After discussion, the two sides decided to have a meal before the Double Harvest Festival. If there were no problems on both sides, they would prepare to hold the wedding after the Double Harvest Festival.
Xia Ruzheng also knew that now was not the time to be pretentious. It was impossible for him to be like in later generations, dating for three to five years, or even living together as a trial marriage before getting married. At this point, it would be better for him to get married sooner and feel at ease.
Xia Ruqian also wanted to go with them, but Xia Chunfu didn't allow it, so the father and daughter went together.
Xia Ruzheng was a bit conflicted about her appearance. If she dressed too ostentatiously, her future in-laws might not like her. Instead, they might think she was too coquettish and unsuitable for a peaceful life. So, she had to dress modestly. Of course, she couldn't dress too poorly either. Everyone knew the Xia family was wealthy, and if she dressed too poorly, others might think she looked down on her future in-laws and didn't want to marry into their family.
After much deliberation, Xia Ruzheng decided to style his hair in a long braid, similar to how Xia Ruqian dressed when she first met the Liu family's parents-in-law. He decorated it with a flower, a pattern not found anywhere else in town, or even in the city. His clothes were ordinary in style, but brighter in color than the others, giving him a more youthful and energetic look.
After Xia Ruzheng finished dressing up, Xia Chunfu looked at her and nodded, saying, "Not bad, very suitable."
The two of them took some gifts and went to the Wen family. The road was a bit far, but Xia Chunfu was afraid that his daughter would be tired, so he drove the ox cart.
When the neighbors heard that Wen Zhichao's blind date was coming, they all started waiting, looking around. When Xia Chunfu and his daughter arrived, they saw people busy sitting at the doorways of the houses. As the father and daughter passed by, they all saluted, just like the soldiers' eyes following the Chairman's car during the National Day parade. Once the father and daughter had passed, they couldn't wait to exchange opinions.
Xia Ruzheng also found it a little funny. She knew that she would be the center of attention today, and she had already prepared herself mentally.
Xia Chunfu also noticed it and said to his daughter, "Ignore those people. The novelty will wear off."
Xia Ruzheng feels that this freshness will continue.
The Wen family's house looked similar to the Liu family's, also with its green tiles and red bricks. However, since Liu Guoqing got married, the house had been renovated, so the Wen family's house looked slightly older than the Liu family's.
Wen Zhichao came out to greet them, with a smile on his face, and said, "Uncle Chunfu, you're here!"
Xia Chunfu nodded, handed the ox cart to Wen Zhichao, and said, "Get some water for my ox."
Wen Zhichao went to work without saying a word.
Xia Chunfu, carrying something in his hand, led Xia Ruzheng towards the Wen family's house. The Wen family members were waiting under the eaves.
Xia Chunfu and Old Man Wen had met before, but it was just a meeting, not even an acquaintance, so there was no need for an introduction and they just greeted each other.
"You are so polite! We invited you to our home, and you gave us gifts."
Originally, the boy should have been the one to go to the house with the gift and the matchmaker, but now the situation is special, so it is the girl who came.
"You should bring a gift when you first visit. It's nothing expensive, just some candy and a few eggs. I hope you don't mind."
Xia Chunfu is also good at speaking politely.
After both sides finished their polite words, Xia Chunfu also introduced his daughter Xia Ruzheng, and Xia Ruzheng only needed to politely pretend to be shy.
Both sets of parents sat down, and Wen Zhichao had already settled the cows and came back, so he sat down beside them.
Then Xia Chunfu talked to Wen's parents about the two children.
Xia Chunfu was very satisfied with Wen Zhichao, and although the Wen family had met him for the first time, they still had a very good first impression of Xia Ruzheng. Furthermore, since Wen Zhichao had chosen him personally, and his parents had the final say, the conversation between the two sides was quite harmonious.
After talking for a while, they started to eat. While eating, the Wen family couldn't help but look at Xia Ruzheng's eating posture. Xia Ruzheng's eating posture was more beautiful than that of ordinary rural girls. She ate slowly and without making any noise.
The meeting between the two parties went extremely smoothly and they quickly reached an agreement. After the double harvest, they would choose a good day to do the business. Of course, before that, they had to leave enough time for the Wen family to clean up the house and for the Xia family to buy things.
On the way home, Xia Chunfu hummed a little tune about his promotion, which made Xia Ruzheng both sad and happy. Xia Chunfu must have waited a long time for this day, handing his daughter over to someone he trusted. This day really made him wait too long.
At this time, the rice in the fields is already golden. When the wind blows, there will be golden waves of rice, full of the joy of the harvest, spreading to all directions. Now is the time for double harvest.
Double harvest means racing against time. Crops must be harvested as quickly as possible and then the new season's crops must be planted. Failure to do so will affect the harvest. Therefore, farmers work from dawn to dusk in order to harvest more food, earn more income, and make life better for their families.
That year, only father and daughter were left to harvest the rice during the double harvest season. They rose before dawn each day and headed straight to the fields to harvest the rice. Xia Chunfu, a seasoned farmer, could harvest two to three mu (approximately 1.5 acres) a day, while Xia Ruzheng, even with all his effort, could only harvest about one and a half mu (approximately 1.5 acres). Xia Ruzheng greatly admired his father for this.
The Xia family's fields weren't too many, but they weren't too few either. Based on the average of about two mu (approximately 1.5 acres) per person in Xia Village, the Xia family had eight mu (approximately 1.5 acres) of land, which was difficult for the father and daughter to manage alone. However, these days, they could pay for help, and daughters and sons-in-law would usually return to their in-laws' home to help out for a day or two.
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