometimes have good luck.

The marriage was settled, and the news of the engagement between the Zhou and Mu families spread like wildfire throughout Mu Village.

"Tsk, what were Mu Laosan and Zhou Ling thinking? Marrying Jin Ge'er to Zhou Lin is like pushing him into a fire pit!"

"Why do you say that? Lin is such a good man, filial, and honest-looking."

"Back then, so many men from the village sought to marry Jin-ge'er, but none of them succeeded. I heard that someone offered fifteen taels of silver as a dowry. It seems that Mu-fu-lang and his family are not the kind of people who would choose Jin-ge'er based on the dowry. This Lin boy must have some merits to have caught the eye of the couple."

"What strengths? Like the two ounces of meat in your [body part]?"

"Tsk tsk, Uncle Mu, you're really something. Now that you're married, the things you say are so risqué that I don't even dare to listen to them."

Everyone burst into laughter. This group of married women and husbands really had no sense of propriety and dared to say anything.

Regarding Zhou Mu's engagement, some were optimistic and others were pessimistic. Amidst the various opinions, the wedding date for Mu Jin and Zhou Lin was set for the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month before the new year, which was still more than a month away.

This was also the first time that Mu Laoqi had married off a young man. Even though he disliked him the most, he didn't want others to laugh at him. So he specially allocated silver to Mu Jin and asked her to cut a piece of red cloth. Recently, Mu Jin has been staying at home, not going out of the house, making her wedding dress.

Zhou Lin would visit him from time to time, sometimes bringing him some pastries from town. After being scolded by Zhou Wu for wasting money, he would come back later with little wooden trinkets made by himself.

Mu Jin actually prefers wooden toys. Most of the pastries she buys don't end up in her stomach, so these things are much better. When she gets tired of embroidering, she can play with them for a while.

Mu Mian would occasionally come to his house to keep him company and talk to him, but these past two days she noticed that he seemed hesitant to speak.

Mu Jin smiled and said, "Just say what you want to say, why are you hesitating like this?"

Mu Mian paused for a moment and said softly, "Jin-ge'er, if I say these words now, I'm afraid it will make you unhappy."

"You can tell me, but I'll be even more unhappy if you don't," Mu Jin said to Mu Mian, putting down her needlework.

Mu Mian hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I heard it from my stepfather. When he heard about this, he was so angry that he scolded your stepfather, saying that the Zhou family wasn't as good as they seemed, and that your stepfather was going to throw you into a fire pit."

Mu Jin smiled upon hearing this, "I thought it was something serious. I met Zhou Lin when we got engaged. He's an honest and decent person. As long as he's a good person, I think we can make a good life together."

Mu Mian sighed, "He's just too honest and hardworking. My uncle told me that in the Zhou family, he's like an old ox, doing all the work. His mother doesn't seem to treat him very well."

Mu Jin smiled and said, "That would be even better. If we separate from the family early, I won't have a mother-in-law to rely on, and I'll live a comfortable life."

"That's not it. It's just that his mother treats him badly, but he treats his mother well. My uncle says he's just stubborn." Mu Mian was getting a little anxious.

Hearing this, Mu Jin was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "I thought he was finally treating me better. Oh well, I'll deal with whatever comes my way. I'm sure I can make a living on my own!"