Chapter 130 Chapter 130: Paying the betrothal gift.
As Chen Yan wrote, he became clear in his mind. These questions were not raised by Uncle Lin, but were clearly Lin Zhi's thoughts.
He glanced at Mr. Tao, who was being held hostage by Madam Shen, and his men sped up, finishing the letter in a few strokes. They folded it, stuffed it into the envelope, sealed it, and handed it to Manager Jiang: "Hurry and send it to the Lin family."
Mr. Tao had just been persuaded by Mrs. Shen to accept the fact. He cheered up and wanted to see what was written in the letter, but found that Chen Yan had already sent the letter away.
Suddenly, he was so anxious that he jumped up and down: "You're too quick! At least let it sit for a while, let them know your attitude!"
Chen Yan nodded, with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Haven't I already made my position clear?"
Mr. Tao was stunned at first, but then he realized that Chen Yan had set his sights on Miss Lin and had no intention of trying to control her.
He was about to get angry, but then he remembered what Mrs. Shen said. They came here to get closer to Shen Yan, not to push Yan Ge'er further away.
Seeing that Yan'er's heart has already flown away, I'm afraid that the more I persuade him, the more excited he will become, and then he will be in a difficult situation.
When Mr. Tao thought of this, he shut up and turned to look at Mrs. Shen.
Mrs. Shen didn't say anything to persuade her, but only said to Chen Yan: "Marriage is a major matter, and the elders should come forward. I will ask Madam Sun to be the intermediary when I go back. Choose an auspicious day and the two families will meet to discuss it properly."
Chen Yan's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little. Seeing this, Mr. Tao, who was sitting next to him, turned his head away secretly and shook his head repeatedly: This state is really unbearable to look at.
Meanwhile, Steward Jiang delivered the letter to Lin Zhiji. Seeing the familiar envelope, Song Jiaoniang clenched her handkerchief tightly. She hadn't expected Chen Yan to reply so quickly. While sending for Steward Jiang, she went to the kitchen to call Lin Zhi and then to the backyard to look for Lin Sen.
The couple entered the house and hurried to check their daughter's expression. Song Jiaoniang's heart sank at the first sight, for Lin Zhi looked calm, without a trace of joy.
Song Jiaoniang felt depressed, and after a while she managed a smile: "Let's go back and look for someone else. There must be someone better...more suitable for you, Sister Zhi."
Hearing this, Lin Sen thought to himself that after postponing the marriage with the number one scholar, it would be difficult to find another marriage and he would also be criticized.
Despite his thoughts, Lin Sen remained calm and agreed, "That's right, there are many good men in this world!"
"What are you talking about?" Lin Zhi closed the letter, feeling both amused and helpless. She looked up at the couple and said, "I'll arrange a time with Mother Sun for us to meet."
Song Jiaoniang was startled at first, but when she came to her senses, her brows suddenly lit up with joy: "Really?"
"Sister Zhi, are you sure?"
"...Mom, and Dad, am I the kind of person who doesn't care about my own happiness?" Lin Zhi looked at their reactions, feeling angry and amused, and at the same time a little shy: "You guys!"
Seeing their daughter nearly fuming with embarrassment, Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang finally became convinced. The couple, beaming with joy, stood up and began spinning around, talking back and forth. Even though there were only two of them, the atmosphere was incredibly lively.
A few days later, the two families met at a teahouse. Conventionally, the man and woman were supposed to read each other's faces, but Lin Zhi and Shen Yan were already acquainted, so they skipped that altogether and let the elders do the talking.
Mrs. Shen was afraid that the Tao family would scare the Lin family with too many people, so she only brought Mr. Tao with her. On the way, she repeatedly reminded him: "You must be kind and don't scare them."
Even after the instructions, Mrs. Shen was still worried. After entering the teahouse, she also paid attention to Mr. Tao's movements. Only when she saw that he was well-mannered and polite did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Lin Sen also breathed a sigh of relief. He did not mention Chen Yan, but mentioned the two brothers of the Tao family.
Mr. Tao usually only cared about his two children's studies and ignored everything else. The eldest son was cold to him, and the youngest son was very rebellious and did not get close to him.
At this moment, listening to the series of interesting stories told by Lin Sen, not only were his eyes full of novelty, but his heart was also slightly sour. He thought that as his own father, he did not understand his son as well as outsiders.
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Madam Shen told Song Jiaoniang about the Shen family's assets: "I have no other relatives in my family, and all the property belongs to Yan'er."
"It's just that in previous years, my mother's family was deserted. Even though we still had many loyal servants, life was really hard. Most of the shops were rented out, and we made about a thousand strings of cash a year. In addition, we have a thousand acres of fertile land outside Bianjing City, and several farms in various places. Apart from the various tributes received each year, we still have several hundred strings of cash in revenue year-round."
Song Jiaoniang felt relieved after hearing this. Although her family was not as wealthy as the Shen family, their annual income was not much different. "My family is not very wealthy, with only a few hundred strings of cash as capital. The rest is earned by my daughter."
Upon hearing this, Madam Shen couldn't help but nodded. This matter had spread as Linzhiji became famous. I don't know how many people around were targeting Linzhiji, hoping to become famous overnight in Bianjing and become rich in three months.
Song Jiaoniang continued, "The two shops on Dali Temple Street are all under Zhijie'er's name. In addition, my husband bought a hundred acres of fertile land outside Bianjing, and half of it is for Zhijie'er."
After hearing what Song Jiaoniang said, Madam Shen couldn't help but look surprised. She knew that Miss Lin had good skills and had earned a large fortune, but she had never imagined that the Lin couple would directly put all the shops and land in their daughter's name, and even willingly use them all as her daughter's dowry.
Madam Shen couldn't help but lower her voice and whispered, "Then how will you and your husband live from now on?"
Song Jiaoniang heard the concerns and worries in Madam Shen's words, but smiled instead: "My daughter originally wanted to recruit a son-in-law, but Yan'er is so good that we can't bear to let him go."
"According to Sister Zhi's wishes, she wanted us to live together. However, they are both young, and living with us would be too restrictive. So, my family bought a new shop at Zhouqiao Night Market and also bought property in the suburbs."
"Sister Zhi can continue with her business, and we can help out there. When we're old enough, we can retire and live on our farm in the countryside. The fifty acres of fertile land and the rent from the Zhouqiao Night Market will be enough for us to live on."
Song Jiaoniang recounted her story with gusto, while Madam Shen listened with awe. Within just six months, they had repaid the remaining two thousand guan (approximately 1,000 guan) to Xie Da Mutton Restaurant and purchased a new shop, a farm, and fertile land.
Not to mention the private property left by Lin Sen and his wife, the market value of Miss Lin's dowry alone exceeded four thousand strings of cash, which was more than the dowry that an ordinary official's wife could bring.
What's more, Miss Lin's craftsmanship alone can bring her hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
There was even a moment when Mrs. Shen had the idea that it would be a good idea to marry Miss Lin to her youngest son.
But in a moment, she stopped thinking and continued in a gentle voice: "When my eldest son married his new wife, he used a betrothal gift of one thousand strings of cash. When Yan'er married your sister, he used the same amount."
After a pause, Madam Shen whispered, "This is what Yan'er specifically instructed."
Song Jiaoniang was stunned at first, and then she was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. You know, the eldest daughter-in-law that Madam Shen was talking about was Madam Qi.
Madam Qi was the second daughter of Cao, a third-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel. She had a treasure trove of silver worth 100,000 strings of cash and came from a prominent family.
The fact that Chen Yan mentioned this matter, and that Mrs. Shen and the Tao family also agreed, shows that the former definitely values her own Zhi Jie'er, and the latter at least values Chen Yan very much and is willing to treat Zhi Jie'er with the same attitude.
By this point, Song Jiaoniang and Madam Shen had basically finalized the marriage, and the atmosphere became increasingly harmonious.
Looking at Mr. Tao and Lin Sen again, they had already ordered some wine and food, and were chatting about how to fish.
"If you want to catch a big fish in one go, using earthworms and other things won't work. I'll tell you a new recipe."
"Just like this...just like this..."
"Is this true? Is this possible?" Mr. Tao, who had a somewhat arrogant look on his face when he just came in, was now full of excitement, rubbing his hands and eager to try.
"I guarantee it." Lin Sen patted his chest vigorously. "If you can't catch the big fish, I'm the only one you can blame!"
"Why don't we go together later?"
"Okay! Then we'll see who catches more fish!"
"Okay! We have a deal!"
"Come on, come on, it's agreed, cheers!"
Mrs. Shen was stunned and felt awkward when she met Song Jiaoniang's gaze. The two families sat together for lunch before each of them got into their cars and went home.
When Mrs. Shen returned home, she told the Lin family about their situation. Even Mr. Tao couldn't help but say, "After all, you only have one daughter, how can you be so willing to give her up."
"I see that Madam Song and Mr. Lin are both very good-natured, and they have few relatives at home, so I don't think there will be any messy things."
"Moreover, their family actually often exchanges letters with Dalang and Qi." Mr. Tao couldn't help but say.
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes, every time we write to us, we don't forget to write to them and send them gifts." Mr. Tao learned about this from Lin Sen, and he almost couldn't control his expression at the time.
Speaking of this, he felt a little jealous. How come his biological father knew Dalang even less than Mr. Lin did?
"Since we can get along with someone as competitive as Qi, it seems that Miss Lin's personality is not as tough as outsiders say." Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shen was even more delighted and quickly asked someone to ask Mother Sun to arrange the subsequent procedures.
On the other side, Song Jiaoniang returned home happily and told her daughter in detail about the meeting, especially the matter of Chen Yan's explanation of the betrothal money.
Lin Zhi felt a surge of warmth when she heard this. Madam Qi came from a prominent family, and even if her betrothal gift was lower than hers, she wouldn't feel slighted. Others would think it was perfectly natural, but Chen Yan had remembered it and even mentioned it.
Lin Zhi's lips curled up briefly, and after listening for a while, she went back to her business in the shop, leaving Song Jiaoniang to complain to Lin Sen, "Look at this girl! It's obviously her wedding, but she's calmer than the rest of us."
"The New Year is almost here," Lin Sen laughed heartily. He pulled out a stack of lists and shoved them towards Song Jiaoniang, "Look at what these are."
Song Jiaonian lowered her eyes and saw that they were all invitations to Lin Zhi to come to their house to prepare the banquet, and the price had increased a lot compared to before.
Therefore, Linzhi was busy throughout the whole year. After the Lantern Festival of the following year, the Lin, Shen and Tao families also began to prepare for the wedding.
Send the draft note first, and then change to the final note.
In addition to the draft letter information, the man needs to list the detailed amount of the betrothal gifts, and the woman does the same, listing the content and amount of the dowry in detail, such as houses, shops, fields, silks, jewelry, and even daily necessities such as mother-of-pearl beds.
Looking at the increasing number of things piling up in the house, Linzhi finally felt like she was about to get married - even she herself hadn't expected that since she hadn't gotten married in her previous life, she would have to start a family early in this one.
As for Song Jiaoniang, she didn't know that her daughter had been calm for so long, but she suddenly realized that she was uneasy and was busy greeting Yu Niangzi and others.
As the betrothal ceremony approached, Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang had other concerns. Having already given birth to a child, both parents had died young, leaving them with no relatives. So, they wanted to invite the families of Madam Yu, Madam Liu, and Madam Lu to attend the ceremony.
"Even if you didn't tell me about this, I would have come to join in the fun!" Madam Yu was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling and readily agreed.
When Madam Liu heard the news, she said that she would take a leave of absence that day to come and watch the ceremony. Madam Lu also agreed and said that her mother-in-law was willing to come early to help.
On the day of the engagement, the sounds of music and drums began to fill the air. Merchants from Dali Temple Street, the surrounding residents, and even Linzhiji's former customers gathered on the street, watching the group pour into the Lin family's gate.
Seeing the loads of gift boxes and crates tied with red silk entering Linzhi's home, the onlookers around him exclaimed one after another, some were envious, some were jealous, some were amazed, and some were curious and inquiring.
"Is this a decision?"
"The wedding of a daughter by a wealthy family in the east is just like this."
"Look at those gold bracelets, gold bangles, and gold cape pendants... My God! What the eastern official has on display is far inferior to these three."
"Tsk tsk tsk, so impressive..."
"I think it's just pretense. There's no way they have so much good stuff!"
"That's right, it's probably just gilded, but the inside is made of copper..."
"Do your family know you're so sarcastic behind their backs?" Someone immediately glared at him and retorted, "Do you know what kind of family Chef Lin is married to?"
"You say that as if you know."
"Of course I know! The man who married Chef Lin was last year's number one scholar!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the noise became louder.
By the time those in the know were talking about the connection between Shen Zhuangyuan and Lin Chu with great relish, those who were making sarcastic remarks had already left secretly, but many people were saying that this was a good story.
Due to current rules, Linzhi, as the protagonist, could not appear in front of others, so she sat in the house listening to the sounds to pass the time.
The big girls came into the house one after another, talking about interesting things outside from time to time.
Lin Zhi couldn't help laughing when she heard the praise from the neighbors. If someone knew that 'she' and Shen Yan's first encounter was at that level, it would probably seem more like a story, right?
It’s a pity that reality is not a story, and the original body passed away early.
Linzhi listened to the sounds of music and dance, holding her cheek in a daze. If she came to this world, would she also go to her side, or go somewhere else?
Half asleep, half awake, she seemed to see that thin figure. She bowed gracefully, and then disappeared into the dream like lingering smoke, only waking Lin Zhi from her dream.
She glanced sideways and saw that night had already fallen, and she hadn't even noticed when she was lying on the couch.
Soon, Song Jiaoniang pushed the door open and walked in, holding a large soup bowl in her hand: "Sister Zhi, are you awake? When I came in just now, you actually fell asleep on the table..."
"Here, try it."
"Maybe I was too busy preparing the dowry." Linzhi sat up, straightened her clothes, and then sat on the stool.
She reached out and brought the bowl of noodles to her. She picked up a piece of noodles with her chopsticks nonchalantly at first, and then took a bite. Her eyes suddenly widened: "Hey? Hey! Did mother make this?"
“Isn’t that a big improvement?”
"Yeah." Lin Zhi nodded repeatedly, her face full of relief: "Finally, I didn't mistake sugar for salt. That's great!"
"Hello--!"
"I'm just kidding." Lin Zhi dodged Song Jiaoniang's attacking hand with a smile, and arched her eyebrows: "Mom is very powerful!"
After saying that, she took a mouthful of noodles out of courtesy.
Song Jiaoniang looked at Lin Zhi and smiled: "Yes, after you get married, your father and mother will be able to take good care of yourself."
Lin Zhi chewed noodles, tilted her head, and for a moment, a look of doubt appeared on her face. "We have so many cooks at home, right? You won't be left without food after I get married, right?"
"That's different."
"Then eat with me."
"You'll be married then."
"Ah... I don't want to get married if I can't have dinner with my parents."
"It's all done and settled, what else can I say?"
"Don't do it, don't do it, or separate after getting married? I'll go home and live there."
"You——" Song Jiaoniang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. The original sentimental atmosphere disappeared without a trace.
Before she finished speaking, another voice came from the door: "No!"
Lin Zhi and Song Jiaoniang were both stunned. They turned around and saw Chen Yan - because of the marriage between the two families, he had not appeared for several months.
The question is: where did he come from?
Song Jiaoniang's eyes widened, Lin Zhi's mouth opened wide, and Chen Yan cried bitterly: "Aunt Song... not Madam Song, not... Mother! You and Dad should move into the mansion with us!"
"We were kidding!"
"Brother Yan? Where did you come from——"
"Idiot, we can't meet today."
"I haven't seen anyone for half a year..."
"Don't talk nonsense, it's only three months in total-"
Soon, several pairs of hands dragged Chen Yan away from the door, and the noise was no quieter than during the day.
Linzhi stood up and walked to the door, lifted the curtain and looked outside, and happened to meet Shen Yan's eyes.
She smiled at the other person with curved eyebrows and eyes, her mouth opening and closing.
Chen Yan widened his eyes and saw it clearly. It said: Please take care of me for the rest of my life.
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