Chapter 43

After the Lantern Festival, time flies by.

On the second day of the second lunar month, Chen Qing got his hair trimmed, cutting off the split ends and frizz. That evening, Zhou Yuan came over, and Chen Qing also trimmed his hair.

On the fifth day of the second lunar month, Li Xin and Qi Shuning set off for the prefectural city. The provincial examination would begin on the ninth day of the second lunar month. Zhou Yuan accompanied them because he had taken on a job.

On February 15th, Chen Qing and Aunt Sun began spring plowing. First, they tidied up the vegetable garden in front of their house. The peas were ripe, so Chen Qing harvested all the pods, loosened the soil in the garden, and replanted new vegetables.

Wheat fields also need weeding and fertilization.

Together with Aunt Sun, he also cleared away the weeds in Zhou Yuan's field. The next step was to prepare for fertilizing.

At this time of year, the village is always filled with the smell of farmyard manure, no place is an exception. After the fertilization period finally ended, Chen Qing washed himself clean from head to toe.

Zhou Yuan had too much land, and Chen Qing and Aunt Sun really couldn't help him fertilize it. Before he left, he instructed Meng Zhuzi to find someone in the village to fertilize it for him.

Before they knew it, it was the first day of March. Li Xin and Qi Shuning returned from the prefectural city. Li Xin didn't mention how Qi Shuning had done on the exam, but only said that the scenery in the prefectural city was beautiful and invited Chen Qing to visit sometime. They should have returned much earlier, but Li Xin had taken Qi Shuning to his maternal grandfather's house, which delayed them a bit.

Having been away for too long, Li Xin decided to go home and stay for a while. Perhaps it was due to the change of seasons, but Zhang Yin's health had been a bit off lately. They called a doctor, who hesitated and only said that it was probably just because of the change of seasons and that there was nothing seriously wrong. But Li Xin was still worried. Qi Shuning agreed, and the two of them went back to Li's house.

Zhang Yin seemed a little anxious. She asked Li Xin when Zhou Yuan planned to get married.

Li Xin was suspicious, but seeing that she was only concerned, she said she would go and ask.

Zhou Yuan returned a few days later than them. The first thing he did upon returning was to go to Chen Qing's house to let them know he was safe. After hearing that Zhang Yin was unwell, he went to Li's house instead.

Li the blacksmith has been busy looking for a craftsman to repair his house. He has already arranged a house plot for Li Xin with the new village chief, and construction will begin in a few days. When Zhou Yuan returns, he will ask him to help find the craftsman who previously repaired his house, and Zhou Yuan naturally agrees.

He then went to greet Zhang Yin, who talked to Zhou Yuan for a while and asked him when he planned to get married. Zhou Yuan replied that he would do so as soon as possible.

Chen Qing's mourning period is about to end, and it is the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers. They need to get married before the summer harvest and planting, otherwise many things will be mixed up. At this time, Chen Qing's family has already started planting corn, and he has helped carry water many times.

So on March 15th, Zhou Yuan changed into a new set of clothes, carried several gifts, and went to Li the blacksmith's house.

After he explained his purpose, Zhang Yin couldn't stop smiling, but Zhou Yuan noticed that her complexion had become even paler.

"Are you still not feeling better?" Zhou Yuan asked.

"It's an old problem, it'll be fine in a few days." Zhang Yin wasn't too concerned. She had become quite knowledgeable about her own body through long-term illness, so she wanted to take advantage of this time to get everything done.

Zhang Yin thought for a moment and said, "The day after tomorrow is a good day. I will ask the matchmaker to come and propose marriage."

She then asked, "Have you prepared everything?"

Zhou Yuan shook his head; it was his first time getting married, and he knew nothing about it.

"Then I'll say this: write it down. There's still one day left tomorrow, enough time to prepare."

Zhou Yuan listened very attentively.

"It's probably just some snacks, dried fruit, candy, eggs, a piece of meat, and a packet of tea. People in our village don't care much about anything else; we just wrap these things in red paper," Zhang Yin said patiently. Although she was a little anxious, she remained patient.

"Is this all? What about the rest?"

Zhang Yin thought for a moment and said, "If we had the means, I had previously seen people use a pair of wild geese as a betrothal gift, but wild geese are hard to find at this time of year. These basic things will do."

Zhou Yuan nodded: "Okay, I'll go prepare."

Zhang Yin then asked, "Is there enough money left? If not, there's still some at home; take it for emergencies."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan looked up at her and saw a faint smile on her lips, her gaze gentle and tender.

From birth, his grandmother took care of him. Although she gave him a lot of love, he still wondered what his mother would be like. She would probably be like Zhang Yin or Aunt Sun. Although he and the Li family became family later in life, the Li family treated him sincerely. Although Li the blacksmith didn't talk much, he and Zhang Yin did everything for his own good. Although Li Xin often argued with him, he really treated him like an older brother.

Zhou Yuan said, "I have money, so you don't need to worry about me. You should take good care of your health."

Zhang Yin coughed twice more: "It's okay, I know my own body. Stay home for dinner tonight, Xin Xin and the others will be back too."

Zhou Yuan nodded: "Okay."

Zhang Yin was about to start cooking, and Zhou Yuan and Niu Niu were helping her out, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Early the next morning, Zhou Yuan drove the oxcart to town. First, he bought the things Zhang Yin had mentioned needed for the marriage proposal. Then he went to a clothing store and bought new clothes for the three elders. Although he wasn't sure about the sizes, he had a general idea. They also knew how to sew and could make alterations themselves.

He is not short of money now. He has put away the silver notes given to him by the General's Mansion last time, and he needs that money for emergencies. He is currently using the money he earned from his trips and what he had left over. It should be enough for his wedding.

After returning home, he didn't go to Chen Qing's house to report for duty. Instead, he packed up the bow and arrows he had prepared earlier and prepared to go look for wild geese. If he could find them, great; if not, so be it.

Zhou Yuan spent the night in the mountains without seeing a single feather, but on his way down, he saw a litter of rabbits. Without thinking, he took them all back with him.

When he got home, Niu Niu was already waiting in the yard: "Big brother, Mom told me to come and find you."

Zhou Yuan handed him a snack: "Wait for me a moment."

He changed his clothes, washed his face, picked up the things he had bought yesterday, and went to the Li family with Niu Niu.

Li the blacksmith went to the shop, and Zhang Yin, who had already changed her clothes, was standing in the courtyard waiting for him. Looking at the things he had prepared, she could see that Zhou Yuan valued Chen Qing.

They first went to the matchmaker's house and explained their purpose. Although Zhou Yuan had said long ago that he would ask the matchmaker to help him find a match someday, the matchmaker was still a little disappointed when she learned that it was Chen Qing. In her opinion, Zhou Yuan could have had better options.

Zhang Yin smiled and said, "That would be troublesome. When would be a good time to visit?"

The matchmaker, of course, smiled and said, "Tomorrow morning then."

Zhang Yin nodded: "Okay, thank you." She took out a string of coins from her purse and handed it to the matchmaker, as was the custom they made of.

On the other side, Aunt Sun went into Chen Qing's house and carried out a very large box.

Chen Qing quickly took it and found that it was a mahogany box that had been kept in Aunt Sun's room.

“This mahogany chest was made by your father after we got married,” said Aunt Sun, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Take it with you when you get married.”

Chen Qing quickly shook his head: "This is from your father, how can I accept it?"

Aunt Sun said, "I have another one. A bride needs her own dowry. I can't get you a new one, so don't look down on this one." Aunt Sun opened the chest, and it wasn't empty.

“These are all the dowry I prepared for you. Although our family is poor, we can’t go without anything. Otherwise, we won’t be able to stand up straight.”

Grandma Sun took out a cloth bag from the box, inside which was a pair of carved silver bracelets: "My family can't afford to give you gold, so we can only give you a pair of silver bracelets."

Chen Qing's eyes began to sting.

Inside the box was a brand new sewing kit, a bronze mirror, a peach wood comb, a pair of scissors, and a fan.

"I asked your Aunt Liu and the others to help make the dragon and phoenix wedding dress. It should be ready in the next couple of days." Aunt Sun stroked Chen Qing's hair. "Our Qing will be getting married in style this time."

Chen Qing hugged Grandma Sun, his tears soaking her clothes.

"Why are you crying? This is a happy occasion." Aunt Sun patted his back and then took out a purse from her bosom. It was embroidered with a pair of lotus flowers. "Inside is some money for you to keep safe. If you suffer any grievances, come home."

Chen Qing suddenly felt a desire not to get married.

Grandma Sun wiped her eyes and patted Chen Qing's head: "Don't get any other ideas, or Zhou Yuan will tear this house down."

When Chen Qing went to bed at night, he placed the mahogany box by his bedside and rested his hand on it. Although the box was not warm, Chen Qing felt a soothing warmth in his palm.

The next morning, Aunt Sun got up and swept the yard. Soon after, the Li family arrived with Aunt Hua.

Chen Qing was stunned. He thought it was just Zhou Yuan coming alone, but he didn't expect that the whole Li family would come, including Li the blacksmith and the newly appointed village chief. The more people came, the more serious Zhou Yuan seemed.

What left the Li family and the matchmaker somewhat dumbfounded was the nest of rabbits Zhou Yuan was carrying.

The matchmaker gave a dry laugh: "Rabbits have many offspring, which is a good omen."

Chen Qing, standing in the courtyard, had a flushed face.

Chen Qing couldn't remember anything that happened on the day of the marriage proposal. He sat with his head down the whole time, listening to Aunt Sun, Aunt Hua, and Aunt Yin talking. Occasionally, he would look up and see Zhou Yuan looking at him.

The moment their eyes met, Chen Qing slowly lowered his head again.

After several friendly exchanges, they finally set their wedding date for April 15th.

As Zhou Yuan was leaving, he glanced at Chen Qing, who smiled back at him.

Once that day was over, everyone in the village knew that Zhou Yuanchao had proposed marriage to Chen Qing. The betrothal gifts filled Chen Qing's courtyard, showing that he had put a lot of thought into it.

Since the Lantern Festival, Chen Qing has been embroidering his own wedding clothes, not only his but also Zhou Yuan's. He had to do farm work during the day and embroider by lamplight at night. When it was time to finish, he asked Aunt Sun to embroider the last few stitches for him.

Looking at the two sets of wedding attire laid out side by side on the bed, Chen Qingcai truly felt the reality of his impending marriage.

On March 27th, Chen Qing finished his mourning period and went up the mountain with Granny Sun to offer incense to Meng Tao.

This time, he was not acting as Meng Tao's widow, but as Meng Tao's adopted son and younger brother.

There are less than ten days left until their wedding.