Chapter 163 Entrusting His Family's Assets
Hao Yu said gently, "He wasn't lying. In fact, apart from his arm, the rest of his injuries were minor."
Xie Wanniang and the others all breathed a sigh of relief. Atai couldn't wait to share the good news with Xie Wanniang, "Sister Xie, Brother Yuan is now a commander!"
"Oh?" Xie Wanniang beamed with joy upon hearing this. She looked at Jiang Yuan and said, "Congratulations!"
She had heard before that Jiang Yuan might be promoted to commander of a thousand, so she wasn't too surprised. Besides, unlike Hao Yu, she didn't place too much hope in Jiang Yuan.
Hao Yu was so excited and overjoyed that she lost her composure, but Xie Wanniang was completely different.
Of course, not losing her composure didn't mean she was unhappy. Sure enough, she immediately made arrangements for a celebration. She beckoned to Xiaomei, "Go tell the cook that we're all having a big meal tonight."
Besides having a good meal, she also asked Haitang to bring out a basket of copper coins, "so that everyone can share in the joy. The four of you, as well as the shopkeeper, accountant, tailor, embroiderer, cook, and guard, will each receive five hundred coins, the ordinary shop assistants will each receive three hundred coins, and the apprentices will each receive one hundred coins."
The so-called "you four" refers to Xiaoyang, Xiaomei, Atai, and Haitang themselves.
Haitang responded and happily went off to do her work.
Xie Wanniang sat next to Jiang Yuan, quietly watching him eat the last bit of scrambled eggs in his bowl.
Jiang Yuan didn't feel uncomfortable being stared at by her. He quickly and politely finished the last bite of food. As before, he stood up and started to clear the dishes.
Seeing this, Atai quickly took over the task of cleaning up the mess, saying, "I'll do it, Brother Yuan, you take a rest."
Xie Wanniang also said, "That's right, why are you working so hard when your arm is injured?"
Jiang Yuan handed the chopsticks to Atai, then scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm just... used to it."
Xie Wanniang smiled.
Jiang Yuan laughed along with him.
Hao Yu secretly rolled her eyes, unable to bear watching Jiang Yuan's foolish appearance any longer.
He greeted Chen, who was smiling as she watched Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang interact, "Let's go, we're going home."
His disciples are waiting for him; he can't be away for too long.
Ms. Chen nodded, "Okay."
She looked at Xie Wanniang and said, "I'll come over early this afternoon to help."
Xie Wanniang shook her head, "There are cooks, and I will also assign two other people to help them with odd jobs, so you don't need to do anything."
Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "Then I'll come earlier too, and bring you pork, tofu and other things."
Before Xie Wanniang could refuse, she picked up the child and hurriedly followed Hao Yu away.
Xie Wanniang shook her head helplessly, "Auntie is still as polite as ever."
Jiang Yuan's gaze softened. "Being polite has its advantages."
Xie Wanniang thought about it and agreed, "That's true. At least they're easier to get along with than greedy people who only want to take advantage and don't want to suffer any losses."
After exchanging a few casual words, Xie Wanniang inquired about the specific details of Jiang Yuan's battle.
Jiang Yuan told her what he could say, and added at the end, "The young master said that this time he will also have the Lady of the Marquis write a letter to the Empress and tell her about your donation of supplies to Zijing Pass."
Xie Wanniang beamed, "That's great."
Jiang Yuan's lips curled slightly. "Still anonymous for now?"
Xie Wanniang nodded, "I'm not strong enough yet, and my connection with the border troops isn't strong enough."
Jiang Yuan's lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything.
Xie Wanniang said curiously, "Just say what you want to say. This hesitant way of speaking is not like you."
Jiang Yuan's ears turned slightly red, but he tried his best to appear calm and composed. "I'm a commander now. Will you... will you marry me?"
Xie Wanniang raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Jiang Yuan tried to persuade Xie Wanniang, "If you marry me, your bond with the border troops should be deep enough, right?"
Xie Wanniang shook her head.
Jiang Yuan's heart sank.
Xie Wanniang looked into his eyes and said slowly and seriously, "I will not marry for such a reason."
Jiang Yuan pursed his thin lips, but he wasn't particularly disappointed.
He knew Xie Wanniang fairly well and had long expected her to do this.
However, this was the reason he had racked his brains to come up with, and it might have been the reason that could persuade Xie Wanniang. Now that the reason was gone, where could he find a more convincing reason next?
To his surprise, Xie Wanniang changed the subject and gave him another big surprise.
"But I'm willing to marry you."
Jiang Yuan: !!!
Jiang Yuan even forgot about his injuries. He jumped three feet high in the air, "Really? No, no, no, this must be true!"
He spun around in place. "No, I have to have the Crown Prince send a few people to deliver my share of the reward ahead of time."
Getting married is not a simple matter that can be settled with a few words. Before the wedding procession, he not only needs to prepare a house and property, but also has to arrange the three letters and six rites according to the rules.
These things all cost money, so he needs to get his due reward first.
What was called a reward was actually a portion of the spoils they had captured in this battle.
It is customary in the army that a small portion of the spoils of war are distributed as rewards to meritorious soldiers, while the majority are used by the commander of the army as military supplies to feed the army, subsidize the fallen or wounded soldiers, and replace outdated weapons, armor, and warhorses.
As for the rewards issued by the imperial court after the victory, that would be a long wait. Not to mention Jiang Yuan, a mere captain, even Chang Yao, the commander of Zijing Pass, wouldn't dare to guarantee when the rewards would be issued to the meritorious soldiers.
Jiang Yuan was overjoyed, but not completely dumbfounded. He paced around, pondering the details of the engagement and marriage, which made Xie Wanniang both touched and amused.
Especially when this fool was still halfway through his calculations, he took out all the money he had saved up from the house and pushed it in front of Xie Wanniang without saying a word.
Not to mention getting married, the two hadn't even gone through the engagement process, and Jiang Yuan had already handed over his family fortune, which left Xie Wanniang with mixed feelings.
Honestly, although she also liked Jiang Yuan and wanted to spend her life with him, she couldn't be like Jiang Yuan, leaving no room for maneuver.
She needs to keep her money in her own hands, otherwise she won't feel secure.
If Jiang Yuan needs it, she can take out a portion, or even all of it, to help him through difficult times when he is short of money, but she will never hand over all her money to someone just because she marries them.
Putting herself in Jiang Yuan's shoes, Xie Wanniang resisted the immense temptation of a windfall and, with her last shred of reason and conscience, advised him, "Keep your money. If you give it all to me, what will you do if you ever need money in the future? You'll just have to ask me for it."
Jiang Yuan blinked. "I'll receive my reward soon, and I'll get a monthly salary from now on, so you don't have to worry about me running out of money."
Xie Wanniang: ......
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