The ceremony for a scholar to marry begins with the wedding.

Although he was a farmer from the countryside, he was also well-mannered and polite. He married his first wife and the wedding date was set in the afternoon.

Zhang Fangyuan got up before dawn, not because he had developed the good habit of getting up early, but because he couldn't help thinking about Xu He while tossing and turning in bed.

Thinking that today was the most important event in his life, and that there would be one more person to live with at home in the future, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, sometimes planning how to live in the future, and sometimes laughing out loud. It was still dark outside, but he couldn't stay in bed any longer.

After daybreak, people came to the house one after another. The first to arrive were the uncles and aunts from the Zhang family, followed by the villagers who came to help with cooking. After lunch, the villagers who were supposed to come for the afternoon banquet gradually arrived.

Zhang Fangyuan and his fourth uncle welcomed the guests at the gate of the wide courtyard. The villagers did not come to eat for free. Each family would have a representative to present gifts, usually the woman in charge of the household and her husband.

There is a square table under the eaves, and the literate elders in the village would dip ink in a favor book to record which families came to the wedding banquet and what gifts they gave.

It's not that they were competing with each other, but mainly because there were too many people coming, and the host was so busy that he couldn't remember all the things sent by each household. And next time when someone has something to do, they can take out the favor book to see if the family who is doing the favor has come. Then they can add some more gifts to them based on the gifts they gave last time.

In the early years of war and chaos, people liked to give practical gifts when doing things, such as meat, cakes, fruits, cloth, rice, etc.; after the world became peaceful and life gradually got better, the gifts were gradually converted into silver and money, and fewer people gave gifts.

At a wedding banquet like this, the amount of gift money given by each person depends entirely on the closeness of one's relationship with the host family. Of course, there are also people from wealthy families who are very generous and don't care much about the closeness of the relationship. Another point is to look at the level of wealth in each place. Jijiu Village is not a very poor village, but it is not very rich either. The average villagers can give a gift or a basic amount of 60 coins, and they can adjust it themselves as mentioned before.

But generally people add money to make it an auspicious number, and rarely add less because it has to be recorded in a book, and if it is too little it would be embarrassing.

In fact, social interactions in the village are also a huge expense, including weddings, funerals, children's full-month celebrations, elders' birthday parties... If you are in a hurry, you may have to visit two or three households in a month. Even if you give the least gift, it will cost one hundred and eighty cents, which is jaw-dropping.

But even so, the villagers still like to participate. After all, it is lively and after giving gifts, the whole family can go for a meal, so it is not too bad.

The women who came to the Zhang family to help said that Zhang Fangyuan was generous. This time, a lot of meat and dishes were prepared for the banquet. The news had spread a long time ago, and naturally many villagers came when they heard the news, all wanting to have a good meal.

There are many people coming here to do things, and people outside will say that this family is popular, and the host family is also happy.

"It's really meaty. I can smell the fragrance of Zhang's food from a long distance away."

"That's right. They used half a head of pork, and also slaughtered more than ten chickens and ducks, and more than a dozen fish..."

"Butchers are great. They make these things easy for me."

The villagers who arrived early, some bringing gifts, some gambling for a little money, gathered around a table, chatting and talking about the good things about the Zhang family, completely forgetting all the past events and getting busy.

"I'm afraid your second aunt can't come. If she wanted to come, she should have come yesterday."

"It's really not a big deal. It's not easy for Second Aunt to come back."

Zhang Shicheng nodded: "Where is your sixth uncle? Has he been notified?"

Zhang Fangyuan was thinking about his sixth uncle and his expression was not very good. He had gone to inform his uncle earlier, but it seemed that his sixth uncle was not at home. His sixth aunt, who was sitting with her legs crossed and cracking melon seeds, said she would tell his uncle that he had not come at this time, so he probably would not come.

He didn't care much about it. This kind of thing cannot be forced.

"Forget it. If he wants to come, then come. If not, forget it." Zhang Shicheng put his hands behind his back, looked up at the sun, turned to Zhang Fangyuan and said, "It's getting late. Hurry up and pack up to pick up the newcomer. Don't miss the auspicious time."

Zhang Fangyuan hasn't changed his clothes yet. He had to help with the arrangements in the morning and was afraid of getting his wedding dress dirty. We have already had lunch this morning, and it's time to get ready to go to the Xu family to get married.

He didn't say anything, but he was very excited in his heart. He responded and went back to the house to pack up.

"Very handsome!"

Zhang Fangyuan changed into wedding clothes. Perhaps because he was in high spirits due to happy events, he looked very good. His fourth aunt combed his hair neatly and couldn't help but admire it.

"As long as it's not ugly."

Zhang Fangyuan stood up. His fitted wedding dress showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist very well. When he walked out the door, the villagers couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.

"I never noticed it before, but this one from Fang Yuansheng looks pretty good."

"This tall guy, I'm afraid there's no one taller than him in the village."

"For a youngest child of the Xu family, I never expected to have such good fortune. I really didn't expect it."

"Who can tell clearly what is going on in this world?"

"It's time to go and welcome the bride!" The Zhang family shouted, and Zhang Fangyuan got on his horse. Behind him were Zhang's relatives and friends, as well as some people who had a good relationship with Zhang Fangyuan. They didn't seem to be many when they were scattered around the Zhang family, but when everyone walked out together, it was still a large group of people.

A boy's marriage is not as complicated as a girl's. He doesn't even need to wear a veil. Xu He on this side had packed up at some time in the afternoon and had been waiting at home. Although it was a wedding, some relatives and friends still came to the Xu family, one to see Xu He, and the other to see Xu Changren, so the house was still quite lively.

Xu He stayed quietly in his room and looked around. He could see all the furnishings in the small room at a glance. Although life in the Xu family was not easy, he still lived there for more than ten years. Now he was going to move to someone else's home, and he had many feelings.

However, she didn't have much stuff, just one box. Liu Xianglan was not afraid that her husband's family would look down on her because her belongings were too light when she carried them out.

"You know your father is injured and can't work in the fields. Money is needed everywhere in the family. Anyway, a butcher doesn't have parents at home. Even if you have less things, no one will say anything."

It means no dowry.

Xu He was used to such talk. In the past, he lived under someone else's roof and bowed his head when he could. Now that he was going to get married, he could not expect the Xu family to back him up in the future. So he said whatever he wanted: "Then where is my betrothal gift?"

When ordinary families marry off their boys and girls, the betrothal gifts given by the husband's family are all for the boy or girl who is getting married. Families who love their children may give all of it to the children for their own support. Those with less financial conditions will also give some as a token of their appreciation.

Liu Xianglan didn't mention a word about his betrothal money, so Xu He asked shamelessly.

"Your father and I raised you. Although our family was not well off and we didn't have the best food to eat, we still raised you. Now that you're married and working for another family, you're not grateful to your parents for raising you and you're still thinking about the bride price."

Yes, the family conditions were not good, so Xu Shaochun had only one egg every morning since he was a child, and chicken legs every few days, and he would be scolded if he had an extra bowl of porridge.

"What about my second sister's marriage? Mother still won't give her any dowry?"

Xu He had not compared his second sister's treatment with his own for a long time. When he was a child, he would ask why he didn't have what his sister had. Liu Xianglan always said that you are a boy and are different from girls. Later, when he grew up, he naturally understood the reason.

Liu Xianglan stared with wide eyes, thinking that Xu He was deliberately challenging her today: "How can you be the same as your sister!"

"Yes, of course they are different." Xu He looked directly into Liu Xianglan's eyes: "I know that I was picked up by my father, how can I compare with my sister. If you want to raise a servant to serve the family like a wealthy family, why do you have to hide it and let people think I am your biological daughter?"

"You are really going against the will of heaven! If your father hadn't picked you up from the snow, you would have frozen to death. If you were picked up by someone else, you might have been kept in a brothel or become a slave with your indentures in the hands of others!"

Liu Xianglan's chest heaved with anger. In fact, this matter was not a secret in the family, but no one talked about it.

Liu Xianglan felt a little uncomfortable when Xu He suddenly said this today.

"What's the difference between me and a slave whose indenture is held in someone's hands? Isn't it the same that I serve the whole family, work hard and never complain, and then get sold when I reach the age of maturity?"

Liu Xianglan's eyes were filled with anger: "For a few cents, are you worthy of your father's upbringing by saying these things?!"

Xu He sneered, and before the two of them could decide who was better, the sound of gongs was heard outside, and the wedding procession arrived.

When Liu Xianglan heard the sound of the gong, she simply put the old notebook she was going to give to Xu He back into her arms. Even if I don't give it to this young man, let him be tortured by Zhang.

"You bastard, you've figured out that I won't dare to do anything today. Just hope that the butcher will always treat you the same way he does now! Don't think of coming back to cry if you can't make a living in the future."

Liu Xianglan cursed a few times, then yelled, "Hurry up and leave!"

Xu He didn't say anything, got up and left the house.

It was very lively outside. The young man was not wearing a veil, but that was not something Dong Zhang could hope for. He lowered his head slightly and walked up to Zhang Fangyuan.

When Zhang Fangyuan saw someone dressed in red like himself, his heart began to beat fast, but he also felt that Xu He seemed to be in a bad mood. He frowned. Didn't they say yesterday that they would not be reluctant to leave home? He held Xu He's hand, blocked the surroundings with his body, and joked that he wanted to take a closer look at the relatives and friends of the newlyweds, and protected Xu He as she got into the bridal sedan.

The Xu family acted reluctant, and after the wedding procession turned around, Xu Shaochun's face fell. Although He Ge'er got married before themselves, the villagers didn't say much. They probably still thought that Zhang Fangyuan was tough and had a bad temper, and he got whatever he wanted. The Xu family had no choice but to marry Xu He off first.

Today, seeing so many people coming to the Zhang family, it was lively and festive. I heard that there were dozens of tables for the buffet, but there was still no movement from the Fei family. She felt even more upset.

Xu He was swaying in the sedan chair. He felt a little relieved from the argument with Liu Xianglan, but he did not sleep well last night and was still feeling dizzy.

He noticed from the corner of the curtain lifted by the wind that the sun had begun to set. There was a lot of noise outside, and he hadn't been in the sedan for long when he arrived at Zhang's house.

Now most of the people in the village have come here, making it extremely lively. He got off the sedan chair, and even without looking he knew that many pairs of eyes were on him. He felt unusually awkward, and the feeling of being helpless became very strong.

"Don't look at it, don't look at it! If anyone makes fun of me, I will bear grudge. Next time someone gets married, I will go to the bridal chamber to make trouble!"

Zhang Fangyuan ignored all etiquette and directly held Xu He's hand, yelling at the people watching the ceremony.

Although wedding banquets can be informal, the young man was still afraid of Zhang Fangyuan and did not dare to make jokes. He just laughed at the side.

When Xu He's boat reached the shore, he felt much more at ease. He lowered his head and walked into the Zhang family's main hall. After the two of them bowed in the hall, he was sent to the bridal chamber.