Chapter 50: Marriage
The Prince Qi's Mansion did not say what to do with the grain the caravan brought back. Gu Youan sent someone to the government office on the west street to ask, and they only said that they were allowed to keep some for their own use and sell the rest to the people at market price.
Gu Youan was surprised: "That's it?"
Wang Quan replied, "That's right. I've asked repeatedly, and the government has no other instructions. They just told us to handle it ourselves."
The shopkeepers present looked at each other, none of them understood.
Before entering the Pass, they pretended to be short of food, insisting they bring back some. Now that they've brought some food, the government is telling them to dispose of it themselves. What's the logic behind this?
"Did the government ask us to go back inside the Great Wall to transport grain?"
"No."
"Oh, that's strange."
The shopkeepers discussed the matter, and finally Gu Youan came out and said, "That's fine. Let's keep the food we need and deal with the rest on our own."
Shopkeeper He smiled and said, "That's right. After all, who doesn't have a few relatives and friends?"
Apart from Shopkeeper Gu, there were only a few carts on their way back to the interior for business. The amount of food they brought back was neither too little nor too much. They kept enough for themselves and could barely share some with their relatives and friends.
It was getting late, so the shopkeepers divided the goods and went home.
Gu Youan was not idle. She asked Gao Jin to take the guards to send the food to the backyard and store it there. She went to all the grain shops in Songjiang City.
The South Street of Songjiang City was still as bustling as ever. Gu Youan went to the grain shops on South Street first. He went to several grain shops in a row. The grain shops had all kinds of grains available and the prices had not risen much.
Gu Youan asked the shopkeeper he knew well, and the shopkeeper laughed and said, "There was a period of confusion before and after the New Year, but now it's different than it was a few months ago."
"What's the difference?"
"The autumn harvest is only two months away. This year, there's been drought and little rain, but the river hasn't dried up yet. So even if the yield decreases, I estimate we can still get 50 to 60 kilograms per mu of land, which won't starve us to death."
Seeing that the crops in the fields were growing well, the people were no longer in a hurry to buy them, and the price of grain in the city also stabilized.
"I see!"
Gu Youan was not worried about the city, she was worried about the Northeast Army, but those things were not her business. As for the issue of military pay, the Northeast General and Prince Qi's Mansion should have a good plan to deal with it.
The caravan entered the city in the morning and was busy for so long that it was already noon and the sun was making people's faces hot.
The sun was so hot that it was hard to open one's eyes. Xiaoju covered her forehead with one hand and wiped the sweat off her face while saying, "Miss, are we still going to the grain shop on East Street?"
"No, let's go home."
Gu Youan returned to his home in Minren Lane. He spent the afternoon there and took a break before asking Xiaoju to invite Wang Quan over to ask about the family's situation in the past few months.
"After the spring plowing in early May, Zhang Gui left the workers to build the house and led them to reclaim the wasteland in the middle of the neighboring mountain village near Beihuang Village. They have already reclaimed more than 30 acres of land from that wasteland."
"Zhang Gui and his team cultivated the land while clearing it. Because they had to time the snowfall, they planted crops with short growing seasons, such as soybeans and sweet potatoes. This year's drought has hit, and the newly cleared land lacks irrigation channels, so the harvest won't be good, but there will be some, so at least the crops won't be wasted."
Wang Quan said, "Zhang Gui and his men are all hardworking and diligent. Madam is worried that they will get tired, so she gives them an extra meal of meat and vegetables every three to five days to help them have more food in their stomachs."
"It should be. How are the houses in the village going?"
Wang Quan: "According to Master's instructions, the house should be spacious, solid and warm, without the need for time-consuming carving techniques. This way, progress will naturally be faster. We built the two inner rooms ourselves, and hired people built the two outer rooms. We started working together and have just completed it."
After the house is built, doors and windows need to be installed, furniture needs to be purchased, suitable fruit trees need to be planted in the yard, and then it needs to be dried and ventilated for a few days. I'm afraid that we won't be able to move in until after the autumn harvest.
Wang Quan whispered, "We built three basements. Two large ones are in the backyard, and one small one is in the main courtyard. The basement in the main courtyard has a tunnel leading to the back mountain. Only the master and the few people responsible for digging the tunnel know about this."
Gu Youan nodded and said, "Make sure it's well ventilated and moisture-proof. Once the basement is ready for storage, I'll have Gao Jin and the others send the food back to the village."
"yes."
After reporting the village affairs, Wang Quan smiled and said, "I haven't congratulated the young lady yet. Our eldest young master passed the military officer examination and went to the city defense army outside the west city gate to serve as the general flag two months ago."
Military officers who pass the exam usually serve as small flag officers first, in charge of ten soldiers. After they have made meritorious service, they will be promoted step by step to general flag officers, centurions, thousand-man commanders, etc.
Gu Youan didn't expect that her brother would be the general commander when he entered. That's quite impressive.
"There are only three general flags who entered with our eldest young master, the others are small flags. Our eldest young master is really extraordinary."
Gu Youan asked with a smile: "Where is Tian Erlang? What did he take the exam on?"
"Second Master Tian is also the general flag."
Gu Youan smiled and sighed, "They succeeded in one try. Their hard work in training martial arts year after year and summer after summer is worth it."
"That's what Lord Tian said. By the way, Young Master Tian passed the civil service exam and is now doing clerical work in the government office. He's a sixth-rank official."
Gu Youan was not surprised that Tian Dalang was able to pass the civil service exam. He just thought that Uncle Tian and Aunt Bai were good at educating children, and that both sons of the Tian family had great prospects.
"When will my mother and Axuan return to the city?"
Ever since Gu Wen was promoted to a third-rank agricultural official and came to work in the city, he has been too busy to go home every day. Mrs. Du found it boring to live in the city with her little daughter, so she returned to the village last month so that she could take care of the house building and watering of the fields at home.
Wang Quan reported, "A few days ago, when I went back to the village to do some work, Madam mentioned it to you. She told you to finish your business in the city and then go back to the village to find her. Madam will not come to the city before the autumn harvest."
"knew."
Gu Youan wanted to stay in the city for a few more days, so she asked people to send back the various items she had bought for her family, as well as the two female teachers she had hired for Axuan.
In the evening, Gu Wen came home from work. The father and daughter had dinner together and talked about Luoyang and the current situation in Songjiang City. Gu Wen couldn't help but sigh.
"Are you going to Luoyang this year?"
"I sent someone to tell the Hu family that Hu Changpu will be coming to the city the day after tomorrow. I only found out after discussing it with him."
If the medicinal herbs could gather a caravan, she would make another trip before the autumn harvest. If not, she would wait until next year.
Gu Wen said he understood: "The Tian family and the Zhang family told me in advance that they want to store some food and asked you to keep it."
"They were reserved earlier."
Gu Wen smiled and said, "You brought back the most grain this time. You kept some for our family and the Tian and Zhang families. What are you going to do with the rest?"
"Dad, do you have something to tell me?"
"Well, sell the remaining food as soon as possible, otherwise people will come to ask for it."
"Not really. I just went to the grain store and it's not difficult to buy food in Songjiang City."
"As for the Su family, Lord Su seems to be interested in marrying his little daughter to your eldest brother." Gu Wen was unwilling in his heart. He was afraid that the Su family really had this intention and would come to him under the pretext of buying grain.
"Su Xiang? I remember she's one year older than me. Is she nineteen this year?"
"Well, I heard that Madam Su has been working hard on this in recent years. She was neither high nor low. This year, our family has started to rise a little, and Madam Su has taken a fancy to your eldest brother."
Gu Youan sneered: "If you really like her, you wouldn't say you seem interested."
Having been exiled all the way from Luoyang, Gu Youan knew something about Mrs. Su's temper. She definitely wanted to marry Su Xiang off to a wealthy family, but the Su family's background was not that good, and Su Xiang was a coward. It would be strange if those arrogant ladies would be interested in Su Xiang.
The Su family failed to marry their daughter off to a higher-class family, so they could only look for one from the same family. However, they were not necessarily satisfied with the family, and they kept putting it off until now. They were forced by reality to choose a son-in-law, but they looked down on the other person's family background.
"Dad, tell me that Su Xiang is not worthy of my brother. If you ask me, I don't agree to this marriage."
Gu Wen laughed and said, "How can you, as a younger sister, have a say in your brother's marriage?"
"So, tell me, what do you and mother mean?"
"Your mother and I have been busy these past two months. We've been eyeing the only daughter of the Duan family in the east of the city. The head of the Duan family, Duan Ji, works at the tax bureau and is now at the same level as me, a third-rank official."
"What's their family tradition like?"
"Master Duan is not a party-forming person. He is upright and honest. His temperament is somewhat similar to your Uncle Tian's."
"That sounds good."
Gu Wen nodded and said, "The Duan family has a good tradition. Your mother saw their daughter when she attended a banquet a few days ago. Your mother said that the young lady has a good personality and should get along well with our family."
"What about my brother? What did my brother say?"
"Your brother has never met anyone. He told you to go and meet her. If you like her, he will marry her."
Gu Youan's heart trembled: "Never seen it? What if in the future..."
Gu Wen smiled and said, "I just want you to meet him and hear your opinion. He has a plan in mind. If both families are interested, I will definitely ask them to meet."
Gu Youan felt relieved: "That's good. If my brother and sister-in-law are not well in the future, I can't bear the responsibility."
Gu Wen finished his cup of tea, poured himself another, and asked his daughter, "Now that your brother's marriage is over, it's your turn."
It's her turn...
Since she came to Songjiang City, she has been busy with business and has never thought about marriage. Now it is time to think about it.
Gu Wen knew his daughter had many ideas, and since she had been to such a place before, he didn't force her on the subject of marriage. He simply said, "It's your choice to get married or not, but as someone who has experienced this, I want to warn you that times have changed. In the Zhou Dynasty, even a widow is better off than an unmarried young woman."
Gu Youan smiled and said, "You are calling me..."
Gu Wen glared at her: "Don't curse yourself, speak properly."
Gu Youan covered his mouth and laughed.
Gu Wen also smiled: "Go and do your thing. Next month on the Double Ninth Festival, you and your mother will go meet the young lady from the Duan family and help your brother."
"knew."
Gu Youan stayed in Songjiang City for two days. On the first day, the Ping'an Escort Agency came and took away five carts of food.
The next day, Hu Changpu came and after discussing the matter of medicinal materials, he took away thirty carts of grain and brought messages to other herbalists on the mountain who needed grain. Gu Youan kept the grain they needed and sold all the remaining grain.
On the day Gu Youan returned to the neighboring mountain village, during the lunch break, Su Guang ran into Gu Wen near the yamen and asked about the food issue.
Su Guang was very worried. "My wife is the housekeeper. Yesterday, she suddenly told me that we were running low on rice and wanted to buy some fresh rice. I just heard that your caravan brought back a lot of food from the interior. Sir Gu, could you please sell some to my family?"
"Oh, Master Su, you're too late. If you had told me a day earlier, I would have asked An An to keep it for you."
"What? No more?"
"No, my An An asked someone to sell all the grain to the grain store yesterday."
Su Guang looked at Gu Wen, then smiled and said, "That's really unfortunate."
Gu Wen said, "That's fine. You can buy the food An An brings back from Zhang's grain shop on South Street. You can send someone to buy it. If you buy too much, they can deliver it to your door, which saves you a lot of trouble."
At this time, Lord Duan came from the front and called out to Lord Gu with a smile.
Gu Wen quickly turned around and said with a smile, "Hello, Lord Duan. Is it time for lunch?"
"Just used it. This morning our office was checking the accounts. The accounts submitted by Ping'an Town last year were very good, and Master Gu's name was credited on them. Our superiors even praised Master Gu."
Gu Wen quickly said he was not worthy of it: "It is all thanks to all my colleagues. How dare I take the credit?"
Lord Duan smiled and said, "Well done, well done. I'm busy these few days, so when I have some time off, I'll treat Lord Gu to a drink and we can have a good chat."
Lord Duan turned to Lord Su and said, "If Lord Su is free, would you like to come too?"
Su Guang declined the offer, saying he had plans for that day.
The three of them exchanged greetings for a moment, and it was almost time for their afternoon shift. They said goodbye to each other and returned to their own yamen.
Gu Youan had already returned to the village. She first went to see the big house that was still under construction, and then went home. Before she even entered the door, she heard her sister crying loudly.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Ah Xuan heard her sister's voice and hurried out: "Sister, please send the master back quickly. I don't want him."
Gu Youan hugged Ah Xuan who rushed over, and then Madam Du came running out and said angrily, "Gu Youxuan, you begged to learn the piano, and now you're giving up after just two days. How can you say that!"
"Mom, my hand hurts." Axuan's eyes were filled with tears.
"When I ask you to learn the piano, your hands hurt. When I ask you to memorize the music, you say you can't remember it. Then what are you learning?"
On the second day after the female teacher arrived at home, Axuan was immediately conquered by her piano playing. She also wanted to be as good as her, so she told Mrs. Du that she wanted to learn the piano, and even reduced her favorite archery class by half an hour.
Mrs. Du was originally very happy, happy that her youngest daughter was interested in learning the piano, and that the family might have a talented girl in ten years. But who knew that her dream of a talented girl would be shattered in just two days.
Mrs. Du said angrily, "Let's not talk about whether you're good at studying or not. You're making such a fuss because you're afraid of hardship and fatigue. If your father knew about it, he would beat you too."
"My father won't beat me." The little girl was still stubborn.
Mrs. Du sneered, "It's going to be a rest day in a few days. Wait until your father comes back and see what he says."
Ah Xuan desperately begged her sister for help. Gu Youan looked at her and sighed, then advised her mother: "Didn't you say at the beginning that if she wants to study, then she can study, and if she doesn't like to study, then just consider it as a way to broaden her horizons?"
"She said she loved him, and she chose the path herself. So is she going to give it up just because it's hard?"
Gu Youan knew that what her mother cared about was Axuan's attitude towards learning. She was afraid that Axuan would develop the habit of avoiding difficult tasks. In this matter, she couldn't persuade her mother.
A Xuan can only hope for the best.
Axuan was pulled into the house by Mrs. Du. Axuan screamed and cried. After a while, the sound of piano was heard again in the house.
Gu Youan returned to his room. After a while, Mrs. Du came over and said, "You have to stand on my side when it comes to Axuan's studies. Do you understand?"
Gu Youan didn't dare to object, he just smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm your sweetheart, so I'll naturally stand with you."
Mrs. Du finally smiled and said, "You are quite obedient."
The mother and daughter sat down to talk. Madam Du recounted the affairs of the various families in the village, saying, "The Luo family built their own house in the first half of the year. In the second half, all three of the Luo family's daughters-in-law became pregnant. They gave birth over the past two or three months. A few days ago, the Luo family held a full-moon banquet for their three grandchildren. It was quite a lively occasion."
There are so many things going on in the village, why are you only telling her about the Luo family when she just came back? Gu Youan realized her mother's intention and stood up to leave.
Mrs. Du hurriedly grabbed her daughter and said with a smile, "I'm talking to you about serious matters, why are you running away?"
Gu Youan sat down helplessly: "If you have anything else to say, tell me all at once."
"Did your father tell you about the Duan family?"
"Gu Youan nodded."
"Next month on the Double Ninth Festival, the Meng family will hold a banquet in the western suburbs outside the city. They'll invite the families of officials of the third rank and above, and all unmarried young men and women from all families to attend. When the time comes, go and talk to the young lady from the Duan family. If you think it's a good idea, tell your brother to go."
"You'll be fine once you meet the young lady from the Duan family. I don't need you to wait on me here. Just take Axuan out to play and get to know more people."
Mrs. Du was very confident in her daughter's appearance and character. She felt that as long as the ladies were not blind, they would be able to see that her daughter An An was a good person.
Gu Youan understood that her mother was asking her to go on a blind date, but...
"The Meng family is holding a banquet, especially this kind of banquet, for Prince Qi?"
"It must be for Prince Qi. We've lived in the village these past few years, but we don't know that every prominent family in Songjiang City knows that the Meng and Yuan families always find excuses to hold banquets in Songjiang City every year. It's a pity that Prince Qi has never been there."
Mrs. Du said, "The Meng and Yuan families are related to Prince Qi, and they are both high-ranking families, so naturally they only focus on the upper class. Our family is different. Your father and I just want you to find a husband who you like and whose family is easy to get along with, so that you can live a peaceful and stable life in the future."
The more Du said this, the more Gu Youan thought about Prince Qi's good looks, his eyes, and the gifts he gave him.
Before the Double Ninth Festival, Gu Youan had one more thing to do. After loading the newly harvested medicinal materials onto the truck, Gu Youan handed over the business to Guo Su and Gao Jin.
Before leaving, Gu Youan carefully instructed: "Send the medicinal materials to Wanjing Pharmacy. There is no need to purchase other goods. Just bring back the food."
Guo Su smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've been with you a few times, and I know all the ins and outs inside."
Gao Jin also said: "Master, don't worry, we will definitely return safely with food."
Gu Youan: "Don't delay on the way, it's better to arrive early than late."
Come back quickly while Zhang Heng is still in Shanhaiguan. This matter should be done sooner rather than later.
After seeing off Guo Su and Gao Jin, Gu Youan returned home. The kang in her room was filled with various kinds of satin and silk fabrics. Bai and Liu were both there, and the three of them were choosing fabric patterns with the invited embroiderer.
"Mom, I'm back."
"Meet Aunt Bai and Aunt Liu."
Before Gu Youan had finished her formalities, Bai hurriedly pulled her over and said, "Try this piece of rouge-colored silk. I think it would suit you very well if I made you a dress."
Liu saw the ten kinds of brocade from Shu and said, "It's rare to find such fine Shu brocade in Songjiang City. If I make a dress out of this and pair it with some fresh and exquisite jewelry, there will definitely be no more dazzling young lady at the banquet than An An."
Mrs. Du took a look and said, "Hey, this piece of Shu brocade was given by his uncle and aunt. The colors of the ten brocades are lively and elegant, which is most suitable for a young lady."
Liu smiled and said, "Aunt An An is very considerate."
The three elders pulled her to be used as a clothes rack. Gu Youan had no way to resist and could only stand aside and let them pull out various colored fabrics to imitate on her body.
Mrs. Du saw that her daughter had good qualities in every way. She selected more than a dozen pieces of cloth, but she was reluctant to give up any of them. Finally, she made the decision, "Since they are good, then make them all. An An won't grow any taller at this age anyway, so if you make all the clothes, she can wear them all in the future."
Bai pulled Du aside and said, "No, you should pick two colors first and ask the embroiderer to make them. We can deal with the rest later. I also want to borrow your embroiderer to make some clothes for my eldest son and second son to wear when meeting guests."
"Don't worry if you laugh at me, my eldest son is 22, and my second son is 21. They finally made it this year and got jobs. I'm so anxious that I must dress them up for the Double Ninth Festival and trick them into finding me a wife."
Mrs. Du and Mrs. Liu laughed out loud, and the two embroiderers also laughed secretly when they heard it.
Liu smiled and said, "Although I only have one embroiderer in my family, my Yinshan is not in a hurry. I will ask my embroiderer to go to your house to help and make clothes for your two family members to meet the guests first."
Bai thanked them and said, "When they both have wives, I will ask them to kowtow to you and thank you."
Mrs. Liu smiled repeatedly, and Mrs. Du sighed and said, "A few years have passed in a flash, and the children in our families have all grown up."
Men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough. It is supposed to be like this.
Prince Qi received a secret letter from Meng Chuan. The first letter was about the food and wages for the Northeast Army, and the second letter said that Prince Qi's aunt and his cousin, Meng Jiao, had arrived at the Meng family.
In some time, my aunt and cousin will come to Songjiang City with the Meng and Yuan families.
Prince Qi lit the letter on fire and threw it into a basin to burn.
Xu Zhi watched the Meng family carefully. They knew that their master was unwilling to marry into the Meng and Yuan families, and they had tried to test the situation time and time again but failed. Now they had even gone to Shanxi to bring their master's cousin over. He was afraid that the master could no longer tolerate the Meng family's insolence.
Empress Meng's only biological brother, Prince Qi's uncle, Meng Yi, was a staunch royalist. Even when the emperor removed him from his position as Imperial College Director because he was Prince Qi's uncle and exiled him to Shanxi to serve as a provincial academic official, he had no complaints.
Prince Qi didn't believe that his uncle would agree to let Meng Chuan send his cousin Meng Jiao to Songjiang City.
Prince Qi wrote a letter to Meng Yi, handed it to Xu Zhi, and said coldly, "Send it as fast as possible."
"yes."
For the sake of his mother and grandfather, he had been too kind to the Meng family over the years, and had indulged them to the point of being presumptuous. Prince Qi wanted to punish them.
Next month’s Double Ninth Festival banquet will be a good opportunity.
If you think of someone, it would be best to kill two birds with one stone and get what he wants.
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