Chapter 111 Preparing Wedding Gifts: The Peng Family Proposes Marriage
After the Jiang family saw off Yu Cai and Yu Shiting, Ye Liang went to fry tofu puffs.
Liu Yi and Uncle Ye cleaned up the pots and pans.
Ye Li asked Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya to feed the pigs and chickens, citing the need to aid digestion. He and Jiang Ji, on the other hand, unpacked the gifts brought by the Yu brothers and prepared to put them away.
Yu Cai is a wonderful person in every way.
Feeling that I had bothered him and Jiang Ji, I not only brought them snacks, tea, and writing implements, but also silver ornaments for him and Jiang Ya.
His were a pair of silver bracelets and a pair of silver bangles.
It is very exquisite.
Jiang Ya's items included a silver necklace and a pair of silver bracelets.
It is equally exquisite.
According to Yu Cai, these were all things he didn't need, and he hadn't bought them specifically for this occasion. They would just gather dust at home anyway, so he might as well let Ye Li and Jiang Ya play with them.
Ye Li felt embarrassed, it was too precious!
Moreover, he didn't like wearing this thing at all, so he could only put it in the box.
After putting the bracelet and necklace into the bedroom, Ye Li returned to the small living room.
Jiang Ji sat at the round table, examining an inkstone, which Yu Cai had brought today.
He sat down at the table, resting his chin on his hand, and asked with some worry, "Brother Cai gave such an expensive gift; what should we give him as a wedding present?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji immediately frowned, realizing that this was not a good gift to give.
Given Ye Li's relationship with Yu Cai, Ye Li would definitely want to win Yu Cai's heart, but Yu Cai has everything she needs.
"Hmm... perhaps we should send Brother Peng something he needs?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Li immediately shook her head: "That won't do. I want to send some things that Brother Cai can use."
He will definitely prioritize Yu Cai's preferences.
Furthermore, no matter what Peng Ximing lacked, Yu Cai could provide it all.
It wasn't even his and Jiang Ji's turn to make a move.
Yu Cai has been single for over twenty years, but now she has finally found love and they are about to get married. Her husband prioritizes her...
He blinked, then leaned closer to Jiang Ji and whispered a few words in Jiang Ji's ear.
Upon hearing his words, Jiang Ji's eyes widened instantly: "You're going to give this?"
"Yes, Brother Cai will definitely need this."
The more he thought about it, the better he felt his idea was, so he gently nudged Jiang Ji's arm and said, "It's up to you. Go and do it."
Jiang Ji frowned, forming a deep frown.
What a difficult task...
Just then, Ye's father's voice rang out in the courtyard: "Li Ge'er?"
"Yes!" Ye Li responded, got up and took a few steps to the door: "Father, what's wrong?"
While wiping his hands on his apron, Father Ye said, "I have something to tell you."
"Come in and have some snacks. They're made by Cai-ge's own chef; you can't buy them anywhere else."
Ye Li said with a smile.
Father Ye waved his hand, saying he was too full from eating and wasn't hungry.
He's looking for Ye Li now because he wants to talk to her about Ye Liang and Liu Yi.
This year marks the third anniversary of their marriage.
Moreover, Ye Liang is already twenty-four, truly no longer a child.
Even with limited resources and numerous expenses, Ye Liang and Liu Yi's biggest task this year remains the same:
Give him a grandchild.
Whether it's grandchildren or grandchildren, as long as they're there, that's fine!
Otherwise, not only would he and Ye Daji be anxious, but others would also gossip!
Therefore, he wanted Ye Liang and Liu Yi to see a doctor, and then Ye Liang would stay at the Jiang family's house, with Ye Daji in charge of transporting the tofu puffs.
Upon hearing this, Ye Li immediately nodded: "Okay, from now on, Big Brother will move in, and he and Brother Yi will live in the west room."
It's nothing.
If Ye Liang is still childless at his age, it would indeed be a cause for concern.
He readily agreed, and Father Ye laughed: "I'll talk to him later and tell him to move over tomorrow."
"You and Xiao Ji need to hurry up too."
Upon hearing this, Ye Li immediately replied, "There's no rush, he and I are still young."
“You’re not fourteen or fifteen years old, how are you young? At your age, you should be having kids.”
The words "fourteen or fifteen years old" really stung Ye Li.
Indeed, his standards regarding age differed from those of Father Ye.
So he pointed at Jiang Ji: "There's a provincial examination next year, and he's preparing to take it. Let's wait and see what happens after he tries it."
"Why?" Father Ye asked, puzzled.
“Let him focus on his studies. If I get pregnant, he has to come home to be with me and help take care of the baby.”
Ye Licai will not be the husband behind a successful man.
If Jiang Ji wasn't by his side, he wouldn't dare to face the daunting prospect of childbirth.
Besides, we have wheat and sprouts!
He raises cubs every day.
Jiang Ji nodded and said, "Father, Ye Li and I know what we're doing, so don't worry."
Seeing this, Father Ye sighed and said, "Alright, studying is important."
The two weren't particularly old, one was nineteen and the other was eighteen.
He should worry about his eldest son and his wife first.
I'm so worried.
After finishing his business, Father Ye got up and left the small living room, preparing to go to the workshop to find Ye Liang.
Ye Li then brought up the wedding gift with Jiang Ji, telling him to pay attention to it.
Jiang Ji couldn't think of a better idea, so he had no choice but to agree.
Soon, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya finished feeding the pigs and chickens and skipped into the small living room.
Ye Li then took out the silver ornaments that Yu Cai had prepared for Jiang Ya and asked Jiang Ya to try them on.
Jiang Ji gave Jiang Mai the writing implements that the Yu brothers had brought today.
The two of them were delighted, their little faces beaming with joy.
Jiang Mai carried the writing set back to his room and carefully placed it on his desk.
Jiang Ya grabbed a small mirror and started admiring herself.
But after looking at himself for a while, Jiang Ya was not satisfied. He put down the small mirror and then snuggled into Ye Li's arms.
He reached out his little hands and hugged Ye Li's neck, blinking his big eyes: "Brother Li, Brother Li, good Brother Li, I want to use my wages to buy a big mirror, is that okay?"
Ye Li was amused by him: "You earned the money yourself, so you can spend it however you want."
"Then I want to buy a big mirror!"
The little guy answered without hesitation.
He was getting anxious because even the small mirror couldn't reflect the entire collar.
"Okay, I'll buy it tomorrow." Ye Li smiled and pinched his little cheek.
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and he and Jiang Fuzheng need to go shopping for festival gifts. He also asked Jiang Ya to buy a large mirror.
In addition, the Lantern Festival gifts should still be given to Jiang Ya in cash.
The little guy had nearly six strings of cash in his hand, which he could spend whenever he wanted.
After playing with Jiang Ya for a while, Liang Erxiang, Jiang Liu, and the others came over to wash the taro.
Jiang Liu was holding a ceramic basin in her hand, which contained glutinous rice balls that she had just made at noon.
You definitely have to eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls) on the Lantern Festival!
The round, plump glutinous rice balls lay in the glutinous rice flour, looking quite appealing. Ye Li happily accepted them, now he didn't have to lift a finger.
For dinner, Ye Li made rice wine with large glutinous rice balls, and the whole family ate until they were stuffed.
After the meal, Jiang Ya went to wash up on her own initiative without Ye Li having to urge her.
I'll go to bed early tonight; I'm going to town to buy a big mirror tomorrow!
Now that Jiang Mai and Jiang Ji are on vacation, he has gone back to Jiang Mai's room to sleep, so as not to disturb his older brother and brother-in-law from having a baby.
However, in this matter, Ye Li and Jiang Ji had actually been actively using contraception.
Although it may affect the level of enjoyment to some extent, Ye Li can clearly distinguish which is more important.
However, since they needed to buy gifts for the holiday tomorrow, the two of them didn't fuss over it tonight.
Jiang Ji embraced Ye Li, letting her drape one of her legs over his shoulder, their bodies and lips intertwined.
Although Jiang Ji's movements were slow, the pleasure he felt lasted a long time.
The girl named Ye Li blushed terribly and had little energy.
After it was over, Jiang Ji didn't let go of him. He cupped his face in his large hands and sucked on his penis with his long tongue, making him moan with pleasure.
After the kiss, their longing for each other was finally relieved. Jiang Ji stepped back slightly, holding his hand and intertwining their fingers.
The two looked at each other for a moment, then laughed together.
Ye Li savored the moment and couldn't help but say, "This gift of mine is too good. You must choose carefully."
When it comes to marriage, in addition to spiritual connection, physical compatibility is also extremely important.
If one cannot enjoy ultimate bliss, then this marriage will be flawed.
After all, one cannot easily change their husband in this era.
Therefore, he had to send a book of erotic pictures with a variety of designs.
Jiang Ji was surprised that he was still thinking about this matter, and he was both amused and exasperated.
Jiang Ji really didn't have any connections in this matter, so he could only go to Bao Beiyuan. When he and Ye Li got married, Bao Beiyuan had given him this kind of picture book.
Since we're going into town tomorrow, let's go visit Bao Beiyuan.
On the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, before dawn, Ye Lijiangji led Jiang Mai, Jiang Ya, and Jiang Fuzheng and his son into the city.
This time, however, Jiang Fuzheng and Jiang Mantang each drove a mule cart.
Because Ye Li and her family of four had other plans after buying the gifts, Ye Li would not participate in the distribution of the gifts today; Jiang Fuzheng would handle it instead.
After the Jiang family father and son returned to the village with meat, rice and noodles, Ye Li and the other three went to buy a large mirror.
The county town was quite lively today. There were many stalls on the main street, as well as various entertainment programs, such as street performers, monkey trainers, and lion dancers, which made Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya reluctant to leave.
They had lunch at Bao Beiyuan's place. Jiang Ji took a moment to pull Bao Beiyuan aside and quietly inquired about the purchase channels for erotic picture books.
Bao Beiyuan assumed that he wanted to see it himself, so he smiled and pointed it out to him.
He didn't explain; it was better if it was a misunderstanding.
The family of four returned to the village in the afternoon, rested for a while, and then excitedly went into the city to admire the lanterns after nightfall.
Tonight, the county town gates will not be closed, and the people can enjoy themselves to the fullest.
However, this made the streets too crowded with pedestrians, and the oxcart could hardly move. So the four of them went along the alley to the back door of Banxianju, intending to park the oxcart there.
To attract customers, Yu Cai also held a lantern riddle guessing activity today, with prizes including free meals, large taro tarts, and discount cards. As a result, a lot of people gathered at the entrance of Banxianju.
Peng Ximing was standing on the steps at the entrance, presiding over the lantern riddle guessing activity.
Yu Cai was also there, carrying a lotus-shaped lantern.
The lanterns that filled the streets resembled giant fireflies, shimmering with a bright yellow light in the night.
The continuous light curtains cast a hazy, ambiguous filter over the main street.
This time of year is perfect for dating.
The Banxian Residence was also brightly lit at this moment.
The store was filled with lively noise both inside and out.
However, Peng Ximing and Yu Cai both had ulterior motives. Their eyes would occasionally meet, and then they would subtly look away.
Tonight, we can say we're enjoying the lanterns together.
Ye Li watched this scene and couldn't help but click her tongue inwardly. These two knew how to play the game, daring to flirt with each other under the watchful eyes of thousands.
Looks like he chose the right gift!
Looking at the faint smile on Yu Cai's face, he wished he could immediately turn the calendar to February 2nd.
But he doesn't have that ability.
Life can only be lived one day at a time.
After the Lantern Festival, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ji returned to their respective schools, and Ye Li's life returned to normal.
Raising cubs.
Make money.
Deliver meals to Jiang Ji and Jiang Mai.
Also, I dealt with the small vendors who came all the way from the prefectural city wanting to buy preserved eggs.
Actually, before the Lantern Festival, Boss Yue from the prefectural city had already come. He took away half of the preserved eggs that the whole village had saved up for the New Year, and the rest were just enough to supply the county town.
So when these small vendors came to him, he didn't budge.
His business philosophy revolves around integrity.
However, this year, the number of hens raised by every household in the village and surrounding villages has increased significantly.
But since no one is building breeding farms, and each household is only raising a dozen or so birds on a small scale, there shouldn't be any bird flu outbreaks.
That's good.
He is content with the status quo; he feels more at ease with this steady, long-term approach than with blind expansion.
Besides, he also has tofu puffs and taro paste!
Yu Cai was busy preparing her dowry, and he would visit her from time to time to check on the progress.
Wu Fulang only had the idea of getting Yu Cai married last year, so all the items, big and small, had to be bought on the spot.
He also went with Yu Cai to see several houses they had previously selected.
Life was quite fulfilling.
On the other side, Peng Ximing asked for leave to return to the village and buy new clothes and an oxcart for his family.
His return was sudden.
His arranged marriage came even more suddenly.
Especially since the other party is the son of the county magistrate.
When the Peng family heard his words, everyone was so shocked that their eyes almost popped out.
The county magistrate's son!
How could they possibly look down on their own son/elder brother?
After Peng Ximing explained Yu Cai's situation, the Peng family still found it unbelievable. So what if he had difficulty walking? He was the son of the county magistrate!
It feels like a dream.
No, they've never even dreamed of such a wonderful thing!
You should know that even though they started selling preserved eggs, they were still worried about their eldest son's/elder brother's marriage.
After all, I'm getting old, and turning eggs into eggs doesn't bring in money quickly, so I really don't have much room to choose; I can only be chosen by others.
But who would have thought that their eldest son/brother would climb up to the big boss of Banxianju after working as a waiter for less than two months!
This is unbelievable!
After the initial shock, the Peng family repeatedly confirmed that Peng Ximing was neither burning up nor insane. Nevertheless, they still borrowed an oxcart and went to Banxianju in person to confirm the truth.
Yu Cai found it somewhat amusing when she learned of their purpose, and then met with Peng Xiaomei and her mother.
Now the Peng family could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
They were overjoyed.
It's true.
It's really true.
Their son/elder brother is really going to marry the county magistrate's son!
The ancestral graves are smoking! The ancestral graves are smoking!
Upon returning to the village, they immediately went to the ancestral graves to pay their respects and express their gratitude for the ancestors' blessings.
After finishing this important matter, the next step is to make new clothes and prepare betrothal gifts.
Although Yu Cai gave two hundred taels of silver, their family had some savings. If they didn't have savings, how could they dare to send Peng Ximing to study at the county school?
However, this savings is not much.
However, if we borrow some money from Uncle Peng, Uncle Peng, and Uncle Peng, and add the wages Peng Ximing has earned in the past two months, then we won't need to spend the two hundred taels of silver that Yu Cai gave us.
Their family was poor, but they wanted Yu Cai to see their sincerity.
Anyway, after marriage, Peng Xiliang and Peng Xiaomei can go to the county town to work and earn high wages, so the borrowed money can be paid back quickly.
To be honest, if Peng Ximing hadn't stopped them, they would have sold their two acres of land.
Yu Cai's status is too important!
After spending half a month preparing the betrothal gifts, on the second day of the second lunar month, Peng's parents, Peng Ximing, and the matchmaker went to the Wu family to propose marriage.
The dowry of two hundred taels of silver surprised Mr. Wu.
I was also somewhat happy.
The Peng family's sincerity is decent.
Now that the marriage was arranged, he didn't want to put on airs in front of his in-laws, as that would only embarrass Peng Ximing and create discord between his son and Peng Ximing.
Anyway, after their marriage, Yu Cai and Peng Ximing lived in the county town and did not live with Peng's family.
Yu Cai would never serve Peng's parents; he would not let Yu Cai suffer the same humiliation he had endured in the past.
Therefore, both sides should maintain a distance and keep a facade of harmony.
So he warmly welcomed the three members of the Peng family.
His politeness made Mr. and Mrs. Peng feel flattered.
To be honest, ever since they entered the Wu family's house, Mr. and Mrs. Peng didn't dare to breathe loudly. They would never have been qualified to set foot in such a beautiful and spacious house in their entire lives.
Upon seeing Wu Fulang, the two felt even more ashamed of themselves and wished they could disappear into the ground.
They work in the fields year-round, their faces are tanned dark red, and their hands are rough beyond recognition.
Peng's father was even using a cane.
Wu Fulang, who had been pampered since childhood, looked like a junior to the two of them when he stood in front of them.
It's obvious that the Peng family and the Wu family are worlds apart, one in heaven and the other on earth.
But this Mr. Wu didn't mind that they were old farmers. He kept urging them to drink tea and eat snacks, and gently inquired about the Peng family. How could the two not be moved?
Moreover, not long after they sat down, County Commandant Yu also arrived.
Seeing Wu Fulang glaring at County Commandant Yu, the two became even more nervous.
Fortunately, Wu Fulang did not quarrel with County Magistrate Yu. Moreover, County Magistrate Yu was very kind and told him that if he had any difficulties in the future, he could go to his residence to find him.
Upon hearing this, Wu Fulang immediately responded.
Uncle Peng and Uncle Peng have been incredibly kind to Peng Ximing, so County Magistrate Yu should at least provide each of these three families with a high-paying job.
Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Peng immediately breathed a sigh of relief, not even having the courage to refuse.
But County Magistrate Yu happily agreed.
It's a small matter.
He owns many businesses, so it's easy to manage them.
As a result, the Peng family gained three more people who could go to the city to work.
Mr. and Mrs. Peng quickly expressed their gratitude.
Change your fate with a snap of your fingers.
This really is a case of changing one's fate with a snap of the fingers.
Their four families struggled for half their lives, but it was all for nothing compared to a single sentence from Magistrate Yu.
Alas, if Yu Cai is not treated well in the future, the Peng family will suffer retribution!
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