The next day, An Ning and An Dashan went to the street to buy betrothal gifts. In addition to the pair of wild geese, they also had to prepare betrothal money, gold and silver jewelry, a load of betrothal cakes, cloth, three kinds of animals, wine and four kinds of dried fruits.

An Dashan and An Ning discussed it and decided that the money for buying the house and servants would be considered to be paid by An Yong. Their family still had more than 4,000 taels of silver, so they planned to give a betrothal gift of 2,000 taels of silver.

The reason for giving such a high betrothal gift was, firstly, to support her brother, and secondly, An Ning was confident that she could earn more money.

After deciding how much betrothal money to give, the father and daughter went to the pastry shop. When the shopkeeper learned that they wanted to buy betrothal cakes, he immediately smiled and said, "Sir, these betrothal cakes must be made in advance. How many kilograms of betrothal cakes do you want? When will you pick them up?"

An Ning said, "Boss, we need 50 kilograms of betrothal cakes urgently. We are going to propose marriage tomorrow. Can you help us make them quickly? I will come to pick them up tomorrow morning."

The shopkeeper said, "Okay, no problem. I'll make it for you tomorrow morning."

After paying the deposit, the two came out of the pastry shop and went to the cloth shop they had visited last time. The owner of the cloth shop recognized An Dashan and his daughter and greeted them warmly.

An Ning got straight to the point and said, "Boss, we are going to pay the betrothal gift tomorrow. Can you see if there is any good cloth in the shop?"

The boss said, "Girl, you have come to the right place. Our cloth shop has all kinds of silks and satins. What kind do you want? How much do you want?"

An Ning said generously, "Boss, give me six pieces of the finest silks and satins in festive and fashionable colors."

When the shopkeeper heard this, he immediately smiled and said, "Okay, okay, wait a moment, young lady. I'll go to the warehouse and bring it out. I guarantee you'll be satisfied after seeing it."

After the cloth shop owner left, An Dashan whispered, "Ningning, isn't this a bit too much?"

An Ning shook her head and said, "I asked around, and the silk and satin gifts from wealthy families are all around this amount, and there are even more!"

An Dashan didn't understand this, so he didn't say anything.

The shopkeeper brought out all the cloth in a short while. An Ning carefully checked it and found that it was all top-quality cloth, so she nodded and said, "Shopkeeper, how much silver do you want?"

The shopkeeper was clacking away on his abacus, and soon he had figured it out, so he said, "Miss, six pieces of silk and satin each, a total of one hundred and twenty taels of silver."

An Ning bargained for a while, and finally asked the cloth shop owner to add two pieces of fine cotton cloth. Only then did she happily pay the money, load the cloth onto the car and leave.

After they came out of the cloth shop, they went to the wine shop. An Dashan waved his hand and asked for six jars of the best Bamboo Leaf Green. The owner of the wine shop saw that An Dashan wanted a lot, so he said, "Where does this guest live? I can ask my waiter to deliver it to your home."

An Dashan smiled and said, "That's great." Then An Dashan told the wine shop owner his home address.

After they bought all these things, they went to a jewelry shop. An Ning thought that this was a betrothal gift, so it didn't need to be too fancy, so she picked out two sets of simple but heavy head ornaments, and two pairs of solid gold bracelets, spending a total of one hundred and fifty taels of silver.

After buying jewelry, the parents went to the market to buy three kinds of meat and dried fruits. Among the three kinds of meat, chicken was already at home, and An Ning and An Dashan bought a pig and two fish, and four kinds of dried fruits, and then went to the grocery store to buy red paper.

After buying everything, the two drove the mule cart back home. When they got home, the owner of the wine shop had already asked his clerk to deliver the wine. An Dashan ordered the servants to unload everything from the cart, organize the betrothal gifts, and then put them in the warehouse with red paper.

After giving the instructions, the two returned to the reception room in the front yard. An Ning and An Dashan thought the layout and furniture of the reception room were pretty good, so they did not tidy it up, and kept the original layout and furniture.

An Ning discussed with An Dashan, "Dad, it's not a good idea to go there to propose marriage tomorrow by mule cart, so I'm thinking about buying or renting a carriage."

An Dashan thought for a moment and said, "Let's buy one. It's not very convenient to travel without a carriage at home. Then buy two horses and drive two carriages to deliver the betrothal gifts tomorrow. I don't think one carriage will be enough."

An Ning also nodded and said, "Dad and I have the same idea. Buying two horses is just right. One is for pulling the cart and the other is for my eldest brother to ride. I think these generals all have their own horses."

An Dashan also nodded and said, "That's true. Let's go to the Yahang after lunch. I think that Zhang Ya is pretty good. Let's go find him."

An Ning naturally had no objection. After the two of them rested for a while, they saw Wang'er from the kitchen coming over. Wang'er bowed to them and said, "Master, Miss, lunch is ready. Shall we set the table now?"

An Dashan stood up and said, "Let's set the table."

Wang'er agreed and ran out.

An Dashan and An Ning followed him to the restaurant. Considering that An Yong was about to get married, they now had their meals in An Dashan and Gao's courtyard. An Dashan and An Ning were the only ones at home, so An Ning didn't ask the cook to cook more dishes. She only asked her to make two dishes and one soup, which was enough for them.

The food cooked by this cook is OK. Although not as good as the chef in the restaurant, it is also delicious. A portion of braised pork, a portion of stir-fried vegetables, and a portion of egg drop soup are just right for An Dashan and his daughter.

After lunch, An Dashan and An Ning rested for a while and then set off to the dental clinic.

The shop was very quiet at this time, with only a few brokers chatting. When they saw An Dashan and his daughter come in, they all stood up to greet them. Zhang, the broker, also saw them and asked, "What is Mr. An here to buy this time?"

An Dashan said with a smile: "My family wants to buy a carriage and two horses. Can Zhang Ya see if there is anything suitable?"

When Zhang Yaren heard that it was another big deal, he said quickly, "Yes, yes, please come this way, Master An." Then he led the two of them to where the carriage was parked.

An Dashan and An Ning looked at each one, and Zhang Yaren talked about the advantages of each carriage. An Ning thought that the carriage in the family might be used more by his future sister-in-law, so he chose a carriage with exquisite workmanship and solid materials.

Zhang Ya took one look and said, "Miss, you have good taste. This carriage is the most exquisite among all the carriages. Although it is not made of the most precious wood, such as red sandalwood, it is also made of the best material, such as elm."

An Ning nodded and said, "How much silver does this carriage cost?"

The Zhang Ya man said, "This is naturally more expensive than an ordinary carriage. It costs fifty taels of silver."