Chapter 172
By the time Wen Leqian returned, it was almost dark. Although it wasn't autumn yet, there had been a lot of rain in the capital recently, making it cooler than before.
"Father, Mother."
"Big brother."
Yingxiang looked at her son sitting below her and sighed slightly. If this were the era, he would indeed be considered quite old.
There are many women who married before him.
"Someone proposed marriage to you today. I have already seen the girl. She is quite nice, with proper manners and poise. I have already agreed to this marriage on your behalf."
After Wen Shi finished speaking, he picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip of tea.
Yingxiang looked at Wen Leqian and found the child to be surprisingly calm.
After a while, Wen Leqian nodded.
"I understand, then I'll trouble you, Mother, to help me with the marriage arrangements."
"You have no objections?"
Yingxiang asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up.
She didn't doubt Wen Shi's judgment, but marriage was no small matter. Why was this guy sitting there without any reaction, as if it were a very ordinary thing?
"Marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers. Father has already chosen a good girl for his son. I think she is quite nice. After marriage, she can have children and manage the household."
Upon hearing her son's words, Yingxiang hesitated, but there was nothing she could do. Given the prevailing educational environment, it would be strange if someone didn't think that way.
"Your mother will have to trouble you a lot from now on. After all, this is your marriage, so you should pay attention to it. This young lady comes from a distinguished family and is very elegant. After the marriage, you will be an adult."
"yes."
"Go read a book."
Xinxin immediately ran out with her brother.
Wen Shi looked at his wife beside him and carefully explained to her a series of procedures, what the Three Letters and Six Rites were, and how to do them.
Yingxiang nodded repeatedly.
She wasn't a petty person, and after hearing Wen Shi's instructions, she felt much more at ease.
She will likely try her best to make her son's wedding grand and respectable.
When Old Man Wen and Mrs. Liu returned home later that evening, Wen Shi went to tell them. He said that they wouldn't understand if he said too much, so he kept it brief.
"Father, Mother, Leqian's marriage has been arranged. Next, Yingxiang will help him with the wedding preparations. There are many things to prepare, and I think it would be best to let them get married after the spring next year."
"Can't it be done before the New Year?"
Old Man Wen was a little curious. In his opinion, arranging a marriage for his child was not difficult.
Wen Shi shook his head.
"The three letters and six rites are indispensable. The Shen family is an official family, but in the end, it is still a case of their daughter marrying down."
"Oh, I see. Then tell your wife to get ready."
Wen Shi nodded.
Liu's mind raced. She wanted to say something, but Old Man Wen glared at her, so she swallowed her words.
“Mother, there are some things I need to tell you in advance. I don’t object to you going out to have fun, but once Leqian’s wife enters the family, you can’t put on airs, you can’t be pretentious, and you can’t curse people. There are some things you can’t say, especially about the wife’s dowry. It belongs to her family. To put it bluntly, even if you don’t live together in the future, they will still take it back with them.”
He looked serious and stern when he heard this.
“This young lady is from a respectable family, and we are not from the countryside. We cannot act recklessly; we must behave with dignity.”
Wen Shi glanced at his father, who nodded repeatedly.
"There are two empty yards in the backyard, which one should we tidy up?"
Grandpa Wen was quite happy that his grandson was getting married.
"Father, Mother, I'll need to trouble you to go back and give our family a detailed explanation of this incense burner."
"Don't worry, I'll go back and tell them tomorrow."
"I wonder if our three children will have any good news when they come back this year. Leqian is about to get married, and you've been promoted and are coming back this year. These are all good things."
He didn't speak when he heard this. Right now, besides his career, his son's marriage was the most important thing to him.
When Wen returned to Yingxiang's courtyard, Yingxiang took out the money box and was counting the money.
“My husband, I’ll give him two thousand taels to prepare first. The biggest expense will be the betrothal gifts, and the banquet will be secondary. Next, we’ll find a matchmaker and take care of things step by step.”
Seeing that Wen Shi acted this way, she must have already spoken to the other party in private. Ying Xiang also understood that things would go very smoothly from now on.
“The two back courtyards are empty. They look about the same size. Let’s clean up the one on the right first. You told me before that we don’t need to furnish it yet, as the bride’s family will likely provide a complete set of furniture as dowry.”
"This is almost certainly true, but we can't be sure. If the woman's family comes to measure the property after the engagement, we won't interfere. If not, we'll have to prepare the whole set."
"good."
"Nothing else, just this betrothal gift list. We'll discuss it further. The betrothal gift is six hundred taels. The betrothal cakes and fruits are not difficult to prepare; they're all fixed in quantity. I'll buy them ready-made, which will look nice. Afterward, I'll go to a few famous shops in the capital to purchase some fabrics and jewelry."
"Prepare as much betrothal gifts as possible."
The next day, Yingxiang began preparations.
Finding a matchmaker isn't difficult, and you don't need too many gifts for the first visit.
That day, Lord Shen had his wife accept the gifts, which meant he accepted the marriage. After he told Shen Chu, he saw his daughter standing to the side, silent for a long time.
"Chu'er, you're not young anymore. The Wen family may be poor, but they are a family of scholars. Your future father-in-law has five brothers, three of whom are educated. He himself is a second-class graduate, and his younger brother is too. Their family is also an official family."
"As for your future husband, your father has inquired about him. He is a talented young man, and his wife has always spoken highly of him. Moreover, his family is small and he has no concubines, so there will be few problems for you when you marry into the family."
Shen Chu nodded.
"A daughter listens to her father."
“I have already spoken to your mother and asked her to start preparing your dowry. When you become a wife, you must be virtuous and well-mannered. When you get married, you will represent the reputation of my Shen family. If you bring shame to the family, don’t blame me for being ruthless as your father.”
When Uncle Shen said the last sentence, he was filled with resentment.
Shen Chu's lips moved slightly: "Daughter knows, please rest assured, Father."
"I'll have your mother prepare the dowry according to the rules. You can prepare your wedding dress yourself. After you get married, live a good life with your husband."
Watching her father leave, Shen Chu remained calm, her expression revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Miss, the Wen family has no noble title, so why is the master treating you like this?"
“Since my mother passed away, he no longer cares about me as his daughter. How can I expect him to find me a suitable marriage? It’s better to get married. At least I won’t have to live under their thumb at home.”
Recalling the Lord Wen she had seen in the hall that day, Shen Chu's intuition told her that even if this family was poor, they were not a filthy household.
"Don't say that. Just tell the wet nurse that I'm getting married. Go out tomorrow to buy some fabric and prepare my wedding dress."
"yes."
Before we knew it, it was September.
In the prefectural city, three children who had finished their exams this year were preparing to return to the capital; none of them had passed.
The eldest and second eldest sons were a little better off. They weren't too heartbroken, thinking about how their father had failed the exams for so many years. Jin Yu didn't show it on his face, but he was still a little sad inside, after all, his parents had worked so hard to support him.
Leqian's wedding is proceeding smoothly, and the time for sending betrothal gifts is fast approaching. The marriage certificate has been finalized, and the chosen date is March 15th of next year.
At this time, the weather is neither too cold nor too hot, making it the perfect time.
Yingxiang was very serious when preparing the betrothal gifts, and basically bought all of them new.
She had never met this future daughter-in-law, nor did she know her temperament. When shopping, thinking that she was a young woman, she chose some brightly colored silks, ten bolts of Shu brocade and ten bolts of Yun brocade.
She personally felt that the things sent over had to be presentable.
The same goes for jewelry; gold, silver, jade, and pearls are all available, and they are all prepared in even numbers.
That afternoon, Yingxiang was writing out the betrothal gift list. She finished writing it first and asked Wenshi to copy it. His handwriting was beautiful, and it would be more impressive to send it over. The invitations also needed to be prepared next.
“Madam, the Shen family steward has brought people over. They say they want to prepare a dowry for the young lady and would like to measure the dimensions of the house she will live in.”
"Take him directly there."
The small courtyard on the right has already been cleaned up. It's a square courtyard, very bright and spacious, with a good orientation.
The Shen family is much larger and more established than theirs, and they are not short of money.
Upon hearing this, Liu immediately rushed to find Yingxiang. However, when she saw the various jewelry and beautiful fabrics displayed in the room, her mood immediately soured.
"You buy so many things just to get a wife."
Knowing that Yingxiang was also making money, Liu didn't dare to say anything too harsh.
"If you ask me, we don't even need to buy those wedding cakes from the shop. They're too expensive. Can't any of you sisters-in-law cook?"
"And this money, my goodness, so much! To get a wife, it'll empty the whole family's pockets."
"Mom, I won't spend your money. Just tell me if you need anything. I'm busy right now."
Yingxiang was also getting impatient; this old lady had so many things to do.
"I want to take a sedan chair back to Ping'an Village."
A few days ago, the family purchased more than ten servants, five maids, five young servants, and two rough old women. They also bought a soft chaise longue for going out. Yingxiang doesn't like to sit in it, not to mention Wenshi, but they still have to have it even if they don't need it.
There weren't many servants before, but with the wedding next year, there will definitely be guests, and we're worried we won't be able to handle them all. Besides, when the new bride arrives, we'll definitely need to arrange for a few people to serve her.
"Have someone prepare a sedan chair to take the old lady to Ping'an Village."
With the help of her maid, Liu slowly walked out.
Yingxiang manages all the money in the household. Many servants have been with her for several years, receiving their monthly wages from her. They all listen to her and listen to her.
Later that evening, when Wen Shi returned, Ying Xiang immediately showed him the betrothal gift list.
The date has already been set, so it's good to send it over as soon as possible. The Shen family will definitely prepare the dowry for the girl before the two get married.
Wen Shi watched it very carefully from beginning to end.
"Thank you for your hard work, my wife."
Yingxiang's preparations were also quite good; everything she bought was of high quality. Many items were currently laid out in the room, waiting to be packed. He glanced at them and saw that everything came in pairs.
“My handwriting is so-so. Husband, please make a copy. I will arrange for someone to send it to the Shen family later. They are sending people to measure the house today, so there is no need to prepare furniture.”
"good."
"As for the invitations, besides your family, your classmates and colleagues, and Leqian's, you and your father should discuss and prepare them and send them out as soon as possible."
"On that day, I will prepare new clothes for the whole family, as well as hair ornaments and jewelry for my sisters-in-law and brothers. I will have them come from Ping'an Village a day in advance and stay here for one night so that I can have the maids do their hair and makeup early the next day."
There are many people in my family, but thankfully we can all settle down.
The house they live in now isn't particularly luxurious or spacious, but it's still presentable.
After hearing that Shi had gone to the study, Yingxiang sighed.
She'll be a mother-in-law someday, which is really strange; it's truly beyond our control.
So far, we've spent 1,700 taels of silver. Next, we'll hire a cook. I don't want the best, but he can't be bad either. That'll cost us a little over 2,000 taels. Meat and vegetables can be supplied by the butcher shop, and the vegetables aren't expensive.
When spring arrives next March, her identity will soon have an additional layer.
Shen Family
After the Wen family's betrothal gifts arrived, the Earl's wife first looked at the betrothal gift list, had it checked, and then glanced at her trusted servant beside her.
"There are no valuable items, just ordinary-looking things."
The Earl's wife smiled and then said, "That's fine. For a family like that, it's already very good that they're willing to spend money. My husband told me that the dowry should be prepared according to the rules."
"After the old lady passed away, her dowry was left to my two sons. This was her last wish. When her mother passed away, she took all the dowry with her and left nothing for her."
"The betrothal gifts, betrothal goose, wedding cakes, and fruits will be left as is customary, while the fabrics and jewelry will be given to her as part of her dowry."
"In addition, take out eight hundred taels from the box inside the house and send it to Chen Chu. Tell her that this is a gift from me, a last resort, and tell her to keep it for herself."
"Madam is truly kind-hearted, treating the eldest daughter so well."
The Earl's wife's smile was faint.
"After she gets married, I can prepare weddings for my children in order. Go back to the storeroom and take inventory, and draft a dowry list first."
"yes."
"This marriage is not a good match, but she wants to marry up, which is impossible. The master will not agree either. She is excellent and capable, but with such a biological mother, who among equals would dare to marry her?"
After the Earl's wife finished speaking, she gathered the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes filled with contempt.
"So many years have passed, the master is afraid, otherwise he wouldn't have continued the search."
"Go pack up, get ready as soon as possible, just in case anything goes wrong."
"yes."
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