Chapter 519 Mahjong Becomes a New Form of Entertainment
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the streets were littered with red paper scraps left from burnt firecrackers.
A large group of children searched through the debris for unexploded firecrackers, each holding an incense stick, and lit them around the street, drawing shouts and curses from passersby. The children ran away laughing and playing, creating a lively scene.
There were especially many children at the entrance of the Lin residence, squatting on the ground searching for firecrackers.
A little kid tried to set off firecrackers to scare Cheng Wanwan, but Ninglan chased him away with her hands on her hips.
The two, mistress and servant, went inside and were greeted by bright red lanterns and the character "福" (fortune), creating a festive atmosphere. Madam Lin personally came out to greet them with a smile on her face: "People from Sui'an are truly rare guests. It is an honor for our Lin family to have guests on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Bring out all the freshly baked snacks."
"I don't come here unless I need something," Cheng Wanwan said with a slightly embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry to bother you during the New Year, Madam Lin."
She felt somewhat embarrassed, as she had come before to ask for a favor, and this time she was again asking Madam Lin for a favor.
"Look at what you're saying, how can our two families be so formal?" Madam Lin led Cheng Wanwan to sit in the warm pavilion. "People from Sui'an, just speak your mind."
Cheng Wanwan took a sip of tea and got straight to the point: "I'm here today for my nephew Cheng Zhao's wedding."
Madam Lin was taken aback: "Could it be that the people from Sui'an want to propose marriage?"
She had already entrusted her daughter's marriage to the Lin family in the capital and didn't plan to look for a match in Huzhou. But, if it were Cheng Zhao, it seemed like a good match.
Cheng Zhao will definitely serve as an official in the capital in the future, so her daughter won't be considered to be marrying far away. This marriage is feasible.
Thinking of this, Madam Lin's eyes became much more eager.
"Cough cough, no." Cheng Wanwan said repeatedly, "I heard before that Madam Lin planned to keep her daughter for two years, so I didn't think about it in that way."
Madam Lin laughed and said, "Anyway, she's already this old, she should get married when she's supposed to. Keeping her around will only lead to enmity."
Cheng Wanwan felt ashamed.
If she hadn't noticed a tiny bit of interest between Shen Zheng and this Miss Lin before, she might have actually gone along with it and proposed marriage.
Shen Zheng and Cheng Zhao are good brothers, and they shouldn't let a woman cause a rift between them.
She shattered Madam Lin's illusions: "Isn't Zhao'er currently in the capital preparing for the imperial examination? He has a great reputation, and many prominent families want him as their son-in-law. Among them is Lord He, a second-rank official. He is a high-ranking official. How could Zhao'er, from a peasant family, possibly be worthy of such a high position?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin gave up her thoughts; it seemed she had been overthinking things.
She continued, "Young Master Cheng may not be able to reach you now, but who knows what will happen in five or ten years."
Cheng Wanwan sighed: "The He family is too complicated, so I'm not too willing to agree to this marriage. But Lord Shen said that the He family likes Zhao'er very much. Even if we refuse the marriage, the He family may ask the Emperor to grant the marriage in the future... That's why I came to ask Madam Lin. The marriage has not been mentioned in public yet, and Zhao'er herself is not very clear about it. Before everything becomes clear, arranging a marriage for Zhao'er will solve this problem."
Madam Lin understood what she meant.
She immediately said, "This is simple. I'll just write a letter to the Lin family in the capital. However, I need to find out beforehand what kind of family the people of Sui'an want to find for Young Master Cheng."
"A simple and clean family background is best, without any disputes over wives and concubines or between legitimate and illegitimate children. A lower official rank is also acceptable," Cheng Wanwan said thoughtfully. "Another point is that I hope the two children can meet before the marriage is officially settled. Only if the children agree can the matter be truly settled."
“Of course,” Mrs. Lin nodded. “It’s a perfect match when the children are willing; everyone understands that.”
The huge weight on Cheng Wanwan's heart finally lifted.
For the next few days, Cheng Wanwan stayed at home to entertain guests. Because of her special status, many people from nearby counties and towns came to wish her a Happy New Year. There were guests at home all day long, and the kitchen was never quiet. To pass the time, she asked someone to make mahjong.
Thicker bamboo strips are made into squares, and patterns are carved on them. Then they are dyed, polished smooth, and ready to be served.
The first people to enjoy this kind of entertainment were Cheng Wanwan, Madam Meng, Old Madam Shen, and Madam Lin.
Old Madam Shen, being older, was the first to learn, followed by Madam Lin. Madam Meng kept losing money in a daze. Of course, Cheng Wanwan also lost several rounds. She was a little tearful, not only was she bad at playing Dou Dizhu, but she also couldn't beat these ancient people at mahjong.
"Two of bamboo, haha, self-draw!"
Madam Shen turned down the tiles and won a clean hand by drawing all four of them herself. This was a big hand, and she could win double and double her money again.
Meng was already at her wit's end. She pushed the mahjong tiles away, waved her hand, and said, "I'm not playing anymore. If I keep playing, I'll lose all my allowance."
As soon as she stood up, someone immediately took over. Cao Yingying had been itching to join in for a while, and after looking around several times, she understood what was going on and instantly joined in.
The maids and servants who were serving nearby had nothing better to do, so they pooled their money to have Old Man Zhao make another set of mahjong tiles so they could play mahjong to pass the time when they were bored.
In just seven or eight days during the Spring Festival, mahjong, a form of entertainment, has unknowingly spread to towns and counties such as Ping'an County and Hekou County. Like Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), it has become a new type of leisure activity for people to gather and play.
They ate, drank, and played like this until the seventh day of the first lunar month, when the village's soap and glycerin workshop, embroidery workshop, and coal mine all started work.
The Great River Academy also started classes on this day.
With the investment of businessmen, the school was built before the new year. The school is very large. There are two white pillars at the entrance, and above the pillars is a plaque with the four characters "Dahe School". Inside is a square, which is used for group meetings and classes. Passing through this open space, you will find the classrooms.
The new school set up four levels of classrooms: A, B, C, and D. Students who were about to take the imperial examination were in the first level, students who were about to take the preliminary examination were in the second level, students who planned to try their luck on the path of studying were in the third level, and students who were just beginning their studies were in the fourth level. There was one classroom for each of the first and second levels, three classrooms for the third level, and as many as five classrooms for the fourth level of students beginning their studies.
Because many people in the village just want their children to learn to read and do arithmetic, there are the most students in the "D" grade.
On the first day of school, many parents in the city brought their children to school, making the school gate very lively.
"This school is really impressive; it's in no way inferior to the Southern Academy."
"Isn't that obvious? So many businessmen raised funds to build this school, they're not short of money, of course it has to be built to be spacious and grand."
"The headmaster of Nanfu Academy is no good. He even expelled such an outstanding student as Cheng Zhao. His reputation has plummeted."
"Look, Master Yu is here."
Master Yu is now the headmaster of Dahe Academy, in charge of all educational affairs in Dahe Village, and he has a very elegant demeanor.
The parents quickly brought their children to pay their respects to the headmaster.
Master Yu smiled and stroked his beard: "Children can go to the classroom first, the teachers are already waiting. Managers can go to the stone tablet in the square. The Great River Academy has engraved the names of the contributors on the stone tablet. Every child who has the opportunity to study will be grateful for everyone's kindness."
There is indeed a monument in the square with the names of all the donors listed. In addition to the city businessmen, some villagers also donated money, while others who couldn't afford to donate did so by doing manual labor. Their names are also engraved on it.
Under the sunlight of late winter and early spring, those simple names shine brightly.
In the neat and bright schoolroom, the children's clear reading voices could be heard, and everything was full of hope.
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