Chapter 523 The Marriage is Set
Just after seeing Madam Lin off, the post station staff rushed into the village and handed Cheng Wanwan a letter from the capital.
This letter was written by Cheng Zhao himself. In it, he mentioned the situation in the capital, that everything was fine, and then brought up the marriage.
"Thank you so much, Second Aunt, for asking Madam Lin to act as matchmaker for Zhao'er. I will repay your kindness with my whole life..."
Cheng Wanwan smiled helplessly. The entire Cheng family, the whole Cheng clan in the village, all needed him to repay their debts. He was already carrying a very heavy burden, how could she bear to make him carry another layer? Besides, she didn't need it.
"Old Madam Lin has chosen the third young lady of the Situ family for Zhao. Lord Situ is a fifth-rank lecturer in the Hanlin Academy, and Madam Situ is the eldest daughter of the Bai family of Jizhou. The eldest and second daughters of the Situ family are already married, and their husbands' families are..."
This section details the situation of the Situ family from top to bottom. Although the Situ family was only a fifth-rank official, their family background was very simple, and they basically did not participate in any court struggles.
"What does Second Aunt think of the Lin family? Is Miss Situ a good match? Please reply and give me your guidance."
Having been immersed in the circles of the capital for decades, the fact that Old Madam Lin could take a liking to the Situ family meant that this family was indeed quite good, so Cheng Wanwan naturally had no objections.
She asked Ninglan to grind the ink, then picked up her pen to write a letter. In the letter, besides mentioning the marriage, she also mentioned the imperial examination and reminded Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng to be careful in their actions. She advised them to ask questions about anything they were unsure about, such as asking Shen Zheng's fellow townsmen or asking Lord Lin...
The fact that the Lin family was willing to act as matchmaker for Cheng Zhao shows that they had the intention to build a good relationship. Since both sides wanted to be on good terms, it wouldn't be a bad thing for them to visit each other more often.
After the letter was sent, Cheng Zhao's marriage was considered half settled, and Cheng Wanwan found some free time to go to Cheng Family Village.
Although the Cheng family had promised to let Cheng Zhao handle all the arrangements for her marriage, she still needed to inform them about such a big matter.
Wei Xiaohai drove the carriage out of Dahe Village, rounded a crossroads, and arrived at a bumpy mountain road. In the surrounding area, only Dahe Village had a wide road built; the other villages still had their original rural paths. The carriage bumped along until it finally entered Chengjia Village.
For the people of Dahe Village, horse-drawn carriages were no longer a rarity, but in Chengjia Village, they were rarely seen entering the village.
Many villagers were working in the fields when they saw the horse-drawn carriage coming in. They all looked up and many recognized it.
"That young man driving the carriage seems to have come before; he's a servant that Cheng Zhao's second aunt's family bought."
"It's Aunt Cheng Zhao! Has news come from the capital? Has Cheng Zhao really become an official?"
"It's only the beginning of February. The clan chief said the imperial examination would be in late February. We didn't expect to hear from him this early."
“Aunt Cheng Zhao must have something important to say. Let’s go and see.”
"..."
When the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Cheng family's courtyard, the villagers who had been watching rushed over instantly, and the courtyard was full of people.
Grandma Cheng was washing clothes in the yard when she saw Cheng Wanwan coming over. She was a little surprised. This girl was now a resident of Sui'an. Her personal visit must have something important to say. And the important thing for the Cheng family was related to Zhao'er.
"Go away, what are you all doing here?" Old Mrs. Cheng waved her hand to chase away the neighbors, closed the courtyard gate, and looked up at Cheng Wanwan who was walking into the courtyard. "We are poor people and don't have anything good to offer you. If you don't mind, I'll have Xiaocao pour you a cup of coarse tea."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "No need for tea. I'm here to talk to you about Zhao'er's marriage."
Sister-in-law Cheng, who was tidying up inside, rushed out: "Second Aunt, Zhao'er is your own nephew, you can't find him a girl from a poor family..."
“She is the legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank official in the capital.” Cheng Wanwan’s smile was faint. “I wonder if you think she is a good match for Zhao’er?”
Brother Cheng put down his axe and walked over, his brows furrowed: "Wanwan, you're already a sixth-rank official, isn't a fifth-rank official a bit too low?"
“Yes, yes, I think so too.” Sister-in-law Cheng nodded vigorously. “Our Zhao’er has studied so hard for so many years and has finally made it to the capital. Even if he doesn’t marry a first or second-rank official, a third-rank official should be fine, right? Second Aunt, you should work a little harder and find a way to find Zhao’er a daughter of a third-rank official. With a third-rank official as his father-in-law, will our Zhao’er have to worry about not being able to get along in the capital?”
"Nonsense!" Old Madam Cheng said sternly, "The clan leader said last time that even if Zhao'er passes the imperial examination this time, he can only become a minor official of the seventh rank at most. For a new official of the seventh rank to marry the legitimate daughter of a fifth-rank official is already considered a high-status match. It's fine if you parents can't help, but why do you keep causing trouble for the child!"
Cheng Wanwan was surprised. She didn't expect that the old lady from the countryside would have such high awareness. This was a great thing for Zhao'er.
“Wanwan, your status is quite high now, and you know some important people in the capital. If you have any connections, please help Zhao’er,” Old Madam Cheng said kindly. “A seventh-rank official is still too low. If Zhao’er could become a sixth-rank official from the start, then she would have truly established herself in the capital…”
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
I had just begun to look at this old lady with new respect, but I instantly reverted to my old ways.
She twitched her lips and said, "I am just a village woman, I don't have such ability. I'm here today mainly to talk about Zhao'er's marriage. If you have no objections, then prepare whatever you need to prepare and quickly find someone to send it to the capital. We can't let the Situ family laugh at the Cheng family for not even knowing the basic rules."
Grandma Cheng became serious: "But our family is poor. Even if we could scrape together a few dozen taels for the betrothal gifts, it probably wouldn't be presentable enough. Wouldn't that ruin the marriage..."
Cheng Wanwan shook her head: "The Situ family is aware of the Cheng family's situation. It's normal that the Cheng family can't afford a decent dowry. What they want is a proper marriage, which means the wedding must be conducted according to the usual procedures, and all the necessary steps must be taken."
“That’s how it should be, that’s definitely how it should be.” Brother Cheng nodded. “Well, Wanwan, if Zhao’er’s wedding date is set, will our whole family have to go to the capital to prepare for the wedding…”
"We're only at the stage of betrothal right now, it's too early to talk about these things." Cheng Wanwan had a headache. "Let's wait until Zhao'er finishes the imperial examinations before we talk about it."
Madam Lin once said that if the daughter of a court official marries a poor scholar who has passed the imperial examination, the bride's family usually organizes the wedding and invites the Cheng family members to the capital to attend. Just thinking about that scene in the future makes her worry for Cheng Zhao... However, this is something that Cheng Zhao must face. Only by properly handling his family members can he move forward without any psychological burden.
After speaking with the Cheng family, Cheng Wanwan didn't want to stay a moment longer and turned to leave.
Wei Xiaohai opened the gate to the Cheng family's courtyard, and as soon as it opened, a group of villagers crowded around it.
Sister-in-law Cheng thought these people were there to inquire about Cheng Zhao and was about to boast about her son's marriage when she saw the villagers surround Cheng Wanwan, all of them beaming with enthusiasm and being extremely attentive.
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