In fact, the straight-line distance between Qinjiacun Village and the courtyard is only a few dozen miles.
It's located relatively close to Kyoto. However, life in this village is really not good.
Today, a new son-in-law came to visit, and they all gathered around Qin Datong's (Qin Jingru's father) door.
Wang Shouren could roughly tell the level of this village with just one glance.
Nine out of ten people here are thin, and one is especially thin—skin and bones wouldn't be an exaggeration. Their faces are filled with curiosity, but most of their attention is focused on the two bags Wang Shouren is carrying.
This was provided by an old man; Wang Shouren didn't understand these things.
He did exactly what the old man told him to do.
"Make way, make way! What are you all doing here? Don't scare our new son-in-law!" A loud voice roared from inside the door, full of energy.
The crowd parted to make way, and a middle-aged man with a slightly hunched back came out. When he saw Wang Shouren, he looked him up and down, and when he saw the old man, his face lit up with joy: "Brother, you've come! Come, come, please come in."
Next comes a rather complicated process.
The matchmaker also needs to announce the betrothal gifts to the public.
"A pig's hind leg..."
"Fabric..."
Almost every time a matchmaker announced something, a cheer would erupt from the crowd.
The little girl was increasingly happy as she listened; it made her feel so proud.
"Wow, Datong has snagged a rich husband."
"That's right. I heard he's a high-ranking official in the city."
"Who told you that? A high-ranking official wouldn't be interested in that girl?"
"Why don't you like it? It was that guy who said it."
"Well, you can still believe the nonsense spouted by the old women at the village entrance."
"I think that makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, why would they be able to produce so many things?"
"That's true, but this young man is really delicate."
"Of course! You think we're just city educated folks!"
The excitement is outside, the distress is inside.
As the process went on and it grew late, Qin Datong said, "This is a new society now, let's skip all the complicated stuff. That's enough, come on, future son-in-law, have a couple of drinks with me."
Even with Wang Shouren's good health, he was somewhat saddened. Fortunately, it was just finalized that the wedding would not be held in the village, but in the city. The city wedding would need to be simplified, and it had already been agreed that the two families would simply set up two tables.
We had dinner at the Qin family's house.
The Qin family has a good habit: anyone who is a family member can sit at the table to eat.
Qin Datong's family had a simple layout. Qin Jingru had two older brothers, and she was the youngest. Usually, this family doted on Qin Jingru quite a bit; otherwise, they wouldn't have raised this girl to be so silly. All she did all day was grin.
It was clear that the Qin family had put a lot of thought into this dinner. There were large white steamed buns, pork stew with cabbage, and a big bowl of food. Next to it were several colorful golden pheasants caught from the mountains, which were wild chickens. In his previous life, Wang Shouren could never have eaten such a thing. If he had taken a bite, he could have gone straight to working on a sewing machine.
"Come on, cheers!" Qin Datong raised his glass.
"Dry!"
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the two Qin brothers, simple-minded and naive, devoured the delicious food without a care in the world. In their minds, their third sister was destined for a life of luxury. And after meeting Wang Shouren today, this idea was firmly established.
Wang Shouren perfectly embodied their definition of a scholar.
Dressed in a Zhongshan suit, he was gentle and refined, only lacking a pair of glasses. He had the quintessential scholar's appearance, and was quite delicate.
“Son-in-law, we’re entrusting our Sanni’er to you. Today, you’ve brought so many betrothal gifts, so I’ll shamelessly accept them. No doubt about it, Sanni’er, after you marry into the family, you have to be a good girl, understand?” Qin Datong turned to Qin Jingru, whose face was flushed, and said.
Qin Datong had originally intended to tell Wang Shouren to stop bullying Qin Jingru, but the words stuck in his throat. The disparity between them made Qin Datong feel inferior. He could only make demands of his daughter.
"Yes, I understand, Dad. I will definitely be obedient!" Qin Jingru nodded vigorously.
"Uncle Qin, there's no need to be shameless. Your return gift is more than enough. This chicken would cost at least five or six yuan in the city. Next time, could you help me hunt some wild game? It's a delicacy that money can't buy." Wang Shouren cheerfully toasted his father-in-law.
"Okay, okay." Qin Datong said "okay" three times, then downed another large glass of wine, and the worry in his eyes eased a little.
The two brothers' eyes lit up immediately when they heard Wang Shouren say that.
"Brother-in-law, are you serious? This cunt is really good..."
"Eat your food properly. We're talking, why are you interrupting?" Qin Datong glared at the two of them.
He believed that this was just a way out given to him by his son-in-law, and that his two sons were just too foolish.
"Uncle Qin, I'm telling the truth. But you'd better not go either, it won't sell well. I'll contact you again in a few years."
"Good, good, it's good that you have the thought." Qin Datong didn't take it to heart.
Are wild game expensive?
He knew it was expensive; five or six yuan was a bit high, but selling the chicks for a yuan wouldn't be a problem. The issue was how to sell them. The black market—they really didn't dare go there. Those places had local bullies, and things were very complicated. It wasn't something a scholar could handle.
Qin Datong didn't ask any more questions, and Wang Shouren didn't say much either.
"Da Ni, I'll have to trouble you with the son-in-law tonight." Qin Datong turned to Qin Huairu, who was eating quietly, and said.
Qin Jingru pouted involuntarily: "Father, can't Shouren stay tonight?"
"Nonsense, what are you talking about? How can you let your son-in-law live with you before the marriage? That's not proper."
"Jingru, stop fooling around. I have another house over there. Once it's cleaned up, it'll be perfect." Qin Huairu couldn't help but smile slightly.
To Qin Jingru, that smile was the smile of a devil. She rolled her eyes, then nodded sullenly, "Well... alright then."
The date was set for June of next year, when both of them would be ready to get their marriage certificate. Qin Jingru didn't want to wait even a moment longer.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Qin Jingru stayed close to Wang Shouren.
Seeing this, Qin's father sighed helplessly, "Jingru, why don't you take Shouren out for a walk? Old brother, you can sleep here tonight. There's a spare room. Let the young people go out and explore on their own."
"Okay." The old man had no objections.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
